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yokohamabeans · 2 years

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What do you think about Kakucho's relationship with Takemichi? We didn't say a lot, and it's a shame =(

I hope it’s okay to combine these two asks because it’s about the same topic!

KakuMichi (I’m using this shipname in the platonic sense here) is ruining me!! Not their friendship itself, but what it impiles about Kakucho. On one hand, I adore that Kakucho gets to be himself when Takemichi’s around, but when I sit down to think about it, it made me realise that Kakucho’s life is even sadder / more tragic than it is...? 🫠

Nonetheless, all things considered I do enjoy KakuMichi (even though I sometimes think it is kinda played to glorify Takemichi’s shounen-protag-influence. NO hate to Takemichi here!)

Again, incoherent rant ahead because it’s about Kakucho. Slight spoilers for the Final Arc too (up till 255).

Throughout his life, even after his tragic accident, Kakucho’s been holding Takemichi in high regard (if not one of the highest). Even when his allegiance is with other gangs / people, he respects Takemichi a great deal.

During the Tenjiku Arc, Kakucho immediately trusted Takemichi with the favour of stopping Kisaki / saving Izana, even though they’ve JUST been reunited (since they last saw each other at 7-8 years old). I suppose Kakucho’s heard about Toman and Takemichi’s feats before that, which probably assured him that Takemichi is still the same ‘hero’ he was when they were kids, but still, it’s got to take a lot of faith to believe that your childhood friend (who you haven’t seen in 6-ish years) is capable of saving your most important person.

During the Three Deities Arc, Kakucho was adamant about recruiting Takemichi for Rokuhara Tandai. At this point, he’s lost Izana, the purpose of his life, and coerced into serving a tyrant who he probably really disliked / disagreed with. I think the only thing he was hopeful about after Tenjiku was fighting alongside or being with Takemichi.

During the KanToMan Fight, Kakucho was reluctant to go against Takemichi and expressed that he wasn’t fighting for Mikey but Takemichi (in the sense that he’s valuing the fight above Mikey’s agenda). He also readily trusted Takemichi’s words about his vision / Sanzu’s plan to kill everyone, which would’ve sounded totally bonkers. He also had no hesitation nor questions about forming an alliance with Takemichi lmao.

We weren’t shown how close KakuMichi were in their childhood (i.e. at the level of besties, schoolmates or simply playmates), but they at least agreed with each other’s views and played a lot together. Nonetheless, they hung out enough for Kakucho to believe in Takemichi’s goodness, which he sustains throughout his life. (Like c’mon Kaku, what if Takemichi grew up to be a total scumbag? People change and you were KIDS. Even you acknowledged this!!)

It’s bittersweet because it means that his relationship with Takemichi is one of the few positive things in his life, or that Takemichi is the only person who Kakucho can entrust himself to.

Even after meeting many people and cycling through two gangs, Kakucho can only place his hopes in someone who he rarely sees / keeps in contact with (I’m assuming this because we don’t see them interacting outside of gang clashes). Sure, he’s hung out a lot with the S-62, but he probably didn’t agree with their ways and morals. Perhaps he cared for them and had good times with them, but I’m not sure if they were ever as important to him. It really seemed that since Izana’s death, the only time that Kakucho’s been happy or enjoying himself is when he’s fighting Takemichi at the train tracks.

Like, I’m glad that Kakucho has such a person in Takemichi, but sad because it means he hasn’t really met many good people in his life...

(On this note: Post-Tenjiku Kakucho reminds me of a rōnin, or a samurai who’s lost his master and is wandering the lands with nowhere to belong to. Idk if Wakui had this thought in mind when designing Kakucho, but it certainly evokes such a thought!)

Anyhow, I feel that KakuMichi’s friendship is special and precious in the sense that they are bosom friends who understand one another, but they also accept that they’ve got their own lives to lead and are thus moving forwards in parallel. You know what I mean? This is also bittersweet in its own way.

AND THE SECOND ANON BROUGHT UP A GOOD POINT! How was Kakucho feeling when Takemichi was beaten half to death by Mikey right in front of him?! I’m hoping that Kakucho was still knocked out cold when it happened, to save him from all the emotional turmoil.

But if he was already conscious then, I imagine that Kakucho’s first reaction would be shock (like everyone else), but mostly at Mikey’s savagery and the fact that South could be beaten and killed. Like what you said, he must’ve also felt helpless and was probably praying that someone would stop Mikey from killing Takemichi (because he physically couldn’t). Yet at the same time, I think he might’ve a gut feeling that it’s not the end of Takemichi, like a ‘you won’t die in a place like this, not like that’ kinda thing, y’know? Which probably explains why his priorities are about South when he’s fleeing the scene with Ran instead of Takemichi.

All this talk about KakuMichi’s got me wondering... WHAT ABOUT KAKUMICHI IN THE FUTURE?! How would their relationship be like? I’m speaking about all timelines btw, from the original TL where Takemichi’s a loser, all the way to Bonten. Takemichi probably didn’t know about Kakucho’s membership in Bonten considering how veiled in secrecy Bonten was. Did he think about looking Kakucho up? Did he think about inviting him to his wedding? Did Kakucho still think of Takemichi as his hero, even after becoming Number 3 in Japan’s worst criminal organization? Would Kakucho have been disappointed if he ran into Takemichi in his loser timeline?

I think if I go any further I’ll turn delirious, so I’m just gonna end this post with all these questions, alright? 🫠

#anon #asks #TR braindumps #tokyo revengers #kakucho #hanagaki takemichi #i realise this ended up being more of a Kakucho post than a Kakumichi post

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emersonfreepress · 3 years

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What would the ro's be like in a zombie au?

whyyyyy anon whyyy. I'm actually gonna write this in like.. slightly different terms, you'll see. any time I even briefly think of a zombie au I'm just like

I WANNA WRITE IT SO BADDD

i don't even allow myself to entertain it for very long because getting into that would be the worst thing ever for my productivity with the alpha omg 😂😂 so I'll put like the ideas that pop into my head for writing a zombie au, to work some of that creative frustration out 😆

so in this very general, absolutely noncommittal idea of mine, the main cast are older and the setting is in and around a civilian settlement led by the Emersons.

and as a refresher, i like my zombie aus to have fast zombies and fast infections ^ ^ 28 Days Later/Train to Busan style babyyyy, we the Sprinting Dead up in this bitch 😆

= = =

Gabe is, predictably, looking for what's left of his family. Following rumors of safe havens and bunkers and such. Starts the story as someone who tries to be diplomatic, if not outright pacifist, but as times get tougher and resources dwindle, he'd become one of the most cutthroat motherfuckers in the wasteland. Low-key though, low-key. People won't trust you if they know you’re capable of throwing them to a horde for strategic reasons. Like if Rick turned into Shane (for those of us familiar with early Walking Dead--idk did that happen eventually? i gave up before we even met Negan lol). The end justifies the means :) Damn, I can legit see Gabe going full evil in a zombie au omg 😂😂 i want to write it so fucking bad

Preferred weapon for zed encounters: rifle

Preferred weapon for human encounters: handgun

Faith in humanity: fucking zero

Zombie kill count: plenty; the type to kill every zombie he has spare ammo and time for

Human kill policy: When it benefits him or the people he’s looking after

Survival rating: B+; he can make it out of some pretty dire situations through sheer will to live and ruthlessness

- - -

Kile has arrived--clearly, this is the timeline they belong in. They start their journey with Gabe (and their doggo) and stick to him like glue, even reluctantly so when Gabe eventually has them join the settlement. This can only go one way, though: Kile's just too much of a wildcard for the group and hates being told what to do. (Especially now that society has fallen, wtf) They'd make their exit alone and unannounced aside from a brief head’s up to Gabe. It's slightly bittersweet, but also? They get to loot and hunt and sneak around and kill fucking zombies, all by themself. Kile is a loner, a hiker, and a hunter to begin with so they do beyond fine on their own. However, once the inevitable violent human threat comes for the settlement, Gabe is sent out to convince Kile to come out of isolation, just this once please, to be the camp’s super soldier help defend the camp.

Zed weapon: p much anything they can get their hands on, ranged or melee, blunt or sharp, w/e; improvised weapons

Human weapon: hunting knife

Faith in humanity: never had any to begin with

Zombie kill count: lol infinite?? any zed they come across is double-dead if they have the time for it

Human kill policy: at Gabe’s direction or when provoked enough/threatened

Survival rating: A-; they trust no one, live in isolation, and prioritize survival above all else. only reason it’s not higher is they would risk their life for Gabe or their furbaby and also... their own Rambo-esque antics def attracts the occasional horde lmao

- - -

Jack... this poor boy, he doesn't deserve a zombie au 😂 He's one of those people that first believes zombies are just sick people, too squeamish to keep up with TV news coverage at the onset and too upset to consider anything else. He'd hunker down at home, staying holed up even while his neighbors evacuated, and probably be discovered while the main group is looting the same place as him. When people try to tell him the real state of the world, he'd be in denial until he absolutely couldn't be anymore. idk, probably after Kile shooting a bunch of non-lethal holes thru a zombie to make a point (attracting more in the process lol).

He’d almost immediately join the medical team at the settlement and as word spreads about how easy he is to talk to, he quickly becomes the literal on-site therapist. It's a role he embraces but... idk if it's an emotional burden he can bear. He's very emotionally resilient! But he ain't a professional lol imagine a whole settlement of traumatized zombie survivors seeking you out for counseling, yikes. He also can't say no to a person in need, so instead he quietly spirals into a very private depression while continuing to help others!!

Zed weapon: Oh gosh, do I really have to?

Human weapon: ...Kindness?

Faith in humanity: Unrealistically high

Zombie kill count: Single digit

Human kill policy: Not ever, unless completely unavoidable and to defend the defenseless

Survival rating: C...? idk, that feels generous. D+. To be protected at all costs!!

- - -

Jessie also had the initial reaction of hoping zombies could be saved, but she woke up from that dream swiftly. The science-minded person that she is, esp with her interest in biology, leaves her determined to find anybody who's got the intellect, expertise, and resources to start doing actual work toward a treatment, cure, vaccine—anything. Nothing would get her to finally unabashedly embrace her love of science (and innate leadership skills!!) faster than a zombie apocalypse! In fact, it’s thanks to her that the Emerson settlement’s got a small but growing team of scientists doing as much research as humanly possible to best educate the others on the outbreak and zombie behavior. Def no zombie experimentation going on though lol. ...Not yet, at least.

Zed weapon: rifle

Human weapon: rifle

Faith in humanity: High! We’ll find a solution! Don’t give up hope!

Zombie kill count: Double digits, but less than 30

Human kill policy: Only in unavoidable self-defense or defense of others

Survival rating: B! She has experience with ranged weapons, farming and gardening skills, first aid, camping experience, and a can-do attitude with a healthy dose of realism!

- - -

Rain remains cargo as I said in the last post about this 😆 They'd be very good for keeping clothes repaired and making useful modifications in the settlement, but their life up to this point has been very sheltered and privileged. We're talking somebody with a chauffeur and a personal chef before the outbreak! They would contribute to quality of life and homemaking efforts more than anything—an overlooked aspect of these scenarios tbh! After as many months of dragging their feet as possible and being nigh impossible to track down when you need them, they eventually become involved in meal planning and even help out with medical stuff if they're asked.

Zed weapon: how do you reload this thing again?

Human weapon: switchblade or other concealable sharp-pointy

Faith in humanity: Very low

Zombie kill count: 0! Can you believe it!

Human kill policy: Well if it’s you or me, of course I’m choosing me.

Survival rating: C. Being so tiny helps them find good hiding spots and their self-preservation is high enough to keep them from unnecessary risk-taking. Plus they're very stealthy! Self-defense is a major issue though, so hiding is always their best option.

- - -

Rupan/Rohan scouts for and leads scavenging missions and is Curt's right hand on the recruitment team. The two of them together are the perfect combo of diplomacy, debate, and deception--although R is more honorable about the last one and will only deceive for strategic reasons. When they aren’t looting and recruiting, they’re doing peacekeeping inside the settlement. Most social disputes end up getting brought to them for mediation and they’re pretty dang good at making and enforcing calls. One day they’ll wake up to realize they’ve basically become a sheriff and feel the need to puke their guts up and do something, anything, to reassure themself they’re still punk 😂

Zed weapon: SMG

Human weapon: shotgun

Faith in humanity: Believes in fundamental goodness but knows better than to trust first impressions

Zombie kill count: decent, more than 40; you won’t catch them having a field day tho, they’re trying to gtfo of most zed situations

Human kill policy: Violent threats have to be taken out. And they aren’t, at all, immune to a revenge rampage either...

Survival rating: B-. Can handle themself both with humans and zeds but is vulnerable to hostage situations and truly difficult sentimental/interpersonal decisions!

- - -

Vivian/Vincent manages inventory and stock and they run it so efficiently it’s scary! They're the perfect pick: a hawk-eyed tyrant and tattletale 😂 Despite constantly butting heads with just about everyone on every imaginable thing, they quickly become an important part of the inner circle of decision-makers for the settlement at large. Terrible at stealth, jumpy, and squeamish at the sight of blood and gore, they literally never go on missions unless they're 100% needed for their expertise on a supply run. (They would deny all of these shortcomings are that big a problem, meanwhile R is definitely acting as their bodyguard lol.) When they do tag along, they're prone to becoming the damsel in distress. Seriously, it happens near every fucking time. It's like they just attract only the most improbable and perilous zombie attacks and hostage situations 😆

Zed weapon: shotgun

Human weapon: handgun

Faith in humanity: Medium; seeing people work together at the settlement helps restore it a bit

Zombie kill count: Double digits, under 25

Human kill policy: Violent threats have to be taken out. Well, no, not by me! Get one of the ruffians to do it!

Survival rating: C-. They’d be higher if they weren’t such natural zombie bait.

- - -

Heidi is running the settlement, well-organized to the degree of actually managing to bring bureaucracy to a post-zombie apocalypse settlement 😂 People are free to come and go, but getting in if you don't live there requires trading something of value (fuel, med supplies, food, etc), temporary surrender and registry of firearms and explosives, and you gotta GTFO at the time and date specified upon entry! You can stay long-term if you contribute to the community in a tangible way—and each person admitted is approved by Heidi personally. Yes, every individual. No, she has no free time. And she is not known to be lenient with rule breakers—you want rule bending, you’ll have to go to Curt for that. People kind of hate her, but it can't be denied that she runs a tight ship. She kind of throws herself into the work to avoid the harsher reality at large and hasn't left the settlement in a long time. She's out of touch with how bad things have gotten in the wastes, but she knows better than to take reports at anything less than face value--even when she's skeptical.

Zed weapon: rifle

Human weapon: handgun; dagger

Faith in humanity: Medium. It fluctuates, honestly

Zombie kill count: Double digits, less than 20

Human kill policy: Violent threats must be taken out if they can’t be reasoned with. Spare those who surrender, eradicate those who don't, keep an eye on the newbies. Not tryin’ to nurse any vendettas around here lol

Survival rating: B. She's good with a firearm, masterful at persuasion, and savvy enough to calculate risks appropriately. Also far tougher than her prim exterior and demeanor suggests!

- - -

Curt leads the recruitment and reconnaissance teams! When a new person or group shows up in the area, Curt's the one who stalks watches them, decides if they're worth approaching, and if they should be approached with an invitation, a simple acknowledgment/announcement of their presence, or an outright armed warning to leave the area. He also keeps tabs on morale and general confidence inside the settlement, alongside R. When he isn’t leading those efforts, though, he’s flirting with settlers and squirreling his way out of manual labor and other chores. He’s also secretly growing weed at his place--don’t tell Heidi or Vi ‘cause they’ll wanna yell at him and ration it UGH.

Zed weapon: SMG, explosives

Human weapon: handgun, dagger

Faith in humanity: Pft, sorry, what now?

Zombie kill count: ...way more than you’d expect

Human kill policy: I don’t start confrontations, but I sure as fuck end them.

Survival rating: A! He’s good at playing hapless idiot when it suits him to be underestimated, good with firearms, and capable of being ruthless and decisive in life or death situations! Plus he has no qualms about ditching the settlement if he decides it’s not working out for him. Just don’t tell Heidi lol

#the rest are under the cuuuut #had to stop myself from writing too much SEVERAL times #love me a zombie apocalypse #lovely anon #answered #ROs #whoops got carried away lol #spent most of my work day finally finishing this ask because VIVA PROCRASTINATION #someone help ._.#phew #feels good to finally get it out of my system tho #now I can promptly never ever write it 😂#AUs #fave #scenarios

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chatterbox-meta · 5 years

Text

Katsuki Bakugou and The Five Stages of Grief

Or, the essay in which I argue Bakugou was a great character way before S3 rolled around. The title will become relevant eventually. Speaking of, the following contains spoilers for the entirety of the My Hero Academia anime (S1-S3) and some mild spoilers for the manga. I repeat, this is an in-depth analysis of Bakugou’s entire journey.

(Originally submitted anonymously to @heroes-never-discourse over here.)

In the early parts of My Hero Academia, Katsuki Bakugou was defined almost completely by his role in Deku’s underdog story - as an obstacle in Deku’s path to becoming a hero, an arrogant bully and therefore an antagonist you really want to see go down. And he served that role really well, but there wasn’t much more to him. And what little insight we got into his character didn’t make a lot of sense. Why would he think Deku was hiding his Quirk all this time? He hates Deku for wanting to help him up, fucking really? And he doesn’t even have a tragic backstory! Etc. etc. The audience was left with the impression that he’s just a cruel spoiled brat lashing out because the kid he hates for being Quirkless won’t let him do what he wants. That he wants the number one spot because he believes he deserves it. That impression slowly started to change when Bakugou defied expectations by refusing to join the League of Villains just to get more power. Then, it was completely flipped on its head when Deku vs Kacchan revealed that Bakugou never hated Deku for being Quirkless, but that he was always afraid that Deku, despite being Quirkless and clumsy and a crybaby, had whatever it takes to overtake him, knew it, and looked down on Bakugou for it. Of course, Deku’s reply is “I wanted to surpass you because I thought you were amazing, not weak, you fucking asshole” (paraphrased, obviously lol), but that’s not the point. The point is that the audience finally has what was missing from Bakugou’s early characterization - context. With that context, the underlying setup for his character arc becomes visible. Let’s go back to the beginning and take a closer look!

When we first meet Bakugou, he seems completely secure in his place in the world. He’s loud, brash and at his most arrogant. But when the teacher reveals that Deku wants to go to U.A. just like him, he doesn’t laugh along with the rest of the class, he’s shocked for a moment and then he flips his shit, to the point of telling Deku he has a better chance of getting a Quirk and being a hero in his next life. The first time, it’s just meant to make us hate him. In hindsight, with context, it’s the first crack in Bakugou’s facade. I’m not saying Bakugou’s arrogance is fake. He wouldn’t care so much about being the best if he wasn’t prideful, but let’s put it this way: Deku’s confidence is a foundation being built brick by brick, while Bakugou’s is a tower of cards. And all because when they were kids Deku cast doubt on that security in his place in the world, making him doubt whether the things he was praised for all his life meant anything at all, if he was weak despite being strong. However, Bakugou is still in denial of these doubts and fears when the series begins. The Sludge Villain incident and Deku rescuing him bring them to the surface, but he quickly pushes them down again by pretending he totally could have handled it himself (though he knows he couldn’t, which is why he doesn’t accept the praise from the pro-heroes on the scene) and avoiding Deku. But then Deku suddenly gets a Quirk and Bakugou is furious. He accuses Deku of hiding his Quirk all this time and laughing behind his back. Again, on a first viewing, this just sounds like Insane Troll Logic, but knowing that Bakugou always feared Deku had some hidden strength, it makes sense he’d connect that with One For All’s sudden appearance. (Though it’s still not a reasonable conclusion since it’s based on a false premise lmao.) During Deku vs Kacchan Part 1, Bakugou can no longer deny what he thinks is the truth about Deku, so he lashes out. It’s his last chance to make Deku give up on being a hero. He’s not just looking to beat up Deku, though, he wants Deku to fight back, to show him that power so Bakugou can snuff it out. After all, a victory over an opponent who’s holding back isn’t a victory at all. But Deku does hold back, focusing on his mission, and in doing so, defeats Bakugou. And it’s here that Bakugou’s security in his place in the world is completely shattered, not just by Deku, but also by seeing other students, especially Todoroki, whom he doesn’t think he can beat. He can no longer deny it and his anger has only blinded him to the path of true victory, as Yaoyorozu points out. And Bakugou, despite all appearances, can take criticism and learn from his mistakes. In the aftermath, both Deku and Bakugou basically declare war on each other, but despite Deku saying he’ll surpass him, Bakugou feels that their situation is flipped. That Deku is the one who’s ahead and Bakugou’s the one scrambling to catch up. (I don’t think he realises that during the time spent chasing Deku, he’ll work harder and grow more than he has in a decade.) And he wants to catch up. Despite his sense of self as a winner being taken from him, Bakugou is not willing to let it go. And the Sports Festival is Bakugou’s attempt to regain it. It’s a bargain. He has a pretty detailed and strict set of rules for that, too. First, he’ll announce that he’ll take the number one spot to the entire stadium. As Deku points out, he’s not bragging, he’s pushing himself, knowing he’ll look like a complete tool if he loses after a declaration like that. Secondly, he has to defeat Deku or Todoroki (or both), the people he perceives as the greatest threats. Finally, he has to win against all of his opponents at their best. If he fails at any of those things, if he doesn’t prove himself to be the indisputable strongest, he will have failed, completely. This period of the story also showcases a subtle shift in his personality, one that was already somewhat visible during the USJ arc. Bakugou was never stupid, but asides from designing his weapons and costume for maximum efficiency (seriously, despite looking exactly like what happens when you give an edgy 15-year-old free reign to design a costume, his is the most utilitarian, mitigating recoil and absorbing sweat and all that), he used to rely solely on his admittedly above-average combat skills. But the fight against Deku proved that it wouldn’t be enough, so he (probably subconsciously) takes a page out of his book and starts carefully analysing his opponents’ moves to find their weaknesses. He’s also rather less nasty. He isn’t kinder or more polite, but he doesn’t go out of his way to be cruel. And he’s starting to look around himself and see other people, recognizing their strengths, if only so he knows how to beat them (he doesn’t underestimate any of his opponents) or use them to his advantage (Cavalry Battle). This is also when his friendship with Kirishima officially starts, since Kiri approached him as an ally. Unfortunately, he’s still a disrespectful tyrant in an environment where people aren’t willing to follow him just because, and he doesn’t deal with that well, exposing himself to be a huge antisocial weirdo when he’s not in control. For me, this was when I started to like Bakugou as a character. He still didn’t seem great without the context provided later, but his personality wasn’t just “Deku’s bully,” as he interacted with people other than him. Back on track, all of this is particularly emphasized during his fight with Uraraka. Just like in his fight with Deku, he’s giving it his all not because he enjoys beating up the weak, but because he knows his opponent is stronger than she looks.* Unlike the fight with Deku though, he has no grudge that makes him act like a rabid animal and isn’t letting his guard down for a second. And when it’s over, he’s disappointed because he’s gained respect for Uraraka and was excited to fight her. (*Though maybe that is an overly charitable interpretation of DvK1 lmao.)

Soon afterwards, Deku loses to Todoroki, but not before making him use his fire side. So all Bakugou has to do to complete his mission is defeat Todoroki. Bakugou isn’t upset that Deku lost, after all, he didn’t believe he himself could win against Todoroki’s ice alone before.

But he does. And he’s not satisfied. Because he didn’t beat Todoroki at his full power since he, due to personal issues, couldn’t bring himself to use his fire side, which he did against Deku. Yes, Deku lost after Todoroki used it, but he forced Todoroki to give him all he’s got, something Bakugou couldn’t do. To him, it’s like losing to Deku by proxy.

(He probably thinks Todoroki didn’t use his fire because he didn’t see Bakugou as worth it, unlike with Deku, but the actual reason is that Bakugou couldn’t reach out to him the way Deku could. That’s what he’s missing, he just doesn’t know it yet.)

Okay, so, Bakugou wins the Sports Festival, but fails to accomplish what he set out to do. He feels desperate and lashes out again. Though I actually doubt he would have kept beating Todoroki’s corpse (so to speak), he’s put to sleep just in case and chained up for the ceremony like a wild beast. Certain people take notice.

Before, that, though, it’s time for some work experience! He’s still behind Deku, but maybe working for the number three hero will help him! Wait, what do you mean, Deku is out there improving his fighting style by copying Bakugou’s moves (and Gran Torino’s, and also fighting a literal serial killer, but Bakugou doesn’t know that), while Bakugou is - what, modeling jeans?!

In fairness, Best Jeanist’s intent was to teach him to be respectable, but, like, he came up to a delinquent teenager and told him he should overhaul his entire look and personality, what did he expect was going to happen? XD

Ooooh, but this next part is super interesting. The End of Term Exam. Deku and Kacchan vs All Might.

The in-universe reason for having these two team up is something like “Bakugou needs to learn to work with someone he doesn’t like and Deku needs to assert himself and force an uncooperative teammate to work with him.” Both of those are likely scenarios in their future careers. The narrative reason, however, is twofold.

Firstly, before this point, Deku and Bakugou have grown mostly separately from each other. This means that while they’ve changed individually, their relationship didn’t. And it has to. Bakugou’s issues with Deku were actually only made worse due to how far behind he thinks he’s fallen, so he attempts to prove he can defeat All Might on his own. When Deku objects, Bakugou even relapses into his cruel personality and pretty much bitchslaps him. Deku can fight back now, but he doesn’t want to, he wants to talk.

Secondly, the fact that they’re teamed up against All Might is vital. Because while there were hints of it beforehand, this is the first time we learn about the two sides of All Might that Deku and Bakugou admire - saving and winning. Deku wants to save people, but hesitates to take on All Might, even though escaping him would be impossible. But he doesn’t run, because Bakugou doesn’t. That is our first glimpse into what Deku admires in Bakugou and what he can learn from him.

However, Bakugou charges at All Might alone and predictably gets the crap kicked out of him. Even though he’s beaten to the point of vomiting, Bakugou refuses Deku’s help (saving), saying that he would rather lose. This is when Deku punches him, and not just to get him away from All Might or because Bakugou hit him earlier, but because he doesn’t want Bakugou to give up on the one thing Deku’s always admired about him.

Bakugou seems to remember himself then. He remembers that he’s the guy who wins, at all costs. Even if it means accepting Deku’s help. Oh, but not just that - he starts emulating Deku in turn. He sacrifices his protection from pain by giving his gauntlet to Deku and making bigger and bigger explosions. When Deku uses the gauntlet, he hurts his shoulder from the recoil, but Bakugou should already be used to the strain, so how far is he going for his arms to hurt?

…Yeah, okay maybe the whole “break all your bones to achieve your goal” isn’t the part of Deku he should be emulating, but the saving part? Absolutely. And he does emulate it, when he jumps in front of a blow meant for Deku and gets smashed into the ground so Deku can get to the gate. Deku being Deku decides to attack All Might so he can carry Bakugou to safety with him. They win by saving and save by winning.

This fight was a pivotal moment for both characters as it shows what their relationship has the potential to become. Though Bakugou probably doesn’t realise it because he’s too busy thinking he failed by accepting Deku’s help. Yet it’s his greatest victory yet.

Speaking of pivotal moments, summer arrives and Bakugou gets kidnapped by the League of Villains. Deku tries to save him, but he tells him to stay away. The others take this to mean Bakugou is too prideful to be saved by Deku yet again, but while that might be partially true, I think it has more to do with the guy whose name literally means “cremation” holding him by the neck and Deku having two broken arms, fucking moron, stay away.

Anyway, in the villains’ hideout, Bakugou is offered a chance to join the League. He refuses immediately and attacks Shigaraki despite being outnumbered, even refusing to lie to get out of trouble. He then explains that he’ll never join the villains, not just because of Shigaraki’s less-than stellar persuasion skills (seriously, Bakugou’s the last person to believe he’s “wronged” by society), but because he wants to win like All Might, like a hero.

This is supposed to be a big twist on a first viewing, but if you pay attention to everything beforehand, it really shouldn’t be. Bakugou has many flaws, but his ambition was never portrayed as a bad thing and now, it’s what’s keeping him from throwing in the towel and becoming a villain.

(Also, I don’t know how anyone thought he’d pull a Sasuke, it would make no narrative sense. Like, the reason Sasuke joining the villains had any impact was because him and Naruto were friends, Bakugou joining Deku’s enemies would have changed what exactly? Lmao.)

So the heroes arrive to the rescue, but All For One appears and they’re all in even deeper shit now. All Might can’t go all out because he’s busy protecting Bakugou, who’s busy holding off the League who presumably want to make him into a Noumu now. Luckily, the Rescue Squad comes blasting through the sky with Kirishima’s outstretched hand. Bakugou takes it. I shouldn’t have to explain why that’s important.

Despite being free to go all out, All Might can’t defeat All For One and his true form is revealed. This is Bakugou’s first time seeing the greatest hero be vulnerable and things look bad. The crowd is desperately cheering All Might on and both Bakugou and Deku are screaming for All Might to win. Which he does. But he’s spent and he points to the cameras saying “you’re next.” Everyone starts cheering, except for Deku, who bursts into tears, and Bakugou, who looks pensive.

When they get back, Bakugou is nicer than normal. He cheers up the class using Kaminari and gives Kirishima money for a new camera as a way to thank them for risking their lives and careers to save him. He respects All Might’s decision not to tell him about Deku and OFA and verbally thanks him for saving him.

This is because Bakugou ended up taking this entire fiasco as his greatest failure yet. DvK1, the Sports Festival, the End of Term Exam - all of it pales in comparison. If he didn’t get himself kidnapped, his idol wouldn’t have lost his powers in order to save him and society would still have its Symbol of Peace. That’s right, society is in disarray and they must all think that it’s his fault. Whether or not it actually is his fault is besides the point, what matters is that he thinks it is.

What’s worse is that he knows Deku now has that power. His worst fear has come true. But he can’t talk to anyone about it, so he tries to bury it. He’s been in denial before, he can do it again, right?

No. It’s always on his mind. And I think this was the reason why he was so harsh on the pretend hostages during the Provisional Hero License Exam. It wasn’t (just) his usual jackassery, he screamed at them to save themselves because that’s what he thinks he should have done. Unfortunately, it’s what caused him to fail the exam.

Now, he’s failed plenty of times, just recently caused the end of All Might, surely that’s nothing? But Deku passed the exam and Bakugou has never been more aware of Deku’s back, getting further and further away. That was the last nail in the coffin.

He goes to confront Deku at Ground Beta, the site of DvK1, to get some answers about him and All Might. And so Deku vs Kacchan Part 2 begins.

I won’t repeat what I’ve already said about what’s revealed in this fight, but I’ll elaborate on what Bakugou wants from it. First of all, he didn’t go into it expecting to win. He’s already lost - he ended All Might and Deku was chosen as his protégé. What Bakugou wants is to know why. He’s always feared that Deku was worthy somehow, but he could never put his finger on what made him worthy.

Why did Deku lose? If he’s the true hero, he should have won. Surely that idea is not wrong. Bakugou won, but he’s not satisfied, he knows he’s missing something.

Why did the kid he spent ten years trying to put far behind him overtake him? Why did Deku become the prodigy and Bakugou the failure? Yes, after spending most of the series fighting tooth and nail to hold onto his image as the strong one, he’s accepted that he’s weak, he’s despairing, but why?

All Might provides the answer that was blindingly obvious to anyone but Bakugou. Deku had the heart of a true hero, even though he lacked the power to win and that made him worthy. but Bakugou’s view of a hero that always wins wasn’t wrong either. It was just incomplete, just as Deku’s was. But together, learning from each other, they can be the greatest heroes the world has ever seen.

And with all of their complicated emotions that have been festering for years out of the way, they can finally move forward. Bakugou can finally accept his weaknesses to make himself stronger, he can finally accept Deku as a rival who pushes him forward instead of a threat. And he can support Deku in turn, he does need to make up for years of pushing him down.

…

I think this is as good a time as any to go back to the title of this meta. The five stages of grief are, well, exactly as it sounds, the five steps of the grieving process: Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Despair and Acceptance. Not necessarily in that order. Bakugou spends most of his time pinballing between the first three, actually. Yet his overall character arc, spanning the time between chapter one and DvK2, still follows roughly that formula.

But what is he grieving? Well, grief is a general feeling of loss and Bakugou is grieving the slow loss of his identity. Ever since he was a child, he’d put so much stock into his strength and abilities to the point that he didn’t know who he’d be without being the best. Bakugou has no Freudian Excuse, he’s pretty much had it all, yet when I was watching DvK2, I didn’t see a spoiled brat throwing a tantrum because he didn’t get an honor he didn’t deserve. I saw a lost kid who doesn’t even know who he is anymore.

But as painful as all that was, it was ultimately for his own good. His fragile ego needed to be broken in order for Bakugou to rebuild himself into a stronger, kinder, better person. He needed to pick up the pieces that were still useful and fill in the gaps with things he learned from All Might. From Deku.

And the manga is already delivering on that. Bakugou does take a backseat for the next few arcs, but when he appears, he’s always seen making a concentrated effort to be better. I think that’s when his “redemption” truly starts, previously him becoming a better person was more of a side effect of everything else going on and he was dragged into it kicking and screaming.

Bakugou gives comfort and encouragement to Kirishima prior to his internship. He waits up for the interns with the others.

He listens to Todoroki when he suggests a better way to deal with children than physical discipline. He warns a child that reminds him of his past self that if he’s always looking down on people, he’ll be blind to his own weakness.

He integrates himself into the class during the Culture Festival, getting offended on their behalf - because they’re not extras, he’s one of them, now - when the other classes blame them for villain attacks. He listens to Jirou when she tells him to stop improvising because, as a drummer, he’s the support, not the lead.

Finally, he looks out for anyone in danger and jumps in to save them and lets himself be saved in turn. He keeps an eye on Deku and tries to aid his progress, like he promised.

Of course, he’s still got a long way to go. He’s still rough around the edges and he does have a literal decade to make up for, but I believe he will. With him being in on the secret and getting his license, it’s about time he and Deku get into hot water with the League again.

But everything that’s happened so far has been built up from Day One. This is Katsuki Bakugou. In hindsight.

#my hero academia #bnha #bnha meta #katsuki bakugou #chatterbox meta #long post #extremely long post you were warned #almost 4 fucking k #i know bakugou metas are a dime a dozen at this point #but i tried to do it with a different lens!

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obannthepunished · 6 years

Text

oof i forgot to post notes

here

Nott is Fjord's daughter now

Calianna?? i missed the spelling im sure her sheet will pop back up, but she wants an Item from the storehouse. She has also called jester and kiri cute which is gr8 Oooh she's got left side draconic shit

im working so like... bad notes

theyre all being dicks but shes determined theyre lovely i love her too much

theyre heading toward the... unterloch??? close enough

"Mr caleb" - Callie

Jester has Kiri on her shoulders <3

"MR FJORD" (with the lil j noise lmao) ooooh i love her

its super duper misty/foggy, they cant see much

Nott is Bren for this lmao, gives Febron some fuckin booze Callie, @ Fjord: (some comment about parenting)

Callie calls Febron "Mr Creepy Pervert" which i think is. just fab. move over molly youve been replaced as my fav (jkjk molly my darling i love you)

i do love that its "i need a d6" and everyone clamours to give. ive done that. its so nice. Big fuckin fireball burns off the fog in a wide area, and also damages something that comes for them taliesin your vicious mockery needs work Fjord casts Witch Bolt? Sick

ok ok notes picking up now promise, around Frumpkin looking out over shit with Caleb layer of bones inside something or other. a tree trunk. something matted in corner.

taliesin and laura pointing in EXACT unison is really creepy

marisha gets that nat20 on a survivl check

Febron nearly walks into a venus fuck trap, Callie levitates him, and they bat him away like a balloon

Caleb is very good at being a dickhead and i adore him

Fjord sees a shadow and they fan out, Callie Fjord Beau Yasha Molly?

Shadow is a bulbous humanoid, super boily, trollish in nature Beau distracts w some ball bearings oh ja callie thinks molly is a super devout bahamut follower

Callie is from port demali originally! raised by a cult taken in off the street

Jester is charged with going to make friends with the troll and hands Kiri over holding her under the arms... wings? And Fjord takes her by the scruff and literally EVERYONE gets mad (Nott takes custody instead)

Jester sends her duplicate out, and the troll attacks it and then runs away when it fails

pearl hilted daggers in the trees mark the way

there are corpses set up for show ew

Jester is gonna try and Speak With Dead

Q: What Did this to you? A: Swamp fish men under the ground

Q: How many? A: Many

Q:did anything hurt them more A: TLDR when we cut them, they bleed

Q: --nvm the troll gets Febron

Febron is Unconscious FEBRON IS SUPER DUPER PERMADEAD

Beau is ALSO unconscious now

Matt: That ends your turn fjord? Fkord:... yyyeah i cast regret

Caleb is casting things and IM HERE SCREAMING SLOW REPEATEDLY AT 5am

Yasha burns her movement to get close and DROP IT

Jester casts Healing Word THANK GOD 7hp

CALLIE FREES BEAU WITH LEVITATE!

troll gets away w febrons super dead corpse

back to speak with dead on the halfling Q: which way is the safehouse a: (head curves to right) hundred feet that way

br8k

The cult worshipped The Queen idk ic ant remember the proper name, part of a ritual the bowl, ueen of chromatic dragons

Callie cleans the water so Nott can see, which is sweet

jester + callie comlimeting one another is so cute this is th new otp

big big tree hollow chamber

Nott gets fragment of possibility and goes down a lil hole, falls but casts featherfall

they all godown, kiri in a corner, and they talk too much and lose their surprise round

Fjord: SUP, FISHFUCKS HUNGER OF HADAR BITCHES HOLY FUCK

Fjord is stabbed w harpoon 8( and then is bitten!

BEAU IS ENLARGED

i love it when they call molly "mollymauk" it genuinely fills me with some joy

Fjord is nat20 harpoon'd too. AND AGAIN AND UNCONSCIOUS but half orc so 1hp Fjord is pulled in, beau sentinel's it before it can get at him, but it still takes its bite- misses, thanks to Molly's blood maledict. nvm he goes down again.

Yasha gets real mad and murders one of the fish buoys

Duplijester casts cure wounds by hugging Fjord

I love when the CRew starts fuckin singin all together its so beautiful. the lollipop every time.

Beau flurry of blows it and its dying but not gone.

Fjord gets the hdywtdt with his FUCKING eldritch blast

Callie is a little possessive of kill. "a little" also i know shorthand itd be cali but fuck you im homestuck til the end

Kiri stabbing dead things (callie voice): i kill people! Marisha is amazed by how magnets work

lots of money found. manacles.

Nott finds the bowl and hides it REALLY WELL from Callie Caleb Identifies the bowl, it's for communicating with the Queen and requires blood.

Fjord has little panicky flashbacks of being in the shipwreck oh sheisse he continues under the water though. big room, piled up treasure, 5-6 fish dudes.

Caleb calls Everyone over except Jes and Nott, no, now including Jester. Beau snatches the bowl from Caleb. and now theyre all super mad at caleb for this what the fuck yall.

Cult of the caustic heart, servants of the scaled tyrant Callie is being honest YAAAAAAY

Beau drags Caleb away and lectures him, but Callie stands up for him which is Really Nice. Mol: "YOURE ALRIGHT CALEB, YOURE JUST A SHITTY COMMUNICATOR"

YASHA HAS THE SWORD THAT DISPELS MAGIC shes gonna stab it IT WORKS!!!!! SHE SHATTERS THE FUCKING BOWL!!!!!!! Callie just gives her a big hug awww and yasha pats her

Callie + Jester are now pen pals Callie leaves

#Critical Role #Critical Role Notes #Critical Role Spoilers #CR Spoilers

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occupyvenus · 7 years

Note

"Why are sansa ships so hated upon" lmao which one? Sansan? Where a 13 years old girl is paired with a 30+ man? Jonsa, where she is paired with her cousin/sibiling who she neglected her whole life and only cares about him bc he is what's left of her family? Or Sansa/Littlefinger maybe, when she's paired with a creep, pedophile and an asshole? Geez I wonder why these a+ healthy ships are so hated upon (im not even a jonerys btw, you guys are annoying the same amount)

I suppose you are talking about this? Because I don’t remember ever writing anything about why “Several Sansa ships are so hated upon” … Like, I really don’t. I remember writing the thing linked to above, where I bring up the issue why I think Sansa, like the character, not her ships … you do … you do understand the difference? Do you? Wait, here let me display it as easily as possible:

Sansa == “the character”Sansa/Whatever == NOT “the character”

Do we have that? Take your time, I don’t want you to strain your brain. Just try to realize what’s the difference between “a character” and “the ships involving that character”. Don’t hurry, this is a very important point, I can only keep going once you get that distinction into your lovely, little head. I’ll wait, don’t worry.

…

Got it? Good. I’m proud of you. Well done. Here, have a treat.

What a gooood boooyyyyyyy.

I did talk about ships in that post as well, but … not about the ones surrounding “Sansa” (you know … “the character” Remember? We already learned what that means?), but the most popular possible canon-pairings for Jon. Who is not Sansa … wait, time for another explanation:

Sansa == SansaSansa == NOT JonJon == NOT SansaJon == JonJon/Whatever == NOT Sansa/Whatever

Okay? One of them has a dick, the other has a vagina and tits. One of them has black hair, the other one red. One of them likes sword fighting and brooding, the other likes stitching and dancing. One of them is of above-average height, the other one is a smoll dwarf king… I honestly don’t know, how you could confuse the two. But okay, I hope you understand now, so it’s time for another treat:

Look at thaaat!!! A good boy through and through!

And not even concerning those did I ever talk about why people might dislike one or the other. I talked about my own personal preferences a bit …. okay, just so you understand what that means:

my own personal preferences == my own personal preferencesmy own personal preferences == NOT why other people might dislike themmy own personal preferences == NOT other people’s personal preferences

We already learned another thingy! I know, it would be time for another treat, but I don’t want to spoil you. I promise to give you one if you power through until the end, okay? I know this is much to take in at once, but I know you can do it. I BELIEVE IN YOU!

So here we go, the last complicated concept for today:

If I remember correctly my little thing was called “On why Jonsa of all ships is so bitterly fought about and/or not taken seriously” not “Why Sansa ships are so hated upon”. That’s … not the same. I just proposed the theory that Jonsa is so easily dismissed as a canon possibility because

a) Sansa is still considered a side character or at best the least important main character by many people and b) she attracts a lot of unwarranted hate (that doesn’t mean you have to stan her, love her or even necessarily like her. But so many people hate her to an unreasonable degree)

I just stated that if you consider all three key ladies to be of equal importance, all three ships are a legit candidate for jon!endgame!romance. You can find foreshadowing and clues for all, which one (if any at all, or all of them, whatever) you do actively get behind depends on your personal preferences (and I’m not going to judge that? Like, why would I?) and other endgame presumptions. (Will Jon live or die, will one of the three Ladies die? Will there still be a Iron Throne or not? If it does, who will sit on it? Etc, etc.) And if you don’t think they are equally important, every discussion about what is “delusional” or “possible” becomes obsolete because you’re not even approaching the whole issue from the same starting point.

I never talked about why people might “hate” that one ship I actually talked about, except those two things. I totally get people who are a bit grossed out by the “thought-they-were-siblings” factor. I totally get that people dislike the ship for a variety of reasons, or no reason at all. Like, you do you. It’s just that (here comes another hard one, that many people seem to struggle with):

What will happen == NOT just what you likeWhat is possible == NOT just what you like

I don’t know how you could read that thing (if you even did) and come to the conclusion that I wrote about why people dislike/hate specific Sansa-ships. I hope with all this new fancy information you can go back and think about the things I actually wrote about. But before you do, have another treat, you deserve it (that was a lot information at once. I know.)

What a good boy. Look at him go. Isn’t that yummy? Yes, it is.

Now before you go take a nap to digest all these delicious treats and to recharge your brain, I have to talk about one last topic. I do prefer positive affirmation, but every now and then one has to resort to a stricter tone, especially when people talk shit about my ship:

If we guys are that annoying to you, why do you take the time to look at our posts and respond to them? Like, just block us and go on with your life.

It’s funny that you think 11-year-old-and-younger Sansa was in any position to “neglect” Jon.

It’s also funny how people just assume that Sansa somehow bullied Jon all the time (because I guess that’s what you’re getting at), when there is no canon evidence of her being THAT bad. In the show, she apologizes for “being awful to him”, but there actually is no book evidence that she was. More on that later.

Even if she was a bit of an entitled brat AS A CHILD, show!Jon already forgave her for that, so why can’t you? Like, why do you people still blame her for something that not even the character you are supposedly defending gives a shit about?

The only time book!Jon thinks about her in a somewhat resentful way is when thinking “he even misses Sansa, who never called him anything but her half-brother since she was old enough to understand what bastard meant.” And honestly, even the term “somewhat resentful” is too strong anyway. He’s simply surprised that he also misses the sibling he was the least close too. He thinks about her a couple more times, but never in a bad light (After Ned gets killed, he’s worried about both his sisters, who he assumes are in KL and hostages of the Lannisters. He thinks that Sansa would cry at “the magic” of the wall, while Arya would just laugh it off. He thinks about Sansa’s advice about talking to girls. He mentions her in passing when talking about the feast in Winterfell and being forced to sit in the back. (Though he was obviously lying about being that pissed at his family to manipulate Mance.) He thinks about her when thinking about his weak claim to WF (that even his sisters come before him in the line of succession). He declines Stannis’ offer to make him Lord of Winterfell because “by right it belongs to Sansa.” twice. He thinks about her brushing out Lady’s fur, after receiving the Pink Letter. I honestly don’t know where people get the idea from that they hated each other or even look back at each other in a particularly negative way. They weren’t close, no, but if you claim jonsa is an “unhealthy” ship, because Sansa “neglected” him so badly … I hate to tell, that’s all in your head. Seems like you people are projecting your own wrong conclusions and feelings onto a fictional character. Okay, he talks about her once before leaving WF, when he and Arya mention their most important rule for doing some forbidden shit “Don’t tell Sansa!” OH NO! She must have been a tyrant to her other siblings. Now, that proves it. Do any of you people have any siblings or cousins yourself? Did any of you interact with other children or teenagers when you were that age? Did your grow up on some isolated island with literally no other people around? EDIT: I FORGOT TO MENTION THE BEST EXAMPLE OF JON “HATING” SANSA: At the feast they throw for Bobby B at Winterfell, he doesn’t think “look at that smug, arrogant, privileged bitch who always calls me her “half-brother”, getting to walk next to the crown prince while I have to sit in the back!”, He thinks that SHE LOOKS RADIANT! Man, Jon really hated her and only left Winterfell because she was so very awful to him.

Sansa actually did think about Jon before “he was everything that was left of her family”. She includes him in her prayer at the Battle of Blackwater and worries about him after realizing that not all men of the Night’s Watch are chivalrous black knights. (And before you give her shit for being so naive … Jon believed the exact same thing before actually travelling to the Wall.)

She thinks about him later as well (when fashioning her Alayne persona after him), but since you didn’t claim she doesn’t I can’t criticize you for that, can I? (See what I’m doing? I’m reacting to the things you actually wrote).

Btw, the whole sibling turned cousin issue is one of the things I totally get. I think it’s pretty bigoted going after those who don’t (like me and … all other Jonsa shippers), but I’m not going to argue with people that they shouldn’t either. Like, you do you and I do I or whatever.

That said, I do think that the arguments “they see each other as siblings” and “weren’t even close” put in the same sentence are most often an obvious contradiction. “They see each other as siblings that can’t stand each other” would be a valid argument, if the later statement only had some proof to back it up.

While I was very forgiving and tried to be nice and explain things, I can’t give you a pass for this nonsense

You know, there are probably many faws in my thinking and writing, but you people aren’t even trying. Just once I would like to have a civil, interesting, mind-provoking discussion with someone who disagrees with me. Instead, I get all the idiots with poor reading comprehension who can only bring up the same three illogical, stupid arguments. It’s getting boring.

#ask #anon #jonsa #shipping of got #idiot anons #idiot people #long post

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