Taking place from 21st to 27th of August, it hopes to shine a light on a few not so favourable characters in AssClass.
Here are some guidelines for the character week:
You can use any medium for the days: from your typical fanart and fanfics to edits, moodboards and even headcanons that fit the theme of the day
You are not forced to do every day. Choose one or a few and just have fun with it!
Because this is a group week and used to highlight underrated characters, just doing Gakushuu for every day is not allowed. At least use one other character from the group if you plan on focusing on Gakushuu
As per usual, do not do anything that includes incest, pedophilia or stuff that goes along those lines. NSFW is to be kept to a minimum since the characters are underage.
Please do not use this week to spread hate about the characters. If you don't want to see anything about this, please block the tag 'b5week23'
While we are at it, please tag your creations as 'b5week23' so I am able to reblog them on this blog
I hope to see at least a few creations from you guys! :)
Rules for Shuu ship week: It can be about any ship as long as it has Gakushuu Asano in it. Any ship. Some examples are KaruShuu, GakuLea, GakuRen, IsoSano, but rare pairs of any kind are always welcome.
If you have questions about any of the prompts, feel free to reach out, but I'll explain at least a couple of them.
Polyship: it just has to be a polyship. They can be any age, it can be anywhere, and about anything. It can be just a normal day in the household for the polyship, or maybe the 3+ of them go out on an adventure together, as long as it includes a polyship.
Isekai: Any crossover/isekai you can imagine. One I've been seeing lately is the spiderman AU for Gakushuu and Karma, which can easily be used for an isekai since they travel the multiverse a bit. You can also suddenly drop Gakushuu into a dating sim game and see how he does. XD And for anyone who isn't sure what an isekai is, it's when the MC gets magically transported to another world for one reason or another. This can be rebirth but with their old memories (Mushoku Tensei), a spell gone awry (The Devil is a Part-timer and Dead Mount Death Play), or suddenly being stuck in a videogame (Overlord and Sword Art Online) to name a few.
Music: this can be centered around music (since Gakushuu plays guitar) or be based on a song.
Also, you do not have to do all the prompts listed in a day, just one of them is fine.
Shuu Ship week will begin on January 1st 2024. See you then!
even despite the session, I’m still drawing something, and I’m trying not to disappear for too long, I hope this work has satisfied you a little, and I can calmly pass the exams. in general, the very essence of crazy Ren attracts me very much and I have a HUGE desire to draw him in this form
Animations on cellphone are so uncomfortable to make...
But I like these boys
(Used ref from @namaeekaki 's reblog! Didn't want to bother you too much, youu better do your drawing and other sketches!!! I'm waiting for more Takaoka!!!!)
An entire post dedicated to our favorite poet, because I've been thinking about him these days.
#1 Hair
Gif #1: The calm, confident, self-assured, totally cool flip (beautifully animated if I may add 😍)
Gif #2: The aggressive "I'm so pissed but I gotta stay cool" flip.
This guy loves his hair. He's either flipping just touching it. Sometimes, his hand is shown on his face or on the bald side of his head, but still close to his hair (probably preparing himself for 🌠the flip🌠)
Him and Gakushuu are the only Virtuosos with some sort of hair obsession. One guy keeps touching his, the other's worried about going bald early. Imagine these guys having serious, intellectual conversations about hair and recommending shampoos and conditioners to each other. Friendships goals right there.
(Though, sometimes I wonder if the bald side gives Gakushuu anxiety? And he just can't believe why Ren would willingly shave his hair. What fifteen-year-old does that?! He doesn't get why or how it's appealing!)
#2 Posture
Another thing to note is that, whenever he's standing, Ren tends to have one hand inside his pocket, but it's not the entire hand, just one thumb.
And of course, Ren has to strike a dramatic pose while he's at it.
Well, he's gotta look cool, no? 😎
And that's all. If anyone's noticed more tiny details, do let me know.
Funnily enough, I had considered talking about that in the original post, but I didn't know what to say without diving into headcanon territory. Despite being an established womanizer, Ren has only flirted in like 3 episodes (S1E15, S1E16, and S2E25 and mostly with the same girl) so there didn't seem to be anything noteworthy if we're just gonna go with a handful of scenes alone.
Still, these few scenes do show how dramatic Ren is when flirting. He likes to charm ladies with poetry, leaning in with a book hiding his face; he seems to have this dreamy "Prince Charming" image going on, which I believe also includes his posture, constant smiling, and calm demeanor (though I also believe the latter two were the result of his upbringing, but that's a whole other headcanon.)
And as we all know, he tends to be very touchy. I feel like it's because Ren's so used to having girls fawn over him that he just forgot the meaning of personal space...or its entire existence.
Also notice the parallels between how he's flirting with the first two girls and how he's flirting with Yukiko? In addition to wrapping one arm around her, we can see in Koyama's glasses that Ren's hand seems to near Yukiko's face, almost like he's cupping it the same way he's doing to the first girl? I'm guessing these are also habits, but I can't say it's 100% canon since these are only three different girls in three brief scenes.
(Note: I know the first two appear to be the same girl because of their hair color, but they have different eye colors, eyebrows, and lips.)
And of course, you can't be prince charming without being chivalrous.
Obviously, He's trying to place his right hand on Yukiko's shoulders. He's not doing the same with the left one, though. Was he reaching for her face instead? Maybe these are certain habits for his Prince Charming persona, but again, nothing that I can say is 100% canon, so take my words with a grain of salt.
That's all I can say for his flirty attitude. I have so many hcs for this guy and it was pretty hard for me to cut irrelevent things out and not do a full-on character analysis that's largely fanon. Hope you enjoyed readng this, and feel free to add your own thoughts and speculations if you want.
We've all heard of the classic "Asano gets sent to E class" but have you thought of "Five Virtuosos get sent to E class"?
OF COURSE! A Lot of times actually!
In fact, I remember reading a Wattpad story where they all got sent down to E Class. Sadly, it was incomplete (I think just two chapters?) Not sure if it still exists.
Now, if I had to write a fic like that, I'd say Gakuhou sends them all to E Class as punishment for making and losing a bet with the underdogs, therby humiliating not only themselves, but their classmates as well. And since this is Gakuhou we're talking about, it'll be easy to get A Class to turn on them.
So E Class is in for a surprise next semester; same can be said for the Big Five. And of course, it's Karma who finds it amusing. Already, Gakushuu is not going to like this...
Now, let's see how each are going to be like in E Class:
Ren:
This guy is Irina's third apprentice. Not really surprising, right?
Much like Yada, he doesn't want to seduce others with his body. He's a womanizer, but he's not lewd.
He also tries flirting with every girl in class. Kataoka practically follows him around to tell him off, especially when he's going after the not-so-assertive ones.
Yukiko is his most frequent target, so he has Sugino on his case, too.
Karasuma also has to keep him in check. He can also be harsh on him during training.
Aside from that, Ren isn't much of a hassle. He's pretty good at something when he puts his mind to it. He's quickly become an exceptional shooter, but not on the Sniper Duo's level, though.
Him and Yada can make a great duo at infiltration, especially if they've got two different targets of the opposite sex.
Since they're both brunets, they can pass off as siblings. Yada maee up this sob story about them being half-siblings and how their dad played favorites and how they didn't meet until recently and whatnot. All to gain some sympathy points.
Back to Yukiko, remember how she's his frequent target? Sooner or later, she's going to have to tell him off herself.
I imagine this happens when she opens up about her past, the Kyoto incident, and how she's learned not to care what others think and be herself. Ren's surprised a seemingly perfect girl such as herself had a rebelious phase and relates. He's had to deal with his fair share of expectations, and it can be quite annoying. Still, he's at least grateful for the overall good relationship he has with his parents.
This serves as an important growth for the two of them. Ren decides to take a page out of her book and be himself and Yukiko becomes even more assetive and vocal. They even beome book buddies and may occassionally play video games.
Ren's still a womanizer though, just less tocuhy and creepy. He also stops chasing after girls after they've rejected him and moves on to the next one instead. (Hey, it's still character development, right? 🤷♀️)
Seo:
May or not be considering Polyamorous relationships because of Maehara. The entire class agree these two together trouble. Gakushuu has considered getting a leash for Ren, and suggested Isogai do the same for Maehara, much to Isogai's bemusement.
Since he doesn't flirt anymore, his relationship with Yada also improves.
I've said this before and I'll say it again: this boy is so damn insecure because he's not special compared to the other B5. In E Class, it's a little worse now that he's comparing himself to those he looked down on not too long ago.
He still looks down on them even if he himself is an underdogas well. Seo does put a lot of effort in training, but he doesn't stand out at anything and it drives him crazy!
The other Virtuosos found their specialty and then there's him...average at everything...doesn't stand out...useless.
That leaves him with his English skills but even that isn't enough to make him feel important.
He really hates it when Nagisa, Rio, or anyone else answers a question relating to the subject with ease. He also gets jealous of Irina whenever someone asks her about a certain word or phrase. Hellooooo, he's right here? Why do these idiots have to bother the teachers with stupid questions?
In short, this boy wants some attention...he's just asking for it the wrong way.
So his jealousy and insecurity gets him on the wrong foot with everyone else. Even the other Virtuosos think he needs to straighten up his act. Terasaka calls him out,
Eventually, he has a heart-to-heart talk with Korosensei, who gets him to be a little more amicable. He also tells Seo that while he may not shine in a particular field, he's still dedicated to assassination and his that work is nothing to scoff at, even if it's not up to Seo's standards.
Seo isn't really satisfied with this "A for effort" crap. He knows the octopus is just trying to make him feel better.
Seo only agrees to be a little nicer after Korosensei promises to take him around the world.
So Korosensei tells him how this dedication makes him flexible at handling any weapon, gun or knife. This in turn, makes Seo perfect for supporting his classmates, which doesn't make the boy feel better in the slightest.
Now that Seo's a bit more friendly, he can hold a conversation with his classmates. He finds himself bonding with Nagisa (and subsequently Karma) over their mutual love for Sonic Ninja. (Gakushuu feels betrayed whenever he sees Seo hanging out with Karma.)
Also, I can see him and Kataoka verbally obliterate others (usually Okajima) for their stupid plans, much to everyone's horror.
Seo still has his sharp tongue, so he has no trouble calling others out on their BS. It's useful for keeping others from getting over their heads, which Korosensei makes certain to praise him for that even if he's a fairly frequent target of Seo's reprimend.
Seo and Itona are another terrifying duo. When they're not roasting others, they're roasting each other. It's a bloody, but funny verbal battle.
Araki:
This guy is all over Korosenesi in seconds, asking question after question. The octopus feels like a celebrity, even dressing up like one (Much to Karasuma's annoyance)
His inquisitive nature and observation skills make him perfect for gathering intel.
He's a nerd so he immediately clicks with Takebayashi, which means he's joined the Maid cafe squad.
He gets along with Hara due to their love for rom-coms. Also, wants to know who likes who in class.
He frequently goes bug-hunting with Kurahashi. He's curious about the mountain's ecosystem.
May or may not develop a crush on her, and turns into a blushing mess whenever he sees her.
He's also fascinated with Ritsu and never stops asking her questions, raging from Norway, to her programs, to her "older sister"
Araki's pretty good with knives. In addition to Karasuma's training, he's spent hours reading articles and watching videos and practicing in his room.
He's Yada and Ren's informat, supplying them with everything they need to know about their targets. Ristu also helps.
Still pretty jealous of Isogai, but doesn't dare say anything lest he wants the whole class on his case. (It's unspoken rule in E Class that you do NOT hurt the Ikemen)
Imagine Seo of all people telling him to put his jealousy aside and stop comparing himself to others. Korosensei is spying on the boys and weeping with pride at Seo's growth...and Seo trying to shoot him down while muttering a series of insults.
Koyama:
Actively avoids the Terasaka gang and Okuda.
His memorization skills are very useful, so he's partners with Takebayashi, who may or may not bring him to maid cafes.
He's pretty good with knives because it doesn't take him long to memorize Karasuma's moves. (Apparently, this guy's got some good muscle memory, too.)
He also teams up with Nagisa to observe Korosensei for weaknesses.
He's also copied Korosensei's weaknesses from Nagisa so they can have a back-up in case something happens to the original notes.
Much like Seo, he's envies of others who best him in his own field, especially Okuda. He can't even look at her without feels rage boil in the pits of his stomach. Doesn't help that she's seemingly close to Karma, aka the guy who once stole 4th place from him.
This makes Okuda is uncomfortable, so they don't talk. Ever.
As if Korosensei's gonna let animonlsity brew in his class. He gets the bright idea to assign those to create a certain chemical.
The Okuda protection squad (Karma, Megu, Kayano, and Sugino) are watching through the window. Koyama's lost the number of times he's recieved a glare from both Megu and Karma, and even Kayano! ("Who knew that pipesqueak could be scary?" You'd be surprised, Koyama 😏)
It results with Korosensei messing things up until the chemical blows up in his face. Okuda and Koyama agree that he's an idiot, which Korosensei takes as his plan working. They actually AGREED om something!
Doesn't mean they're friends, though, but at least they have no qualms working together now.
Another Virtuoso whom Takebayashi introduced to the lovely world of Maid Cafes. That's how he starts talking with Terasaka again.
Gakushuu:
This guy...
He's going to get his father back for this.
But first, he needs to kill a certain, annoyingly optimistic, stupidly perverted octopus and a red-headed moron while he's at it
Gakushuu's got some experience with martial arts gives him an edge, so it's no body's surprise that he excels at practically everything. His marksmanship is on par with the Sniper Duo.
Speaking of the Sniper Duo, I can see him hanging out with them due to their quiet nature. Him and Chiba are math prodigies so I can see them geeking out at math equations and geomatry. (Actually, this may be me being so influcened by Hailey's math wiz posts) Gakushuu would also be pretty impressed by Chiba's blueprints. Hayami feels like a third wheel whenever they discuss math.
Then again, Gakushuu feels like a third wheel whenever assassination is brought up.
Lowkey these two are fighting for Chiba's attention
He has a sort of rivalry with Hayami when it comes to books, and when they disagree on something, they're locked in a deadly glaring contest. Now, Chiba's the one who feels like a third wheel.
Ritsu's another student who catches his eye. I can see her, Gakushuu, and Chiba as a trio. (The other Virtuosos are not jealous.)
May or may not use her to prank his dad and hack into his devices.
Maehara tries to join in their little group, but promptly rejected. Gakushuu can only handle one womanizer, he's leaving the other one to Isogai.
Allow me to be self-indulgent and say Gakushuu would also be good friends with Yukiko as well because come on, those two can realate to one another so well! Imagine him begrudgingly accompanying her and Ren to the arcade. He's surprised to find himself amused by Yukiko utterly destroying his best friend. (Ren has never felt such betrayal)
Same thing with Seo, and then Karma. Gakushuu brought popcorn specifically for the latter's virtual demise.
It's all fun and games till Yukiko kicks his ass at a shooting game. This so-called genius actually thought he had a chance at victory just because he was among the top marksmen in their class. Chiba even warned him not to!
And if that wasn't bad enough, you have the redheaded bane of his existance crackling in the corner with popcorn!
Gakushuu: "Okay, how does Kanzaki manage to improve her assassination with video games, then?!!"
Chiba: "Master gamer."
Gakushuu's butted heads with Isogai over their different leadership styles. He's questioned Isogai's descisions more than once, and while he's raised some good points (Like Isogai not stopping the guys from using Itona's tank for pervy reasons) there were other times some of the Virtuosos sided witn Isogai, including Ren!
He once got kidnapped dragged by his friends and Takebayashi to a maid cafe.
Gakushuu was dumbfounded, like he had been slapped in the face. It made him wonder if he was in the wrong, not that he'd ever admit it.
Sooner or later, he's gonna have to swallow up that pride and admit he's wrong, though.
Takebayashi Arc: All five feel a mix of envy and shame. Here you have a former underdog rise up to the ranks of the elites while they got booted down. It was like a cruel joke from the principal, especially for Shuu.
S2 Changes:
They're confused as to why E Class are so desperate to get him back. Sure there's a prize money, but realistically, they don't have a chance to kill Korosensei. More surprising, is Takebayashi willingly returning to E Class. What the hell?! They're still planning to return to the main campus, but they can't deny they're curious as to what's so special about E Class.
Pudding Plan: Araki is impressed with Kayano's plan and fascinated by all the interesting pudding knowledge. Seo thinks it's crazy at first but ends up having fun. He tells Nagisa what would happen if something like this happened in Sonic Ninja. Gakshuu makes it clear he is unimpressed by this plan, much to E Class's annoyance. Nevertheless, he still participates.
Pole-toppling Arc: This one doesn't happen, so I can replace it with an individual arc for the Virtuosos.
Daycare: You that kid who was snuggling up to Yukiko? He's made his life's mission to chase Ren around and bite his ankles. Eventually, Ren has to approach Yukiko, hair disheveled and a shaky smile that says he barely has any composure left, and calmly point down, where a little gremiln is biting his leg, and begs her to take the creature off of him.
Araki and Gakushuu help out with the reconstruction. Seo too because he sucks at dealing with kids. He's also yelled at Korosensei for the absured punishment, but the damn octopus wasn't backing down because "it's important everyone remembers not to get carried away with their strength" (Seo shoots him like crazy)
Koyama had a small role in the play as wizard. Afterwards, he went to help with the contrusction.
Reaper Arc: Time for the Virtuosos to put their assassination skills to good use. This is the first time Gakushuu takes orders from Isogai without complaints.
Finals: They hear about Gakuhou brainwashing A Class and are determined to take the principal down in hopes he'd stop this insanity. Korosensei has Karma and Gakushuu co-tutor everyone and once again, so Gakushuu is forced to swallow his pride for the sake of his old classmates. Karma does so, too, but that doesn't mean he's teasing his rival after finals. They end up tying for first place. The other Virtuosos are in the Top 5 as well. Seo's sixth place and he's actually okay with it!
Some time later, the B5 individually rekindle their relationship with A Class.
Gakuhou vs. Korosensei: Cue the Asano angst
Basically, it's Gakushuu yelling at father for being an idiot of the highest calibar, choosing to forfeit his life for the sake of his damn pride! He lets out years worth of pent-up anger, eyes tearing up a little, aa he hurls insults at his father. The B5 have to calm Gakushuu down while holding him back from jumping back inside the classroom through the window and giving his old man a good kick.
Of course, Gakuhou doesn't die, but the ordeal was too much for Shuu. On the outside, he looks calm, but you can tell from the empty look in his eyes that he's still distressed. Ren offers he sleeps over at his place.
The experience forces Gakushuu to reflect and sort out his feelings. He still hates his father, but after what happened, he realizes he doesn't want the man to die. Seeing Gakuhou willingly choose death like that makes Gakushuu question everything he was taught about strength.
Kayano's reveal: They're shocked like the rest of the class. Araki feels like an idiot for not recognizing her as Mase Haruna...and then he fanboys over the fact he's been classmates with an actress this whole time! (The B5 are not amused)
I don't think the B5 would cause any change since it's Nagisa's big moment. Maybe Ren joins in on the teasing with Rio and Karma.
Civil War: I'm just gonna say which team each Virtuoso joins:
Blue Team:
Gakushuu: The old Shuu would've sided with Red Team based on logic, but after everything he went through this semester, he's learned that sometimes logic alone doesn't cut it, and you need to take. Also, ever since the incident with the principal, he's developed a fear of losing loved ones (whether or not Gakuhou counts as a loved one is still up in the air because this boy is an emotional mess on the inside)
He understands that it would be a waste if their time if they abandon the assassination, but since he's hasn't been in E Class for as long as the others, he doesn't really feel like his time was wasted.
Ren: Yukiko wants Korosensei to continue teaching them, and Yada wants to be honest with herself. Ren agrees with both of them. He also wants Korosensei to live, even if it sounds unreasonable or selfish. That's what he truly wants. Plus, he wants to stand by Gakushuu's side.
Red Team:
Seo: He agrees with Terasaka that it'd be a waste of their time and year if they suddenly choose to abandon the assassination, the one thing that helped them improve, then what was the point of this class?
Araki: Much as he'd like for Korosensei to live, they have to be realistic. Even if there is a way to save him, do they have enough time to find it? He also agrees that abandoning the assassination is an insult to Korosensei's efforts.
Koyama: This guy didn't have a purpose in life up until meeting Gakushuu, so he gets what Terasaka and Nakamura are saying. Of course they're annoyed with this change in plans. Koyama despises wasting time, wasting effort; is this what Korosensei wants?
I won't go into detail on what each Virtuoso does or how they change things up sinxe that requires a lot of thinking and planning, but I'll just say that this is their chance to utilize the skills they've aquired this semester.
Of course, Blue Team still wins.
Space Arc: Araki and Ritsu guide Karma and Nagisa through the space station. Ren's in charge of getting Yada and Hinano out once they finish distracting the workers. He uses the half-siblings sob story to excuse his "sister's" and her friend's reckless actions.
Valentine's Arc:
Ren recieves obligatory chocolates from Yada and Yukiko, and he doesn't flirt.
Seo also recieves some from Yada and Kurahashi (they're going around handing all the unpopular guys chocolates) and one from Nakamura...for some reason.
Arakis recieves some from Kurahashi and he's over the moon.
Koyama recieves one from Hazama for some reason...he quickly throws it away.
Gakushuu jas a whole mountain of chocolate boxes. He's still quite popular among the main campus kids. Normally, he wouldn't care for the occasion until he sees how some of the guys are eying him with envy so he rubs it inbecause he's that letty.
Also, there's this nice, civil moment between father and son; just Gakuhou trying to fulfill his promise by being a normal, loving (as loving as Gakuhou can be) parent, maybe like a normal conversation, or a game of chess. It's awkward at first, but the two find a way to make the atmosphere more comfortable. It doesn't suddenly erase eveything Gakuhou's done, but Gakushuu feels a little at ease for the first time in quite a while.
He recieves one from Yukiko (shameless Gakuyuki agenda XD) and one from Karma which he promptly rejects. He gets one from Hayami, too.
Final Assassination: Much like the civil war, the guys utilize the skills they've aquired in E Class. And of course they cry like hell after Korosensei's death. For Gakushuu, it's a good opportunity to let out a good chunk of his emotional turmoil. For Seo, he lets himself be vulnrable and allows others to hug him.
And of course, they all get a happy graduation. I imagine when it's Gakushuu turn to get his certificate, the principal gives him a rare, fond smile.
A Class comes to their rescue when reporters hound them again, and it wasn't on Gakushuu's orders.
Seven years later, only Ren and Araki show up at the reunion and they update the others on the remaining Virtuosos' lives. Gakushuu's in America, his business is thriving. Seo's an English teacher at the same school Nagisa's in. And Koyama's popular with the ladies thanks to his plastic surgery.
Also, imagine a scene where Nagisa meets up with Seo after class, who asks how the "assassination" is going.
Seo and Maehara somewhat getting along? Interesting 🤔
Seo spent majority of his life looking down on others who are weaker than him and now he’s on the same level as them. Pretty strange right?
I can imagine Maehara still being at odds with Seo at first especially since he is still not making an effort to change his attitude. But after a while, Maehara decided that he’s had enough of Seo’s crap and decided to have a little “chat” with him.
“Look, you’re on our level now so there’s no point in acting like you’re any better than us. You should know by now that we all have our own strengths and weaknesses and looking down on all of us isn’t going to do you any good. I know you’re trying to stand out but you’re going about it the wrong way. I think it’s about time to get off your high horse and learn how to work with the rest of us if you’re expecting to assassinate Koro-Sensei anytime soon, okay?”
“…”
“Okay?”
“Alright, damn, wasn’t expecting you to say something that was actually intelligent.”
Wow, I forgot how vocal Maehara and has no problem calling others out on their BS. I can imagine Seo with the shocked Pikachu face when Maehara just chews him out.
Plus, the insecurity. Didn't you hc Maehara is jealous of Isogai? Looks like him and Seo have something in common.
Also...
“Alright, damn, wasn’t expecting you to say something that was actually intelligent.”
Hahaha, I love this sm! You nailed Seo's character! Gosh, this guy XD
Okay, get this: sometime after this, they have a Karaoke duel. Remember how Maehara took Okano to a Karaoke bar? I hc Seo LOVES singing and him and Gakushuu are Karaoke rivals.
So these have an intense duel, with some of E Class (B5 included) as judges. Sadly, they don't win because Gakushuu particpates last minute and blows everyone away. (Like just imagine him behind the curtains, waiting for them to finish, the arrogantly on stage with that smug grin that bluntly says "I'm the winner")
In the end, Seo and Maehara form.the Anti-Asano Association (stylized as Anti-ASSano Association, Seo's idea) Karma joins just for fun, and Maehara tries and fails to get him to join his math squad.
Alternate Take: Gakushuu's one of the judges and harshly critiques both their performances...then gets on stage to show them how it's done because he's THAT much of a show off.
(For more comedy, Seo and Maehara boo and throw their shoes at him. God help them if they hit his face.)
Oh you’re right! The thing is, Maehara doesn’t turn his jealousy into pure bitterness. Instead of being bitter towards Isogai and other people who may better than him, he takes the time to encourage them at their lowest and doesn’t feel the need to look down on those who are weaker than him.
From the posts I’ve seen from you about Seo at least, Seo has no problem with the former when considering his friends. Even though they’re technically more skilled than he is, leading him to be a bit insecure and even jealous or them in a way, he still has no problem encouraging them when they’re down. Like Maehara, y’know?
Where they differ is from the fact that Seo gets most of his confidence from thinking he’s superior than the people who are weaker than him. However, Maehara doesn’t need to bring others down to give himself confidence. He finds his own confidence and chooses to bring others confidence as well 😌
Anyways, him and Seo having karaoke competition and Gakushuu interrupting them with his own competitiveness is just hilarious.
Gakushuu: “It’s obvious who the winner of this competition is, right? Me, of course!”
Seo+Maehara: “THIS WASN’T YOU’RE COMPETITION!”
And these two just working together to form basically a “Fuck You Asano” alliance is just hilarious 😂
I imagine Maehara has no fear when it comes to pissing off Asano. I mean, this is the same guy who had no issue with trying to dunk Karma’s head under the water. The boy has no fear 🤣
• Ren didn't always have his signature two-block. He only got it sometime at the very end of his second year.
• Prior to that, he had a standard haircut with side-swept bangs. Ren wanted a change. Like any teenager, he wanted to get experimental, switch things up-- he was craving a new look and wanted to go with the Two Block.
• His parents refused. They're fairly strict and place heavy importance on the family reputation, but were with him 'cause he was overall a good kid. Ren knows this, which is why he was persistent about it.
• And by persistent, I mean he pestered them non-stop about it. He never stopped bring it up, and not-so-subtly wondered if he deserved a reward for his good grades *wink* *wink*
• So after the second term finals, they finally relented and to any Kami listening to them it wouldn't turn out as horrendous as they envisioned it to be.
• Ah, teenagers...
• Literally, right after the second term was over, Ren went straight to the barber shop to get his dream cut.
• He never told Virtuosos 'cause he wanted it to be a surprise. When the third term rolls around, they were gonna meet a brand new Ren 😊
Now, onto the Big Five's reactions. Keep in mind these hcs take place pre-canon, so the B5 aren't super close yet.
Gakushuu:
• Hates it >:(
• Absolutely despises it!!
• It's canon Gakushuu is scared of early balding, so you can imagine how overly protective he is of his hair.
• Then Ren shows up with more than half his hair gone. The sight causes Gakushuu internally malfunctions. Flashback to Candy's Android Shuu hc
• It's also so painful to look at, Gakushuu instinctively touches his hair, as if by looking at Ren's head, large patches of luscious strawberry blond hair will fall from his scalp.
• What do you mean Ren wanted this haircut?!
• Look, this businessman-in-the-making knows it's trendy, but he doesn't get why it's trendy. What's so awesome about shaving off your own hair for reasons as frivolous as style? How the hell is such atrocity considered stylish??
• Were it not for Ren's social standing, Gakushuu would've let him go and never looked at him again *steal another angry glance at Ren*
• It's on the list of things he hates about Ren. Actually, it's now the number 1 thing he hates about Ren, beating out height. Gakushuu would rather befriend someine taller than him than an enemy of hair!!
• Highkey judgemental of Ren's life choices, not that he'll ever say it outloud, man's got connections to build after all.
• And...he'll admit Ren's company is pleasant, so it would be a shame to lose that.
Araki:
• To be honest, Araki was not expecting this from Ren at all.
• Sure, he knew the guy was cool and fun to be around, but he never knew Ren would be so daring.
• Araki isn't a fan of this hairstyle, but he'll admit Ren pulls it off nicely.
• Just needs a little time to get used to it...
• Seriously, he thought he and Ren were on the same wavelength. Now, He starts wondering if he should also get a new hairstyle as well. Not the Two Block of course; no way it'll look good on him. (Plus he's too scared to shave any of his hair off anyway)
• Starts researching hairstyles out of curiosity, which turns into a research on social causes of trends, which dips him into the world of fashion, which leads him to learning about the color theory, which lead to him learning about color psychology, and he info-dumps onto his friends the next day.
• Gakushuu was the only one invested in this intellectual discussion.
Seo:
• Big fan 👍
• He first assumed Ren was some goody-goody rich boy, then lightened up when he got to know him better, but still thought Ren was a little bit of a goody-goody.
• "Dude, you better not go back to that lame ass haircut."
• Gakushuu is seething in the background
• Now that Ren's cooler, Seo will look cooler by association 😎
• Let him bask in the ego boost as he marches the schools alongside Ren with a big ass smug grin that says "Look out, cool squad coming through."
• On the other hand, Seo can't deny he's secretly jealous of Ren's coolness. As if the dude wasn't already an ikemen with an army of fangirls at his feet. The insecurity will sometimes rear it's ugly head to tell Seo he's leagues below Ren. What if Ren and Gakushuu decide to ditch him? Well, he'll still have Ara-- wait, no, Araki's known them far longer than he's known Seo. Is he gonna ditch him, too?!! Do they think he's too lame for them?
• Who knew a haircut could trigger his inferiority complex?
• Oh well, he's still cool by association, right? 😎
Koyama:
• Since Koyama was the last to join and wasn't close to any of the guys at first (expect maybe Gakushuu), he was pretty indifferent to Ren's new look. He wasn't even there when the old look was still around.
• As a result, he's so used to the Two Block that he can't imagine Ren without it. He could be stare all day at a picture of Ren in his pre-Two Block era and his brain wouldn't register it's the same guy. It's like he's looking at stranger.
• He jokingly asks the other guys to tell him about this "stranger" and what sort of person he was.
Gakushuu: He was an outstanding, respected individual.
Seo: He looked like a wimp, and he kind of was one to be honest.
Araki: He was pretty nice, but so quiet you almost forget he was there.
• They make up legends surrounding this stranger and add him to the seven wonders of Kunugigaoka for they never knew whatever happened to him.
• Ren isn't sure whether he should be amused, confused, or annoyed by this.
• Meanwhile, Koyama is giggling like a mad schoolgirl as they make the legend more and more absurd. They even added a dragon at one point. (For Irony's sake, they refused to add any female characters 😈)
Heh... Let's see your take on ALL of B5 for the character meme, please! (and dw, I am working on your ask too, it just takes time :)
Hehe, challenge accepted, Candy! (Also dw, take your time)
How I feel about this character: Love them all! Love them to death, and I'll keep defending them until my last breath. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Any/all the people I ship romantically ship with this character: Currently, the only B5 ship I have is Gakuyuki. The others are paired with OCs (for Next Gen purposes, hehe...) I do have a soft spot for Ren/Hazama, but it's constantly floating between "Nah, won't happen" and "Bad idea but still funny to think about..." and "But it's just so good!!!"
My favorite non-romantic relationship for this character:
Gakushuu: His rivalry with Karma, especially in sibling AUs.
Ren: I just love the idea of Maehara having a one-sided rivalry with a clueless Ren.
Seo: A sibling-like relationship with Rio, filled with bilingual bickering, curses, snarky remarks, and even diss tracks.
Araki: Him and his dad; I get the feeling they have a good relationship from what little extra info we got.
Koyama: His one-sided hatred with Okuda. So now you have one E-student vowing to best a Virtuoso, who is barely aware of their existence, and a Virtuoso trying to best a an E-student, who is barely aware of their existence.
My unpopular opinion for this character: For Gakushuu, I got nothing. As for the others....
Ren: If you're gonna hate Ren for the library scene, then you better also hate Maehara, Okajima, Itona, Irina, Korosensei, Rio, and every other perv in the series because some of them make Ren's actions look tame in comparison. Just saying...
Seo: The fact he genuinely cares about his friends makes him redeemable, likeable, and even interesting.
Araki: "Only Ren and Gakushuu are hot. Everyone else is ugly." My guy, you are not ready for the nerdy Ikemen type yet.
Koyama: His face and laugh are iconic.
Also...
They're called the Big Five, not Gakushuu and Friends! Remember them, people!
One thing I wish would happen/ had happened with this character in canon: More screentime of course. I know AC isn't really their story, but it would've been nice to have just one chapter showing us their daily lives, or at least give them all character profiles, not just Gakushuu. What I wouldn't do for offical birthdays....
A B5 spin-off would be greatly appreciated, no matter how unlikely it may sounds. Heck, I'm okay if it were just a one-shot, just give me some B5 content, Matsui!
Also, Seo got done dirty in the timeskip! Why is it we learned what the previous four did for a living, but Seo's section was just, "He and Whatsherface went to the same university and repeatedly dated on and off, yet despite this ridiculously clear sign this so-called relationship is an utter failure, Idiots #1 and #2 believe the other is their one true love."
Even Ren's section was better than this. Sure, he almost started a bloodbath and got lectured by Shuu for it, but at least he got some much-needed character development out of it. Every single Virtuoso got a happy ending but Seo, who is stuck in an unhealthy relationship. No character development, no clue what he was majoring, like come on! Have mercy on my insecure boy! Preferably by him dumping the harpy he's been shackled with since middle school once and for all.
Favorite friendship for this character: Ren and Gakushuu (Wholesome), Seo and Araki (Wholesome), Koyama and Seo (Chaos)
Yeah, I wasn't planning for my first ask to be this long, but ah well, more B5 content for Candy 😊
