#hcs & meta. | rengoku.

[sapphickocho]

Thinking about how Uzui had to watch everyone he cared about die before him. First 3 of his siblings die during there fathers harsh shinobi training, then six he killed himself during a deathmatch where all of them were masked. Then Kyojuro died next, and the rest of the hashira except Sanemi and Giyuu during a battle he couldn't participate and help them in. Then of course Sanemi and Giyuu do die on the same year and four years later Tanjiro, someone he grew closer with also succumbs to death way too young.

Thats why Tengen's line of "Just how many lives do you think ive let slip through my fingers?" hits so hard because his life is just death. Everyone he loves is bound to die and he cant do anything about it.

So I made a little list of hcs on how he copes;

What uzui does at each of his friends graves;

Rengoku; He often has a picnic beside his grave, bringing along his wives and having a feast with all of kyojuros favorite foods, like sweet potatoes and bento boxes. He is the hashiras grave he visits the most and often talks to it and updates him on how life is going.

Shinobu: He brings the flashiest flowers he finds and brings them to her every year because it reminds him of both her and Kanae.

Muichiro: It is hard for him to visits his grave, especially when he sees it adorned with a picture of him and his twin brother when he was younger. But he makes sure to see it every year, and gives him a little gift, like a folded paper crane since he knew he like origami. He feels guilty that he didn't fight in the battle when muichiro, the youngest pillar, did.

Mitsuri: Like everyone else still alive, they visits her grave annually on her birthday and bring mochis to celebrate because it was her favorite food. However when everyone else dies, he makes sure to keep up the tradition with Nezuko.

Iguro Obanai: When he visits his grave he always teases him about how he's doing with Mitsuri in the afterlife. After that he sits down and talks about his snake Kaburamaru and updates him about his daily life.

Gyomei: He prays at his grave. Not that he particularly agrees with it or is religious, he just knows that Gyomei would appreciate it.

Sanemi: He visits both of the Shinazugawa brothers on the same day, since they are both buried next to each other. He tells him that he misses him because he knows Sanemi will be pissed by the sappiness and also because in truth, he does.

Giyuu: He usually sits down and talks for hours to him about how everyone is doing, whats going on and other mindless useless things. he knows that Giyuu doesn't like to talk so just like when he was alive, he can just sit and listen and enjoy the company.

Tanjiro: He always bows to Tanjiro's grave and thanks him, for saving his wives and being a friend for all those years. he tells him about Nezuko and Kanao and tells them that they all miss him very much.

Makio, Suma, Hinatsuru: When they all die before he does, he curses the gods for keeping him alive. He makes sure to have there graves next to his estate and sits next to there graves for hours until sundown. Sometime he even sleeps next to them.

I am not sure his wives dying before him is canon but Ive heard it from multiple people so I will assume so. Either way, Uzui's life is too tragic and I just cant get over it. He can never protect the people he loves the most. That man deserves a break from all the death and hug from all of his wives (+rengoku.) But it seems like Gotouge had different plans.

[bemuseing]

How does Rengoku feel about his co-workers? What are they like?

The entirety of the Demon Slayer Corps is his coworkers, which is quite a few people. In general, Rengoku tends to have a positive opinion of others, even those that might seem disagreeable. He is fond of, and values, all who work for the common goal of protecting people from demons. He respects everyone in the Corps, from the strongest members to the ones who seem not to achieve much on their own, because they're all working hard at a dangerous and important job - they all contribute what they can.

Rengoku is very good at seeing the good in other people and focusing on that. Because he's very outgoing and cheerful and doesn't get easily offended or put off by others, he can get along well with most people (as long as they don't mind his own little oddities).

To give a more specific answer it would be easier to focus on his fellow Hashira, though. There's a section in the fanbook for that...

The other Hashira all regard him in a positive light, too.

As for what the other Hashira are like? Very individual. There are some abrasive and/or standoffish personalities (Sanemi, Iguro), friendly and open personalities (Mitsuri and Rengoku himself), quiet Giyuu who doesn't talk much... most of them carry a lot of emotional baggage and have their fair share of eccentricities. They don't all get along with or like each other. But they do share a strong dedication to the Corps leader and to their cause.

[rainslayre]

META  +  HC   # 004 .   EMOTIONAL  HANDLINGS

WARNING :  HEAVY !   MANGA !   SPOILERS !

so assuming we take Kyoharu’s writings as Word Of God essentially, i think Giyuu has been one of those characters who have this Heavily Romanticized Portray of his depression and ptsd, unfortunately, rather than letting him Be A Character Who Doesn’t Let Their Mental State Control Him. or maybe that’s just me. but in a way, it DOES kinda make sense considering Pre - Tanjiro, the only person left he really “relies on” is Urokodaki (and we all know how Well this lonely old man is coping already) then there’s the fact that NONE OF THE PILLARS actually try bull - heading their way into his Personal Feelings to see what’s up. like, i mean Sanemi TRIES calling my son out for his shit but approaches like that generally don’t get Anyone opening up; Rengoku & Mitsuri & Uzui are probably the more Friendly - Like approaches but i don’t think Giyuu thinks himself worthy of even like Breathing The Same Air As Them with how hard his Impostor Syndrome(?) i don’t think those are the right words but thery’re what i’m using SO as a Hasihira In Comparison To The Others is (despite having been here since Kanae’s days but Alright). i don’t know if Iguro’s even trying to befriend Giyuu, honestly; then Muichiro is in that weird Limbo State between Not Caring but also Kinda Caring, He Just Doesn’t Know What To Do; and thus leaving Kanae the only real Friend he had left but then she died because i Headcanon (with a friend) that because of how Soft her personality was, of COURSE she wanted to help Giyuu feel okay and comfy and that she’s there for him to help out whatever he’s going through Because We’re All Suffering And We Need To Be There for One Another or something idk, all i know is that Kanae is My Queen BUT ANYWAY; so then that leaves his dynamic with Shinobu to What It Is (however one sees that) and this kind of roster does not worry me at all.

like not only did Giyuu lose a Best boyFriend at the age of Maybe 13 or 14, but he lost his sister at the age of either 9 or 10  —  that’s Two Very Important people to his heart lost in less than 5 years in - between and i Highly Doubt something as vicious as that where Both People Chose to Protect You So You Could Keep On Living wouldn’t fuck anyone up & it’s honestly even a miracle that Giyuu has the will to keep living on (or at least shell it out) and Do His Job as a demon slayer in an attempt to protect others from the same fate.

but anyway, yeah, this is not only Important To Me about who giyuu is and trying to solve his dumb awkward brain because KYOHARU ONLY EVER GIVES US THE BARE BASICS OF BACKSTORIES ISTG, but honestly also just Important For Anyone to understand how Fucked Up this man is because kyoharu’s like “Look, He’s Got Depression” and i’m over here asking shit like “how deep? is he controlled by it? what’re his bad days like? does he hurt more over sabito or his sister because he was able to save neither but sabito, at the very least, was trying to save As Many People As Possible durning the demon examinations” and then I’m Left With Absolutely No Answers because I Can’t Speak Japanese so i can’t get on their twitter or something

[hizzashii]

send me a topic to write a meta ☀️ accepting @lovedsoul

meta + training others

he's very accustomed to training others--we're outright told that when slayers couldn't master sun breathing, he was the one who created the other breaths to suit their abilities. i prefer thinking along the lines of yorii directing them though, allowing them to create their breaths without necessarily being the originator so as to mesh with the hc of the Rengoku ancestor creating flame breathing, for example. yorii nudged him in the direction, showed him different and adjusted techniques, but it was Rengoku that actually properly put it all together.

yorii is actually also a bit more comfortable with others while training them as opposed to simply spending time together, because he can metaphorically hide behind his swordsmanship instead of feeling shy, but it also is a double-edged sword in that it results in him being remembered by others for his talent and nothing else, leaving yoriichi feeling further alienated and lacking genuine connections.

and, also, what he feels is the mistaken idea that he's someone great and special

[bemuseing]

Pokemon verse Rengoku would (and does) gladly teach anyone free of charge but after all they need income to keep things running so I guess there are fees for attending the dojo. If he achieves becoming a Gym Leader next time that there’s an opportunity, he is still interested in it, there’ll be that too

[bemuseing]

I know in kny canon that the rengoku family is well to do and it’s probably because demon slayers get paid a lot and they’ve been doing it forever but I’m carrying it over to his pokemon verse because he needs money to spend on people

[bemuseing]

Laceleaf Town is a town in north Johto, west of the Lake of Rage. It is the current location of the Rengoku dojo, and first began to grow around the Rengoku family’s home a long, long time ago, around the time when their ancestor was said to have partnered with the legendary beast Entei.

So the family history story goes, thanks to their ancestor striving to protect the small villages and families living in that area from conflicts that were happening in the region at that time, people began to move and cluster around the Rengoku ancestors’ home. As the town became established, the original Rengoku house also expanded into the dojo that it is today.

The dojo itself is located a short distance from the main town, and the dojo’s training and battle grounds are also distanced from the dojo building. All training with fire-type moves takes place on a large clear ground that’s bordered by a riverbank. This is to control fire hazards to the buildings.

Laceleaf Town is also notable for its maples, many of which show autumn foliage all year round, likely due to the town’s location on the northern fringe of the forest that extends from around the Bell Tower.

[bemuseing]

Draft concepts

In pokeverse, the Rengoku family has had a long connection to the legendary Pokémon Entei, which was said to be the partner of their ancestor. Each generation works to display great enough mastery that Entei will again choose a partner from the family. However, the legendary beast hasn’t shown up in a long time, which in conjunction with his mother’s passing, leads to Kyoujurou’s father acting out similar to how he did in main canon.

Kyoujurou is travelling to develop himself and his team according to the old tradition. Though it’s also family tradition to focus on fire-types (and his father didn’t allow the ownership of any other type due to personal reason), he’s now got a well-balanced team.

The strength of the Rengoku descendants over time has usually been on par with upper Gym Leaders or Elite Four members. Considering their specialisation in fire-types, they could easily run a fire-type gym or take any open spot as a fire-type specialist.

[bemuseing]

Hmm. I remember reading a meta post once where someone said the Rengoku family may have a habit of marrying young because of the inherent risk of Demon Slaying and the need to keep the family line going. Obviously, canon Kyoujurou died without so much as a hint at any thoughts of a partner (which is ok I guess because Senjurou had descendants later?). Did he think about it? I don’t know, I’m sure he would have at some point.

Also, aside from the kimetsu school thing I can’t get over where he completely misses the point of Zenitsu asking for advice on how to be “popular”, there was another kimetsu school thing in one of the light novels where it was mentioned he apparently got a lot of expressions of interest and he had rejected all of them to date. The reason why isn’t specified.

[bemuseing]

All my muses are basically aroace / aroace coded because I’m not well capable of writing much else, but for more detail, because not every aromantic and/or asexual person is the same (stereotypes be Damned):

Akutagawa isn’t interested and probably hasn’t thought about anything that much, and is also probably pretty oblivious to cues. I actually can’t remember if it’s ever implied he’s aware of Higuchi’s feelings for him or not (I’m so sorry Higuchi) but at the very least, he doesn’t really seem to address them as far as I remember.

Rengoku just hasn’t thought about it much and is also pretty oblivious if that one valentine’s school au thing is anything to go by.

Kunikida. Has stated in first person that he doesn’t really understand romance and treats valentine’s/white day like a business exchange. Has written down a list of ideal partner traits, which are unspecified and unrealistic. Profile is likely constructed entirely based on theory and not much else. Probably doesn’t realise if he’s aro/ace.

Lunick likes the idea of romance and has tried dating SEVERAL times and flopped every time. He doesn’t realise he’s aromantic, nor that this is the reason why his attempts at love life keep flopping.

Eugene is a socially awkward, fairly socially isolated kid, I have no idea what they think of any of that to be honest.

Descole... he is ace at least, canonically he had a wife and daughter, but my headcanon is that his daughter was adopted (paralleling himself as a child). On the fence on whether he’s aromantic, because it is still perfectly possible for aromantic and/or asexual people to have a partner.

[bemuseing]

- Unnerves people by staring at them (or not looking)

- Talks loud, sometimes in bursts, may be abrupt

- Is honest, straightforward, and therefore blunt

- Doesn’t always correctly get what people are sayng, as he quickly assumes stuff and responds based on that assumption or what track his mind is on (relatable, except he’s not bothered by it)

- So it can seem like he doesn’t listen

- But does care a lot about other people and pays attention to how they feel, even if it’s not always in the way people expect or prefer

- Will talk to basically anyone, is friendly to everyone, and can get along with almost any kind of person

- Very rarely if ever holds a grudge

- Used to supporting others, is outgoing and positive

- The biggest thing is if you can’t accept his quirks. The dislike will be solely on your end, though. He won’t mind if you think he’s weird

[bemuseing]

煉獄, “Rengoku”, meaning purgatory.

In main verse, it’s the same as the name of the ninth and final form of Flame Breathing. In pokéverse, it’s the same as the Japanese name for the move Inferno, hence why it’s their signature.

First name, 杏寿郎, “Kyoujurou”, has the kanji for apricot, longevity and son (the last two seem to be a recurring theme in Rengoku boys’ names, they’re in his father’s and brother’s names as well).

[bemuseing]

As inspired by talk with @destinedfey​ mun, the real reason that Entei hasn’t shown up to the Rengoku family for a while is actually because a) the original need for them to work together has passed by now and b) the family line was basically on loan to Entei from Moltres anyway (this is a bad way of putting it but there was a connection of some kind)

This is also inspired by the rough parallel between Entei and Flame Breathing, and the original canon where the Rengoku ancestors were clearly doing the whole fire theme thing complete with flame-watching ritual to give them that hair BEFORE Flame Breathing even became a thing, so whatever predates that = Moltres also having more visual resemblance (this is superficial but I can make anything out of anything)

[bemuseing]

At one time the Rengoku dojo was considered as a candidate for a Fire-type Gym in Johto. Unfortunately, this was around the time of Ruka’s death, so Shinjurou declined the invitation to trial as a new Gym Leader.

Kyoujurou is interested in the possibility if another opportunity comes up.

[bemuseing]

If you were to represent each of your muses with an animal, what would they each be?

I thought of answers very quickly for three of my muses, and the others I have no idea. ^^; I’ll just do these three for now.

Akutagawa is a black dog. Aside from his various nicknames in canon involving dogs (and literally being called the mafia’s hellhound), thematically black dogs are associated with bringing death or associated with the devil. The common description of a big black monster with red eyes is similar to his ability.

Eugene is a mouse. They’re small, shy, and get into places where they’re not supposed to be. Also, they apparently used to be linked to the underworld because they lived underground.

Rengoku is an owl. This one is just because he was compared to an owl a few times in his source, and there is a visual similarity. (And they happen to be one of my favourite animals.) If we want to be specific, he’d be some kind of scops owl, rufous morph.

[bemuseing]

Really fast! Inspired by how the breathing styles were maintained post kny ending as dances (in the same ways as hinokami kagura), something similar to flame breathing is incorporated into the Pokemon verse as a kagura based on/dedicated for Entei!