#i want Genos to be the same way and not be afraid of his feelings for Sai

[jaijaitbinks]

Politely asking for more content of Saitama being super confident in his relationship with Genos. I made a post related to it before, but I'm going all in on this one.

I want a fic or a comic or something where Saitama is confident and happy about being/getting with Genos, but it's not all smooth sailing either. I don't want his insecurities to be overlooked or completely disregarded. Like, he genuinely thinks he isn't good enough. He believes Genos deserves better than him, and there's a very real chance that Genos could find that someone who's better. He also knows full well that he isn't the greatest man out there.

But he also knows that Genos is Genos. Genos isn't the greatest man either—he has his flaws, he's selfish sometimes, and Genos has his reasons for sticking around, even if there is someone out there better for him. Genos doesn't want to go out and look for that person, both of them acknowledge this, and Saitama is perfectly content on letting Genos stay with him instead of looking for that "better half", because not only is that what Genos wants, but what part of him wants, too.

What good would pushing Genos to go out there and find someone else do, anyway?

Saitama isn't going to overlook the fact that there's genuine love there between them, either. He won't lie, it took a while for him to accept the fact he loved Genos, what with him having such a large disconnection between himself and his feelings (especially large ones like these), but he wasn't just gonna completely disregard his own feelings. And while he's not the sharpest tool in the shed, he isn't stupid. He knows Genos likes him back.

The problem lies with him knowing that his weakness is communication. He can never word things properly, express his true emotions through words or convey his true thoughts without feeling like what he was saying wasn't exactly right. And that's initially why he doesn't confess for so long. He's trying his best but just. Can't get it right.

Not once does he feel like their relationship won't be good for either of them, or think he's going to fuck something up and tarnish every bit of their relationship and friendship. He has full trust that they would be amazing together, or at least that he will do his best for Genos and that Genos would do the same for him. There'll be hiccups now and then, but they'd be strong and get through them. He trusts them to do this well, to do right by each other.

He just needs to work a little harder on his own struggles if he wants that to happen, though.

[the-fabled-void]

So those afterdeath and colorkiller playlists sound interesting

I have one song I choose for Afterdeath, and I currently only have one for ColorKiller

Analysis under the cut!

Afterdeath

Playlist:

Song: My Love Is Sick

(same singer and album as the other)

"My love is sick

It leaks and bleeds

All over me onto my nicest shirt"

Geno's pov, both in reference to his blood/determination and to how he feels like his love would only lead to people getting hurt

"Vines without roots

Like knives in my body

And I am their puppet

Twisting ‘til I hurt"

Loving again after so long of only being trapped, either alone or with the kid who's his killer

"My love is sick

I’m running a fever so high

I peel my skin to breathe"

Geno feels like getting close to someone will harm him, he feels the way it's draining him

"Birds without cages

Find perch on my ribs and I

Stitch myself back up to keep them in"

Reaper, with wings, and kinda bird mannerisms. And Geno knowing that, no matter how much it hurts him, he's already attached. He's going to ignore anything that hurts him, and he's also so dependent on him, it's so painful when he leaves

"You’re an infection

I am keeping

No matter the sepsis

You are staying

I’d rather the wound

Than have you removed

Enough rotting for two

Killing me, keeping me high"

I think... They aren't exactly that good for each other, not 100% in this version. They're not perfect, but despite that, they're both equally attached

"My love is sick

It’s messy and wrong

But I pray for a bit of contagion

Hands without fingers

Like spoons at the source

Coat evenly

Oh, won’t you touch me?"

Perhaps Reaper is a bit more openly affectionate (not flirty pervert, just... desperate love-starved) and Geno wants to allow himself to feel this affectionate too

"You’re the cure

You’re the curse

You make it better

You make it worse

You’re my killer

And my Christ

(But I’m the one twisting the knife)"

They're both making each other better by giving each other affection and company they need, and yet they also make each other worse by giving the other something they can only get from the other

"My love is sick

It’s taken me whole

I’m simply a host to a haunting

Ghosts without corpses

Still linger in flesh

Holding on to a love they keep wanting"

They feel like their relationship to each other defines them now?

-

Okay okay, for

ColorKiller

so far it's only one song so I'm analysing that one

The situation I'm imagining is, they're in the omega timeline, they're living together there and Killer is in stage one, newly left nightmare's gang

Song: Dogbird by Madds Buckley

"Sorry that I’m scared of thunder like a dog

I know that you love rain

But I cry when something shakes the walls

Tail between my legs

I scratch while you relax

Ruffling feathers watching storm clouds pass"

Killer isn't used to this normalcy, talking to the other inhabitants, he prefers to stay away

"Hoping I’ll make you hate the thunder too

Digging in my claws will make you hate me too"

A part of Killer wants to hurt Color, just to see what happens, if he'll hate him

"I can’t stand you in my bed

You’re too gentle

I need you to hurt me back instead

I wish I could take you back to California

Where you’ve never heard of creatures like me

Little Bird won’t you fly away

Little Bird won’t you fly away"

He doesn't think he deserves being treated nicely by him or by others, he's warning him, seeing himself as a ticking time bomb

"And sorry that I roll over to my folks

It’s not that I’m ashamed

But they keep me on the leash to choke

I’m a hunting breed

And bird is all they eat

If they sniff you out, they gnash their teeth

I’m a coward scared of living outside

Even if it means I crush you at my side"

Keeping the idea of the first part to myself for a possible animatic, but the second part of that is basically, Killer is so afraid of other people, he's become dependant on Color and he's fully aware of it, but he can't help it

"I can’t stand you in my bed

You’re too gentle

I need you to hurt me back instead

I wish I could take you back to California

Where you’ve never heard of creatures like me

Little Bird won’t you fly away

Little Bird won’t you fly away"

Same thing as the first time this is sung... Unless

"When the bell rings

My mouth waters

I’m a habit

That won’t alter

I’m an instinct

Don’t you fear me?

Hunting songbirds in my sleep"

Kinda off topic, I love the first line being 'when the bell rings, my mouth waters', it's a reference to classical conditioning aka Pavlov's dog. The theory stating that if you pair something you typically don't have a reaction to (bells) with something you have a reaction to (food) enough times, you'll be reacting to the first thing (the bell) with the reacting you'd usually only react with to the second thing (mouth watering at food)

So anyway, Killer reacting to Color scolding him for something with violence or submission because he's used to getting hurt when he's scolded

Bonus, he feels like he can't control his other stages, so he describes them as more animalistic

"Sorry that I don’t treat you like I should

I only lick my wounds

Teeth bared, and snap

“You’re all that’s good”

If I chase you away

I’m back to chasing tail

Running circles after what was real

And maybe one day I’ll catch it, and I’ll cry

Wishing that little songbird was still mine"

Killer when he realizes he chased Color away thinking that's the consequences of his actions (i also have a lot of thoughts related to Color himself)

-

And that's both songs! I still have more for Afterdeath. Let me know if you want any more analysis in general

[ask-sibverse]

So. @dreamseersystem wrote this, but wanted me to post (idk WHY but whatever). Kinda FGOD in a way, some Afterdeath.

Geno could feel a change in the Multiverse. It was like an explosion of magic being released, but it felt wrong at the same time. Even here in the Start screen, he felt an odd chill in his bones. He wondered what happened, but it didn't seem to be anything close by. He held himself close. Something telling him that something was going to change. He sat down, not noticing the slight error glitch that appeared above his head.

Reaper found him like that some time later, dozing, curled up on the ground. He shook his friend, a worried look on his face. "I didn't expect you to be here still," he said.

Geno blinked his eye as he shook his head of sleep. He looked up at Reaper. "What is that supposed to mean? I'm not going anywhere anytime soon. Unless you are here to take me already," he replied.

"No. Can't take you since you're only half dead..." Reaper said. "Same as last time you asked. But... That's not the reason..." He sighed. "Error died."

Geno blinked again. "Wha... How...?"

"I was there. He was destroying a very glitched world and somehow instead of breaking to pieces it collapsed in on itself, Error was destroyed along with it. He didn't feel pain," Reaper said. He looked away.

Geno was in shock. Error was dead. That would mean no Guardian of Destruction. But the Multiverse needed one... Oh... He looked down at his hands. Error was a Geno that got trapped in the Antivoid. But he was still here. He didn't feel any different either. "What's going to happen to me then? I'm the only Geno left in the Multiverse. We both know that," he asked.

"I don't know... This hasn't happened to any of the neighboring Multiverses to their knowledge. I asked there first," Reaper said. "But another Error said usually the Geno left has a code to activate inside of him still, even if he wasn't destined for it."

"I don't want to be Error. I want to stay Geno. I want to remember everything and you," he said.

"I'll do whatever i can to help you," Reaper said. "Just keep my locket close." He touched the heart shaped locket that Geno wore, gold with a black Delta Rune. Geno opened it and it showed a picture of the pair that Reaper took.

"Always will. Its special to me," Geno said. Reaper kissed his cheek.

"I'll visit when I can to check on you," Reaper replied as he got up and left the au. Geno looked out into the nothing and looked at his clothes. Suddenly, he was afraid of the color white.

Geno didn't know how much time was passing as usual. His body felt itchy though, and he scratched at himself a lot. He still didn't notice the error codes that would pop in and out sometimes when he moved around. Or that his eye was changing colors.

Reaper did during the visits. It seem like the Multiverse didn't need to send the replacement to the Antivoid for the change, or maybe it was broken on how to change Geno. Black was appearing under the white bones as dust flaked off Geno where he scratched. It hurt Reaper to see the changes, and he lied about them to Geno who didn't seem to notice them yet. He didn't have the SOUL to tell Geno about him becoming the new Error. He left as quickly as he came.

Eventually Geno couldn't ignore the changes anymore. He saw the black bones showing, feeling of something being dug under his eye sockets, the flickering of an error message here and there. He held the locket tight. "I don't want this. Please stop this," he pleaded into the nothingness. "I don't want to become someone who destroys everything. I don't want to forget my life abd Reaper. Please. I beg of you, don't let me forget Reaper!"

But no one replied.

More time passed and there was a white crack forming in the darkness of the Start Screen. Geno knew what it was. It was the Antivoid. He saw the white between the cracks. It was coming for him. He was already halfway changed, no matter how much he fought it. And now the Antivoid was coming to finish the job and claim him.

So he ran, away from the Start Screen, away from the cracks showing white. He didn't know where he could even run to in the darkness. The cracks seem to follow him, never getting farther away or closer. "NO! STOP! I DON'T WANT THIS!" Geno screamed. And then the cracks were in front of him and he couldn't stop in time. He fell through.

Error appeared in the Antivoid, looking around as he felt confused at first. Memories fading of another life, a golden locket landed on the white floor below him without notice. All he felt was anger, all he heard were the voices that suddenly rushed upon him, and the white was annoying. Acting on instinct, he opened a portal and went out to destroy.

Reaper tried staying close to Error. Talking to him when the other didn't mind the conversation he brought at times. He never mentioned the past. Just enough to explain why there was stuff in the Antivoid already and about the other Error before him. Error seem to accept it, claimed the stuff as his own, and forgot about the other. It broke Reaper's heart that this happened. Error didn't like touch so he couldn't even touch him, even through he knew it would be safe.

Years past. Error took on his role as he should. Ink never noticed a difference between old or new. The other Guardians did though, Nightmare and Dream, but they never said anything either. Both knowing of the hurt Reaper felt as well.

One day Error was walking in the Antivoid, not even remembering why he decided to. He was about to go back to his hammock when he stepped on something. He looked down and saw the gold locket with black Delta Rune. He picked it up, wondering how the damn thing got here in the first place. Maybe the damn squid dropped it or some shit. The locket was partially opened when he picked it up and it revealed it insides to him as he examined it. The picture of Reaper and Geno.

Error felt something wet on his face. He moved his other hand to see what it was and it was... Tears?

Why would he have tears on his face? Error doesn't cry unless it was for Undernovella. He looked at the locket again. He was going to throw it to be lost to the Antivoid again, but his hand put it into his pocket instead. He walked back to his hammock to sleep the stupid tears off.

Reaper visited again as Error was knitting something. Looked like clothes for a new doll, but he didn't know what doll wore white clothes. Not anymore at least. Error didn't talk to him, but he didn't chase him away either, so he stayed while he had a lull in SOULs to collect.

"So... Why do you keep coming to visit me anyway?" Error asked Reaper. Reaper looked up at that.

"Thought you needed the company," was his reply.

"Fucking liar..." Error cursed. He threw something at him. Reaper caught it and saw the locket in his hands.

"Found it while walking one day. Then my stupid fucking body started crying for some stars damned reason," Error said. "I'm not stupid, i know where i come from. I was the replacement after all."

"How? I didn't think..."

"Of course i remember. Just didn't bother to think about it. Can't remember everything, either," Error continued on. "Seem pointless to think about being a 2.0 of the original... So... What was our relationship like?"

Reaper tried to think of a way to explain it. "Comfort mostly. I was the only one who could visit him and he was the only one I could touch."

"Yet, you gave him that," Error pointed out.

"Yes I did."

"Can you touch me?" Error asked.

"Never tried. You don't like to be touch," Reaper pointed out.

"Touch me."

"What...?"

Error growled at Reaper. "I said touch me dammit. Before I change my mind."

Reaper was surprised at the request and came over to him. He was hesitant. The fear that it wouldn't work was still there. Error wasn't Geno anymore. That could have...

Error grabbed Reaper's hand. Both flinched at the same time for different reasons, but nothing happened. He pulled Reaper to his lap, making Reaper squeak in surprised.

"Shut up."

"I didn't..."

"Shut up I said. And give me the locket back," Error ordered. Reaper handed it back and Error pulled a string from his eye and rethreaded the locket on it to replace the broken chain. He put it on.

"So what now?" Reaper asked.

"I don't remember everything from before. But my body seems to like your touch," Error said. "Its... Pleasant..."

Reaper didn't think he minded the touches either. He kinda missed this. He decided to snuggle in to Error. "Then let's restart. My name is Reaper," he said.

"Oh shut up and kiss me you bitch," Error growled. He pulled Reaper closer and kissed him. Reaper smiled into the kiss. This was the start of a new relationship.

[gofancyninjaworld]

OPM Manga Update 231 Review: Turning Point

"I've never been afraid of the highest heights, or afraid of flying now.

I've never been afraid of the wildest fights, not afraid of dying."

-- 'Changed the way you kiss me' Example (2011)

Summary: Yes, it's worth going over

While this chapter follows the latter half of chapter 108 of the webcomic closely, it's not exactly the same. ONE hasn't forgotten that a lot has happened in the manga.

Biggest fucking awesome change: how strong Genos is now. Hoo hoo! Now he too can move mountains.

what heights he's ascended!

Some key differences are that the Hero Association isn't yet spiralling into crisis from scandals and excessive destruction. It's just close as it struggles to cover up from leaks. I suspect we know who the leaker is, McCoy[1], but let's not dwell on that.

I really do appreciate how more persistent Saitama has been in questioning Genos's sources. It's an important line of questions and one someone like Accel should have been asking.

And of course, Saitama laughing at the 'I'll twist you' campaign.

The least awesome change: Genos's thinking about the way Saitama views him is far more extreme, from merely not watching to never having given a crap.

and what depths you've plunged!

What's stayed, well... you know how someone brings you a really terrible present and you go 'oh, you shouldn't have'? Well, that's how I feel.

However, shall we go onto the meta?

Meta

"But now I want off this ride 'cause you're scaring me and I don't like where we're going."

The reason I've picked Example's song as the theme to this meta is that it's apposite in that its protagonist has no fear of external challenges but is undone by interpersonal discord. Yes, other things happened, but this is the ten-ton elephant in the room and I don't think anyone reading this is here for anything else.

Everything tragic starts as a joke

I've said it before elsewhere: serious issues start out as throwaway gags that ONE then revisits and then wham! hits us with the seriousness of it. Link for the interested.

Something that had become a running gag in the story is how Saitama bullshits Genos. He has a characteristic serious yet smiling face that radiates confidence. He first pulled that face to get out of Genos following him during his hero activities and since then, he's pulled it to get out of awkward situations. Genos falls for it Every. Single. Time. I've laughed about it, made a post about it (can't find it at the moment), and wondered when Genos would finally catch on.

it was a gag...

Reader, this tragedy is unfolding because Genos DID NOT CATCH ON. When Saitama, fishing for a compliment, pulled his confident bullshitting face, Genos believed that he was once again, speaking with the most profound wisdom and depth of truth.

...and now it's tragic as he's saying the cruelest thing

And that's a disaster because a world in which Saitama truly believes is that he can't tell whether Genos is growing stronger is a world in which Saitama telling Genos that he'd become stronger was a lie. Well, Genos wouldn't call it a lie. He'd call it Saitama telling him that to spare his feelings.

to pour dirt and doubt on this experience is borderline unforgivable

We know that Saitama's quizzical I-don't-really-get-it-but-here's-what-I-think face is the honest one and his trust-me-I-got-this face is his making shit up, but Genos doesn't know that. He hasn't known that and he's not magically able to divine the truth. If Saitama's careless words, delivered with apparent authority hit them hard, it's testament to how much Genos believes in his wisdom. If Saitama is being dismissive of his efforts that must be because his efforts deserve dismissal.

If Saitama was just being nice then, then where else was he just being nice? Did he really just want his own space or had he just barely tolerated Genos in his life? Like a loose string that unravels an entire garment, there's no end to things when one starts questioning the sincerity of someone you'd trusted.

how far does this go?

Like a maniac firing burning arrows of death

Let's talk about Saitama and the trail of destruction he so often leaves in his wake.

With this chapter, I'm at peace with ONE revising chapter 164 and deciding that Saitama and Garou weren't to talk it out. Like Child Emperor and Phoenixman's fight changed because Child Emperor -- a kid who forgets the most basic tenets of battle -- isn't yet the person who can credibly pull off the hyper-complex strategy initially displayed. Let's consider it a promise for the future direction of the character. One of these days, Saitama is going to be the guy who can sensitively and honestly speak to a troubled young man, deliberately sitting out the awkwardness such an encounter necessitates, but he is not yet that guy. Not today.

Too soon

It's interesting that this is at least the third time in not too many chapters that Satiama's way of dealing with things has backfired.

Garou. Saitama laughing at him to get him to do his worst in the confidence that he could outlast whatever tantrum Garou could throw led to a horrific tragedy.

Garou again. In the aftermath of Garou's defeat, Saitama refused to intervene, assuring Genos that the heroes would vent their anger and get tired without harming Garou. The interesting thing is that the manga shows almost immediately that Saitama is wrong about this and Garou is getting injured. Most heroes might not be superpowerful but they're plenty strong, there's a lot of them and they have not only their anger but their pain and frustration to unload. Plus, damnit, it's not on you to decide that someone else should be the sponge for someone's opprobrium.

Tatsumaki. You would think that after Garou, Saitama would have learned that it's not wise to let people go off on as long a tantrum as they want to, but no. He let her use him as a living wrecking ball. The damage they did is very directly responsible for much of the Hero Association's current troubles.

Genos. As we've seen, he's completely devastated. Saitama thinks he's just said something slightly silly.

Let me be totally clear about this. Saitama did not cause the insecurities that drove these characters. They own those. Saitama is not responsible for their actions. They own those too. But Saitama does sometimes do things that are deeply unhelpful, and he has almost no awareness of the consequences of what his careless words and actions lead to.

I wonder what reckoning ONE is preparing for Saitama. You know he likes to let the karmic debt pile up before he springs.

ONE: Assigned Troll At Birth

Reuse, restructure, repurpose

What was it that Drive Knight said? Everything that can be exploited must be? That's ONE in a nutshell here. I said long ago, back when chapter 133 broke and we saw Genos take on Psykos-Orochi, that ONE was running out of monsters capable of giving Genos a tough time if the Earth was still to be a going concern. And so he's been creative.

When you can tell a monster that can do this to take a number and wait until Tatsumaki is ready to deal with it, regular monsters need not apply

ONE has repurposed what was once a sad conversation into a weapon. With that weapon, he has broken Genos's heart. In the worst way -- almost as if by accident.

We can see that Genos has attained the very heights of power that he said he could not imagine ever aspiring to. We can see that not only has he acquired power, but his example has been so strong and compelling that the famously independent and uncooperative S-Class heroes followed in his wake, led by none other than the first patron saint of I-work-with-no-one-unless-I-respect-them-and-that's-nearly-none-of-you himself, Atomic Samurai. We can see that he's won over the skeptical to the point that they'll invite him to the most secret meetings and listen to him for hours. Literally.

All of that is worthless if Genos can't see his own achievements, value, and worth for himself. So that's where ONE's decided to hit him. Look at the poor guy: he looks almost on the point of tears.

ONE, you nearly made him cry, you bastard

Fortunately for Genos, he distinguishes himself from the other character we've seen mourning having the rug pulled out from under his life, Superalloy Darkshine, in not having forgotten why he came to Saitama in the first place. It was not to become a hero, although he's come to value it as an identity. It was not to befriend Saitama, although he has treasured it greatly. It was to become strong enough to defeat a horrific evil. And he's not letting go of that for anything.

If what's cooking in the manga is anything like what's going on in the webcomic, rarely has there been a more justified fight. Gambatte, Oni Cyborg San!

Genos has no plans to abandon Saitama. I wonder what will happen once the worst of the shock fades.

What now?

Well, it's a turning point all right, but not for the better. Precisely because their relationship has been much warmer in the manga than it has in the webcomic, Saitama seemingly showing that he doesn't care after all is a brutal shock for Genos. It's a misunderstanding we really hope to see resolved quickly, but as we know, these two fools really suck at talking things through.

This could be quite the saga before it's solved. I just hope it doesn't lead to tragedy.

Oh yes: there are many gags in One-Punch Man. Beware, any of them could be the next tragedy.

Asides

[1] It's interesting that the most flagrantly corrupt HA official, McCoy, is the guy most actively looking to undermine the HA. While posing as a help. Talk about a saboteur!

The nice thing about having an evil organization known as 'The Organization' is that one can be technically truthful while lying.

[anfie-in-the-box]

Dreamtale_Not_Found & Aftermare Week

Notes

Another difficult day, but once again I did it! And I do feel better already. Bend but never break.

As usual, minor spoilers for the main work — Dreamtale_Not_Found.

。。。

Neither fight nor flight

"so how're things with the villagers?" Geno asks with barely concealed worry. They rarely talk about Nightmare's troubles in Dreamtale, but when they do, there are always heartfelt words of reassurance and love at the end of their conversation. Geno's always had a way to see right through Nightmare, to know when he needs help the most.

Today isn't a bad day though. They sit together on the carpeted floor of Geno's room, chatting about everything and nothing when Geno just asks out of the blue. Surprised and perplexed, Nightmare answers, "Most got bored a long time ago, but that also means only the worst ones stayed; but you already know that. Why ask?" 

Geno looks at him, calmer than before, "i don't know. maybe i just anticipate good news?"

"You know what? I have no idea how you do it, but you're right again," Nightmare admits. "I think… I think I no longer care about them or what they do to me. It was a long journey, but I'm finally here. A few days ago Dream brought a piece of fabric and together we made a cape for me so I could go to the village unnoticed. Not because I'm afraid but simply so no one wastes my time."

Geno blushes bright red suddenly. 

"What?" Nightmare asks, alarmed. "Was it something I said?" 

Geno smiles widely and whispers, as if sharing a secret, "it suits you to feel so confident and strong." 

Nightmare pretends to be surprised (and not flustered, nu uh, no way) and exclaims, "So you're enamoured! Why, Geno, that's so sweet of you!" 

"quit teasing, i'm simply telling the truth; whose fault is it that you're so ethereal?" 

Embarrassed, Nightmare tries to change the topic, "Are we flirting or talking about my life?"

"flirting while talking about your life, especially when it's getting better," Geno grins. "any complaints?" 

"None whatsoever." Nightmare smiles in return and makes a hand heart. Geno pretends to shoot an arrow, and Nightmare falls on his back, gasping, "My heart!" They laugh and then stay comfortably silent for a few moments. 

Nightmare is the first to continue their conversation. "Today was actually the first day I tried the cape on and went to the village," he says, quietly. "Nobody cared for who was likely just another traveler. It was so… freeing. Exhilarating. I finally got to explore my own world." 

Moving closer to Nightmare, Geno murmurs, "you felt trapped all your life; you were trapped, the same as me." 

"Yet so differently," Nightmare adds.

The conversation ceases. Geno lies down close to Nightmare; their shoulders would be touching if Nightmare were tangible. They glance at each other, their eye-lights shining with fondness. Both can't help smiling; or at least Nightmare can't.

"you know what?" Geno suddenly asks. 

"What is it? Do tell." Nightmare looks at him, interested. 

"ever heard of the fight-or-flight response? don't answer, it's a rhetorical question. what i want to say is, you got to the stage where there's neither fight nor flight anymore. even before, at least for just a moment, you forgot all about those who hurt you so terribly. and now, they have no control over you at all. you're your own hero. you're stronger than them, and i said it already but will repeat it again — oh, how it suits you to feel confident and strong."

Nightmare hangs onto every word, enchanted with Geno's emotions — there's so much love, so much pride in his soul, it'd be impossible to ignore even if Nightmare wanted to.

"Neither fight nor flight… You're absolutely right," he whispers. "I love you so much. You're so very loveable; and, as you and Dream remind me, so am I. Let's not forget that."

"together."

"Yes. Together."

。。。

Credits

Undertale © Toby Fox

Nightmare!Sans © jokublog

Aftertale © loverofpiggies

Aftermare Week © @bluepallilworld

。。。

Notes

I had no ideas for either of the prompts, so I used both and neither at the same time, and it worked!

Take care 🌻

[aliencatwafers]

Random Mario head-canons

When they were babies, Mario didn’t know how to say Luigi’s name properly. At first, Mario started with “Lu”. As he hit elementary and middle school, it was “Weegee.” Now, Mario can easily say “Luigi.”

Proud of his progress, Mario usually says Luigi. But Mario slips into “Weegee” at random times. If it’s extremely stressful or Mario is in pain, he says “Lu”. He just really wants his brother around.

Luigi adores Mario to the Moon and back. Does he get a little envious that Mario gets the spotlight and not him, sometimes. But he’s happy for Mario. He’s proud and happy that Mario gets the recognition and the world reveres Mario the same way he does. Luigi is more pissed at the Toads and the Koopa Kingdom for shoving him aside.

Mario and Luigi had one fight in high school where Luigi snapped at Mario for complaining about someone not liking him when the rest of the school adored him. Meanwhile, Mario got pissed that he always had to defend Luigi and that Luigi can’t do things on their own. But, after thirty minutes of not speaking, they couldn’t handle being mad at each other and talked it out. Mario understood that Luigi is trying his best, that the world doesn’t give Luigi enough credit, and that he isn’t seeing how Luigi does a lot. He apologizes for making Luigi feel like a burden. On the other hand, Luigi understood that Mario is under a lot of pressure from his parents to be the best and take care of him (since their family doesn’t have much stock in Luigi amounting to anything), that Mario sometimes needs a break, and that he wasn’t seeing that Maro is human too. Their relationship got much stronger after that since they understand each other on a deeper level. The hurtful words they said still haunt the other from time to time, but they see the past through a new light and try to talk things out.

Luigi is usually the one to start difficult conversations. Mario has a bad habit of burying his feelings under the rug and pretending it’s all fine. It works with most people. But Luigi always knows something is off; he is successful at prying out of Mario.

Princess Peach used to believe Mario when he brushes it off, but as she got closer to him and Luigi, she learned about Mario’s neglect of his emotions. While not as good as Luigi in prying yet, she’s learning from Luigi to better spot when Mario is in pain.

Mario is like “god damn it, you two always know. I’m trying to be fine, I don’t wanna talk about it.” He’s afraid of overwhelming Luigi and Peach and that he’ll disappoint them. (He internalized that strong men don’t feel pain when the reality is far different). The two get on his case and have even yelled at him for hiding stuff. Mario is trying to do better.

Luigi is the opposite - he wears his heart on his selves. While Mario worries that others will take advantage of Luigi, he knows Luigi is more free than him since Luigi can express himself. Luigi also refuses to conform to society’s expectations; he does things his own way for better or worseX Mario thinks Luigi is braver than him for marching to the beat of his own drum.

Luigi is gay, trans, and autistic.

Mario is biromantic aroace, cis, and neurotypical.

Mario has a crush on both Peach and Geno. He would be floored if he knew being polyamorous was a real thing. (He would be nervous if Peach and Geno would be okay with it, but they would accept happily).

Bowser has Parental Switch controls on all the Koopalings. Iggy taught everyone how to bypass the system.

Mario is absolute dogshit at video games. It just is.

Luigi is the main cook. He loves experimenting with new dishes; no mushrooms allowed.

[koreposion]

"It's weird how I keep waking up with letters in my hands...there is no way I actually think all of this. Some of these are so sappy but I can... really recognize what it's talking about." Geno says while handing Blue a stack of papers to look over.

"Oh...ha..I understand these." Blue looks at Geno with wide eyes. Looking at him like he's gone mad for not seeing something so simple, "Are you okay, I know you haven't been sleeping the best-"

"Don't look at me like that." Geno's eyelight focused to a point as he glared at Blue, "No one could understand that."

"Geno...I don't think you're crazy." Blue places a hand on Geno's shoulder, "It's just that...I understand this and you don't."

"What does that mean? I mean sure I'm not caught up with everything but I haven't seen some of these letters and symbols." Geno shuffled through the letters and pulled out on covered in words unknown to him, "Have you seen them."

The air grew cold as Blue looked at the letter. Reading it but saying nothing as his face flushed. He covered his mouth before putting the paper in his scarf. Then he turned to Geno and shook his head, "No."

Baffled, Geno looked at Blue with a wide eye and tilted his head, "What do you mean 'No', I just saw you read it." He hissed at his teammate through his teeth.

"What don't tell me it's passion filled ramblings from some fuck going mad because he spent years in a void!" Geno yelled at Blue and grabbed his shirt to pull him down, "Tell me the truth, what do you have to hide? Am I really not worth it because you are just smarter than me?"

"No, Geno you're just-"

"He's fine actually, Blue I think you need to get some rest." Cross imposed, pushing Geno and Blue away from each other, "He's just getting used to everything, Blue."

Blue's eyebrow quirked up and he frown, "Then you try to tell him the truth." He then shoved Cross back and walked off.

"I hate this, you know what-"

"Geno-"

"I just don't need to be around any of you-"

"Geno-"

"Because clearly I'm some joke I'm not being let in on-"

"Geno! Hush." Cross put magical pressure on Geno, shutting the skeleton up, "It's just that being around Dream all of the time effects your magic. You'll get used to it."

Geno was quieted as these words were enough to ease growing worries. He was concerned, that was no secret. At least it was normal seeing as Cross had mentioned it. Blue probably didn't tell him because it would have scared him off.

He could handle it he wasn't fragile, "Why was Blue so dodgy about it?" Asking Cross for his opinion he saw a quick flash of purple before is settled.

"Well you are new but you aren't the only one Dream has tried to get to join his group. He was probably just afraid of scaring you away." The news of Geno not being the only one who's joined the Star Team was new to him.

He could understand Blue wanting someone to bond with after years of dealing with two immortals. Even if he wasn't totally sure what immortal meant in Dream or Ink's situation.

"Okay...well he should probably just be more comfortable with taking a chance with me seeing as I'm sharing all of my mad ravings to him." Geno joked while completely being honest.

"Mad ravings?" Cross asked, curious, "Could I see them?"

Geno stared at him for a second before shuffling the letters towards him, "Sure."

Cross looked over two of them at the same time. Reading the letters and then letting out a soft noise(?) A smile was on his face as he looked up at Geno but he was met with a frown.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" He asked while looking at the letters Cross had in his hands, not seeing anything but scribblings.

"Don't worry, you're just getting all of your extra magic out. This will...get worse before it gets better but at the end of it all you should feel better." Confidently Cross spoke as he handed the letters back to Geno.

A part of him wanted to press Cross for answers the other part of him just wanted to be done with this. He chose to just let this go for the time being, reaching for his letters.

Cross stopped him by grabbing his hand, "I'll take care of these, having them around might not be the best for you"

"I'm not completely against that idea. Do what you want I guess, I'm going to go apologize to Blue." Geno said with a shrug, leaving the notes with Cross, "I didn't mean to blow up at him."

"Yes, he is your teammate after all and if you plan on staying in the team your relationship needs to be stable." He said as he gathered up Geno's workings, "I wish you well."

"I guess? You're probably right you've been doing this longer than me." Geno said as he turned to leave, heading off to go find Blue in one of the rooms in the castle.

Cross was practically bouncing in place as he read the papers. Sure Geno was making process but not as quickly as he could. It was possible that he could ask Dream or Nightmare to give him an extra push. He also found Geno's distaste of pain to be concerning but nothing he couldn't handle.

It was nice having a small pet project to keep his mind busy.

[thesketchyheartist]

03/06

Class Choice Week 2 Day 2: Mob Psycho 100 (S1E1, S1E5, S2E5, S3E6)

I remember wanting to watch this show, but I never got around it because I wanted to watch other shows on my anime list. I actually watched all of the released One Punch Man episodes, and I found out the mangaka also made Mob Psycho 100, and it's quite obvious the art style is practically the same. The animation from the anime is a little below OPM, but the humor is still the same.

I'm just going to compare to OPM, because the reaction so far is not much.

Mob is quite the opposite of Saitama in the sense that one is so casual and knows about his God-level power (literally 95% of his fights with villains of any kind end up with their complete destruction all on accident. Like, he even says he tried to hold back to make the fight last a little longer, but he is so OP, that is why he is OPM as he ends almost all fights in one punch), the other is apathetic, fears his powers, and doesn't realize how OP he really is, but after episode 5, I think he knows how powerful he is, he is too afraid to admit it. Also, one has hair and the other doesn't, but I don't think they are of any symbolic meaning. In addition, Mob and Saitama have reversed roles in that Saitama is a teacher for Genos, while Mob is Reigen's student. The power dynamic is also reversed; Saitama is overly powerful, and Genos tags along to learn from Saitama, hoping to grow stronger, but Saitama is not really into growing and even struggles to impart proper "sensei" knowledge to his eager student. Sometimes, he even makes stuff up to not let him down. Reigen is nearly useless compared to Mob, though it is an unfair comparison, but he still tries to act like the all-knowing master.

Reigen would be a great sensei like Saitama, if not for his over-confident, if not arrogant, behavior. While Saitama is confident and is a powerful person to become someone's teacher, Reigen does not even have any actual psychic abilities, yet he pretends to be secretly powerful to justify why he lets Mob do his work for him and why Mob should listen to him. In a way, it mocks the employer-intern dynamics by showing how power-conceited adults will use the talented and naive children's minds to get away with their deception and hang on the coattails of others' work. However, he still has wisdom (let's say it's in the age because I have a feeling mocking this character will not bode well) and gives Mob some sound advice, sometimes. Although, it would make sense why Mob would learn from him. Like it or not, Reigen is confident in himself, no matter how little he has. Also, he knows what it's like to actually be nothing, as a nobody himself, and he helps Mob find empathy in others, like in his fight against Hanazuwa.

Season 2 and Season 3 seem to focus on Mob using his power while also balancing his own mental health. Because his power is psychic and not physical, he can actually hide it if he wants, but it's clear he can't repress it forever. Others who know about the intensity of his powers will all try to "awaken" the entity within him. But because of hearing Reigen's and Dimple's words, he comes back to himself. We see he becomes less afraid of what he is and focuses on who he can be instead.

I think some context like a filler intro would be nice, but that again would be selfish to ask given how most people aren't skipping whole seasons to watch an individual episode like for this course.

At least in the episodes watched, we have yet to see the anatomically accurate version of Mob. In OPM, when Saitama actually gets serious or gets angered, he gets a jawline instead of his egg head. Obviously no eggheads for Mob, and he is a middle/high school kid so I don't expect sharp jawlines for him, but we only get that one scene in Season 2 episode 5 when he is fighting with happiness and his eyes sparkle and stuff.

When that one kid starts going, "pspsps" at the dark alley.

-03/05/24

[theomnicode]

How would you describe saitamas morality? I've seen him placed all over the moral "scale" when the topic comes up (though i cant say i understand the "lower" placements), so I'm interested in others thoughts on it

I'd say Saitama is a person with high morally good values and integrity.

Warning: long ass meta ahead about morality.

--

One of the ways Saitama's morality and his values are illustrated is in the dream which Saitama has, directly after Beefcake basically killed thousands of people and he did not bat an eye, because he was losing his capacity to empathize with people. Then he squished his own brother and Saitama again, did not bat an eye. On the contrary, he found malicious humour in it instead.

This fact started to bother him when he realized what was happening to him.

After he recalled the time when he started out as a hero and Beefcake incident, it subconsciously bothered him so much it manifested as dream where 70% of the population had died and someone he knew more closely had also died, because he had just been callous and feeling like he failed to act on his high sense of moral virtues and deserving some kind of punishment. Practically a Lucid dream based on his intuition alone that something was wrong. Not only that, but I believe it was his subconscious also showing him that even if he let go of his inhibitions and showed some actual emotions, his emotions would not steer him wrong towards his goal of being a protector, something he is afraid of.

And wouldn't you know, the first thing he did was punt the subterranean boss in the head. Then he went out and saved Genos.

This feeling of caring for people a lot and yet failing to act on his high moral virtues that he demands of himself once again rears it's head in the Saitama vs Garou fight where Saitama dumps his virtues in the trashbin, to not kill other humans by choosing to serious punch Garou.

The moral ambiguity moment comes from the fact that we do not actually know the outcome of the serious punch squared. We also have Blast as an example who's first priority was to get everyone else to safety, as a neat little counterpoint to Saitama's actions in the heat of the moment when he wasn't thinking clearly anymore.

Saitama acknowledges this wanting to punch Garou to smithereens as a moral failure on this part. Yet letting Garou just go around free is also not morally correct thing to do because he basically murdered people and would continue down that same path, so it is a moral dilemma for Saitama who has high sense of moral values.

It is further moral dilemma that he ends up destroying Jupiter and I.O when he tries to stop Garou though, one that he does not have a good justification for, because he was showing off with little care at that point. He was relying on his ability to show superiority to make him back down, but they did intentionally destroy the moon and Jupiter.

"For the greater good" is a slippery slope.

But the facts that he can question whether or not he is morally right or wrong and is highly critical of himself, is what makes him truly a high moral person in the end. If one never questions themselves, their sense of right and wrong and remains rigid in their interpretation without considering the circumstances, then sense of morality can end up becoming very black and white. More rigidness can mean less empathy if morality is cut and dry.

Saitama is always trying to improve himself as a person too, this includes his sense of morality. So in this sense, his moral code may change and/or improve when new evidence emerges.

True morality is not bound by ethics either, because someone can violate ethics all the time while thinking they are morally correct in doing so.

Saitama does not let societal rules, ethics, determine his sense of right and wrong. Ethics are a social construct that people often follow, such as law and culture and in this case, the ethics of killing monsters in world of OPM, but Saitama follows his moral compass without being bound by the expectations of the society he lives in and what is considered ethically acceptable and unacceptable.

Not to say he's ethical or unethical just because ethics and morals are different. Ethics and morality often go hand in hand, but distinction has to be made.

So when it comes to moral values that Saitama has, they are very high moral values. He's far from flawless, but he's always trying to do the right thing based on his set of moral values.

One of the ways to evaluate the person's type of moral values and integrity is when they uphold said values even when nobody is looking or holding them back.

Saitama has all the power to just get what he wants like punch the soda machine, even a little bit, just to get the soda he wanted, grab all the cash he wants when the car got wrecked and nobody would know. He would never have to be poor again. He has all the power in the world to do whatever he wants and infinite growth potential to boot and nobody would be able to oppose him.

But he won't. What he chooses to do instead is pick up litter and save a little kid held hostage. That would make him a morally good aligned person with high integrity.

--

Saitama at his core, believes in the good of people and that everyone can change if given the chance to do so, like he himself always strives to change himself to be a better person.

Which is one of the reasons why when Saitama thought he had Garou figured out, that Godrou dealt Moral injury on him.

Among other kinds of mental injuries he suffered like high emotional damage. Saitama was already moderately to highly stressed from everything that had happened before that and was relying on his dominant cognitive function, introverted intuition, to get him through the Garou fight as a stress reaction.

It was a Full KO in that sense.

Moral injury is defined as harm that is done to an individual when their most deeply held beliefs and values are violated.

Saitama could not believe that Garou could have done something as heinous as kill other people in cruel blood, just to taunt him and make him give his all because he instantly understood the motive behind it. That is the dark side of the personality type, capacity of understanding even if someone acts in completely heinous ways.

His willpower to maintain his self-control was already in shambles from the personal hell of MA arc, when he let Garou feel his negative emotions behind his carefully controlled mask. Saitama probably does not handle stress well at all.

(Which I've yet to make a meta about how well it's crafted to specifically destroy his willpower over maintaining his self-control)

(In a more direct translation basically saying "You did this for this, right?" You got exactly the kind of reaction you wanted Garou, are you not entertained?)

Saitama believing in this human ability to change, to be morally good, is what he believes cost him everything, so to the trashbin it went and what makes it such a great moral ambiguous moment that it seemed that he would have destroyed the Earth on the same go. Because him lashing out was such a poorly planned out, impulsive act that he did not exactly think it through that Garou would also punch him back and it would endanger earth.

Chances are, it would not have if it was just his own punch, but what he let go is belief in himself to be a morally upstanding person. That it is pointless if he tries to be morally righteous and caring individual because ironically that got people killed and instead he was being callous when he tried to care more.

In this, it would seem that he then put all his remaining care in doing right by Garou, at least, to make sure that at least one person makes it out from this mess and believing in this one person to change back into the person they used to be.

And maybe trying to redeem himself at the same time, that he could be excused for his own lapse of control, if he held tight to this belief. Losing control is not worth it.

The quirk of this personality is that in right situations, they can logically justify anything.

If he does not believe in that, his core value that humans can inherently change to be better, then he would lose his sense of self.

It was Genos' belief in him being able to be a hero, that allowed Saitama to still keep a grip on himself and his values. Because Saitama no longer truly believed in his own values that he had just thrown away, like his lack of belief in his heroism would mean his clothes would shred instantly, he needed the core as memento to remind him of those values. To remind him why he's a hero.

Maybe he could do one last thing correctly at least, while keeping himself in control over his emotions.

(Chances are he actually changed his mind about letting himself loose here, because he was reminded of his values. Huh.)

--

This belief in humans ability to change, even if at first they seem to be merciless and understanding the motives when someone takes a more morally questionable action can be observed when Saitama for instance, chastises Genos weakly when Genos suddenly blasted away house of evolution without making sure that there wasn't any humans occupying the upper floors and Saitama is floored by Genos suddenly doing that.

Genos never presented himself as irredeemably merciless, in Saitamas moral opinion though. What genos did was wrong because there could have been human casualties, but he understood the motive behind suddenly incinerating the entire house because they were also bad guys sending mutants to attack people and after them specifically. So they were the aggressors first and Genos and Saitama were defending themselves. Hero association had nothing bad to say about Genos code of conduct either and probably won't.

Genos wants to eliminate evil just as bad as Saitama wants to, but chances are, Saitama's only awakening sense of humanity like emotions and morals after the warning that he was losing himself entirely, allowed him to shrug off genos' blatant disregard for ethics and possible lost human lives there as casualities in his quest to exterminate evil, when it turned out that the baddies were probably hiding underground and no actual human lives were lost.

When Genos no longer disregards other human lives as potential casualties, including his own, Saitama commends him for it. His disciple has come around to understand Saitama's deeply entrenched moral code.

--

On the moral scale? I would say Saitama ranks high on the moral scale, all things considered.

It took a loss of a very close loved one, the loss of everything he owns, being responsible for allowing someone go against his core values of murdering people, damaging the planet he lives on and highly stressfull situation in general and lowered amount of self-control, to make him re-evaluate his values and let go of his inhibitions.

It is a moral failure he has yet to own up to because he does not remember it, yet, though it was something that never ended up happening and he "redeemed" himself for it by traveling backwards with the help from Garou to deny the causality of his lack of action and action taken.

But even when he has literally nothing left and no reason to even exist, he ultimately, still tries to uphold the one last and most important moral value he has; not taking a life unless he has to.

It is a thing that he already suffers from emotionally, because his morality regarding killing monsters does not line up with the ethics of the Hero association and them killing monsters, because some monsters used to be human. One of the reasons why being a hero did not line up with what he thought it would be; helping people and defeating evil and this will probably become more and more apparent.

But the theme seems to be that he would strive to do the right thing. Within his capabilities and within his knowledge.

What he deems as morally right and wrong though, that may change if he gets more emotionally invested and his emotions and his full empathy makes a return and he may even make some morally questionable decisions based on feelings alone. For better...and for worse if he regards it as moral failure on his part to actually take care of and save every single person. To be an ideal hero.

No doubt he will get morally tested from time to time however and we'll see how sound his moral judgement remains.

[the-nysh]

(eisenartworks) hello, resident Garou expert. I in desperate need of ur help. I saw u offer ur take on Garou's sequence, and I did get a few good ones on reddit, but I'm afraid I can't pick. What are your thoughts? :0

Thank you so much 😊

*gasp* 👀👀!!!! YES, @eisenartworks I am here to help! (or provide the content to brainstorm more ideas) 8'D

Ok, so if you wanted to match his character’s progression with the same 5-step sequence as the others, it'll depend on how much ‘completeness’ of his story you want to show (aka from his childhood all the way to the end of his arc - with his eyes opening under the waterfall), or focusing only on certain parts of his story to emphasize, like on the tragedy or a hopeful message for ex. So choosing which moments to include or eliminate depends on that - on what overall theme you want to show.

Because there’s already a symbolic progression of his eyes shown ‘monsterizing’ over time in canon (teetering on a fine line of balance & duality between his human/hero and ‘monster’ sides), so including when one half turns red, to the ‘human’ side waking when he’s on the surface after saving Bang, to the ‘monster’ side opening as human again under the waterfall at the end - that could be a consistent theme to focus on for ex.

Also because he goes thru countless external transformations, so if you want to fit everything into 5 images (unless you compromise room up to 6) we’d have to creatively combine or condense down different parts of his story together, to focus on his most important internal (emotional) turning points of growth/change instead. That means we can confidently exclude all the moments where he’s deliberately unconscious or passively not in full control/awareness of his own actions, because they do not reflect his innermost feelings (or actively progress his heart’s true values/goals). So the part where he’s sleep-fighting vs Darkshine, the part where he’s ‘feral’ unconscious arriving at the surface (vs Bang), and faceless Cosmic Garou (under the influence of ‘god’) can all be eliminated as ‘not actually him’ - we can’t even see his real eyes there anyway. BUT the ‘cosmic’ Garou who’s come to his senses after Tareo’s death - now THAT moment is far more important to his journey’s self-realization. :’D

And I’ve previously compiled a bunch of photosets documenting his expressions that can be used as references, but also confession: I have a wip file of his eyes I haven’t finished. Because I’ve observed how he’s the character with the most panels focused on dramatic close-up crops of his eyes (yes especially even in the webcomic!) and I just wanted to collect them all, but they happen to align with the type of story progression you’re after, so among those panels I can help narrow down which (manga) moments are most important! 8′D

Childhood - if you wanted to begin his story with his childhood (to consistently match Genos & Saitama’s who started with theirs), then it’s the panel where he’s crying angry, bitter tears in frustration at his teacher dismissing and talking down to him after he’s suffered from injustice. The moment he learned this is what he hates about how the world works. Where he’s either surrounded by the mob of ‘Tacchans’ representative of his worst (repressed) childhood trauma/humiliation, or lit by the anime’s dramatic spotlight while he sits powerless and frustrated (at being ‘alone’ and weak, with no one to support or understand him) on the chair. 

Lone Wolf Hero Hunting - so he begins his hero hunt on the night of a full moon, (if you want to document his shifting phases of the moon, cause his arc ends with a gibbous one) complete with the aesthetic of a grinning/hungry wolf (nocturnal hunter). At this part of the story, his dark eyeliner is most prominent (cause it will fade later on). The panels that best represent this stage of his story (imo) are these, especially his ‘my eyes have adjusted (to the dark)’ panel.

Red Garou, Monster Hunter - (condensing more moments now) but here’s where he has the red eye, red hair, and fresh scar. All at once. The turning point (aka a reality/naivety check) where the monsters literally backstab him to kidnap Tareo, and he declares war (alone) on the Monster Association. (Gaining the tattered ‘scarf’ thru facing Rover and getting charred by Orochi’s flames.) Significant because this is the first time he switches targets (from fighting heroes) to unleash true lethal intent vs monsters. The angriest, bloodiest, most intense, and disgusted at real monsters we ever see him (in seething feral fury in response to save/protect Tareo.)

Transformed Monster ‘Hero’ Garou - (so eliminating Spiral Garou pains me, because it was so short-lived) but this part is when his body monsterizes with the external shell of a ‘costume’ - but ONLY after he awakens to himself from saving Bang, with the realization + focus to ‘follow his heart.’ The symbolic, cracked open ‘window’ to his human eye here is so important! ;o; Cause this was the point he took action at his peak (antihero) ‘moral best’ - appearing like a monster, but saving everyone (including other heroes & Tareo) on the surface and destroying the baddest monster cadres with his own power. The moments where he took action because of, or in response to Bang (’awakened’ with the crack over his eye crumbling off his face, or the ‘blessing’ moment with the waves crashing from defeating the Centipede - in contrast to Red Garou’s fire/rage) are probably the strongest representations of his feelings here.   

‘Cosmic’ Garou’s emotional epiphany & resolve - so if the above was him at his peak, this becomes his lowest (emotionally). After ‘god’ interferes to fuck everything up, forcing Garou to learn what True Absolute Evil actually entails (not what Garou ever actually wanted) and experience the traumatic devastation & despair and self-loathing of having unknowingly killed Tareo himself. D: So horrific. (Note: actual Garou fans do not celebrate the faceless corrupted Cosmic ‘God’ entity, because it does not represent his true feelings, his own awareness/agency, or the person Garou actually is at all; he was cruelly used to destroy the humanity he’d previously staked his life to protect.) So it’s only after he finally comes to his senses, with his full face -both eyes- notably showing again, that matters most here. The strongest (most cathartic) moments being when he shares that beat of empathy with Saitama over their mutual loss of their most important person (still with residual ‘stardust’ tears grieving for Tareo - esp if you want to compare/contrast with Garou’s angry tears as a child), and then resolves to fix everything he never intended (choosing to sacrifice himself as a hero to help save the world.) Especially with the aesthetic of him still wearing his cosmic space ‘shell,’ the irradiated night sky with a watchful gibbous moon, or even parts of him turning to salt already.

Bonus: Waterfall Garou - cause whether you include or eliminate this moment (or exclude the first childhood one to include this one for a total 5, instead of 6) I like it because his story ideally shouldn’t end with his ‘death’ it finally shows him being ‘cleansed,’ with that one eye - that had symbolically been half ‘monsterized’ red before, opening up (as human) to new future possibilities.

So if you begin with crying kid Garou and end with him grieving over Tareo, that’s one approach (showing two different kinds of tears, keeping a bookend theme coming back full-circle in a way, and consistent with Genos & Saitama’s by including Garou’s childhood too.) But if you start with his hero hunting and end with the waterfall panel, it shows a more ‘complete’ progression of his active (present-day) journey instead, leaving off on a more hopeful, open-ended note (rather than ending at the implied, doomed tragedy of both his & Tareo’s death.) And because his arc is ‘complete’ anyway, it feels only fair to show most of the whole thing, imo. :’3

[aforrestofstuff]

Chapter 149 Expert Review Time

Hey gamers what’s up time for another CHAPTER 👏 REVIEW 👏

It was looking kinda bleak last time for pretty much everyone so I’m hoping things improved this time around, but it seems Murata and ONE are kinda going through their “I’m going to put my characters through the MOST” phase so… that feels unlikely. But nevertheless… still excited to see my favorite boys.

The 10000th Psychic Sister cover. Murata, I’m begging you. There’s literally like 30 other characters to choose from. I know you like drawing boobs but imma need you to put the pencil down for a minute and take a walk because this just ain’t IT.

“Summer is coming” it is July. Summer has been here for ten years. I’m so fucking hot all the time. Everything has been evaporated out of me and I’m literally a raisin.

The Psychic Sisters covers are just so devoid of life a lot of the time… I wouldn’t mind if it was them fighting or engaging in everyday activities but when they’re posed for the camera and deliberately placed there to look sexy it just sucks all the human out of them. The cover/splash page is a great chance to show characters in a new light!!! It’s mostly set away from the story so you can do whatever you want! Choosing to make 80 fanservice covers is just wasted opportunity for what could be additional character development. It’s gotten to a point where even the smegma-slinging bitchboys on Reddit are complaining about the excessive sexy covers…. When PussySlayer384756 complains that there’s too much tittage being shown, that’s how you KNOW we’ve got a problem. Now, idk how the fan climate is in Japan but I can’t imagine they’re feeling much different over there either.

Also, her anatomy is… janky. Her tit is bigger than her head, her belly is too long, and she’s got like 4 spare ribs. Like, I’m by no means an art expert but it doesn’t take a chef to know the soup is shit, you know what I mean? I feel like page after page of Murata drawing obscene muscle men has made him rusty on what should be (somewhat) normal-looking people.

Darkshine learns what TRUE peak male performance looks like.

You’ve gotta wonder how Darkshine even got to the S-Class to begin with when he pussies out of nearly every single fight… except the one where the opponent was literal water. Everyone says that he just joined the association for additional validation, and I believe it… this boy is not cut out for actual hero-ing. 99% Of the time HE’S the one who needs a hero.

It kinda bothers me how useless he’s been post-Garou fight, especially when we spent like an entire chapter trying to console his ass. I get that’s part of his character and development… but it’s begun to slow things down. We get it. We don’t need to see him be insecure every time a new enemy pops up. One was enough. We would’ve gotten the same effect if he just sat out the entire time post-consolation, because everything that’s happened to him on the surface has been kinda redundant.

Here comes the boooyyy 🎶🎶

Nice callback. I’m glad Metal Bat is finally here. Bitch runs slow as fuck.

It’s nice to see him act on his own agency instead of orders from the hero association. He’s clearly much happier when helping out on his own accord, and has a ton of initiative too. The chapter he got with just he and King meeting up and slingshotting themselves to the fight was really a breath of fresh air from all of the fighting. It’s moments like these where ONE remembers that people like OPM for the characters, and not necessarily the pretty action sequences. I really like this duo. I like Metal Bat. I like it when they’re given time to be themselves and not just vessels for the next fight scene.

I know I said I wanted the heroes to die but Murata I’m begging you please don’t kill the child. You can kill Puri, though. I hate that fucker.

Child Emperor regularly visiting and eating with Bofoi even despite being his lab assistant would be a lot cuter if Bofoi wasn’t the human equivalent to a dog turd. I might’ve overstated that… seems like Bofoi is just using him as an errand boy. The clear lack of respect he has for CE is very indicative of his character and is not necessarily a bad thing plot-wise, but I would still like to beat him with a cane. Additionally, it’s clear that he’s not going to help the heroes here. At least, I don’t think so. His “fuck them kids” attitude seems to be a pretty big pillar in the building of his character and I doubt ONE would jeopardize that just because he’s written himself into a corner. Oh, well. We’ll see.

It’s very sweet that even when near death, CE still thinks of Zombieman. Aaaaghh it’s so GOOD when the characters actually LIKE each other. I know realistically not everyone is gonna be friends but man… it would be a lot cooler if we got more insight on their chemistry. Pleaz have more Metal Bat-and-King-esque chapters. I wanna see how everyone gets along.

Also, the concept of Puri just manifesting drilling powers and carving through solid rock with nothing else but pure strength and determination is so funny. A little convenient, sure, but I really don’t care because it’s actually done well. Their reunion scene is hilarious. More stuff like this pleaz….

I don’t even know what to say about Genos here. Dude, I know you made an oath to protect Tatsumaki or whatever, but there’s no shame in a good bail. You can’t even bail anymore because your damn legs are gone. See, this is what happens when you make promises. The secret to keeping your legs intact is doing the bare minimum. Hope this helps ❤️

He’s making a valiant effort but… I’m afraid he just ain’t gonna do much while roleplaying as a worm. Maybe he’ll make a chrysalis and come out as a butterfly. Wait, that’s caterpillars. Fuck. TATSUMAKI IS A GONER, BRO. WE NEED YOU TO BE THE DEUTERAGONIST!! IF YOU DIE WE LOSE 70% OF MERCH SALES NOOOOOOOO

Local man has a heart attack in front of thousands of little monsters and somehow saves the world, more at 5.

King I’m begging you please get that shit checked out that’s not NORMAL.

Yeah, I like this conclusion. Very tasteful cliffhanger. I mean we know King ain’t gonna do shit but SOMEHOW black sperm is gonna get punted like the little cumstain he is. Can’t wait to see the events that unfold next chapter… it seems like every scene that involves King turns out to be really funny and I’m super looking forward to black sperm seeing Jesus.

Also, a little off-topic but I just really like the way Murata inked his pants. Got a real comic book feel to it. I mean, he’s just really good at drawing clothes overall (save for Fubuki’s body-tight dress that is 100% not how women’s clothing works but I digress). Fucker understands fabric physics like I understand how to make a bomb ass chicken parm. I respect it.

In conclusion, lower everyone’s expectations of you and you might get to keep your arms and legs. This has been Life Lessons from Forrest. You now owe me 50$.

[fellcharas]

I always thought error and inks differences sort of…..completed each other, I guess? I’m not sure how to put it.

Having ink around consistently, having that one constant in his life could really help stabilize error, both emotionally and probably physically as well since he seems to glitch worse when he’s upset.

Having error in his life would help ink feel SEEN, like he doesn’t have to ‘be useful’ or justify his existence. There’s someone there who loves HIM, and he never has to be afraid of being alone or forgotten or abandoned.

I just feel like they could both help heal each other, y’know?

NO I AGREE 100%

i think their differences complete each other too! to me i just never see people talk about their similarities - but then again, it's those similarities that make their differences stand out so much more in my mind!

they are definitely constants for each other, too. i mean, considering error remembers nothing about who he was as geno except for the sheer resentment and anger moments before becoming a glitch, it's no wonder he feels so conflicted about the multiverse. he's selfishly selfless, in a way, because he resents having all those ridiculous versions of him get a happy ending when he didn't, while also not wanting the same exact situation that he went through to be repeated.

and ink's whole relationship to the creators is something that i view to be both emotionally and mentally unhealthy, y'know? like, it gets into his head that he's "above" everyone else because he has this special connection - a connection made by being gifted paints that allow him to feel - and in response to that connection, he wants it to be consistent and reciprocal, so he feels like he owes the creators his entire existence.

their main differences are in these things - that ink feels like his existence can only be justified by appealing to the creators, which means to keep them around and keep himself from being forgotten, more AUs and conflict must be created. but then there's error, who feels like his existence cannot be truly justified, that everything has gone wrong for him - why him? he asks himself - and that stirs such a deep burning bitterness inside of him.

so yeah, while they could absolutely clash and have trouble seeing eye to eye in respect of their circumstances, it's also possible that such differences are what make them get along so well! because they're on totally opposite sides of perspective, yet on the same exact spectrum.

it's kind of like how i'm somewhat of an optimistic nihilist, and my best friend is a more pessimistic nihilist. we definitely don't see completely eye to eye on our outlooks on life, but we also understand that these things are littered with complexities and nuance and that's why we still get along. because there's so much variation.

it's honestly just really fun to dissect error and ink and wonder what their dynamic would be like with respect to their canon characters - or as close to canon as possible - because it goes over so much that fanon has, in large part, ignored or forgotten

[scary-senpai]

I’m always a little tickled to accidentally predict things… although I don’t know if this counts. I feel like whatever the universe, whomever the deities, Garou would be first in line to punch god.

This conversation actually had nothing to do with God (No ID), though—these were voice notes I took as I was exploring/spitballing a headcanon I had that eventually became a fic—specifically, Garou is mad at the fundamental truth that comes with being human: everything you love will leave you, unless you leave it first.

Although I’m almost certain the math doesn’t add up, I’ve always wondered if Garou was still at the dojo when Bang was sent to “defend” City Z from the meteor. In which case, he’s upset at the HA for sending Bang on a suicide mission and furious at Bang for simply accepting a mystery assignment, no questions asked.

In any case, it’s now firmly entrenched in my headcanons, like Garou and Genos being from the same village.

But as you can see, the dialogue for this fic is shaping up to be great:

(Just kidding, this is still the automated transcript of my voice notes, which explains the lack of punctuation / overall wonkiness)

Anyway, Bang is telling him is, “well yes, maybe it’s reckless but even if I knew the circumstances, I would go anyway, because I’m a hero and that’s my job.”

Anyway, Garou is understandably floored to hear Bang say that…although he may have suspected or anticipated Bang’s perspective, it’s another thing to hear it out loud.

Garou quietly asks, “well, what about us? what about the dojo?”

Bang gently touches his shoulder and says, “it’s in good hands” and that’s a hell of a way to learn that you’ve been appointed successor.

Anyway, this experience and crystallizes for him that he is more afraid of people leaving him than he is of people being lost, making the choice to leave to him.

Like, it doesn't really matter how much he loves someone or wants to protect them—at the end of the day, they’re going to make decisions for themselves.

I sort of imagine him locking himself in Bang’s office and maybe, like, alternating between breaking things and lying on the floor, staring at the ceiling as he goes through various stages of grief, mostly bargaining for Bang’s life.

So as he’s having this conversation with Bang, thinking about all the things he was prepared to give up (maybe has already given up, who the fuck knows how prayers work)… and realizing Bang doesn’t really understand any of it.

In that sense, “I won’t let you throw your life away,” hits very, very differently, because who knows? Maybe he’s done it already: the universe fucks you up in very interesting ways.

Also, I dug through my notes a bit and found this outline/how I imagine their conversation will go.

- Bang appears relatively chill despite his un-death, although he is waiting for someone (Garou) to notice him and say “I missed you, you matter to me” (but all Garou can do is berate him, because that’s all Bang has modeled)

- so the best Bang can do is say something honest (“I saw my whole life flash before my eyes”) and then kneecap it (“and I came back to all this nonsense.”)

- at which point, Garou probably blue screens

——

Bonus content:

I think a lot about the hero’s dilemma—take big risks and possibly die for strangers, or take the safer, more mundane path and live for people that love you…

I posted this along with a screen cap of Saitama and Genos (it was short, very short—literally just that one line) on my main, but during a self-indulgent reblog, i went on to pontificate a bit, because there’s a beautiful passage about this in Les Miserables (I still cry every time I read it), but I promised no blorbeaux from the barricades here and I think I’ve been doing a pretty good job

[mellometal]

ATTENTION: This is some recent information about the current events with Chris Chan that I've been able to find, plus additional information that I couldn't find anything on that is now public knowledge.

ALL videos about any updates will be linked so you can watch them for yourself, if you wish.

Again, OBLIGATORY trigger warning: This post will be going into very sensitive subject matter, including r@p3, s3xual assault, elder abuse, and inc3st. I will also be mentioning the site Kîwî F@rm$ and the person who runs it (Null). DON'T go onto Kîwî F@rm$. Just stay away from there. It's like 4chan (another site full of REALLY fucked up shit, depending on which forum you go to), but worse.

If anything I mentioned is triggering for you or makes you otherwise uncomfortable in any way, you don't have to read this post. It's not worth putting yourself in a bad state mentally. Take care of yourself, please. Consume media that sparks joy for you.

ALRIGHTY, LET'S GET TO IT. Because there's quite a lot of bullshit that happened since the first post I made about the current events. And some more information that will most likely be the nail in the coffin for Chris. I'm patiently waiting for more updates as they come and I'll share them here as soon as possible.

The person Chris was in a call with was revealed to be a troll under the name "Bella". The screenshots of messages and the audio from the call have all been confirmed to be real.

It's also been revealed that Chris confided in Null about her having a girlfriend, having s3x with her, all that. Here's a list of things to describe this "girlfriend" below, which I will compare to Barbara in bold:

This woman is "in her over fifties". (Barbara is eighty years old. Most people would assume that someone's in their late fifties when this terminology is used. Eighty is well over fifty.)

Her favorite person was the late Adam West in the 60s, as it was "for her son back then". (I don't know if Chris is referring to her half-brother Cole Smithey [he does movie reviews, and he's most famous for being one of the only people to give Toy Story 3 a negative review] here, or if she's referring to herself before she came out as trans. I'm adding this here anyway.)

Chris has known this woman "for a long time", offline and in-person. (OBVIOUSLY she's known Barbara her whole life, since she's, AGAIN, HER MOTHER! DUH.)

They've been having s3x "every three nights". (Like how Chris admitted to doing to her defenseless mother. PRETTY FUCKING FISHY, IF YOU ASK ME.)

They began having s3x on June 27th. (The same day that Chris admitted to doing to Barbara.)

This woman was an accountant when she was younger. (Barbara's job was EXACTLY this.)

Chris said she feels grateful to "enlighten" her girlfriend with s3x play that she (the woman) "missed from even her exes". (I didn't mention this in my initial post, but if you chose to watch the videos that were linked, Chris mentioned that Barbara's boyfriends and ex-husbands "have never been able to make her 0rg@$m" like Chris did. SHE EVEN MENTIONED HER LATE FATHER. THAT'S FUCKING DISGUSTING AND DISRESPECTFUL.)

Chris has been "keeping her girlfriend safe" too. (She had been "taking care of Barbara" since Bob, her late father, passed away. This right here is proof alone that she was talking about HER MOM!)

Her girlfriend "didn't want to do it at first", it was "very painful" for Chris's girlfriend in the beginning, and it took a few tries for them "to get going". This included Chris doing it FOR her because she thought her girlfriend would "feel better" due to her lack of mobility and lucidity. (Chris said all of this exact stuff TO "BELLA" during their call.)

Null initially thought that Chris was lying about sleeping with her mother to cover up the fact that she had a girlfriend and having s3x with her. Why? Because apparently people would believe Chris would have s3x with her mother than some other unknown woman. Chris told Null to keep her girlfriend's identity secret because she was afraid her girlfriend would get trolled and she'd end up losing her.

What Null realized was that what Chris told him completely matched the description of Barbara. Note that before he looked into this, he was unaware of the context Chris was giving him about her "girlfriend".

It's extremely possible now that Chris admitted to s3xually assaulting Barbara to Null and "Bella", but she wanted Null to keep it confidential. Chris wanted NULL to keep the fact that she admitted to committing a VERY serious crime A SECRET.

If Chris WAS actually lying, she'd use a lot more CWCisms (her own phrases) or say that she was "using her psychic powers" to have s3x with Barbara's fictional counterpart in another dimension. But no, Chris was VERY straightforward and talked about it casually like if you were to talk about the weather.

Chris, according to Null, slept in a parking lot in her car the other night. At least for a few hours, though I don't remember where the FUCK else she slept (maybe a hotel room eventually), considering she had -$200 in her bank account. I believe some people who are in contact with Chris sent her some money to get food too.

Null revealed that he set up a GoFundMe previously for Chris to attend a Brony convention, which was a test to see how Chris would be able to handle commissions. The GFM was successful, to say the least. Chris fulfilled commissions successfully, DESPITE NOT WORKING ON THE FUCKING COMIC. Y'KNOW, THE THING SHE'S PAID FOR ON PATREON TO DO!

Well, due to recent events, he has since taken down the GFM and is refunding all the money to all the donors. He was debating on sending Chris money (the GFM money, since Chris isn't able to go to the Brony convention), but he decided not to do so. He told Chris to sleep in her car, spend the night under the stars, and reflect on her current situation until the morning, when Null would help her find a temporary roof over her head until August 5th.

Barbara tightly manages Chris's finances. Those are Null's words, not mine. You want to know why Barbara's been having trouble with the house and shit? CHRIS HAS BEEN STEALING MONEY FROM HER FOR YEARS. HER CREDIT IS ALL SORTS OF FUCKED, SHE'S BURIED IN DEBT, AND IT'S CHRIS'S FAULT. THE PERSON WHO'S SUPPOSED TO BE TAKING CARE OF HER.

How did we find out about Chris recently getting more money, specifically $750? Well, Null has had access to Chris's emails for the past few years (Chris knows this), and he found an email that Barbara had sent Chris money.

That's a violation of the EPO (Emergency Protective Order) that was put into affect for Barbara. Chris was NOT supposed to contact Barbara in ANY way, shape or form.

Null asked Chris about this and told her that this was a violation of the EPO. He asked her if her mom sent her money. Chris denied it at first, and then went into the whole goddess bullshit she goes into. She then admitted to accessing Barbara's banking account online and wiring the $750 to HER account. Chris also said that she'd pay her back the $750 after receiving the $1000 that Null was supposed to send to Chris. Null was obviously upset with what Chris had done. Who wouldn't be?

Guess what Null did in reaction to what Chris told him? HE BLOCKED CHRIS AND REPORTED HER TO THE POLICE. I'm honestly surprised he stuck with her this long. He genuinely wanted to see Chris become a better person.

It's only a matter of time for Chris's arrest. With all this information that's out there now, more information probably coming very soon, plus people close to Chris confirming all of this....I feel it's safe for me to say that Chris did s3xually assault her mother.

I don't feel bad for Chris anymore. I have no sympathy for Chris. Any ounce of respect for this person has been long since gone. I don't feel comfortable even referring to Chris as a person. She's a monster.

I talked about Chris a few times a few years ago on Instagram, and I got yelled at for tearing this motherfucker apart. Because apparently I was an "ableist bully" for having my grievances with Chris, despite the fact that I'm autistic too and I've never "bullied" Chris for being autistic. Not even once. My grievances had more to do with Chris using her mother and their animals to exploit them for her own monetary gain INSTEAD OF TRYING TO FIND A JOB. I've even tried to suggest that she go work through a temporary work industry and get paid daily. (At that time, I didn't know that trying to interact with Chris wasn't a very good idea. I've since learned, obviously.)

Here's a link to Gibi's video:

Dillon Thomas's video:

The stream with Null:

Geno Samuel's stream:

Here's Rogue's video and live stream he did about the situation. Rogue is one of my FAVORITE YouTubers, as edgy as his content is.:

Thank you for your time.

[theomnicode]

I'm still here with the "Saitama takes Garou under his wing" cuz Saitama can extremely heavily relate with Garou's circumstances since Garou isn't far out from the woods yet. Oh and because their dynamic is underutilized.

Same reasons he took Genos as disciple, all Garou needs is a backstory telling and Saitama literally can't help but listen and do something about it and EVERYONE who is emotionally lonely does this to Saitama. It's satire about the fact that INFJ as personality type are so approachable that everyone finds them very easy to talk to, so sometimes people pour out things to them they wouldn't tell other people (WC Garou pouring his heart out to Sai) and the personality is often seen as a therapist to other people as well and their common vocational occupation is a psychotherapist. Sai was gonna sit him down and face to face therapy him up anyway, so it seems inevitable.

The only catalyst needed is well, Garou facing the full extent of the consequences he has wrought by going on his hero hunt crusade. He may not hold the blame for everything, but he has to take responsibility.

So I wouldn't think it's super farfetched that Genos would be kind of forced to either grudgingly make acquaintances with Garou or move out. I don't find it likely Genos would want to separate from Saitama. I don't see a reason why Genos would otherwise approach Garou or give a damn about his circumstances.

But it would do Genos a lot of good to make friends with people his own age and maybe his peers since Garou was projected to become S-rank hero immediately. The only other peer there roughly his age would be Metal Bat and there is a lot they can all relate with in terms of losing connections with their parents and family. Genos just won't have any motivation to try and connect with his peers on his own. But since Genos remembers the moon instance extremely well, he may be projecting these feelings onto Garou whom he had previously tried to well, kill.

If Genos thinks Garou is both a threat to Saitama's well-being and competing for his attention like he thinks all other disciple-wannabes would do, he would plot to end Garou before this can come to pass and stay very close to Saitama in case Garou tries anything untoward. Just in case, he's gonna try and cover his bases. He thinks he's a repeat offender after all, so there is no lost love there or trust. Unlike Saitama who believes Garou can turn a new leaf.

Just some motivation to keep an eye on Garou...so he doesn't go unchecked and suddenly pull a repeat of Mad cyborg on him. And there's no way Genos would let such a person run away and disappear on him, not this time.

Quite a point of tension in their relationship, among others. Saitama wanting to help Garou and Genos wanting to kill him. And who doesn't love a good drama. Garou's role there might be the same as fake-garou here offering tea, balm for the soul to soothe their nerves and their insecurities and fears about their relationship by simply butting in their life, because neither has initiated anything, afraid of crossing that boundary. Saitama always offers tea in form of hospitality.

(Everyone knows that Saitama and Genos are the best sellers and their relationship has been quite lacking in focus for a while lol, so gimme that slice of life)

A hilarious thing that might happen is Saitama telling Genos he needs to mentor Garou into becoming a hero lmao. Since Saitama can't be both a mentor and a therapist. Genos also believes Saitama is the only one with the right to decide how to deal with Garou, so if Saitama told him to do it because he heavily trusts in Genos' sense of heroism rather than his own, he might just do it. And someone needs to keep an eye on Garou just for the association and police alone and frankly, it would need to be an S-rank hero if Bang also retires. Or...something happens to Bang and he can't mentor Garou anymore.

Thinking of how often one is never quite sure of what Genos will do, even though it ends up making sense in retrospect, I may as well go out on a limb and predict the weirdest thing for the future chapters of the manga.

He befriends Garou. For real. Of his own free will. Why? Because Garou looked like he needed one. And also... but that's for Genos to know and everyone else to find out later.

And yeah, Garou could use a friend, so it's all good.

Bonus

Live sensei reaction:

...no, you're never going to understand that guy

[theunvanquishedzims]

Halloween OPM

theunvanquishedzims: Reverse Nightmare Before Christmas AU? Genos is the Pumpkin King who meticulously works to make sure everything is perfect, to the point where he's personally at a loss of what Halloween is all about anyway. Result is very corporate/artificial-feeling, like that Vulcan birthday party. Today Is The Scary Day. Deep down he's got lots of style but he's afraid to apply it on behalf of the group.

theunvanquishedzims: Or maybe I'm mixing him up with Amai, this feels more Amai sans confidence.

theunvanquishedzims: Dangit, the number one reason I like that AU is because it's one where Saitama actually gets credit and praise for being the greatest, so swapping it (and making Sai the assistant to ANYONE) strips it of its oomph.

theunvanquishedzims: Okay forget I said that. Take two:

theunvanquishedzims: [Biker gangs. Imploded when logic applied]

theunvanquishedzims: Take three: ...models? BZZT

theunvanquishedzims: Take four: Genos as the Labyrinth Goblin King, Saitama as Masquerade Phantom of the Opera. Villain duel!

theunvanquishedzims: The HA threw a Halloween Masquerade and they took it literally

theunvanquishedzims: Amai is seething a tiny bit because it was his idea, he wanted people to take it literally, and at least half the people who showed up are in boring normal Halloween outfits. King is dressed as a BUMBLEBEE for crying out loud. ("Because she's my queen" is his unintentional pickup line.)

theunvanquishedzims: There's some guy who's dressed as Classic Teen Wolf in basketball clothes and sunglasses (Garou.) Mumen showed up as Elliot from E.T. in a red hoodie, with a milk crate strapped to the front of his bike. Amai turned him away at the door and told him not to come back until he was dressed for a masquerade. Later Badd shows up in the exact same outfit with his sister swaddled in the basket and Amai gives up. (It is the exact same outfit, Mumen met Badd on the way home and warned him that Amai was on a tear, and Badd said screw that guy let me borrow your costume. He didn't want to be a unicorn prince anyway.)

theunvanquishedzims: Amai is the Count of Monte Cristo, but the anime version where they made him a vampire or something

theunvanquishedzims: Zombieman is Amai Mask

theunvanquishedzims: It's in that pigtail-pulling stage after they start sleeping together but before they're in a relationship, so he actually put thought and effort into it to annoy Amai, specifically. Makeup, hair, clothes, he really splashed out, but the kicker is the stack of autographed glamor shots he hands out to everyone. Glamor shots of him in Amai makeup, which he signed. Didn't even have the decency to half-ass it and just print a bunch of copies of Amai's last magazine cover, he did his own glamor shoot.

theunvanquishedzims: When Amai confronts him about not being dressed for a masquerade Zombieman quotes an interview he did where he says a true star is dressed for every occasion at all times. Perfect pitch and intonation. People applaud. Amai almost kills him then and there. Then Badd shows up on a bicycle and Amai gives up and goes to the open bar, where he stays and sulks until Genos and Saitama make their grand entrances on the dance floor and staircase, respectively. At least these idiots are taking it seriously.

theunvanquishedzims: There is a 100% chance that Tatsumaki and Fubuki take turns levitating Badd and his sister across the room as they ramp off the grand staircase at different points. It is the best party, everyone has a great time.

batneko: Yesssssss

batneko: This is so good

theunvanquishedzims: One question: sad Mumen and Garou cheers him up, bittersweet Mumen and Garou creeps/goofs on him and cheers him up, or Cinderella Mumen and Garou is so seduced, wow, completely swept off his feet, Mumen's not even trying

batneko: oh man

theunvanquishedzims: I mean I'll tell you about all three if you want

batneko: the "Mumen's not even trying" part really gets me

batneko: but I am always here for options if you want to tell me

theunvanquishedzims: Okay!

theunvanquishedzims: Setting the scene: Mumen was one of the first to get there, because timely and responsible, so Amai still had hope for the evening and was very critical of Mumen's reading skills. Mumen checks his email on his way home and yeah, it does say Masquerade! Whoops, that is entirely on him. He gives Badd the Elliot costume and goes to find an appropriate masquerade-y costume.

theunvanquishedzims: Option 1: It is really hard to find something that meets Amai's standards on Mumen's budget, especially last minute after shops have started closing, especially when he can clearly remember what Amai was wearing. He tries his best, but by the time he gets back the party is three quarters of the way through, he's stressed and tired and not in the mood for partying, and he feels way under dressed in his overpriced rental jester costume.

batneko: :(

theunvanquishedzims: Garou, meanwhile, has had a blast crashing the party. Food, drink, gets to see Bang dressed as the Emperor from Mulan, it's a great party. He was gonna cause some trouble, monster-style, but there's more kids than he expected here, and everyone's having fun, and also that little girl is levitating a bicycle, he doesn't like his chances against a psychic. He grabs a gift bag and bails.

theunvanquishedzims: So Garou has had a great night. Got to dress up, crashed a rich people party, ate some good food, and now he's walking off with a $10k goodie bag.

batneko: yayy

theunvanquishedzims: He is filled with peace and goodwill for all men as he walks away, stomach full and stolen bottles of champagne clinking in his bag. But then he happens across a sad clown, also walking away from the party, but much more dejectedly.

theunvanquishedzims: What, you didn't like the party? he asks. Oh, no, I got turned away at the door, the clown starts, and Garou is halfway down the street yelling I'LL KICK THEIR ASSES before Mumen catches up, little bells on his shoes and hat jingling. He looks and feels ridiculous, especially now that he can see this new guy's costume. Teen Wolf? Teen Wolf got into the party but E.T. got turned away? Not even, because he saw the Insta post where somebody got video of Badd flying around the room on his bike. So it's just Mumen that wasn't good enough to get in.

batneko: oh nooo

batneko: :(((

theunvanquishedzims: To be honest, he is a tiny bit willing to let this guy try to kick ass on his behalf! But he doesn't know who this guy is or where he ranks, and while having friends like Saitama and Genos go to bat against other S-tiers is fine, he won't let someone fight for him when he won't even fight for himself. "It's not worth it," he insists. "The party's almost over, causing a scene won't solve anything, just ruin the mood and make us both look bad."

theunvanquishedzims: It takes a while but he manages to talk Garou down, mostly by distracting him talking about classic movies they both like. Garou goes on a rant about werewolves in media, Mumen laughs at a few of his jokes, they grab some takeout, and wind up back at Mumen's place with a Halloween marathon on in the background as they talk and eat. Garou opens the goodie bag and they have a private Amai roast, because you just know he's responsible for everyone getting silk scarves and designer sunglasses. Product placement, stealth raising everyone's heroic brand, is he TRYING to turn you all into a bunch of idols? What's next, dance lessons?

batneko: aww XD

theunvanquishedzims: Mumen doesn't comment on the "you all" instead of "us." He's still a little melancholy about being bounced, doubly so now that he realizes this guy isn't a hero and likely wasn't invited. But despite that, he's having a nice time. They've opened a bottle of champagne, conversation flows between hero shenanigans and favorite costumes and whatever schlocky special effects are onscreen. Badd stops by to drop off the bicycle and winds up on the couch with them, comparing the normal goodie bags with the personalized S-tier ones that Amai put together. He absolutely agrees that Mumen got done dirty and vows to bring it up at the next meeting. They wind up splitting the goods between the three of them. By the end of the night Mumen has a two new friends, a mild hangover, and some designer sunglasses to keep the headache at bay.

batneko: awwww

theunvanquishedzims: Option 2: Mumen was able to quickly change into a nice suit and mask, but on the way back he ran into trouble. Either mugged himself, or stopped a mugging. Since he doesn't have his bike he's slower about traveling but quicker to join a fight. I'm actually going to say that as a C-class hero he's a more than competent fighter, we just usually see him punching way out of his weight class. Against the average Joe Cool he's a regular Batman. The suit actually adds a lot to his charisma and intimidation factor. It's like if James Bond came strolling into a convenience store in the middle of your holdup

theunvanquishedzims: The problem is, it just keeps happening. A mugging. A holdup. A group of kids being hassled that need rescuing. Some young ladies being hassled that need escorting. Another group of kids trashing a party. Another mugging. Someone's sister fell into a pond. Someone's causing trouble and no one can tell if it's a monster or someone in a costume. That happens like four times. On and on. By the time he gets to the street where the HA party is being held, Mumen's outfit is a wreck, he's exhausted and beat up, and someone just asked him if he's dressed as a zombie groom. He's three hours late and he just knows that if he walks in to see a bunch of other heroes partying the night away he'll say some things that he can't take back. He gives up and starts to head home.

batneko: aw

theunvanquishedzims: Same ending as the first, but this time less goofing and more flirting. Badd is hugely complimentary and apologetic about leaving Mumen out in the metaphorical and literal cold. Mumen gets a hangover, a hot guy's number, and some designer shades.

batneko: hee

theunvanquishedzims: Option 3: Mumen gives over the bike and goes to get into his suit and fancy mask. He realizes that he's slower on foot and will be late, so he calls a cab to take him to the party. Maybe has it pull over to stop one holdup, just a minor delay. Walks in fashionably late, looking like James Bond after a light scuffle, with a slight swagger in his step that you get when you realize that you're on the Best Dressed shortlist. King is wearing a bumblebee costume, for crying out loud.

theunvanquishedzims: (Tatsumaki is disturbed by how into it she is. She just caught herself thinking "He'd be a fun dad" and now she needs ALL the drinks. He called her his queen. She can't believe she's going to sleep with a guy wearing leggings.)

batneko: XDDDDD

theunvanquishedzims: To be fair they're really tight leggings. They don't make them for guys his size. She means height! Height is what she means. Not, y'know, SIZE. Bartender! Another three of these!

batneko: don't do it tatsumaki you're so little

batneko: nobody needs to get alcohol poisoning tonight

theunvanquishedzims: (They're very light on alcohol, the bartender has strict instructions after the murder mystery.) Tatsumaki is drinking, Amai is sulking, Zombieman is handing out autographs, Fubuki just helped Batt ramp off a staircase to sail over the room, Garou is stuffing his face to keep from laughing at Bang's dancing, and in the middle of all this walks Mumen.

theunvanquishedzims: He's hot. That's the only way to describe it. No helmet hair for once, glasses covered by a fancy mask, suit looking sharp and expensive (as befits a mafia prince, you can take that headcanon from my cold dead hands.)

theunvanquishedzims: "Sorry I'm late," he says, strolling by Amai at the bar. "Had to take care of a gunman on the way." Garou is too busy trying not to choke on his mouthful of food to hear what drink the guy order, but he imagines it's a martini, shaken, not stirred. (Not sure which is funnier: Mumen ordering a non-alcoholic drink, Mumen ordering whatever Tatsumaki's drinking and getting a non-alcoholic drink, or Mumen actually ordering a martini but not getting the reference.)

theunvanquishedzims: Like 70% of the people present don't recognize him. If they get close enough to notice the glasses behind the mask, yeah, but from a polite distance he could pass for one of the better-looking members of Fubuki's Blizzard group.

theunvanquishedzims: He's feeling a little put-out, being sent home to change when half the attendees are wearing regular Halloween costumes. Saitama and Genos haven't made their grand entrance yet so it's still got an edge of office party vibe. Mumen looks at his options and pointedly chooses the werewolf in basketball clothes to ask for a dance. Amai likely does not notice, but it's the thought that counts. The small, petty, mean-spirited thought.

batneko: heeeee

theunvanquishedzims: Garou might actually die. He almost choked on amuse-bouche, someone handed him a drink to clear his throat and it DEFINITELY wasn't water, and just as he's finished coughing the hot guy is standing in front of him asking for a dance. He is so glad he's wearing sunglasses. And that he went full furry, because he doesn't think he could escape Bang's notice with his normal hair, but in a baggy gym uniform with a brown wig and hair glued to his face he can kind of pass for someone normal, or at least someone who hasn't trained their body to be a weapon.

batneko: aw, baby

theunvanquishedzims: Garou is mentally off-balance and busy trying to avoid Bang, so Mumen has plenty of time to think of witty things to say as he leads the dance. He's not sure who this young man is under the costume but wow, that is a lot of muscle under the jersey. Very broad shoulders. Cool glasses.

theunvanquishedzims: Basically Mumen is operating at 100% and Garou is lagging at about 50%, which means Mumen comes across as suave and capable and Garou seems more than a little starstruck. Mumen adjusts their dancing to fit Genos's entrance as the Goblin King presiding over the masquerade dance, and when the song suddenly switches to Phantom and Saitama makes his entrance in red suit to join him on the dance floor, people are getting more in the masquerade spirit. Even Amai has left off sulking to join the dancers. King and Tatsumaki have vanished, Badd has parked the bike and gotten his sister some snacks. The whole joint feels 3000% classier as they waltz.

theunvanquishedzims: Garou is wearing basketball sneakers and saggy gym shorts and he's waltzing with James Bond next to the Count of Monte Cristo and the technopunk Goblin King. He is starting to realize that crashing a party full of heroes with no plan and no exit strategy might have been a bad plan. But James Bond is holding him steady and keeping him on rhythm, and everyone is still having a good time, and if he bolts now Bang will definitely notice, so... might as well get comfy in this mysterious masked man's arms.

batneko: *hearts*

theunvanquishedzims: Eventually he thinks to make his excuses and leave. James Bond smiles and offers to get him home safe. Garou breathlessly agrees, but then remembers that he's homeless and blurts out "let's go to your place." They go to Mumen's place. Movie marathon, delivery food, easy conversation, mask comes off to reveal dorky glasses, wow so comfortable and happy, and they both got goodie bags so they swap favorites and joke about ebaying the more expensive useless stuff. (Mumen is joking, Garou is not.) Badd brings the bike back, perfect opportunity for Garou to pull the "wow it's late" card and leave. Maybe he does. Maybe he doesn't. That's between him and Mumen.

theunvanquishedzims: And scene.

batneko: awwwwwwww