#truly I think anon hate is just sort of a milestone

[wisteria-lodge]

at least try to communicate with people that don't agree with you, instead of playin the victim by saying you received hate?

I actually thought it was kinda fun, that's why I put in a smiley face emoji. My thought was like - if this is a reflection of me, yeah fair enough. I know I'm being fair to JKR if someone thinks I'm too harsh, and someone else not harsh enough. And Drarry is just kinda funny because it's like... so mainstream... it'd be like getting hate for Wolfstar.

I communicate with people who disagree with me all the time, I think that's fun too. Like I'm communicating with you, and I respect that you're not sending this anonymously, I think that's cool.

Unfortunately though, there's not much you can say to "Did we watch the same scene? I think your theory is stupid and I think Drarry is stupid." One of the nice things about this blog has been learning how to tell if people are coming at you in good faith or not, because if they're not... probably doesn't matter what you end up saying.

Maybe if I think it's fun and interesting and I think people would like it, I might do a super close read the Harry/Draco bathroom fight, or a shot analysis of the scene in the movie. Movie 6 is shot super beautifully, and I wouldn't mind giving that some appreciation. But I'd be doing that because it's something I want to do, not because I feel obligated to communicate with someone being rude.

[beelspillowpet]

A Lesson in Love - A “Character Analysis” on Asmodeus

I had to come for the tracks, wigs, and weaves of bitches when Pomade dropped because I saw people talking shit about my boy. This was a milestone ��project” or “reward” I guess?

I hit 400 followers today while I was out running errands!!! Thank you guys SO SO MUCH for the love and support! I can’t WAIT to produce more content for everyone!!!

Below the cut there WILL BE talk of season 3, as well as some talk of chapter 16. There’s a healthy amount of theorizing on his personality as well, I hope you don’t mind! This came out more like a plea to get people to change their minds about how Asmo really is, rather than a comprehensive essay of sorts. So here we go!

There’s something we apparently still need to talk about in this fanbase. The unrealistic idea of Asmodeus being a sex freak, and an unreliable person in general despite there being little proof of it. We need to set a few things straight about Asmo moving forward.

December 25th rolled around and Asmo’s audio drama and song were released. I take it everyone enjoyed both parts, as well as I did. My timeline both on twitter and tumblr were filled with Asmodeus content, as well as the other brothers and such. But I mostly got Asmo content. However, in peeks and cracks, if I looked hard enough, I still saw people who absolutely loathed Asmo or who were indifferent to him. Keep in mind; I think it’s okay. You don’t have to like everyone.

I’ve only joined the fanbase in September, but even I could tell some of these takes were old fashioned. I downloaded the game on October 17th, a very important anniversary for me, while I 

was still in bed in the morning. I blazed through the entire story of season 1 and now I am stuck in season 2, specifically in Chapter 24. I obviously don’t have every card of Asmodeus with his Devilgrams, but I have been analyzing his character over the past few days for this.

So needless to say, I have a considerable amount of information on him, as well as personal thoughts that may help some learn to love him. Or at the very least, from spreading a negative idea of him around as if it were true. Enough that should help clear his name, so to speak.

Let’s look at his title; Avatar of Lust. Now naturally the thoughts that come to your head are sex and other sexual bits. So I can understand how some people would come to the conclusion that he’s just a sex freak. But if you look under the surface of his title, like I’m sure you’ve had to for your own personal favorites (*cough* Lucifer, Belphie, and Satan ESPECIALLY) you would discover that Asmodeus is more than just about sex. In fact, sex takes up very little of his pass time, if you were to believe it!

In recent chapters, as I’ve been told, Asmodeus doesn’t really get around much anyways:

Granted, this was said while in Celestia, but I imagine not much has changed for him since his fall, as well as his brothers.

Not really comfortable being with just anyone, huh…? Sounds like someone who doesn’t have sex so warily often as you’d think!

Being lustful can come in many shapes and forms. It can be merely in appearance, which Asmo is not afraid of doing. He’s very comfortable about skinship and it’s very apparent in how he dresses and acts that he wants you to adore his body. To worship it! Maybe not sexually, but aesthetically! Being lustful can mean just thinking about sex or sexual scenarios often, which if you take a peek at Asmo’s chat’s either with you or his brothers, is very apparent too.

Personally, I believe that people would assume he is not good in a relationship because he would have a “cheating problem”. I don’t think Asmo is a monster, just like I don’t think any of the brothers are monsters. They may be demons (technically fallen angels) now but they used to be angels too. Their falling out with their Father doesn’t mean they’ve completely abandoned morality, it was a rebellion for Lilith’s right to live. Not for them to sin as they pleased. For all we know they might have been fine in Heaven otherwise! (with the exception of Lucifer.)

A monster knows right from wrong and chooses evil anyways. An ignorant person doesn’t know right from wrong. Asmodeus is not a monster, nor is he ignorant.

When Asmo genuinely loves you, I think he would take steps to calm down that side of him, if it were to exist. Lust is fairly limited, but it is a part of love to some extent. LOVE is vastly different. Love has many languages, and they aren’t all spoken either. For me, personally, I found that Lucifer’s love language can be either very direct, or roundabout so as to not let it go to your head, for an example. Asmo is just far more direct about his care for you.

I feel as though Asmo gets a lot of crap constantly for his presumed nature and because we don’t get to see much else of him at first, especially in season 1, his impression on us sort of stays. With most of the fanbase either somewhat new to the game or somewhere lost in the sea of the difficulty curve that is season 2, we can only assume based on what we’ve seen, and what others have headcanoned about him.

Let’s break and talk about Satan for a moment; this is going somewhere.

I’m led to believe that Satan can control his sin fairly well. He’s easy to get irritated, sure, but he isn’t as much of a walking ball of rage as I suspected. I would argue that, aside from Leviathan, Satan can handle his sin the best out of the brothers. But again, we’re forgetting about Asmo. The Avatar of “Lust”. Like I’ve shown before, he doesn’t really sleep around a lot, according to anon.

At worst, Asmo being flirty is through text and he’s not actively trying to sleep with you. It can be interpreted that way, but for me personally, it comes down to having a friend that is very up close and in your personal space.

(I myself am one of these types of people. Having ADHD, my social cues are always sort of off, and I’ve struggled with coping with it for years. With my best friend, we have seen each other naked countless times and have slept in the same bed as well. We were never romantic with each other. We were just very comfortable being close and personal with each other.)

I’d like to point out also that Asmo isn’t even there for most of season 1 too. Which can give you the idea that maybe he just was out sleeping around a lot, but to me he probably just went out partying a lot. You don’t get known that fast for sleeping around. Maybe in 5,000 years, sure, but I’d imagine being a party boy, as his Devilgram “Guided by Desire” suggests.

So the idea that Asmo isn’t in the house a lot because he’s out having sex all the time isn’t true is it? He’s probably just out partying, which can LEAD to sex with someone sure, but again, Asmo doesn’t feel comfortable doing that, now does he?

I feel like of all the boys, Asmo is the one who radiates with everyone else the most. Most people will never realize how surreal it is that Asmo is faking it until he makes it. He doesn’t always think he’s beautiful, or that he’s worth all the love he’s striving and straining to get. Something that is extremely relatable for a lot of people with self-worth issues. Asmo is just like that, but instead being sarcastic and self-deprecating, he simply works to make himself look as beautiful as possible, so that in his eyes, his beauty matches the affection he gets.

Which is why, when he falls in love with you, it’s strange. You are constantly telling him he’s nice and pretty, but you aren’t lusting after him. You’re just being nice. It may just be me, but when people are overly nice just for the sake of being nice, I’m very attracted to that. That is Asmo, to some extent. The fact that he reflects the insecurities and habits of others so clearly may make others uncomfortable, but that brutal honesty veiled behind insecurity is what a lot of people with self-image issues deal with.

Now for me to share my favorite personal idea for Asmo that completely changed how I saw him in season 1 onwards; Asmodeus is an empath. Now let me explain:

First, what is an Empath?

The term empath comes from empathy, which is the ability to understand the experiences and feelings of others outside of your own perspective. Seems simple, right? Everyone can do this to some extent. However, what makes you an empath is the fact that empaths genuinely feel the same pain as you do. So much so your experience becomes a very personal part of their own. They are capable of being able to feel other people’s emotions without them speaking, or even showing signs of it through their body language.

This would explain, for me personally, why there’s so little of him in season 1. The intensity of what goes on in the house, his sensitive soft-spoken mannerisms, the only time he truly gets mad is when he’s childishly arguing with Mammon? Asmo is afraid of true conflict, he’s afraid of violence and negative emotions. Let’s face it; everyone is indifferent or hates you at the start of the game.

While this changes fairly quickly, all the intense feelings come to a head in chapter 16. All those negative emotions swirling around, of course Asmo isn’t going to want to be in the house when it’s that intense. The attic didn’t just disappear completely, too. Belphie was still in the attic hating humans. That negative emotion could be affecting Asmo and he didn’t know why, so he could have been out of the house more.

Where Asmo can feel the emotions of others, it may mostly be the negative ones because they fill him with anxiety and panic if it persists. Which can be helpful in making him so urgent to want to make others smile and feel better, right?

Imagine being intimate with Asmodeus, and suddenly you aren’t in the mood for it anymore but don’t want to make things awkward. He could pick up on it in an instant and wouldn’t get mad because he understands how you feel completely.

Now to close this out about something that genuinely hurts me; Asmodeus is a narcissist.

I mean, the wiki says that he is, but personally? No, no he isn’t. Since when is loving yourself a bad thing? Sure he may go a bit far sometimes, but people with self-image issues need to go a little harder than the rest to make sure they're getting the love they need.

(Talking about myself AGAIN, but I do this a lot. At random, I will look up in my own mirror in front of my desk that I sit in front of all day and tell myself I am a cute bitch. I am VERY VERY cute and anyone would be lucky to have someone as drop dead gorgeous as myself. I say that a few times a day. In reality, I am very insecure about my looks. I do believe I’m cute, but sometimes it’s hard to say it. Which is why I force myself. Why wouldn’t Asmo do the same?)

Talking yourself up to be as beautiful as a sex god is no easy task, but Asmo isn’t the Avatar of “Lust” for no reason. When an insecure girl talks up her beauty, it’s her being strong and independent. When Asmo does it, its narcissism… it doesn’t really seem fair, now does it? Maybe he’s just an insecure person who needs to tell himself ALL THE TIME that he’s beautiful. That if he stares at his reflection long enough, he may see it too.

(Also, Simeon literally calls him out on being insecure. Insecure people tend to try and overcompensate where they feel they’re lacking.)

”Asmodeus is hinted to be insecure and seeking for love and attention. When Simeon was asked about what he thought of Asmodeus, he says that Asmodeus is still trying to fulfill the role of the angel he used to be; an angel that was adored and loved by many. Asmodeus laughs at Simeon's remark and brushes it off by saying that he is only jealous.” - A section from said Asmodeus Wiki.

People can choose to love or hate Asmo, obviously. Making things up about his character without having anything but speculation and having that dictate how he acts is plain silly. This entire “essay” if you can call it that, comes from the heart. I love Asmo as a character, and in the beginning he did make me uncomfortable, I didn’t like him that much. But I learned to look past that and figure out why he acts the way he does. Something didn’t sit right with me about him for a while, and it was that air of insecurity that I didn’t see at first.

All I can really ask for, is giving Asmo another chance as a character. He’s not as wild and wacky as Mammon, or as cool and sexy as Lucifer, or as edgy and precious as Belphie, but he matters in this story too. He fell from grace with his brothers for Lilith. Give him another chance, and let him show you that he is the Avatar of Love.

[the-sappho-of-lesbos]

Hey I see you answer a lot of asks so I hope this one isn't too much. I'm in my 20's, I'm a lesbian, and I've never had a girlfriend or been on a date in my life. I'm embarrassed about it and I'm afraid to tell any woman that. I can't relate to lesbians my age. It's very isolating. I also only have straight friends. All of them have boyfriends so I basically never see them. I live in a place with very few gay people, let alone for gay people to meet. I also have a disability as well as a very bad eating disorder. I've tried dating apps once but it never got past the talking stage. Traveling is hard because of my disability as well, so I think that's why too. Lately it all feels hopeless. I genuinely hate being a lesbian and I don't know if a way to meet other lesbians in my position who want a genuine relationship beyond a hook up or a friend. It's been making me suicidal, being in long-term isolation. It's hard enough to not relate to most people on a fundamental level, and it just hurts to not have anyone want you, or have a way to find someone who does. I don't know where to go from here or how to make a better situation out of this. I don't know if I'm asking for advice or just venting.

It’s not too much. I’m so sorry it’s taken my a while to get to it though 💕💕 and I’m so sorry you are going through such a rough time.

I might sound like an hypocrite saying this but I really hope that you believe me; you have NOTHING to feel embarrassed about. Trust me, I fully sympathies with why might and understand the amount of pressure and shame you can feel by not reaching certain milestones by a certain age. And it can feel so incredibly lonely to feel like you are on the sidelines of it all. And I’m genuinely so sorry you are going through that right now. But you don’t have anything to feel embarrassed about. There are many women in the same situation as you. And also most women of they are decent won’t care about that sort of stuff. And if you want a positive spin on it - your first love is always a special one. And you’ll get to experience that at a better and more mature age. You’ll have a chance to feel it deeper and maybe even have a better chance of maintaining it.

I’m also so sorry you feel so isolated from other lesbians your age :( I truly wish I had some advice or guidance I could give you for that, but I’m in the same boat and I haven’t quite figured that one out yet. But what I do hope with all my heart is that you are able to one day find sometime or someone (be they lesbian or not) who you can see yourself in and who makes you happy to be born as you were. I like to believe there is something out there for everyone that will one day make them think “I’m glad I’m me. I wouldn’t have gotten this otherwise” and I hope you find that 💕💕

I’m really sorry about your disability and ED as well :( Again I don’t know if I really have any advice, but just know I’m there with you on that. And I recognise it’s a horrible crap situation and it sucks and you don’t deserve it at all.

Anon I know that isolation is horrible. Believe me I know. I’m there too. Isolation and loneliness are some of the cruelest and most painful things that can happen to someone. We are social creatures. We NEED other people. And not having that can almost feel like being denied air at some points. And I guess considering my track record it’s not necessarily my place to say, because I might just sound like I’m spewing stuff out or talking crap , but anon death would be so much lonely. It really would. I know change feels like it will never come or it’s just not worth waiting for anymore. And maybe your life feels monotonous right now. But change is inevitable. Change WILL come. It has to. Literally nothing can stay the exact same forever. And you’ve been so brave and so strong up until this point. And I’m genuinely so sorry you’ve had to be. But you deserve to reach that day where you can say “I’m glad I’m me” and I KNOW you will. I absolutely know it. It might take a while. And waiting might make you angry and sad and frustrated - that’s okay. I feel that way too. But please stay strong for yourself. Because being able to say that will be one of the best things and you deserve that explosion of happiness more then anything.

I’m sorry you are going through all this. But I truly hope things get a bit lighter for you soon. You are such a beautiful soul and I love you 💕💕💕

I hope you have a beautiful and happy day. ✨✨🌻🌻🌻🌻

[toastling]

(previous anon here) hmmm i wouldn't say night and day.... as you said, they had flaws and so do we... i think that just because we got past some important milestones people forget that it's ok to debate and reinvent the way things are, in my perception (at least thru what ive seen around, both irl and online) things are just naturally progressing... when a group gets past the immediate dangers we get more time to discuss things and such

There's discussion and then there's policing each other's identities and oppressing each other in the same way the cishets do. These past couple years especially, I haven't seen much (good faith) discussion as much as I have increasingly radicalized factions shouting at each other and making the other out to be the devil.

I got an anon earlier who told me they hoped I died in a particularly violent manner solely because I'm trying to promote a mutual respect for individual experiences and interpretations, even ones we may not personally agree with. This sort of violent rejection is not uncommon. You see it all over the place now, people getting hate simply for promoting inclusivity, as if it's a poison that will destroy us, and not the one thing that can truly unite us.

This isn't discussion, or debate, it's just more violence. People aren't allowed to disagree anymore without one side being somehow morally repugnant. I was told by a former acquaintance our disagreement was very much intentionally disrespectful because I dared to suggest a trans experience based off euphoria as opposed to dysphoria, free of suffering, was a valid one. How twisted is that, to insist misery is a core facet of what it is to be trans? To resist so strongly against anybody who may feel differently?

This is the kind of thing I'm talking about, and rebelling against. This infinite abyss of intolerance. Maybe I'm wrong - maybe things weren't as rosy in the past as some of the elders I've spoken to have told me. But there's no way it could've been worse than this.

[blueprint-han]

I just realized... we literally proved to SKZ that we’re there for them when everyone else turns their back on them. Twitter is wild but STAY are literally the only fandom I like anymore. Kingdom only proved that everyone else is fucked up. All of this over a performance... because they feel threatened. SKZ did nothing to them and they feel the need to attack BOTH STAY and SKZ, putting all of our mental health risk. I’m literally tearing up as I’m writing this. I’ve been so stressed out and I can’t focus on anything anymore. Just knowing the only people that I trusted and the people who saved me from myself way too many time are under attack for literally breathing. This is sick. I’ve never seen any other group along with their own fandom get this amount of hate for doing nothing at all. Literally Hyunjin was proven innocent. Someone please explain why his old classmates, friends and ex-JYP trainee cleared things up before JYP had an actual statement. Where are their priorities? Lia just got accused and they came out like the flash denying the allegations. Where’s the same energy for Hyunjin? Especially during a time like now? Anyways I’m sorry for ranting like this.. STAYs are great. People call us toxic, but honestly they don’t know anything because Twitter stays are literally creating health departments for stays and things to cheer us up..

Omg ikr!! :( I wouldn't want to hate on the other fandoms besides stay who were also affected, but I will say we did stay with skz through the thick and thin! It hurts to see them this way, I understand, so I hope you're taking care of yourself. 🥺💖

Again, regarding the recent news, I'm glad jyp addressed the issue and that it's all sorted out now. I don't have any personal comments on the issue since I'm very confused myself. :(

About the toxic stans part, I don't think that when people call stays toxic, they mean every person in this fandom. I'll have you know, 96% of this fandom is amazing and the people are very kind, sweet and cool but every fandom has those 4% or more toxic stans that ruin the view of the bunch overall. And I will say, as a fan of skz for about two years, the fandom has infact grown toxic. I'll talk about it now since the scandal is completely over, so I hope u won't mind sjsnjs.

Fans are growing obsessed with the members because of how jyp markets them like they're their friends, not idols, and it's often swept under the rug by calling it "love for the idols". People (and by this again, I only mean the 4% of people and the people I've seen here) don't seem to know where the line between being obsessed with someone and “stanning” someone comes into play. Being happy for someone when they hit a milestone and worried when they happen to hit a scandal? That's normal. But putting your idol before yourself, seemingly forgetting that these idols are idols and you don't know how they truly are behind the camera, blurring out the lime between a “fan” of a member and being borderline obsessed with them, not being able to handle the fact that they're humans, they make mistakes, they need breaks. To the point when something wrong happens, there's just a constant stream of negativity that takes place on their online personality. That's harmful. This is where sasaeng behavior starts. When people sweep such obsessive behavior under the title of "omg you love him so much 🥺🥺 you're so cute 🥺" this is where the problem begins. Because people start to think it's okay, and that the idol themselves are more important than their mental health. This is where people are toxic.

When people grow so attached to idols that the moment they fuck up, they can't seem to handle the fact that they've fucked up. The reality is that it's unhealthy. When chan doesn't stream for one day, twitter comments are flooded with how their whole week is gonna be ruined and how they can't handle themselves. People are forgetting that their idols are not their therapists. While they can provide comfort, they cannot provide a full ass solution to your mental health problems, and if you try to seek that comfort over and over again instead of trying to solve your problem, one day you're gonna run out, and it's gonna be very harsh on you.

Oof this got so long! I hope you understand my point of view on why I feel the fandom is toxic just because of a small percentage of people. I'd love to hear it if someone has a different pov too! And as always, if I said smth wrong, it's definitely not my intention to do so, pls lmk with manners.

I hope you're doing well now anon 🥺💖 sorry this took so long to answer. ♡

[deviant3lover]

OOOOOOOO! You writing for other charaters now? Cuz, here are some bois I'd like to see your take on! Pick and choose who you'd please: Zombieman, Child Emperor, Tatsumkai, Sonic, Flashy Flash, Mumen Rider, King and, (one I'd really like to see) Sweet Mask. Thanks, and happy early birthday!

Thank you~! And lmao, my birthday was like, a month ago now;; I swear my attention span is hella weak- I see a shiny thing and I 

Z I P 

Outta my work and go over to look at it for the next 3 days.

And anon… dear anon…

I will do ALL OF THEM.

MUMEN RIDER:

If I’m being honest? I honestly hated him when he was first introduced.

He cycled as fast as he could to confront the Paradisers, had a moment where he parked his bike, (a bit awkward, but I faintly enjoyed the sight) pulled off a show of confidence that implied that he knew the gravity of the situation and has a way of dealing with it effectively (the common subversive tactic: weak looking character has tremendous strength) and then got DECKED ON with one hit, showing that it was just shallow hot air he couldn’t back up.

And then he got credit for the work that Saitama did. (Albeit unintentionally.)

Not… the greatest first impression. I thought he was an overconfident guy who was playing hero, uncomprehending of the danger that he puts himself in for the sake of living in an idealised fantasy that since he’s the protagonist, since he’s the one with determination and a heart of gold, it’ll all work out. Him cycling towards the Sea King at full throttle, with him apparently not taking the hint from the Paradisers, drove that belief home to me even more.

(Wow, I sound like Garou here. :o…)

And then he launched into his spiel.

How he felt like he wasn’t good enough to take the promotion, how he knows, better than anyone, that he’s weak. That yes, he might not win- might even get killed for his fruitless efforts for it, but what matters is that he tries. Not because he feels like he can pull it off eventually, or that the monsters will submit to how ~brave~ he is, but because it’s just important to try in the face of overwhelming odds, if it means that others have a slightly better chance of surviving because of it. Willing to die just so others won’t, even when you’re dismissed as a weakling both in the present and after death.

And that made me doubt about what I thought of him.

It wasn’t until I saw him trying to convince TTM to leave Garou alone, trying to intervene when Garou attacked him, and getting his face smashed repeatedly into the concrete sidewalk for his efforts by the same man he tried to defend, that I was utterly convinced that Mumen was genuinely heroic.

This may be a little dark, but I have a feeling that Mumen’s sense of justice doesn’t entirely stem from his selfless nature, but also from feelings of worthlessness. That he goes above and beyond to be a hardworking hero because he feels he has no worth if he dares do otherwise. The Christmas extra chapter in the manga sort of sparked this belief for me. If Mumen’s sense of justice was purely selfless, he’d mention other options (e.g. Friends inviting him out, new bistro downtown, setting up a mini Christmas tree and treating himself to a nice present) and maybe consider injecting some time for himself for them, if not on Christmas day, then the day before or after. Instead, he says with a smile, that he’ll be patrolling the streets for danger with no allusion to his personal life. And that lingering suspicion still sticks to me to this day.

CHILD EMPEROR:

First impression? I didn’t think too much of him, because I didn’t have much reason to. Very little screen time in the early manga/anime didn’t get me to form much of an attachment or investment in his character.

But later on? I like him! A kid prodigy, but it’s made clear time and time again that he still has room to improve, and I’ve always been a big fan of personal growth and developing self-reflection/awareness in stories. The fact that he wasn’t a stuck-up brat who thought he knew everything, and (taking into account that he’s literally 10 years old) still had a great deal of growth ahead of him in terms of the technological and the personal…

Yeah. I’m definitely holding out my hope for seeing a side story dedicated to him.

If I had the luck to choose the idea for the plot, I would love to see what sparked his love for technology, his mishaps and successes and so-so’s when it came to developing his skills and his gadgets. I want to be able to see the people around him reacting with awe and confusion over this kid hurriedly drawing up complex diagrams on a chalkboard board for different ideas before they leave his mind, which gadgets he’s put the most work in, the most time on, and is proud of, and finally; if he had a snobby phase and is ashamed of it. Bonus points if he took a break from his work to read up on how to be more like a mature adult so that older people will take him more seriously outside of being an inventor.

SONIC:

I, uh… honestly don’t think too much of him? He never really stuck with me.

Conversely… I do, however, like the few times we get the spotlight shined on him. He’s a badass to watch, and I laughed and cringed when the infamous ‘accidental punch’ scene came up on my screen. Considering the fact that I watched the anime first before the manga, I wasn’t anticipating it at all.

Which makes me glad in this case! The animated scene feels way more impactful and memorable than the manga version. I felt the build up and the rapidly increasing dread rise in me as I saw Saitama’s fist slowly punch Sonic’s unmentionables. Animating the- ahem- impact of his punch done me in and seared that scene into my mind.

Hmm… I feel like Sonic’s a more rebellious version of Flash, whilst also having been influenced by him. The both of them enjoy taking care of themselves in more luxurious ways, with their glossy hair and refusal to be filthy or rough in any way (e.g. Flash taking good care of his hair in the shower, Sonic opting to cook the monster cells and serve them tastefully before eating them) but I feel like Sonic likes rebelling more outwardly towards how he’s been trained and conditioned as a ninja compared to Flash. He just gives off that vibe~

Expanding on that, I feel like he’s more self-reflective and subtle in his thoughts. Flash is sort of absorbed in his own business and narrow range of experiences (not that I’m blaming him: he’s a busy man) while Sonic is more rooted to reality, and is a little more mellowed out to show for it. In the audio CDs, he gains a new understanding of what Saitama is forced to go through and respects him more as a person than just a milestone to beat, and he overcomes his trauma of Saitama ‘punching him’ by accepting what happened and simply keeping the possibility of it happening again in mind; not to torture himself or blame himself for being ‘weak,’ but to acknowledge what he’s fearful of and accepting it, allowing him to move on.

FLASHY FLASH:

I was gunning hard for him to be a cold-blooded woman assassin who wants to look elegant and deadly at the same time. Femme fatale, minus the seduction.

I was a little disappointed when he turned out to be a guy, and more so when he riled up Metal Bat with his insults while telling them to cut it out (counter intuitive, but it wouldn’t have been so bad if I wanted to see that. But I didn’t want to see it so lmao-) so, apart from his cool character design, I was a little turned off in my investment in him.

I was hoping that they kept the name ‘Lightspeed Flash’ instead of Flashy Flash. Yes, I know that they’re pretty much the same in terms of meaning, but the former just sounds more dignified. Considering he’s a man who takes himself seriously in both his work and appearance, I feel like it’s more in character for him to suggest a hero name that sounds more impressive, but still shows that sort of silliness underneath when you look closely.

He gained back some of my respect for him when he directly told Tatsumaki off for stealing his kill and talking down on him. That takes mad guts and I was wondering which of the heroes are willing to risk a serious fight with her to prove that they’re not one to be trifled with.

(Metal Bat was a little different in that regard: at the time, I just saw him as another affectionate parody of the delinquent trope. Nice contrast to the rest of the older, calmer heroes, but a little generic.)

Flashy Flash… yeah. I feel like he’s willfully disconnected himself from the world both emotionally and socially. Not because he’s afraid, but because he thinks it’s useless. He’s already seen the worst of it thanks to his upbringing, so there’s no point in putting in effort to go out and explore just to discover what else is wrong with the world.

I also think that, like Tatsumaki, he feels more than competent on his own and believes doesn’t need any outside help or interference. Hence, anyone who doesn’t meet his personal standards immediately has their opinions and suggestions of him dismissed or not truly considered with respect. He thinks he knows what’s best, even when there’s opinions screaming that he’s not, because he doesn’t respect others that way.

KING:

OOF- Okay, I was actually pretty ambivalent about him.

I thought he was cool when he intimidated the Tongue monster into submission, then thought he was an egotistical, vain hero when confronted by the G4 monster, then thought he was a pitiful, cowardly man forced to flee out of necessity, and then thought he was an endearing puppy when he realized just who Saitama is to him.

And. Hm.

King is… a very genuine man. I like him. Like Mumen Rider, he’s willing to put himself on the line to protect others. What makes me a little conflicted is if he’s more, the same, or less heroic than Mumen.

More: He has absolutely nothing to defend himself with in terms of physical skills or strength. His luck is his only maxed out stat in the hero game he’s obliged to play, and he’d rather be left alone, but he still puts his life on the line to help others, even when he’s scared witless.

Less: He does have his awe inspiring, fear inducing reputation that can neutralise the monster threats more often than not, and is aware of this, using it to his advantage. So maybe he’s a little less courageous since he knows it will work in his favour more often than not.

My take on him…  King strikes me as a good man. In a normal, monsterless world, he won’t be the kind who’ll fearlessly charge into battle against terrorists, or pull off any awe inspiring feats by himself by passing life saving legislations; this man isn’t interested in grand scale heroics and would rather support those who are interested and are good at it.

No, King strikes me as a man who wants to keep to himself and offer his sincere help to those who manages to become good friends with this shy man. He may be quaking in his boots at imminent danger, but he’ll still try to stand up for what’s right when someone else is being taken advantage of, even if he’s not entirely sure of what he’s doing.

AMAI MASK:

(RECENT WEBCOMIC SPOILERS!!)

I never cared much for Amai until now.

I can’t imagine anything more devastating than working yourself down to the bone to protect and give people hope, to cultivate others into what it means to be a true hero, only to realize the people you worked so hard for was just as hideous as you used to be. This man worked so hard, and him protecting the people he cared about wasn’t enough to deter them from reacting with horror and disgust. It wasn’t even five minutes until the first of his ungrateful ‘fans’ tried stoning him.

Thank God Saitama intervened… the look on his face after he was called a cool guy was both ugly cute and heart wrenching. He may have been called dreamy or inspirational by the adoring masses, but being broken down to the very thing that you’ve been ashamed and fearful of your entire life, and still having someone who sees you as someone worthwhile must’ve meant the world to Amai. He’s a monster, yes, but he kept a vice grip on his morals and never let them go, even when his grip on them was weakening with every breath he took.

I also liked the way that ONE written his rise to fame. The build-up and anticipation surrounding how he looked behind the mask, Amai himself being bitter over the vanity of the public, learning to accept it, and gradually became obsessed with embodying the symbol of justice- this time, where everyone can see it. But it wasn’t on his own terms, no; instead of being seen as the ugly but virtuous man before, he has to present himself as a handsome idol, instead of being loved and revered for who he truly is; ugly and all. That it’s not a defect.

And I felt pity for him when I realized that’s what happened.

My opinion and takes (interpretations) of him? He’s interesting, to put it lightly.

If I think more on it, I feel like he’s losing himself to his delusions. It’s ironic: someone focusing on saving the hearts of others, yet all they can see is themselves.

True to the series, Amai reminds me of Genos. Of what Genos would’ve turned out to be if he was kept alone with no one he can truly connect with. No one who can remind him of the sweeter things in life that don’t matter. No one you have a personal, deep connection with to return home to.

Amai strikes me as a man who’s so focused on eliminating evil that he sees it everywhere, no matter how small or large it is, or if it even exists. If someone doesn’t live up to his standards or sees what he sees, he immediately has this sort of insurmountable, unseen distance from them that can’t be easily crossed.

In all honesty, I’m intrigued and worried for him. Part of my indulgent ideas for him is that he’s slowly starting to hallucinate and had started monsterize from the inside for a long, long while, and it’s only by the Association’s dependence on him and his adoring fans that keeps preserving the man that he used to be when he was purely heroic, but hideous. And even then, it’s not enough.

I feel like he’s painted himself in a corner where he feels it’s too late to try and get help for his condition, instead desperately searching for someone who can take his place. He knows how important a symbol is, and if he had the choice, would keep it up as long as he lives, but his passion for it isn’t enough to drive off what he’s becoming.

And he was right.

ZOMBIEMAN:

I may have done Zombieman already, but I also realise that I’ve missed out on some things that I wanted to include~

In contrast to Amai, Zombieman strikes me as the type of guy who’s a sort of ‘Frankenstein’s Monster’ character. Unlike the book character, Zombieman is in a society that accepts, reveres, and adores him for all he does despite his questionable history and to what degree he is ‘human.’ He doesn’t seem to believe that what he is makes up for who he is, and anyone who thinks otherwise will earn his ire; but again, like Frankenstein’s monster, he knows it’s a part of him, and that it’s still a source of discomfort for him. He needs to get that skeleton out of his closet for him to truly enjoy life.

TATSUMAKI:

Honestly, I didn’t notice too much of her character until much, much later in the manga. Prior to that, I admired her ability to take care of the worst threats by herself. Soloist heroes and protagonists were always a soft spot of mine: learning to handle the worst of what life had to throw at you and being good at it, but not necessarily good at taking care of your emotional and mental wellbeing, confiding in others about that, and showing that it’s okay to be vulnerable or lost or flawed, and endeavoring to fix that?

Yesss. Good trope. One of my favorites.

So, what finally caught my attention from her?

Her fight with Psykos.

I was sort of seething with the way Psykos was chilling smugly in her underground lair. Her plan was smart, but the way she was so self-assured and the way she thinks she’s above others; human and monster alike, sipping wine all the while?

That irritated me a lot.

So, to see Tatsumaki rip her from her cozy room and into the fray of the battle, coercing her into spilling intel by twisting her limbs and body each and every way to force it out, and striking fear into her heart with that sadistic, predatory smile of hers?

I loved it. Whoo!

As for takes… I’m not sure if I have any on her to be honest! At least, not one that isn’t already canon. She believes that you shouldn’t rely on others to become strong, or to save you, and has lived up to that idea by herself. She can back up her words and I admire that.

I do feel a little sorry for her, considering what she’s gone through. As much as I agree with her, sometimes she can take it too far.

I was a little irked by her showing little to no concern for shielding her team mates from getting crushed underneath the rubble of a building, with Darkshine stepping in to protect them, but I suppose she had a point; you have to take care of yourself on the battlefield.

Still; her total lack of concern left me a little perturbed.

This was curbed a bit by her refusing to uproot the association until she knew Tareo was safe; I feel like that added more character to her in the manga, as opposed to the webcomic.

In conclusion: All of these characters are good. UoU! Murata and One are great writers, and they made them feel fleshed out and distinct from each other in almost every way possible whilst keeping them believable. And I love them for it. :3

[luvkirby4ever]

#15 on the Identity Ask thing! :3

Thank you anon!

#15:  5 most influential books over my lifetime.

Number 5:  “The Ersatz Elevator” by Lemony Snicket

Among my various “milestone” books, such as the first chapter book I read (The Trumpet of the Swan), books that made a flip switch inside my brain to like reading (The Hatchet, Frindle), or “book I stayed up so late reading that I dropped it on my face like an idiot” (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire), I choose The Ersatz Elevator because it was a book I successfully read back when I was very reluctant about reading.

One thing that always stuck with me is that the style in which Lemony would write the teaser for the next book (/his narration style) actually made me question whether or not the series was fictional.  I was probably about 10 or 11 at the time and was pretty firm on the stance of “there’s no way this happened, that’s impossible” but the fake notes to the editor at the end were so convincing that I kinda started to believe it.

It’s also worth noting that even though it’s #6 in the series it was the first one I read- I didn’t like reading back in elementary school.  I ended up reading the whole series because of this book, though!

Number 4:  “Wicked” by Gregory Maguire

This book is weird and I take quite a bit of issue with it.  For starters, I usually dislike large time skips, and there’s like 4 of them.  Another issue I have is that the author writes with a sort of emotional/thematic detachment in such a way that it feels like he’s trying to say something meaningful/important but it ends up boiling down to feeling like the “if there were two guys on the moon” copypasta.  I reread it for the first time after many years and was disappointed in the direction the story went after the school arc tbh.

But all that aside, I read this during a time when I was starting to awaken to the idea that things that were “girly” weren’t necessarily bad by nature.  And I should clarify that I would not consider this a “girly” book by any stretch of nature!  It’s just that I used to be so staunchly against narratives about women (no less about women showing genuine tenderness) that reading Wicked was a big step towards trying to drink respect women juice.

Wicked’s MVP was definitely Glinda- she was a character who I immediately wrote off as “the shallow girly ditz” and was surprised at how invested I had become in her at the end of the school arc.  I feel like there was a lot of wasted story potential in Wicked and Glinda was definitely a character who I’d want to write a fanfic about.  So much wasted potential.

Number 3:  “My Lesbian Experience With Lonlieness” by Kabi Nagata

WTNV may have been my gateway drug into LGBT+ culture, but just like the dumb f*** that I am it wasn’t until a few months after I first read this book that I realized that I’m gay.  The book constantly rested in the back of my mind so one day as I was staring up at my ceiling in bed I thought about it again and thought “wait… I think I’m gay”.

(Shoutout to “My Brother’s Husband” for also helping, too.  From a story perspective I prefer “My Brother’s Husband” but “My Lesbian Experience With Loneliness” is the one that keeps returning to my thoughts about stuff.  Both are so good though I highly recommend them both!)

Number 2:  Genki (Second Edition)

I know it’s not a “book” book, but I’ve had this textbook for years now and I have emotional attachment to this thing.  I’m going to be taking my first JLPT this year so I literally study with it for an hour every day.  It (along with my first signed WTNV novel) is my most treasured book.  It represents a lot of my hope and dreams.

Number 1:  “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee

This book.  If you’re American, there’s a good chance that you were forced to read it.  And there’s a good chance you didn’t like it.  As a kid, there was a lot to slog through.  And it’s a book that truly shows its age.

I was 15 or 16 when I first had to read it.  My teacher had given an assignment/test question on the some themes from the book, and one that I remember very vividly was the topic of innocence.  Stuff about losing innocence, protecting it, characters like Jem vs characters like Boo.  And as someone who endured a lot of really horrible things in my childhood, I was particularly drawn to examining the narrative’s opinion on innocence.

…And refuting it!  Don’t get me wrong- I actually like the book, believe it or not.  The prose at end about Scout walking Boo back home and seeing the neighborhood through his point of view evokes a powerful sort of emotion in my stomach (sadness? nostalgia? fondness?).  But this book constantly makes me think about the theme of innocence and how it’s portrayed in media (and how my teacher put a spin on what he thinks innocence is).  And I actually really hate the notion!

As someone who experienced a lot of childhood trauma, the notion that “once innocence is lost we are bitter jaded adults” is a bleak one.  I don’t disagree that children are innocent and that they should be protected.  I disagree with the sentiment that the spark of childlike wonder and awe disappears when you mature and that in order to properly grow into an adult you must eschew it.  That innocence will die and you’ll never be innocent again.

It is true that we can never really unknow things.  And as adults we hold responsibilities that children aren’t developed enough to bear.  But we live in a universe so vast and in a world so wide that there is so much we don’t know.  There are things we haven’t tried, people we haven’t met, cultures we aren’t familiar with.  Right now, there could be your new favorite thing out there waiting for you to discover it.

Being an adult working at a science lab with other adults is odd because I’m surrounded by many people who believe that it’s completely normal to just go through the motions of marrying/having kids so that you can complain about how jaded your spouse/kids makes you.  And to be fair, that *is* normal in this culture.  But it doesn’t have to be that way!  The innocence and joy of living and experiencing new things doesn’t have to die when you get a nine-to-five!!!

Tldr:  I like the book and examining/deconstructing innocence as a construct is very important to me as someone who got depression at 14 and was led to believe that life was never going to better because once innocence is lost that spark never comes back