Curate, connect, and discover
keep forgetting to post but the reason Asuka's theme is called "The Gravity" is that you can trt and explain gravity however you like, but no matter what its existence is undeniable - Gravity simply "is." That's why you have the the repeated opening of "All things as they are" at the start of the song and why Asuka jokes that "maybe we can disprove gravity next" with R# - he is so CLOSE to getting it; the concept of Gravity is the closest comparison he has to understanding the truth that feelings are not always quantifiable and simply "are." Gravity is a scientific concept that he can grasp cause for him it's rooted in "reality" which is the vehicle through which Asuka understands the world, so it's an attempt at using what he DOES understand as a bridge for him between reality and truth, or science/logic and emotion/feeling. If you even care.
In the next game Asuka should be in a big hoodie with cat ears on it and he should be wearing those stocking that have the pawpads on them and he should just act exactly the same. The only person who comments on it should be Sol who goes "What the hell are you wearing?" and Asuka should go "My loungewear. It's fun."
DUEL ONE
Asuka's fundamental misunderstanding of personhood and the value of identity is one of the most fucking compelling things about him when you think about him - he has such poor self-esteem that he doesn't even understand his own identity or value so it makes so much sense that he's constantly fucking up everyone around him when it comes to their identity and bodily autonomy. He mentions at one point that he never felt in control of his life and never really made his own decisions - he didn't even want to become a scientist but felt pushed into it. He doesn't understand the emotions of others, he cares only about "reality" because that's what his whole life has been - reality, logic, the "correct" answer. So when Aria gets sick, he cryofreezes her. When she says she doesn't want to miss out on time with Frederick, he makes him immortal. When the Gears are planned to he used as weapons, he figures "Oh I'll make Aria into a command gear - won't matter if she gets to be woth Frederick, right?" basically RIGHT after a drama CD shows us that she values her own person immensely and who she is - she says that to Frederick. Then, when he tries to bring her back by creating the Jack-O Valentine unit, he's likely kind of perplexed by the fact that she's developed her own personality! Hell, he's probably baffled at the fact that Frederick seems to treat her like Jack-O and not Aria, but fuck me man, Frederick probably does that because he fucking remembers what Aria taught him about identity!! And after! Al of this! Asuka! Goes to the moon! And CLONES HIMSELF TO TRY AND UNDERSTAND IDENTITY AND WHO HE IS!!! HE FIGHTS BATTLE DATA OF ALL THESE PEOPLE TO TRY AND SEE IF HE CAN UNDERSTAND WHY EVERYTHING THAT MATTERS TO THEM MATTERS SO MUCH TO THEM! I am so sick. Do you get it? This man is so twisted but he isn't EVIL! He's just a little fucked up, and I think that all this is why he loves Frederick so much - this is the man who is everything he wants to be. He's sure of himself: he's the "find a way or make one" guy! Asuka spends so much time trying to quantify and understand the one thing that can't be measured with his understanding of "reality:" Humanity and love and emotions. BUT HE'S TRYING SO FUCKING HARD TO LEARN. You gotta see my vision you gotta see it I feel so fucking bad for this man.
I love thinking about how much I love and feel bad for Asuka and then remember that he did just shoot Frederick in the face instead of trying to explain literally anything at all because he figured nothing would motivate Frederick Bulsara to fix everything more than hate. And he was right.