Me currently losing it on the nuances of Sol and Ky’s relationship because of how many song lyrics use “ignite your rusty heart” and how “hate is not the opposite of love apathy is” = “hostility is akin to love” and how Sol was apathetic and resigned to his fate for over a century before meeting Ky and reigniting his emotions. And how much of Sol hating Ky was seeing his own destructive and lonely tendencies thrown in his face? How they feel they don’t have to hold back or keep up appearances around each other and that hate slowly becomes understanding and camaraderie and then from that both of them are able to start branching out and make friends and family. Buddy I am losing it, so many people fall for Sol’s “tough guy” facade and Ky’s “political formalities” but they’re so complex. Like I downright ADORE DizzyKy and I personally LOVE Jacko, but I miss people drawing Sol and Ky as family. Like I miss people writing them hanging out, I blame the “father-in-law” thing cause I still kinda hate that being taken seriously outside of a gag because I feel like it fucks with people’s understanding of their complex relationships. Like fuck man if in canon they’re both wife guys isn’t that like another layer of deep understanding and camaraderie?
Like… EVERY GG Character is so deep and has nuance but I see many such cases of people “falling for the Characters Facade that was meant to be Dismantled by the Readers” ngl.
Oh here’s my fuzzy sick brain yapping because the blorbos be dancing in there.
Despite being like, the biggest Shipper and Ship crazed person I know, I realize a lot of my GG opinions boil down to “more than ship I care that you acknowledge these characters as family”. Like I don’t think a family tree structure is necessary (and I’m actually against it in certain parts), but they’re found family, care about each other, and are in each others lives regardless of who’s kissing who.
Like I stand firm though they originally hated each other (though canonically that was a “the opposite of love is not hate but apathy” type thing) the entire game series focuses on Sol and Ky’s relationship, and they end as family. Dizzy and Ky love each other however you flavor it. I am VERY firm that no matter the ship (even on my SolKy (and DizzyKy) bullshit) Jacko and Axl are “Sol’s idiots (affectionate)”. Like that’s the main family to me and I will not compromise on it. Obliviously also the kids, where I always put El and Ram in Sin’s age group (then later Unika too). They all raised those kiddos and care for them.
But then extended more it’s like. Jacko IS in a bit of rough spot having been close to the “That Man” TM Crew when Sol has a rough relationship with Asuka, but I-No is also close to Axl so she probably still sees them. Johnny and Testament basically raised Dizzy but how ever you see it she values them. Leo and Daryl have worked with Ky for so long I like to think it’s a begrudging brothership, the Three Kings can go from begrudging to actually friends depending on how you spin it but it is collaborative.
Idk, I got a hella cold right now and seeing different GG Ships my brain just goes ok but they’re fambily. Especially with like… Jacko’s whole thing… of not fitting into her “Role” but it doesn’t matter cause they still love her. And how that kinda applies to all of them… of not fitting into “Society” but finding their own comfort in each other. Gah. It makes me soft.
Simplified Version of Problems with Kasumi and Royal
Trying to do Bullet Points here
For simplicity’s sake I’m just calling her Kasumi (I’m not going FULLY into Spoilers so it’s a force of habit), but for those who love her don’t worry I wouldn’t nitpick her character without knowing her real name (I feel that would be disrespectful to her and I’m past my blind hatred of her but yeah I did have a phase of that).
Royal’s Weirdness with the OG Ending:
Awkward Connection Fumble:
The new content for Royal isn’t bad but way it’s tacked on to the OG ending objectively feels awkward. You can tell the Game up to that point was building for Yaladaboth to be the big bad so to suddenly shift gears after his fight as if it wasn’t that big a deal is just odd. Especially for older Persona fans because, with everything we know about the Velvet Room, the fact that Yaladboath was able to take over the Velvet Room is a big deal. And for the boss with those powers not to be the final just feels odd. I think they should’ve put more work into Rewriting things so the OG and Royal content meshed better, but absolutely especially at that juncture.
Missed Opportunities:
Other than that the biggest annoyance with Royal is the OG Game had a ton of concepts that would be great to expand on (Goro being the biggest, and the type of Morals we explore in Strikers but not Royal?) and to make it less rushed but instead choose to add all new characters and content. So from a fan of the OG Persona 5 it’s not that Royal’s new characters or arches are badly done for what they are it’s just the missed opportunity to better other things is sad for everyone who was really hoping that’s what Royal would be.
Kasumi’s Weird Interjection in Early Game:
Forced Isolated Interaction:
The fact that Kasumi is isolated from the rest of the cast is just a weird choice and a gamble. See when you add a new character even if people don’t like the new character then interacting with the rest of the cast will at least give the other characters more scenes thus making them have at least some value in those fans eyes. This is why Muraki’s interjection into the early Game doesn’t feel as awkward because they’re not trying to highlight him as special but integrate him with the rest of the cast. Kasumi is absolutely fine once integrated in the third semester but when she's stand alone her appearances just feels somewhat forced.
Nonsensical Pixie Dream Girl:
Kasumi’s infatuation with Akira makes ZERO SENSE. The only people who see through your delinquent disguise are Goro (because soulmates narrative foil) and Ryuji (who doesn’t see through he’s just a good boy who trusts everyone), so Kasumi seeing through it makes NO SENSE. Girl can’t see through her own lies (doesn’t know her own name). If she were to follow anyone around saying “Senpei” I think it would be Makoto.
Kasumi’s Phantom Thief Design:
Thighs Are Not It:
Kasumi’s design is not sexual because of the cut of her leotard but because of Absolute Territory (gap better thigh highs and clothing). It’s really not that sexual an outfit we just associated thigh highs as sexual. It would actually be less sexual if they were tights and least sexual if her legs were bare, it’s the “showing less is more actually” thing.
The Real Issue:
But most people dislike her Thief Outfit because of her thighs, I dislike it because it does not match the rest of the Thieves we are not the same. See all the Phantom Thieves have very strong silhouettes, they are recognizable by them alone. Kasumi’s silhouette is just messy with how much hangs off her frame. My main issues are her tailcoat, her sword, and her socks/boots. For her tailcoat I feel like they tried too hard to have her match joker and it’s just too long. A tail coat like a concert conductor (I forget what it’s called the two points and instead starting from the waist it starts at the shoulder blades) would look much better. I don’t think a belt to break up the outfit is a bad idea but the sword holster makes no sense because none of the other Thieves had weapon holsters in their designs. Also again a messy looking thing hanging off her. I think we could avoid the whole sexualition debate by giving her tights instead of thigh highs, I also feel this fits with being a gymnast more. Plus missed the opportunity to make her shoes ballet shoes and incorporate ribbons on the back of her ankles into her design (because she does ribbon gymnastics) (could also change her sleeve ruffles or belt to have ribbon btw).
My Extreme Pettiness:
Ann My Beloved:
Hate that she stole Ann’s thing of taking the enemies sword and Royal only fans will think she did it first. Ann is my fav and yes this petty as all hell.
Goro My Boy:
Also really hate how much she’s shoehorned into what should have more about Goro and Akira (narrative foil time missed). That’s probably the biggest complaint about Royal in general, Goro had so much to expand on (and honestly so many of the characters do, Haru honorable mention) adding a new character instead of working with what you have is disappointing.
Overall:
Kasumi steals a lot from other characters' points actually if you think about it (I don’t remember the list I had sorry), now later in the story she does make it her own but seeing the trailer of her I was LIVID. I’m past that now and I don’t hate her as a character just how she’s handled as blatant waifu bait. I feel that Strikers actually ended up handling a lot of points I would’ve liked to see Royal handle and mix into the Main Story (y'know so we can mentioned dead character because for some reason in Persona Spin-Offs we are not allowed to mention dead people unless it’s Saki-Senpai (joke)).
Incredibly Short Ver:
I would’ve liked them to focus on the characters already there instead of adding more and I think if they could’ve done some more interesting things with Kasumi (give her more conflict with the protagonist) but instead chose to make her blatant waifu bait.
Yknow I realized I have basically never posted anything for my KumoDesu AUs and I have like… two to three-ish really long ones I did a lot with??? But never drew much or posted much for. Wack.
Basically there’s a;
Modern AU were Ariel and Shiro are adoptive parents to Mera, Kyouya, and Sophia that mostly focuses on my OT3 Shun x Katia x Kyouya in Childhood, High School Age, and then College and Working Age (Shun becomes a streamer/pro gamers in one ver and I laugh at my own joke that he’s called the “npc gamer” but his fans are floored he somehow has a hot girlfriend and boyfriend). Version of that where it’s also a Reincarnation AU from Shiro and Guile’s Perspective (Shiro upon seeing the kids “huh some annoying kid” they turn around and she recognizes them “OH SHIT THAT’S MY ANNOYING KID”).
A more Pure Fantasy Royalty AU is (Again Mama Ariel and Shiro) because I read a fuck ton of Villainess Series and wanted a Royalty School AU where Kyouya and Sophia (as well as Wald and Felmina) have to go to Magic School with Shun and Co (I am putting the OT3 in all the Romcom High School settings you can not stop me). But also again Magic Nobility and Nonsense Kid stuff. Plus basically no one dies because Romcom (D isn’t really present and they deal with some of the major plot stuff pre-AU behind the scenes but also I joke D just got like… REALLY into Romcoms and let it all happen lol).
Anyway add to the List of “I have a billion ideas but the energy of a very dead fish but that’s actually high-balling it because a dead fish would have potential energy cause you can eat it” 😭
So this is kinda short because my brain is failing me but also because it’s short and to the point!
So I think too many people equate forgiveness with moving on. Whereas I believe it’s not about forgiving the people that hurt you but understanding you will not get anything from continuing to focus on them.
In volume 6 of KumoDesu Mera tells Dustin (paraphrased) “you have nothing worth what I have lost” and that line permanently changed the chemistry of my brain.
Because it’s the perfect way to think about it. It’s not that you haven’t hurt me or that I forgive you, it’s just that I understand there is nothing continuing to interact with you will give me. Because you shouldn’t put your abusers on a pedestal as a villain to be defeated because nothing will come from that. It’s important to realize that no worth will come from them, thinking about your abusers as “you are worthless to me” is very powerful. But it also doesn’t discredit or dismiss how they have hurt you or how you’ve been hurt.
It’s just such a good line.
Reminds me of how I compare Goro and Akira from Persona 5.
It’s the importance of understanding self worth. Akira sets out to rebuild himself and find his own value, whereas Goro is so lost he can only singlemindly focus on revenge (that unfortunately hinges on his abuser having the empathy to feel bad about his mistakes). Akira is able to rebuild his self worth because of his support system, he sees people care about him and that he has value. Whereas Goro doesn’t have a support system to refocus himself with, and when he gets one (Akira) it’s too late for him to change gears.
This is all stuff (Mera’s Line and Goro vs Akira’s Same but Different Mentality) that I could rant about forever but this is the main point it boils down to.
The Issues with Fighting Game Onboarding as Observed by Someone Who Just Started Playing a Year Ago
I think this is an issue that IS fixable by the community. BUT there needs to be awareness of where the issues lie. As someone who very recently got into Fighting Games (will be shortened to FG for the rest of this) I feel like I have some unique insight I would like to share.
I want to put it somewhere where it will get seen, but I don’t have much traction so I’m not sure this will. Trying anyway!
I wanted to post this around GGST’s Ver 2.00 because I felt there would be conversation around this topic.
I Started Guilty Gear Strive in January 2025. I have little to no experience with FGs before Strive (will be shortened to GGST) but will put a full explanation below.
My current Rank before Ver 2.00 is: Ky Platinum 1, Dizzy Gold 3, Jacko Gold 1, and Sol Silver 1.
My History with Competitive Games:
I have played a handful of Rank based Competitive games. The ones I have sunk the most into and will be most relevant in this discussion are Splatoon 2 and Identity V. I only had Nintendo Online for like a year but had 250+ hours in Splatoon 2 (it consumed my life a little bit). I did both Story Modes of Splatoon 2 and got the Golden Toothpick, was Rank Professional in Salmon Run, Rainmaker B, Calm Blitz B, Tower Control A-, and Splat Zones C+. For Identity V I started sometime in 2019 and have played off and on till roughly 2025. When I played most around 2019 I was Rank III-V as Hunter without ever knowing about Tinnitus or Footprints. There was a gap in my playing due to account issues and my new highest Hunter Rank was III-III. But to be fair I avoid Rank like the plague in IDV, but back in 2019 in Quick Match I kept winning so they would match me against people several Ranks above me and I’d still win.
My History with Fighting Games:
Shorthand:
I have “technically” Played; Skull Girls, Granblue Fantasy Verus, and Persona 4 Arena & Arena Ultimax. Skull Girls and Granblue Fantasy Versus were Couch Co-Op with my Sister who also never Played Fighting Games and we never got further than just walking back and forth and hitting each other. I Played Persona 4 Arena & Arena Ultimax like a Visual Novel just for the Story Mode.
Skull Girls was for the Art, Granblue was because my Sister liked the App Game, and P4A was because I am massive Persona Fan.
Long ver:
So Fighting Games are kind of a completely separate world from the rest of Gaming. The best way I can put it is the Terminology does not overlap nor do a lot of the Techniques and Skills unlike the rest of Gaming where usually a couple things are similar no matter what Genre.
So before Guilty Gear there have only been 3 Fighting Games I have somewhat Played. Those being; Skull Girls, GranBlue Verus, and Persona 4 Arena.
-With Skull Girls my Sister had it on Steam right around when it first came out (and had found out about it through the really well done Frame by Frame Art) and I played mostly against her and one or two other people. But none of us knew anything about the Mechanics and more just Playing with Dodging and Hitting only, maybe trying to get off a single Special.
-With GranBlue Verus similarly it was my Sister who got into it because she was super into GranBlue the App Game at the time, we had it on PS4 right around when it first came out. My Sister loves Deep Diving Researching Topics and Skills (and she’s very good at it even if she never gets deep enough in herself to use to that info) so she researched a bunch of Fighting Game stuff like Frame Data (the stuff that’s only really for heavy duty Players) which is why I even know about things like High-Low Blocking and Attack Speed. I only really Played it with her and she could get off the Finisher Specials and I never could but again, neither of us actually knew much about the Mechanics so it was equal footing.
-For Persona 4 Arena I literally just got it to Play the Story Mode, so it was more of a Visual Novel for me because the Fights in the Story Mode are vs NPCs and pretty easy.
Why GG:
I got into Guilty Gear by seeing a video comparing Dizzy’s animations in Xrd vs Strive. I’m a design nerd so seeing how Strive modernized older designs as well as character growth between games was very interesting to me. I’m also definitely a metal head so hearing Dizzy’s theme got me super interested and the soundtrack. Then I saw Ky. And I am a sucker for a traumatized breedable blond twink.
My Main Points
19 Bullet Points I would like you to think about.
If things are worded weirdly it's because I'm not super sure of terminology. Some points are a lot longer than others because I wrote them at different times and I had some thoughts more figured out and others are more vague.
•Why Are Fighting Games Hard To Get Into?
I’ve seen people confused about why are FGs harder to get into than other games. Starting new genres always involves learning new skills. Why are FGs such a big hurdle? Usually people who ask this either have never tried to play FGs or have for years and have no idea what modern FG onboarding is like. As someone who very recently got into Guilty Gear, and thus had to learn FGs from scratch, I want to break down what I think the issues are.
•Bell Curve Sequed
So ideally the bell curve of where the majority of players are in a ranked game should be in the middle. Meaning enough new people stick around long enough to get to the middle range. GG’s bell curve has the most players in the higher tier. This basically just means the game isn’t getting new players to stick around. This means the gap between old players and new players keeps widening making it harder for new players to learn. Also there ends up being a finite number for players who actually stick around. This puts the player base in danger of dying out. Think of it like failing to pass a trade/skill down to the next generation.
•The Mid Tier Gap
The gap in skill between new players and old players. How there is no middle level of skill. Which makes the transition from a beginner to a regular near impossible without outside help. This becomes a very easy point for people to bounce off.
•Lack Of Tutorials
There is a big difference between learning new info in a PvE game vs a PvP game. Because of playing against real people and not a fixed robot, there will always be new strategies and evolving counters. Tutorials in FGs don’t account for this and also do not really teach game flow. Learning specific tricks and moves does not help if you don’t know where they are useful.
•GGST Tutorial In Specific
I did try to do the tutorials in GGST but they were essentially useless. Versus gameplay moves too fast for me to remember the specific things I was taught. Also despite learning these certain techniques I had no idea where they would be useful in matches. There were several points where I had to go and ask outside sources for help. That help told me things and used terminology that was not at all present in the game. Similarly the advice seemed to have a gap in a middle range. It was either insanely basic (what each button does) or overly complex for where I was (frame rates). I believe this part has to do with the player base being older and very few new players stick around to make it to the middle range.
•What Does A Mid Tier Tutorial Need?
The advice that actually drastically improved my gameplay around this level was drastically simple. Things like “utilize grab more when your opponent blocks” made a WORLD of difference. But that's specifically the kind of advice that FG tutorials miss. The simple tips and game sense that is so commonplace to older players they wouldn’t think to even tell you. And it makes sense they forgot these are things new players have to learn because to them it’s second nature at this point. But that’s the level of advice needed, when tutorials online are either way too simple (like what each button does what) or so complex high level players don’t even use all that frequently (frame data).
•GGST in Specific
The worst points of the player skill gap I ran into were Floor 5 of Tower (when that was the main system) and Gold Rank. Where there was a drastic gap between the player skill level from what I was used to and I just could not understand what was happening.
•GGST Rank Math In Specific
In my rank experience from both Splatoon 2 and Identity V, I do feel like GGST just kiiinda sucks at how they choose to match you. I’ve been on a losing streak only to be matched with someone two ranks above me, which is a weird choice. When I asked Reddit about this other people had complaints about how slow it is to go up ranks, so higher level people end up stuck lower. As well as “rank times” that depending on the time of day the difficulty of each rank is different. As someone who doesn’t have a very set time to play I can attest that the latter point is a real phenomenon.
•Other Competitive Games Having Objectives
Other games that are competitive usually have some sort of objective besides just fighting an opponent. Games I’ve played like Splatoon 2 and Identity V have a goal you are trying to achieve. Deliver the rainmaker, move the tower, decode the ciphers, chair the survivors, etc. Having a goal that is required and not JUST PvP means there is a clearer direction in what you’re supposed to do and guidance you can rely on if all else fails. Even if you have trouble reading or countering your opponent, you still know what your objective needs. Versus in a FG, if you don’t understand what to do against your opponent (or have no idea what they're doing) you’re completely lost.
•Lack Of Direction To Improve
A big difference between FGs and hard games is that, in hard games, what you must do to improve is usually clear. There’s usually some understanding of why you lost or where you can go in the game to figure out what you need. Even very punishing games usually at least have some design of trial and error, where even continuously failing will eventually give you clues. FGs simply don’t have that. There are a lot of knowledge gaps as you try to improve. I am speaking from personal experience. Difficulty is not gradual and there will be no in-game way to know how to overcome what you were losing too (or even knowing what you were losing too).
•FG Are 90% Made Up By Players
A lot of the mechanics in FGs exist as a construct of players finding ways to counter each other over many years of playing, not actually things the game itself designed. This ties into “it’s impossible to make a consistent tutorial in an ever changing landscape”. When 90% of the draw is versus matches there is no consistent attack pattern to learn, you have to be up to date on meta. Which makes being a new player ridiculously hard.
•Unintended Emergence Play
The biggest thing I find myself frustrated by in GGST is being combo-ed for 90% of my health with little (maybe like one frame I have to time right) to no window to break out of it. That is no longer a versus match, but a quick draw. But when I think about those types of combos, we come to the conversation of the game was quite literally NOT designed with that as intended play. These types of insane combos and near impossible to counter plays are a type of emergence play made by players after being overly familiar with all the game's mechanics and quirks down to exact code. The best comparison is how in Minecraft I’m sure the creators did not originally intend you to be able to manipulate the mobs’ code of preference and behavior patterns to build infinite torture machines to farm resources as efficiently as possible. That wasn’t really how they intended the game to be played, they might now be aware of it and work with it, but I doubt they expected just how good players are at manipulating programming.
•Why Does It Not Feel Like Skill?
Why does it not feel like skill but unfair? I think this is a good thing to REALLY unpack. A close fight or even a very uneven fight usually should just feel like a difference in skill level. The feeling of “I almost had it” for a close fight and the feeling of “wow they’re good” for an uneven one. So what makes it feel unfair in a game like GGST? My personal experience is being beaten by mechanics I have no knowledge of or that felt like I had no opportunity or ability to counter. Like the “emergent gameplay combos” I was talking about.
•A Lot Of It Is Just Knowledge
In my experience with GGST as you go higher you do just have to know some things that you won’t learn unless you look it up (and can actually understand what the guide is saying) or via trial and error. Like learning certain opponents move sets, which moves do chip damage, which moves are unblockable, which moves interrupt others, etc etc etc.
•Balancing
Now in my experience Identity V balances the game based on the Pro Ranks. I actually think this is the right call as some characters are just knowledge checks that would be unfair to nerf simply because new players don’t know the counters. Judging nerfs and buffs based on people who know the game well feels like putting competitive Pokemon matches at “level 50 all” and I think that’s fair. However I want to stress. I do not think this issue in FGs is an issue of balancing. It’s not so much the Games themselves as it is the lack of entry and especially mid level resources. It is an issue of MASSIVE gaps in the player base in terms of experience and knowledge.
•On Balancing In GGST Specifically
Though I don’t think it’s particularly a balancing issue, I am very pleased to see that with GGST Ver 2.00 Patch Notes, they are trying to balance the game to be more friendly to new players. They are trying to keep emergent combos in check so they don’t get out of hand. They are trying to make sure it feels like a good back and forth. They are trying to make sure no character is drastically stronger or weaker than the others. I deeply appreciate Strive’s commitment to being an entry point to the FG genre.
•Do Games Have To Be Fun?
If you're familiar with the brilliant video essayist HBomberGuy, you might see his line of question from his genius Pathologic video of “do video games always have to be fun?” Which is a great thought experiment. And no video games as a whole don’t always have to be fun, we can be more creative with the medium than that. BUT I argue competitive games HAVE to be fun. When the game's existence relies on how many people are actively playing it, being frustrating is a death sentence.
•Dying Genre
Now a lot of people disagree with me when I say “FG are a dying Genre”. Because FGs are still getting new releases, so how could they be dying? I particularly mean the player base. The player base of these games are dwindling and they are not very successful at gaining AND MOST IMPORTANTLY keeping new players. And when most of the game play is based around the versus scene YOU NEED PLAYERS. As I have pointed out here with much detail, the issue is the massive player gap between new players who don’t stay longer enough to get past being a beginner and old players who have grown up with FGs and played them for the last twenty years.
•Conclusion
I do think these problems can be resolved but what I see is a complete lack of awareness from the FG community. And that actually makes sense to me. If you’ve been into fighting games and have played them for a long time you would be unaware of what info new players don’t know and struggle with. Also having played for many years the older players would’ve started with much simpler mechanics.
Guilty Gear Intent
So it’s been said Daisuke wanted Guilty Gear Strive to be a more inclusive FG. And the notes from “[Ver 2.00] Patch Notes (2026/4/8)” are something I am very happy with because I think they have a good understanding of some of the problems I listed here.
To quote: “Across the past updates, there has been a steady expansion of offensive options and potential combos, meaning that more situations could cause a single hit or counter hit to lead into heavy damage. As a result, this made it often the case where a single interaction could largely determine the rest of the developments in the match.
In Version 2.00, we aim to adjust the battle balance by reevaluating offense and defense to strike a better balance between risk and reward. These adjustments do not aim simply to tone down damage, but to make it clear what actions will have a greater effect in different situations, creating a flow of battle where players can gradually turn the tides to their advantage over multiple interactions.
For these reasons, the adjustments include many changes that make it more challenging to gain major rewards from actions. This includes increasing damage proration, consolidating of startup frames, adjusting the state after invincible moves, limiting the return on Roman Cancel, and more.
As a result, the changes may seem more restrictive than before from both a game mechanic and character perspective. The intention is to prevent the baseline from rising further, creating a clear standard for future battle balance.
We expect that the overall flow of battle going forward will take shape with the balance of risk and reward established in this version as the core.”
So somewhat sorry about the Guilty Gear takeover on my blog, it’s been my brainrot but my GG posts get drastically less likes than anything else hahahaaaa… rip me. Also ye I’ve been in a yapping mood here lately cause drawing has been hard and typing this kinda stuff is easier (writing fanfic also isn’t easy sooo… have my Introspection/Headcanons instead).
This isn’t really in any order. The first two are my absolute favorites and consume my thoughts. From there onwards I roughly ordered them by length of text I felt necessary to explain them. I added a bunch of my Headcanons and Related Opinions to some so sorry not sorry for all the tangents (I went full Brainworms and Parentheses).
Also at this point on this blog I have no filter when it comes to fandom opinions, if I get cancelled for my opinions so be it I guess (ie I’ll cry but it’s whatever).
Tho yeah. Genuinely probably the most unfiltered post I’ve put on this blog (lol), so sorry if my writing isn’t as good as it usually is and is all over the place.
Edit: I keep adding to this post because I realize I have another tangent that’s related, whoops. So heads up if you come back there might be more? No seriously, every time I think I’m done I remember a particular piece of introspection I should add.
-Sol x Ky (SolKy) and Dizzy x Ky (DizzyKy)
Polyamorous Ky, NO romantic stuff between Sol and Dizzy. This is technically two Ships but I often count it as one.
(This legit was one of the two Ships I was thinking of with my Polyamory Terminology Chart).
I genuinely love both these Ships so much? Like SolKy got HISTORY but DizzyKy did actually get fleshed out very nicely. And yeah I actually can’t choose between them, I like them quite equally. Hate that a bunch of people seem to pit these two Ships against each other fr.
To put it maybe a bit crudely; My all time Favorite Dynamics are probably best described as “Long Term Complicated Mutual Gay Longing” and “Enthusiastic Consent Goddess Worshipper Femdom” so of COURSE I love BOTH SolKy and DizzyKy and like hell I would ever choose one over the other.
Listen man you’ve SEEN the homoerotic SolKy art, I stand by Dizzy is NOT stupid, she’d have to know and wouldn’t have married Ky if she wasn’t ok with it. Also she’s the goddess of compassion and love obvi she knows the forms of polyamory or at least does not feel the need to conform to societal standards.
I feel some people might be creeped out by me liking both but I am firmly in the camp of “I DO NOT see Sol as Dizzy’s Father at all and question if there is even a biological connection?” I’ve seen a lot of people throw around “Aria Pregnant Pre Justice” but that is a theory not canon (and incorrectly sourced on the wiki BTW!) and I am very bitter about it because when I asked online people kept pointing me to that theory as if it was confirmed (my Sis deep dived the wiki for whatever reason when I told her and she was malding on how it was sourced).
I mean,,, I do REALLY feel like they’re trying to pray away the gay and say “Sol is only around the Kiske family because Dizzy is daughter” when that has not been the case at all (it was the blond bitch, also Sol is Sin’s adoptive FATHER in canon sooo). Like making Sol and Ky in-laws doesn’t make any of their interactions less homoerotic, it just makes it weird (Sailor Moon’s “Cousins” echos in the distance). So I’m throwing away the in-laws and Sol-Dizzy-Father-Daugther relationship for my own sanity, okay? I mean it was played as gag in Xrd and Sol and Dizzy really don’t have any relationship/interactions to speak of so I did not expect them to try and double down on it.
I think Sol and Ky would be under the misimpression that they have to break their thing off when Ky and Dizzy get together. And it takes Dizzy a while to notice they’ve had that misconception. Like Ky would never cheat on Dizzy and would genuinely get on his hands and knees to beg for her forgiveness if he ever even thought he crossed that line. Which would probably be how she finds out honestly, Sol and Ky have a moment and then Ky immediately profusely apologizes to Dizzy and she’s just like “yeah I know?” Then she gives the “you thought I didn’t know?” And she’s explains she believes in more than society’s narrow view of what love can be.
BTW I think Ky is so sincere in his love towards Dizzy the “moment” Sol and Ky have wouldn’t even have to be a physical one. The first second Ky feels like it’s emotional cheating he would come clean and apologize to Dizzy. I feel like Ky would have a lot of angst simply not knowing what Polyamory is and “how the hell can he love Dizzy and ‘betray’ her this way?” Meanwhile Dizzy has always been slightly outside society's “normal”. At this point she’s learned to accept herself and that what society considers “normal” isn’t always what’s best or right. I also feel Sol is the one constantly trying to distance himself because he does care about Ky and until Strive basically still believes himself “Guilty” and a bad influence. So he has his own hang ups about their relationship that basically boils down to thinking Dizzy is better for Ky than him. We do see by Xrd/Strive Sol has kinda accepted this family wants him around and will not leave.
Also I really like both Dizzy and Sol being kinda possessive with their lovers (so in this case Ky) but weirdly completely okay with each other (but again there is NOTHING romantic or sexual between them). I am once again on the “I don’t care how you’re shipping it these characters are FAMILY and love each other” bullshit so.
If you noticed that I don’t yap about them here despite me saying Ky is my favorite um… let’s just say… my thoughts towards him lean… a little… not safe for the blog… (insert keep breeding that twink meme here lmao-)
BTW Dizzy is canonically the stricter parent and bosses Ky around (though to be fair I think it’s Ky values her opinion and he (likes it) likes her in charge). She’s very much a “won’t start a fight but WILL finish it” and I love that about her character so much (I’m winning). Like don’t take Dizzy’s pacifism/kindness for weakness. But yes I am picky on their dynamic being DizzyKy not KyDizzy (I love Top Dizzy Bottom Ky SO MUCH YOU HAVE NO IDEA). Same with it being SolKy and NOT KySol. Like let the guy who always has to be strong and a leader (Ky) take a break and relax in the arms of the people he trusts to care for him and be in control (so Dizzy and Sol).
-Romeo (Bedman) x Sin
I see a lot of people put it SinBed but personally I think BedSin (ie for those not familiar with the name order thing Sin bottoms (he gets it from Ky-). but later down the road my babies are too young rn. Btw the name order thing is more about dynamics NOT cause of heteronormativity roles but just in general ok? I know some people are bitches when you care about name order but it has nothing to do with “who is the man and who is the women” (ew) but a bunch of smaller implied HCs).
Look I don’t 100% know where this one came from so maybe it’s lit crack but I REALLY like their dynamic. Romeo’s technical genius but social fumbling and Sin’s optimism and emotional intelligence (I will die on the hill defending my boy’s emotional intelligence). The wording is escaping me here but I feel they would actually interact with each other head on, like a lot of people talk down to both of them so the fact they don’t do that with each other and take each other seriously would be a big point. Also I think they’re in the same mental age category and both having non-typical life circumstances.
Sin keeps dodging love interests and acquiring sisters instead and I LOVE IT. Like El and Ram were def introduced with the potential of maybe one of them being a love interest but I think Arc Systems realized both; people like the sibling dynamics better and that would’ve made this family tree even worse. Also everyone thought Unika was gonna be a love interest, and let me tell you as someone heavily into Persona who hates how they shoehorn every new girl as a love interest instead of fleshing her out, I WAS SO HAPPY WHEN THE UNIKA WAS REVEALED AS SIN’S SISTER. But this does mean Sin is surrounded by beautiful women (who he is related to and friends with) so the mental image of people seeing that but then Sin introducing this wet cat of a redditor Romeo as his boyfriend just… makes me laugh ngl.
Also ok (counting El and Ram as Sin’s adoptive sisters here) having collectively 4 younger sisters is funny to me. I’m going with “reviving Romeo” nonsense and my “Unika Is My OC AU” so saying originally Deliah becomes friends with El, Ram, and Sin and that is how they all know each other.
Deliah and them end up becoming absolute besties because all being kids with unusual powers and life circumstances they get along great. Deliah also sometimes helps tutor Sin (knowing something and being able to teach it are two different skills and let’s just say it’s pretty obvious Sol sucks at teaching). So of course when Romeo comes back he hangs around both to spend time with Deliah and “evaluate” who she’s hanging out with. And then he begrudgingly becomes friends with them too because Sin will become friends with anyone. The actual romance is very slow burn because y'know, they’re at the ages where it would be. It starts off as a crush Romeo is desperately trying to deny and Sin finding him really cool to hang out with.
But no, I do need you to understand how slow burn this is. First Sin and Deliah become friends, which means Deliah also becomes friends with Ram and El. The four of them are a friend group for a while before Unika is born (Unika is my OC AU), she hangs around with the four of them cause it’s her older siblings and Deliah. When Unika is like 10-ish appearance wise (so like roughly 2) is when the whole “reviving Romeo” AU I have happens. Romeo then starts having out with Deliah and because they're besties (I want them to be besties so bad) also Sin, Ram, and El. Unika is past getting her memories back (again my AU I have posted elsewhere), which would be her being roughly 6 is around the time Sin and Romeo have started hanging out more by themselves and are developing mutual crushes. Basically I want them to be friends for a long time first.
Though Sin is not nearly as overprotective as Romeo is about his Sisters, Sin is very aware that is because Romeo and Deliah did not have a support system pre Anji and Baiken while Sin does and is therefore not as worried.
ALSO Romeo and Sin are both directly tied to some of the deepest/main story lore? Romeo powers are so directly connected to backyard fuckery and Sin being Ky, Dizzy, and Sol’s first child like,,, they have so much potential for expansion upon the main story with both of them,,, the dramatic plotlines that could be written,,, (yes I do have an idea for Deliah Revives Romeo and We Finally See Sin’s Dragon Install AU”).
Also just BTW I am VERY maternal towards this group (Sin, Romeo, Ram, El, Deliah, and Unika) but particularly incredibly Sin and Unika. It’s also where I am the pickiest in fandom opinions. Basically it’s where I am the fastest to avoid following someone if I don’t like how they characterize Sin or Unika. Like I am, in general, very picky and opinionated BUT a VERY FIRM believer fanwork can be WHATEVER you want canon and popular opinions on it be damned. I don’t believe in censorship or policing others' work (hell no) but I do believe in tagging so it reaches the right audience.
-Leo x Giovanna
I legitimately am probably the only person who ships this LMAO. Look in Strive it’s canon that both Gio and Ram have a crush on Leo. HOWEVER Ram feels mentally young to me (like heavily) so her crush on Leo to me feels like “first guy she thinks is cool besides her family” so like when kids get a crush on their kindergarten teacher. Ram would hear Gio also likes Leo would feel the need to “stand her ground” for all of five seconds before seeing Gio’s dog. Then Ram would be like “her dog is awesome Leo you should marry her” lmao. (Hey look Art).
But basically I feel Leo and Gio would be opposites attract. Like Leo is very organized but definitely too tense where Giovanna is a lot more laid back. But they both at the end of the day deeply value those they work with/are close. So they have very different methods but the same goals.
Also I admittedly don’t know a ton about Gio’s backstory but it seems like her and Lio have opposite reactions to similar worries. But again! Similar core values. Leo has deep regrets about how his decisions have “failed” people (survivors guilt) so he tries to keep a closer eye on things. Whereas Gio also seems to have guilt towards her past actions and now decides she doesn’t want to be in charge and not be responsible for hurting others she cares about. I feel like though these opinions would definitely clash they could also help even each other out and finally heal some. A big part of that being Leo and Gio are not afraid to admit when someone does something better than them (even if it annoys them). We see Gio willing to hear out other schools of thoughts (like with Unika) in dialogue and Leo has always respected Ky and Daryl (and I feel people miss the three kings genuinely do respect each other) despite how they sometimes clash.
Leo would be awkward at first (zero relationship experience) and be very formal in trying to “court” her. But I think Giovanna would actually be kinda touched how serious he is about it and how much thought he put into it before getting him to loosen up and relax.
-Daryl x Happy Chaos
Let’s just keep going with the kings shall we? People called this one RoyalBlue.
Yes like everyone else who ships them it was their interactions in Strive that got me on board.
My personal headcanon is that Chaos REALLY liked that Daryl just… talked to him like a person and wasn’t scared or overly reverent. But Chaos himself doesn’t fully get that and just thinks Daryl was “interesting and fun” so goes to bug/hang out with him post Strive. Daryl agrees at first solely for the good of Illyria, he figured better than fighting would be to keep an eye on Chaos and get information on him. These meetings slowly turn from interrogations to dates. And before Daryl knows it he’s in love with a criminal.
I am very much on the “after a heart to heart the three kings realize they have more in common then they thought” because yes they all have an inferiority complex to each other. BUT I think if they talked it out they would really get along and then their relationship is something like brothers. So you could imagine Daryl is worried about telling Leo and Ky about his relationship. Ky kiiiinda thinks he might not have any right to judge (every member of his family has been an enemy at some point) but Leo is worried about Daryl’s safety.
Also ye Happy Chaos would call Daryl “Pudding” as a pet name.
-May x Bridget
MayBuri! Listen… I do think UniBuri but because I am on my “Unika Is My OC AU” bullshit, Unika is baby and her crush on Bridget becomes more admiration. Unika is 100% a lesbian though and I love that for her.
I do think fandom nowadays has an unhealthy obsession with proving their ship canon or at least a canon bias. I think it has to be with kids being socialized online mostly and it’s just not good for them. People have forgotten crack ships and fandom as transformative work and fan work just being… whatever you want! And we’re worse as a fandom for it honestly. Look I love explaining why I ship something and what in canon I base it off of but it doesn’t have to be.
So um that tangent aside May and Bridget DO have history and good interactions (you’ve seen the art of May holding Bridget’s ass) but I did initially ship them because they both wear hoodies LMAO!
Also just,,, May’s crush on Johnny being her misreading familiar love for romantic love due to both her being a lesbian and Johnny being the guy she’s closest too plus her fear of abandonment due to not having a blood related family, just makes it make sense and be less creepy.
-Johnny x Testament
Let’s continue with the pirates! The ship name is JohnnyTest… cracks me up.
The biggest reasoning behind this is I feel they’re both similar people due to the fact I see them both as Dizzy’s parents. Like Testament took care of Dizzy for the beginning of her life (and I have so many questions about Dizzy’s beginnings that I will never get answers too…) and was basically her guardian. And then Johnny took her in and he is already the adoptive father of all the jellyfish pirates (he has 12? Daughters? I know they are all named after the months but I forget if there’s a girl for December or if Dizzy is the December girl. Oh also I think I’m accidentally counting the cat but fuck that’s a kid too to me).
I feel like it would actually take forever for Johnny and Tes to get together. Like they’d fool around and both like each other but have too many internalized trust issues on both sides to go for it. Cue Dizzy playing match maker LMAO.
Also ok I’ll have to find which fanfic said it (I’m sorry I don’t remember!!!) but someone said “Johnny the chronic bad bitch fumbler and Testament the baddest bitch there is” and that lives rent free in my head I love it.
-Robo-Ky x Venom
Do I even have to say anything? Their canon is a gourmet meal your honor.
Also they have some of the best fanfic. Not to diss other GG ships fic of course!!! Other ships have some divine fic too!!! But somehow basically every RoboVenom fic is a banger and a percentage that high of peak fic is impressive.
(Tho fanfic is for the fan’s pleasure and doesn’t even have to be good of course!!!)
-Anji x Baiken (or is it Baiken x Anji… I ain’t picky)
Do I even have to say anything? x2
BTW only one here where I don’t care about the order, and I know I will get shit for caring about order of names dynamics,,,
I do CONSTANTLY think about how Anji picking up Deliah but Baiken being closest to her is literally just “Dad who said he didn’t want the damn cat” dynamic… I love it so much.
-Millia x Elphet
This one might actually be 100% crack and I’m okay with that. It’s not a fully formed thought so thus why it’s going lower even though I have more to say than some of the others.
Millia deserves someone who makes her smile and realize life can be full of joy. And I think Millia would actually be good at being dramatic and romantic (she gets symbolism well and would put that in her attempts and it makes Elphet swoon). Takes El a while to get over her blindness towards Lesbainism but once she does, it’s just another layer of intrigue for her.
Taking a note from Edgerunners, I have this image in my head where there’ll be an exact moment when Millia and El are running away from something and Millia looks at El laughing while they do so. And you can pinpoint the exact moment Millia realizes how El makes her feel and that’s when she falls in love. (Hey look Art).
-Asuka x I-No x Raven?
So this one is not a fully formed opinion. But like the “That Man” Crew ™ is a polycule to me and I don’t know how to explain it fully. Strive is just that meme “of polyamorous marriage should be legal because of all the reasons but also cause I wanna see a polyamorous divorce” and I-No did not get the Tome Of Creation in the divorce.
-I Can Chill With:
I’m usually a “my OTP or nothing” type Shipper but for GG despite Sol x Jacko, Sol x Axl, and Axl x I-No all not being my preferred Ships I do actually vibe with them and can enjoy Content for them! Which is very rare for me. Ship Tier List Here BTW for my crazy Shipper Opinions.
Okay so like Kyouya is probably my fav KumoDesu Characters and I want to Post a Point about his Character that lives Rent Free in my head (and a bunch of stuff related to it) but I am gonna have to Trigger tag it.
So TW: Sucdial Idealization and PTSD
… I think the fact I didn’t censor those Words does mean this Post will be hidden by Tumblr more,,, sorry
But it think I would have to censor everything then RePost it for it not be hidden
Btw I always call him Kyouya because that is actually a real name and fantasy names (ie Wrath) just… doesn’t sound like a name to me and brain feels weird using it as such.
Also because this is from my Opinions Doc (tm) it is gonna mention some very briefly Ship Discourse stuff that I have Written Out but REFUSE to Post because I just feel it’s wrong too? Like I’ll mention NOTPs in passing but Posting a whole Rant about it just feels a wrong? If I ever Post it I won’t tag it.
Also Blatant OT3 Shun x Katia x Kyouya Vibes along with Shiro x Ariel as the Parents to Mera, Kyouya, and Sophia as Always.
Anyway!
-Kyouya Facade:
So a thing that bugs me A LOT is I’ve seen people dumb Kyouya down to “cool samurai” and it’s not that he isn’t but it’s one of those “people being wrong about a character in the way that character wants them to be”. Kyouya puts on the facade of being a cold heart warrior who doesn’t care about others but that is very explicitly explained as him forcing himself. The others see it too. When Shiro dispels Wrath (vol 9) she mentions he looks miserable. When Kyouya forces Katia to back down (vol 14) Shiro mentions it seems like he doesn’t want to be that way. Shun mentions there’s a moment we’re Kyouys seem just Broken and Tired (vol 15). It’s not sub text nor stubble so people missing it confuses me. Kyouya himself mentions (vol 13) that he feels he’s not allowed to be sympathetic to the soldiers he hurts. He feels he has to resolve himself to not show remorse (or pain or worry or his own feelings really) for his goal. That showing those emotions would be wavering and he can’t let it be in vain. But GOD reading his perspective from anywhere past vol 10 just sounds like Suicidal ideation. He intended to die for his goal so after the war I feel he would be the most lost and the most depressed. He goes from working 24/7 for this goal to just empty. He completed it and didn’t die, now what? Left alone with his thoughts would be torture. I think this is where the others come in strongly. Shun and Katia are both very good at reading people and I think they would be very firm about wanting to talk to him. I think Ariel would see the destructive thought processes she herself has had in the past and would intervene. Sophia wouldn’t get it whatsoever but she herself would get lonely and come up with excuses for them to hang out as a (family) group again so she would end up being helpful. I feel Mera would take longer to see it but once he does he’s very firm about Kyouya needing company.
-Kyouya vs Ariel Depression:
Side Note is I do not think Ariel is currently Suicidal when we meet her or onward of that. It sounds like she had a period of it during Sariel getting put into the system. Her relationship with thinking she’s gonna die during her mission is more of being realistic about her limits. She’s old as fuck and knows she won’t be able to last much longer but she’s not trying to die she just vaules her goal more than her life. Meanwhile though I say Actively Suicidal I think Kyouya is kinda unaware. He’s basically using the war as an excuse to chase death without being 100% aware. It’s honestly some very typical Romanticization of war and “Dying For The Cause” that we see him trying to use as a distraction. Past the Goblin Village he feels so broken and has lost sight of values and self worth. He tries to find a meaning to it all by dedicating himself to a cause (when he asks Ariel if there’s anything he can do for this world vol 8) but the reality of war just hurts him further. The line from Dustin about how “if they stop now how can they justify all the lives they’ve already sacrificed for the cause” (vol 16? And Dustin sunk cost fallacy much?) if it kinda makes everything worse for Kyouya. Kyouya already felt like he wasn’t allowed to feel bad for the things he’s done because he made his choice but this sort of cements the “if I’m sorry I wasn’t ready or serious enough” in his mind. It’s basically a terrible spiral of a philosophy that goes against the first thing any therapist would ever tell you and that is “do not bottle up your feelings” the feelings are not the issues it’s how we react to them.
Unfortunately this is actually pretty common in how real world trauma is handled, and is something that the Romanticization of War does in real life (though this also applies to all trauma because I need people to stop thinking war is the only thing you can get PTSD from). The thing with trauma is well intentioned people will tell you you're still the same person, basically trying to refute that you're broken saying you still have the same value. But the thing is trauma does permanently change you (side note life in general will change you anyway so it’s not like you would remain unchanged either way). You will never be the same person and people trying to insist a traumatic event didn’t change you often feel like invalidating that experience. You still have value is a good thing to say but not when it unhinges on you being unchanged. When we treat soldiers as heroes to look up to and don’t acknowledge the complicated horrible reality of war we’re creating a situation where they will have trouble addressing their trauma. If everyone’s treating them like a hero how come they don’t feel like one basically (war is bad basically but I digress).
KumoDesu is accidentally a really good Story about War that does not shy away from harsh realities.
Kyouya Housewife:
I think what Kyouya wants in life is to be a Housewife ngl. Like he was most satisfied working to support people he was close to both in his past life online game and the goblin village. Plus I think though he did that by making weapons he would prefer not to have to fight. What if he makes good knives and just starts cooking for people, I think it would be good for him. Like I don’t have more words right now so this is short but I could go off here.
We can most compare him to Emiya Archer from Fate here ngl (his skill is basically Emiya Archer too). And even the most DudeBros Asshats still know Archer is a HouseWife at heart (which, to get on a Ship Discourse thing from earlier, is why it bothers me so much why I see people try to portray Kyouya as “Masc Cool Silent” type because if you understood Archers implications how did you misunderstand Kyouya direct wording of perfecting support roles?). The Emiya Archer thing is a big reason I think Kyouya should learn how to cook and/or eventually be good at cooking. It just suits his character type. Or maybe Kyouya should get way too into Gardening lol. He already has experience in that.
-Gonna add some Relevant stuff about Shun and Katia here BTW!
-Shun is the anti Toxic Masculinity:
So if it’s not obvious let me point this out; Shun is a Parody of the overpowered Isekai Protagonist. Basically he’s set up to look like he’s in the position of one but his internal monologue basically tells us how deeply unprepared he is. I was surprised that some LN readers dislike him, I thought most of his hate came from the terrible Adaptation version of him. But thinking for the short bit it makes sense, he is the Anti Power Fantasy (and Anti-Incel lol, not all harem fantasy is Incel-ish but OH BOY HAVE I SEEN SOME SHIT). Shun is basically a realistic mentality of “a fantasy world without modern luxury would suck actually” and is realistically woefully underprepared for everything (Shinji Ikari from Eva vibes anyone? Expect like a healthier person). And look maybe it’s just because my health is terrible and I could not survive without modern science but I personally have never had the desire to go to a fantasy world and have never really understood the want some people have (I just wanna read weeb shit I’m good). It’s sad it takes till vol 15 where Shun has THE BEST rant internal monologue about how he’s basically an npc and is soooo unprepared for all this hero nonsense.
We also get a lot about Shun’s discomfort with killing (I believe in vol 15 if not 14) and how it’s just something he never had to think about. He’s never even had to kill for food so how easy death is and how little life is worth in a fantasy is something he has a lot of trouble reconciling with.
I will say the biggest point I want to make is that Shun actually has a pretty Healthy Mentality during the whole Series due to one key trait: he is completely unafraid to admit to his weakness and ask for help. He knows he’s useless in some regards but has absolutely no problem with admitting that and instead looking for things he can do. He does not have the mentality of bottling up his feelings or needing to put on a strong face. A good character comparison would be Stark from Frieren, he is fearful but that does not make him weak, it makes him stronger to be able to acknowledge how he actually feels. I also really like how appreciative Shun is of the help he receives. He knows where he stands and knows he would be lost without the people helping them and lets them know (especially him and Katia, he’s very blunt about how much is a help to him).
Now I don’t think Shun should be in a Leader/Hero role though, and the thing is he knows he’s unqualified as a Hero. It’s just so out of the scope of anything he’s used to and he makes this point. Shun is basically a npc that was destined to be a Salaryman. Again that “your modern everyday person is used to the relatively peaceful modern convenience”. I will also argue that Shun does not have a Hero Complex or feel he needs to be a hero. It’s more he’s trying to emulate Julius, who is someone he looked up to greatly, because he has no idea what else to do.
Bonus another point about him being a joke on Isekai Protags is he is surrounded by women but only Katia is actually a love interest to him. Anna is basically his Mom, Miss Oka is also a Guidance/Teacher Figure, Fei is his friend (and probably more of a sibling than Sue), Sue is actually unhinged insane, and Yuri is a different brand of unhinged insane disconnected with reality (think she only likes Shun because he’s the Hero and that what the church said the saint should follow). So aside from Katia everyone falls into Familiar/Friend or Batshit insane.
-Shun and Julius:
The fun part about Shun as a Character is he is painfully aware how much of an NPC he is and that he doesn’t fit the role of Hero. Which is why I think he looks up to Julius so much and later on tries to emulate him. He quite frankly knows he has NO IDEA what he is doing and wants to be as level headed and smart as Julius. I think that his idol-like obsession with Julius comes from his own insecurities.
-Katia Anxiety:
I think Katia is very protective of her boys. It’s kinda obvious when she meets Shun again and then when they get in dangerous situations. She’s so scared of losing the people she cares about (I think she’s often the most aware of how different and how dangerous the fantasy world is compared to their previous lives). I think the realization Kyouya probably isn’t on their side (because of how Oka kept avoiding the topic) probably hurt her a lot, because she doesn’t want to abandon him but also is too scared about losing Shun as it is (and I feel like when she puts everything together after the fact she feels super guilty for not pressing more). It kinda seemed she really didn’t have many people she was close to in her past life and the fact that Shun (and I’m gonna Headcanon here later Kyouya) still accept her despite everything that’s “different” (cough cough egg cracked) is huge to her. I’m glad in the Novel Shun always does a very good job conveying how much he appreciates, relays on, and trusts her because god she needs it.
