you mention in your strawpage that you tend to view the beta designs as their own characters, and I am sooo curious if you'd be willing to share thoughts on your characterization of any of them hehe
GAH I’ve been wanting to do this for SO SO SO long, I’m incredibly happy you’ve asked me about this! Im so passionate about the betas it’s insane. I spent so long writing out my portrayal for the three but tumblr just ??? ..Deleted it?????? I’m so…
To put it simply for the betakuyas, I like to view them as a yin and yang sort of thing. Let’s say Byakuyas personality is a spectrum right? Well, they’d both be on the opposite ends of said spectrum.
This one I like to call Crosskuya, obviously this is because of the crosses throughout the design. I find the design choice very interesting because it pairs very well with the kanji in Byakuyas name “神” ([k]ami) as it means “god” — This, along with the way his body language and facial expressions are drawn in this concept art, lead me to characterize Crosskuya in a way that leans more towards the openly creepy and arrogant aspects of Byakuyas personality. Byakuya is more animated than people care to acknowledge (it’s shown very well in the mangas if you need a clue) and Crosskuya is the personification of that very animated-ness. Crosskuya is more impulsive and openly hostile. Byakuya is shown to threaten the class numerous times throughout the game but he never really acted on those threats, Crosskuya on the other hand is more than willing to act on any threat he makes. He doesn’t just make threats for the sake of intimidating others, no he really will act on it if he must. Byakuya is already openly fairly enthusiastic about the killing game, it’s no secret he finds it entertaining. Crosskuya is much more “giddy” about the killings I guess you could say. Byakuya mimicked Syos standard killing style (in a way) in an attempt to expose Toko for hosting Genocide Syos identity, he was clearly fascinated with Syo to a certain degree based on the knowledge he had and his eagerness to share that information with Naegi—Crosskuya is similar, but I like to lean into that more. Crosskuya is a bit more hyper fascinated by Syo, especially after realizing Syo was in the game with everyone else. The mimicking of the crime scene extends much further than that alone in Crosskuyas case, he mimics some of her other behaviors as well (whether subconsciously or otherwise), carrying scissors around in his pocket as a habit for example. He deludes himself into thinking his family is genuinely good because he doesn’t want to believe they would do anything wrong because he fears that’d reflect poorly on him, he gets extremely defensive whenever someone points out the flaws in his family traditions and things of that nature, in fact—he gets defense a lot in general. He hates being doubted or ridiculed more than anything because he thinks that means people look down on him and that thought makes him physically queasy, even if he’s merely speculating.
This one is Cuffkuya, I call Cuffkuya this because of the very prominent cuffs of his sleeves. Obviously, as I mentioned earlier, Cuffkuya is the exact opposite of Crosskuya. Cuffkuya is more reserved and quiet, he avoids interacting with others most of the time and is reluctant to open up about himself in really any way whatsoever. He holds more animosity towards the killing game yet is still fascinated by true crime as a whole. Cuffkuya is far from the animated type, he’s far more calm. His design reflects the reserved nature of his personality very well I’d say, with his neutral expression and relaxed demeanor. It’s a far cry from how Crosskuya was presented. Cuffkuya is more logical and thinks things through before acting out on them. Byakuya is shown is have warmed up to the class somewhat later on in the game (and in future arc/udg) so, because of that, Cuffkuya is more caring despite his reserved nature, he’s extremely hesitant to open up but he is more thoughtful, he’s not completely selfless of course but he is willing to help those close to him if he feels that it’s really necessary. He prefers not to brag so much as he deems it tacky and believes he’d look pathetic. Cuffkuya thinks being overly prideful would come across a (not so) subtle yet desperate attempt to gain the approval of others. Unlike Crosskuya openly praising and defending the actions of his family vehemently—Cuffkuya actively condemns them, he actively depresses himself over the fact he was born to the Togami family.
BetaNagi is relatively the same as Nagito, the only true difference is how he presents himself. He’s just Nagito but reversed…in a sense. Hes just as manic and mentally unstable but whereas Nagito chooses to try and present himself as more polite and well mannered, BetaNagi is more upfront and blunt. BetaNagi is more open to criticizing those around him straight up without it being through an obvious backhanded comment. BetaNagi is as open to getting to know people and he’s really just more bitter overall.
Also I associate him with a yellow box cutter, I don’t have any specific reason for this.
