Hello Ebrithil, wondering if you have some Zoya x Rahu headcanons or thoughts?
Hi!!! Honestly I'm not gonna lie they are mostly vibes based to me but I do have thoughts on why they're appealing to me from a writing perspective.
Both of them are very similar and went through similar experiences, they're both syndican orphans who had to go through the fall of west district into chaos very young, they both gained stability through fighting to protect others and through a mentor/parental figure that they loved deeply and that they lost extremely brutally in a very traumatic way that fundamentally shook who they were as people, they both see themselves as monstrous and undeserving of love and redemption through some extent and that pushes them to try to fix problems with violence despite their loved ones trying to show them it's not the only way forward, and end up losing them as a result, thus furthering their cycles of guilt and self hatred, they're both bound to someone meant to be their "guide" (for all the opinions I have on shalom I still think she's meant to fill the same narrative role as Chief to some extent, she's very clearly meant as a mirror of Chief to show the extent of Paradeisos's fear cunning and cruelty) by a strange power that they both fought to obtain and tried to rebel against, they are both extremely powerful to the point that it's stated outright and it's shown especially in CCTV that they both inspire awe and respect in people because of that. But they also went into completely different directions on some other aspects, Zoya found some form of belonging in the chaotic lawlessness and raw power of Syndicate, actively pushing back against Eastside and the government, while Rahu escaped the chaos and found stability in the rigid framework of her duty as an FAC soldier. Similarly Zoya spent her life fighting against mania, only becoming a sinner because of external trauma, while Rahu willingly embraced it as a tool to further her goal and actively seeking out a way to become a sinner on purpose, despite both of them dedicating themselves to fight against mania and having severe mania related trauma. Obviously they're also opposite in terms of personality with Zoya being very open and confident and expressive, with a gentler but still very open personality under that (self deprecation aside) , while Rahu is very stern, aloof, professional and detached but that duty bound facade hides a quite awkward and honestly pretty insecure person (also trapped in a feedback loop of survivor's guilt and self hatred. Because even then at heart they are still parallels to each other).
And all those things, the similarities and the differences, along with the shared canine symbolism in both of them are things that make them tremendously appealing to me because it's very easy to imagine their relation starting from a point of contempt for the other's background as they are from directly opposed factions, to mutual respect as they realise the other is genuinely a good person trying to protect as many people as they can and trying to fight back against the same system and horrors that have oppressed them and constantly used them and pushed them down their entire life, to empathy and understanding as they both share very similar trauma and obstacles. You can even throw friendly competition in there because they would both be interested in testing the other's strength.
I also think Zoya does have a better grasp on her own self worth and emotions and that of others than Rahu does to some extent, but also a good understanding of the things she's going through because they have the same problems, so she would probably be able to offer some advice, comfort and help that Rahu would actually be willing to listen to due to the aforementioned mutual respect between them.
Lastly I am a hardcore zoyarahuchief shipper at heart, that's kinda the whole reason I started shipping them together in the first place (that and a great smut fic on Ao3), so a lot of my thoughts do revolve around the optic that they would be in a place where they can exist in relative peace and actually have an opportunity to heal and grow, possibly with Chief as a buffer for their respective issues that they wouldn't really share with eachother for a while, without being constantly thrown into hell like their canon selves are right now (although there's potential for growth there too but less opportunities for them to even cross paths. Would have been fun if they'd met during the BR-002 crisis though).
I'm sorry this is not very constructive I don't really have any concrete ideas I'm just yapping really but in my head they do love each other because I think it would be cute. And they both deserve some good. Anyway ZoyaRahu is peak and I love them dearly and I even have them in plushie form
Now kiss
