Hi! Congrats on the college professor! I'm starting a PhD myself and am always happy to see people succeed in academia! But that's not why I am submitting my request. I would love to read some headcanon on Team Neoborg, their habits and individual relations, if it's not too much. :> Thanks a bunch! I enjoy scrolling through your tumblr a lot!
Mod Note: Congrats on getting into a program!!! That’s such an amazing accomplishment and I hope it’s everything you want/need it to be. You are going to do something wonderful - I just know it. Now let’s talk about our favorite Russian dumpster fires.
When we see the Blitzkrieg Boys in the media, they are often portrayed as stoic, hands-crossed-over-the-chest, strong-and-silent types that always seem to be in solitude. Even on their private plane that takes them to their international matches, they’re just sitting in a dark and poorly lit body of the plane completely silent and not even looking at one another. On the surface, this might imply that they never speak to one another and are simply together for the sake of the tournament, but in truth, their ability to sit in silence comfortably reflects a very deep sense of empathy and trust everyone has. Someone like Spencer might be well attuned to Tala’s feelings and the small habits Tala tends to adopt whenever he is feeling anxious. For example, Spencer might see that Tala is gripping his arms while they are crossed, implying that his mind is in a very stressful space, thus causing him to react physically. Spencer then might embrace silence just to give Tala a chance to think through everything that’s bothering him.Meanwhile, someone like Bryan is also attuned to Tala’s subtle habits that form from specific emotions, but his method is addressing the situation is completely different. Bryan is invasive. He thinks that conversation is a distraction. He’ll be the first to break the silence and say something, if only to get Tala to think about something other than his current issues. Sometimes Tala does snap at him, but Bryan would rather take the temporary heat than let his best friend and teammate wallow in their own misery any longer. Although Tala might actively express annoyance, Bryan always finds a way to laugh it off. In truth, Bryan’s carefree and abrasive attitude sometimes relieves Spencer, because Bryan is able to intervene and make an impact when Spencer feels like he cannot. Both Bryan and Spencer are aware that Tala does not talk about his feelings whatsoever and especially in the presence of Kai, they will not say anything that will force Tala to emotionally expose himself.
Kai stands out like a sore-thumb within the team. Everyone is aware of his skill, but they do not trust him by any means. It’s an interesting relationship, because although they respect and understand Kai’s constant need to look out for himself and be the best, they are also overly cautious, because if Kai could betray his own team…then he has the potential to do the same to them. Tala doesn’t really care about those kinds of concerns. He knows Kai’s intentions and why he’s here, so he knows that if Kai does drop the team, it’s not like he intends to sabotage them in any way. Kai doesn’t make much of an effort to really be a team player due to being hyper-focused on his own goals. However, it is Bryan that ultimately tries to make Kai feel and be included. In the series, we see these one-liners that Bryan exchanges to Kai and many of them are casual and playful remarks that attempt to disarm our favorite stoic punk. Bryan doesn’t exactly intend to embrace Kai as a new best friend, but he wants someone on the team that he can at least be comfortable around, thus his desire to get close. Bryan does get physical with Kai through playful mannerisms like putting his arm around Kai’s shoulder, or even gently punching his arm when they speak. These mannerisms are meant to test Kai, to explore his boundaries, and to get an idea of his reactions. Bryan has always been (and continues to be) a boundary pusher, so the more Kai gets angry, the more amused Bryan gets to continue with his actions.
After the events of G-Rev, I do see members of the Blitzkrieg Boys developing a level of sympathy for Kai. They weren’t too crushed about losing the tournament and they were pretty happy that Boris got the punishment he deserved. When they returned to Russia, everything was working out for them and they became very engaged with their community, but it almost felt like Kai got the short end of the stick. After seeing how hard he worked to climb to the top only to lose it all, they were able to relate that to their own experiences. They worked hard and without much validation, because they always had one another in the end. Kai, despite his history with the bladebreakers, was ultimately willing to sacrifice that for some kind of validation and success. Kai does become a powerful businessman, but it was so evident that he was empty inside. I imagine that after everything was over and some years had passed, someone like Tala would reach out to Kai again. Tala isn’t usually the type to make the first move about anything, but through his engagement with community members, he was able to gain a few life lessons in regards to leadership, responsibility, ownership, impact, etc. Kai was never seen as someone who he could easily dismiss or leave behind. There was something pretty powerful there. At one point, these two did in fact need each other. Although the stakes are no longer the same, those emotions have not been discarded. Tala’s intentions when reaching out are genuine, but someone like Bryan would be more excited to see Kai again after all that time. In fact, the first words from his mouth could be complimenting Kai on his strength and how he remembers how amazing he was in his last official match. Those words would honestly hit Kai pretty hard. Everyone’s been so afraid to speak about that day, but Bryan brings it up so easily and doesn’t even insult him. That should say a lot since he’s so antagonistic. Despite the initial distrust, Kai was apart of their history and that does speak volumes to a team that only clings to familiar faces.
Many of the members of the Blitzkrieg Boys are seldom ever apart. Granted, they do have their times when they wander off. Spencer might want to sight-see or gets lost in his thoughts, Bryan might be off looking for trouble, Tala might need some space to think strategies through, and Kai is just…Kai. But ultimately, everyone’s aura is interwoven and they always find a way to come back to one another. They have accustomed themselves to sleeping and occupying very harsh and unfavorable conditions. Sometimes, the only thing they could do was sleep on the floor and sometimes the only warmth they received was from the sleeping body next to them. They have conditioned themselves to find comfort and ease through one another’s presence, thus making companionship a necessity for relaxation, survival, and a sense of home. Even someone like Kai is drawn into this un-explainable need to be around his teammates or else he can’t get any rest. They usually don’t have individual rooms and often sleep in the same space (and even sometimes the same bed to save money on hotel fees). Although this through someone like Kai off at first, he never complained. Somehow, despite the chaos that sleeping bodies can impose, they always managed to leave room for him.
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