gawd i have a lot but i’ll talk about their health a bit bc idr if i’ve shared these before
- blade has chronic pain and fatigue and has problems sleeping for multiple reasons so kafka uses her whisper to help fairly often. blade needs to rest more than the others so sometimes kafka will help her take naps during the day and/or she'll sleep in later. there are times where she's very restless and/or doesn't want to sleep and turns down kafka's offers to help and kafka gives her space to make her own decisions about it unless it's to the point where her mara flaring is a concern
- ik our knowledge of how kafka's whisper works is limited but i’ve imagined using it could give her a headache depending on the intensity/extent of its use, if it faces any resistance and kafka's own emotions and physical condition so i can see her needing some time to rest too after blade’s flare ups so they’ll either sleep together or take turns while the other covers their tasks
- kafka has chronic pain from repeated strain and various injuries that never healed properly and lost some dexterity in her left hand. the pain fluctuates but she tries to keep others from noticing and avoids talking about it and asking for help if she can. she learns to rely on firefly after some time but still limits what she discloses to blade and silver wolf until she ends up needing blade's help during missions. eventually she lets blade help her when she's struggling partly bc she realizes it helps blade emotionally since she feels like she's returning the attention and care the others give her
- i’ve very briefly mentioned blade using bandages for compression sometimes and i also like the idea of kafka’s accessory on her right leg being an embellished compression sleeve
- kafka carries pain and inflammation medication for herself and blade and they try to hold each other accountable for taking everything regularly. they've both tried a few sleep medications but they haven't found anything that works well
- they don't have conversations over text very frequently bc blade mostly relies on speech-to-text. kafka sends her messages but they'll often wait to talk about things until they can call or see each other in person
- when they have time to rest they like to listen to music and read together but the level of physical contact they want and are comfortable with fluctuates. i see them both as partly touch-averse for various reasons so sometimes they'll go days without touching and others they'll make an effort to initiate contact frequently
- kafka doesn't necessarily have to tend to blade's wounds considering they’ll heal on their own but it's comforting for both of them bc it's a way of being close to each other and it's a sign of care and trust. kafka is always very mindful and gentle and blade helps kafka take care of herself too even though kafka initially insists she can handle it on her own. she's very accustomed to tending to her own injuries bc her line of work has always been dangerous and she's had to rely on herself so she's reluctant to let blade help but as i mentioned earlier blade feels a bit more secure in herself when she's able to help any of the others and kafka understands and respects that

there's no right or wrong when it comes to gender hcs for characters whose genders don't influence their writing so transmasc blade is just as real as anything else and i’m still glad to have more people see my vision!! i don't talk about it a lot publicly for the same reasons i don't talk about kafblade as much as i want to but the idea of blade exploring gender through learning about and being a part of the experiences and expressions of those closest to her means a lot to me bc i’ve felt more secure in my own identity through having discussions and experiences with my trans and lesbian peers. firefly and blade's friendship in particular is so significant to me bc of their similarities and differences and i hc firefly's exploration of gender being something that's very important and personal to her in her journey to define herself so when i think about blade and their conversations about life and death i can see gender identity and expression being topics that come up as well. i also think her relationship with kafka, who i hc as nonbinary spectrum but aligned with femininity and comfortable with gendered words, would give her a space to explore gender and femininity safely too. and ofc gender doesn't exist in hsr in the same way it does irl so when i say “safely” i mean her mutual affection with kafka gives her room to navigate her own humanity despite the discomfort caused by how that contradicts her view of herself as a weapon. gender identity, experiences and expressions are a part of personhood so i think applying any concepts of identity to herself would be something that she simultaneously struggles with and finds some comfort in within the context of her personal healing from her unique trauma. i love her lots

TY FIREFLY ANIMATED SHORT MENTION 🎉🎉🎉 i love that video so much it’s not even funny. as for the yaotrio i’m ngl i leave that to you and other oomfs bc i love feixiao to pieces but i’m not overly invested in moze or jiaoqiu so i don’t have very detailed thoughts or hcs on their relationships as smaller pairs and a trio that i haven’t already discussed in discord or seen brought up in oomfies’ posts. that being said i really appreciate how feixiao is positioned at the center of their relationship and how deeply devoted they are to her and i think it’s interesting to explore in the context of what i’ve said before about the larger culture and communal grief of the xianzhou as a whole. part of the xianzhou’s alignment with the hunt and the desire to eliminate the abundance comes from the desire to gain some semblance of control as closure so the xianzhou is stuck in this perpetual cycle of grief while still trying to hold onto the hope that things will be different and that focus on change is what keeps them moving forward and i think feixiao’s alignment with the hunt is interesting bc in regards to her role as the general and her individual contribution to the war against the abundance, even on a personal emotional level, she serves as lan’s arrow and this carries over to her interpersonal relationships as well. her ambition drives the others forward, both physically in the sense that through serving her she puts them into action and mentally/emotionally as they turn to her for some sense of motivation, guidance, and even closure. feixiao is a beacon of hope, strength and encouragement for all but it’s especially meaningful for them bc of their own personal histories and how they’re a part of the very few people who ever get to see and understand feixiao as a person, not an icon

i think i’ve mentioned this before but i really appreciate jiaoqiu’s character bc hoyo continues to explore the weight of war through the eyes of a medic who’s developed a sense of helplessness and felt paralyzed by his grief which is a very stark contrast to how feixiao’s loss drives her forward so i believe his master’s line about feixiao “healing his despondent heart” and “telling him the true purpose of a healer” is related to learning to navigate psychological states, whether that means finding closure in accepting limitations (as a healer he will never be able to save everyone so their deaths are not his personal burden) or gaining some sense of security in being able to help others (his dedication to treating feixiao and the lengths he goes to for her in canon are related to how he views his own worth and happiness). ofc that’s not entirely comprehensive of their entire dynamic but i hope you get what i mean! i find their relationship very compelling as two people responding to grief in inherently different ways, with feixiao being determined from a young age to keep moving at any cost and eventually gaining the power of an aeon while the scale of jiaoqiu’s loss was suffocating partly bc he a perceived it as a personal failure. it’s interesting bc there’s a perceived “powerful vs powerless” yet feixiao has carried so many doubts throughout her entire life and feels like her strength is never enough while jiaoqiu is renowned for his abilities and service and does so much for her health but downplays his own contributions. idk i need to shake them. also not to be cringe and make everything about #them but the way jiaoqiu’s master led him to feixiao is similar to how i feel elio connected the stellaron hunters. i really like the overarching idea in hsr that our differences may be sources of conflict, internally and interpersonally, and they also make us stronger when we learn from each other and work together bc there’s so much value in companionship

i may not be the best person to answer this question bc i’ve always seen xuiki as someone yukong tried to date at one point but the relationship became a very close friendship instead so i believe she’s an important part of yukong’s life, encourages her to take time away from work and build a relationship with qingni, and they spend time together, whether it’s going on walks, eating out, going shopping, both for fun and necessities, and running errands for/with each other, but i don’t see it being romantic in the current day. i think she’d have a close relationship with qingni too, perhaps comparable to a family friend or aunt, and i can see xuiki being someone both yukong and qingni confide in and she encourages them to find some common ground whenever things get tense. unfortunately i doubt the relationships between the three of them will get much more development but i’m sure yukong will continue to be relevant as the helm master so at the very least we’ll see more of and learn more about her which i’m looking forward to!

i'm glad to hear that, ty!! the characters i've enjoyed the most are mavuika, xilonen and kachina! very long answer incoming bc i want to take some time to discuss what i enjoy about each character since i think there are some meaningful aspects of natlan's writing despite how hoyo's racism and anti-blackness influence its execution

i appreciate mavuika's commitment to maintaining her people's history and culture and how she sees the past, present and future as so deeply intertwined that preserving their history is necessary for securing their future. she doesn't view herself as exceptional, insists that she exists beside her people, not above them, and believes very strongly in self determination in a way that centers love for and dedication to others, not only by protecting other's happiness but also celebrating it. she cares very deeply about her people having the space to grieve without their pain and loss defining their existence and understands the importance of unity, insisting "no one fights alone", and this is an important message with real applications as oppression globally is intertwined and we are strongest when united

it's very significant to have a character care so deeply about preserving the past and view it as something that exists alongside the present and future bc colonialism and whiteness continue to try to erase and condemn indigenous history, culture and practices and violently rewrite history in a way that upholds systemic oppression and treats physical and sociocultural death as inevitable so i appreciate natlan's approach to war from the perspective of love as resistance, the importance unity, self expression and happiness and how it centers the idea that death isn't the end bc our history and people live on through us

these ideas extend to xilonen too as she puts in great effort to learn as much about the past as possible when protecting people's memory bc preserving true history is how we honor those who came before us and express our love for them and their influence as something that we carry with us moving forward. when playing the children of echoes' quest chain we see the suffering that comes with grieving alone and are reminded of how children's wellbeing is a communal concern, not the responsibility of the parents alone, and how we owe children our compassion and support. i like that the quest highlights children as an oppressed class and how necessary it is that we listen to and advocate for them bc their personhood and agency are just as important as any adults' but their needs and wants are often ignored under the assumption that parents are always acting in their children's best interest. xilonen is very attentive, caring and dedicated to to her community and she plays a crucial role in cherishing the memory of others and fostering hope for the future through preserving the past while also spending most of her time supporting her people's livelihoods by forging tools and weapons and i think sometimes we can get caught up with thoughts of grand gestures that we forget how valuable every small interaction is. there are so many ways to help and support each other so i like how xilonen's character expands on the significance of simple actions

kachina's character and the way she's deeply adored, supported and respected by the main cast continue to explore the importance of loving and respecting children and i really appreciate the emphasis placed on her resilience, how growth isn't linear and value is inherent and not granted on the basis of achievement. kachina is celebrated for who she is now, not what expectations she could possibly meet in the future, and the love and adoration she receives aren't conditional. her kindness, curiosity and ambition are very endearing and i think the way others validate her emotions and concerns while also expressing their faith in and love for her is a very meaningful portrayal of how to respectfully and mindfully interact with children. they're our futures so it's important we give them as much support as we can and i think natlan does a good job of highlighting just how significant that is

while i don’t believe her interactions with blade are canonically romantic, her dialogue and actions show a care, respect, appreciation, admiration for and interest in blade that could easily be explored in a romantic context. for instance something i think about a lot is the incorporation of touch with her whisper in her companion mission bc there’s nothing inherently romantic about feeling comforted by another person’s touch/presence and them being willing and wanting to give that affection. it’s a meaningful and clear show of trust, intimacy and affection that indicates a relationship deeper than workplace acquaintances and it could be interpreted and expanded upon as romantic if that’s an approach that you as an individual find compelling. like it’s canon that she finds blade’s appearance and abilities appealing but it’s up to you to decide if you want to interpret that as a friendly “fuck it up bestie!!” or “she wants that cookie so effing bad”. i hope that makes sense 😭

they’re insufferable and i hate them so much. i’ve been thinking about blade’s memory a lot recently and imagining there are times where he’s frustrated by his inability to either recall or retain information and i can see him feeling like he’s not really suited to learn something new like playing an instrument, especially bc he’d argue it’s not a “practical skill” like cooking is, but kafka encourages him to try it anyways and is very patient when teaching him so while he’s initially concerned about embarrassing himself that worry fades as he realizes she truly doesn’t have any expectations and she’s just trying to see if he can find something else that he enjoys doing. it gives them both something simple to focus on and do together and i think all five of them always value activities like that bc it’s a nice contrast from the nature of their work and their previous lives and allows them to exist in the present. it’s also funny that you mention this bc i have a kafblade neighbors au where kafka is a violinist and she has a keyboard in her living room that she teaches blade how to play so i’ve actually thought about this before but mostly within the context of the au

i’m so curious about firefly’s integration into the current day bc a lot of my hcs involve kafka being the one to show her a lot of things at first and it’s different when silver wolf joins bc she’s younger and has civilian interests that firefly would’ve missed out on so their friendship gives her a way to explore life uniquely from the things kafka introduced her to. it’d be really interesting to see them spending more time playing games together and learning more about firefly’s preferences and i think a lot about silver wolf’s line saying what firefly’s life would be like as a video game bc it makes me wonder if there are certain games firefly feels uncomfortable with and if they ever remind her of her past while there are others that are actually very comforting, perhaps bc of a lack of violence or maybe even something as small as the simplicity of the controls. i also think it’s interesting from silver wolf’s perspective too bc she didn’t have any close relationships with her peers growing up so i can imagine she uses characters from and genres of various media to understand those around her and seeing firefly’s life as a “high-difficulty, single-player, action/speedrun” is part of how she empathizes with her

my thoughts on this are a little complicated bc i can see silver wolf's curiosity and good intentions leading her to doing this and i think kafka appreciates her approach in the sense that it shows the extent of her interest in doing something that'll make kafka happy so that in itself is meaningful. if kafka were to be bothered by the invasion of privacy and they had a conversation about it i don't see silver wolf going against an established boundary though considering she's thoughtful, kind and wouldn't want to do something that could hurt their relationship. instead i see her asking the other sh or just going to kafka directly. that being said i'm also not entirely sure how kafka would feel about the breach in privacy to begin with. i think because she's secretive any more personal items saved wouldn't reveal much so it's less of the list itself that i see her being concerned with and more of the possibility of any of them trying to look more into any history she doesn't want them to be aware of for whatever reason (once again i wish we knew more about her past bc ik she says she's indifferent to it so it's possible she doesn't care much about them knowing and it's more just her trying to avoid conversations about it. this is especially interesting when you consider her history of working alone and voice line about "barely ever seeing the same person twice". i think hoyo hates me)