A lost brazilian

Something about your endnote fascinates me, however. You mentioned something about the twins’ relationship being strained but then strengthened after ramona’s betrayal. Would you implore more on the idea? I’m now invested in it very much…. thank you and have a good day

Thank you!!! I mostly based my looks off this piece of concept art by O’Malley, which makes me think the personalities the twins had in their few anime appearances were just parts that weren’t as well communicated in Vol. 5

(I think that little doddle next to the crossed out “they’re not even Japanese” emphasizes that visual kei comparison you made)

But as for the second bit, I think the twins weren’t exactly on great terms, even before Ramona. A decent part of this has to do with my own personal head cannons surrounding Kyle and how I perceived his and Ramona’s relationship with alcohol, but also with just how different the twins seem to be under the surface. They seem like they would run in almost completely opposite social circles and be invested in similarly opposite things.

And it’s honestly really tied to their teens. Basically, their parents kinda unintentionally set up a dynamic where Kyle felt like Ken got away with everything (piercings, weird clothes, going out to band shows and having a more trusting relationship with their parents) and Ken thought Kyle couldn’t get his act together (partying, showing up back home late, getting in fight with their parents). Neither was true as in reality their parents let a lot of stuff with Ken slide that wouldn’t have otherwise because “well at least he’s not drunk” and Kyle was genuinely going through some serious mental shit but not telling anyone so his actions just looked super random and mean spirited. So by the time they get to college, they haven’t really addressed this weird image they have of the other in their heads.

And it explains how Ramona was even able to two time siblings. They’re not going to the same parties, they’re not really talking at length about their lives (since they never mention enough detail to make the other suspicious), they’re probably not really bothering each other much if they share a dorm. Ramona unconsciously sees and plays this divide, knowing they’re not really together enough for her to get caught.

It also emphasizes for me a very emotional aspect for all three of them. Ramona is hot off a messy break up (Roxie), the breakup that ended her first relationship with a women and also seems to be her first attempt at having something…maybe not serious but genuine (it seemed more important than anything with Matt Todd or Lucas). Shes hardly in the headspace to be in a relationship, and maybe after some nights out, she’s terrified and not sure what to do because whoops she’s in two! And the longer it goes on the less Ramona actually wants to fix it because it’s kinda fun in a messed up way, and the twins aren’t bad company…until it all comes crashing down and she’s out the door before they even notice she’s gone. I think Ramona’s relationship with the twins is her at her actual lowest, with her being most at fault for what happened and the least justified in bolting afterwards. This low point is exactly when Gideon finds her, unsure and upset at herself, in exactly the position to manipulate her. (Sorry if this came off a little Ramona bash-y, I love Ramona but this girl makes bad choices)

As for the twins, I think the really strong emotional beat here is the idea of how avoidable it would’ve felt for them. How if they had just been able to set aside their own bullshit, if they had even bothered to connect at all, they could’ve figured it out in a few days, rather than in a few weeks or a few months. Ramona’s betrayal is catalyst for them to sit down and just…talk out a lot of their own personal crap.

Ehehehe yeah

The twins were relatively normal kids, excluding their talent for both robot fabrication/building and programming. Their parents were solidly middle class and they grew up in the residential neighborhoods around Nagoya, Japan. Their parents chose to nurture their sons talents through getting them involved with their jobs in the quickly growing market of machine automation rather than breaking the bank for expensive technical schools (which the twins were already surpassing pretty quickly, given that they probably built 001 around 11 to 12 years old). They bickered and watched cartoons and rebuilt their parents appliances (much to their annoyed amusement), Ken developing a love of the Yokohama Baystars (baseball team I consider equivalent to the Chicago cubs /positive) and the punk subculture, while Kyle got more into mecha anime and maintaining a pretty close circle of friends. They were those kids who are defined by being twins to the people in school, generally running around in the same friend group as kind of a package deal.

In high school they started to slowly move into different circles. Ken got really deep into the local band culture around Nagoya (think of the remnants of the “Punks not Dead” and “Punk and Destory” gig series), indulging in the growing visual kei and crust scenes. He wasn’t unpopular or an outcast by any means, but it was a far cry from the in-group of popular kids Kyle found himself in, and he was starting to make his own friends. (Listen to X Japan and Dead End if you have a chance, they seem pretty good from what I listened too).

Kyle was still into mecha (Yes NGE hits him like a truck in college) and is the one focusing more on their robots at this point, but he also started going out to parties and hanging out with girls, pretty normal teen stuff. He goofed off and coasted through classes, loitering around town with his friends in the evenings, being seen as a chill and agreeable guy if a lil preppy. But this is also where his relationship with alcohol started, which did not do wonders for his mental health. And given this is 90’s Japan, there isn’t really a lot for him on either front. Thus, their parents are presented with a dilemma that kinda starts to dissolve their relationship with each other.

They focused their energy mainly on Kyle, trying to get him to stop going out and coming home drunk, trying to reach out to him only to for that to usually turn into a fight. They didn’t exactly approve of what Ken was doing, but it seemed like a smaller issue compared to whatever was happening with his brother. Ken didn’t love this, since not only are these fights loud and frankly a little scary, but because for the first Kyle doesn’t make any sense to him. He’s completely unable to read the other for a while, and it really strained their relationship.

Kyle on the other hand was super frustrated with the fact that his parents seem to be constantly monitoring him, but Ken just sneaks out to basement shows and they?? Don’t care??? He felt like the “bad twin” and like nobody even noticed the things he did right, given that both are still excelling in school and their robots despite all this.

Eventually they manage to come back around, but not for a while. In the meantime they lean on their friends, Kyle’s friends genuinely caring for him and wanting him to get better. Ken dirtbagged around with like 10 young punks and the 2 scene elders keeping them from destroying all the good bars.

I tried designing what a younger version of the katayanagi twins would look like based on that fashion google docs you made and the headcanons you’ve provided. I also gave some music recs in relation to your hcs and the asks I’ve sent here. took some personal liberties like ken’s pants and kyle’s hairdo. I reckon ken helped him bleach it (google docs). you know that one scene in volume 2/the movie with knives and tamara

tbh ken would wear less crazier clothes when he goes to campus but (shrugs) love your katayanagi twins stuff by the way. I am increasingly abnormal about them. I need to shake kyle around

Uwujujujwuaush

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Kyle having a more proper style than Ken's... which one could say could be kind of... crazy? what does that remind me off...

Scott Pilgrim EX please make Kyle Katayanagi CRAZY!!! PLEASE!!!! I NEED THAT MAN TO BE FUCKING CRAZY. Ken Katayanagi's personality can stay the same - its already sort of proper as is - but I need Kyle to have a fucking crazy attitude.