I hate Karuniya Maharapratham.

Die, Chaser Scum: An Essay (not really)

All of Karuniya and Murati’s scenes together in Arc 1, like up to book 3 when the Brigand departs, no problems no questions. Usage of gendered terms like "prince" and "husband material" spooked me, but I’m weird so sure, Murati is a tomboy, no big. I’m certain it’s just a Gender thing. Then there's that one time we get to follow Karuniya onboard the Brigand doing her science-y shit, she seems maybe a little sex-brained but whatever, it's not like that's a cardinal sin, okay. It is at that point though that the suspicions start to rise, because the way she uses "fuck" feels like it has a very specific charge. But still, sure, ok, no big.

By the time book 8 has rolled around and we get a Karuniya-POV flashback, I was all excited! Finally, she can become her own character! She spends it either condescending Murati’s ideological commitments through narration, or thinking about fat cock.

I was already primed to hate Karuniya for her dim view of Murati's little protest, when she chains herself to the simulator doors and demands 24/7 access and proper training so that academy students have a proper chance to become pilots. Great Murati moment; Karuniya’s reaction to this is mostly bemused and mean-spirited, thinking about possible physical ways to remove her, wishing to see every second that she’s on those doors, for her "entertainment". Like it's cute that she gets thinking about commitment to causes or whatever as a result of this but, you slanderous snake. Grrrr.

The vast majority of this flashback is spent on their first-ever date though, and oh man. Does Karu ever think about anything other than girldick?

She was 20 years old, in the middle of her undergraduate education and on a date with a cool, handsome upperclassman whom, it was rumored, boasted out of this world dick game.

I don’t even wanna know what “dick game” means lol. She also has mind-space to think about “pegging” though, I guess:

"I wonder if she would let me peg her."

Might be embarrassing myself here but I have only ever heard that particular term used for dudes, Idk. Even if you can square that it’s still weird though, Like sure Karuniya cares about Murati's career aspirations blah blah, but she goes into their date all dick dick dick dick dick and nothing else. Weird-ass cumbrained motherfucker.

Look right, Alexandra Genivov is a horny lady. Hell, Adelheid and Norn are basically doing a brat/brat tamer bit 24/7, and I still like those three. A lot, actually; Genivov's intro is kind of uncomfortable sure, but her thing with de la Rosa and how they nudge back and forth about their hobbies is cute! Similarly I know who Adelheid is outside of just being horny too, like her thoughts whenever they're tearing through that station and Adelheid is all concerned for Norn’s safety, or when Adelheid brings Norn back out of the Aer stream with her psy powers this very chapter right? I know that Adelheid is not just a freak about Norn because we've spent time in her head, seen how she feels generally. Hell, even given that I thought Adelheid’s dick-questioning was a bit strange, the whole subsequent scene coming after Norn was brooding in the shower is actually a great moment for them both. Yas, praetorian, slay, take out ur frustrations on that silly bitch(with aftercare)! Genivov only even has like three scenes before this chapter and I still have a better sense for who she is! Actually funnily enough, Genivov is having some silly character moments right after this, too. Her horny gamer bit is genuinely not that eye-rolling. "It'd be such a bottom move" is actually kinda funny, it would be a bottom move not to land that torpedo in time with the artillery round.

With Karuniya, literally all she does is think about dick, it seems. The one time we've been allowed to follow her perspective on the Brigand and hear about her thoughts, her occupation and stuff... gets interrupted with her thinking about dick. Rrrrrgh why is it like this, it’s worse because Murati is really charming in this flashback.

Also though Karuniya is a neurotypical; I get that there are gonna be neurotypicals in this best-selling webnovel, but it's so painfully weird to watch her internally commentate her own date and bitch at Murati, picking over her every word and griping at her alleged social gaffes:

Logistics huh? What's going on in that head of yours, Murati Nakara...

Karuniya found her extremely charming.

‘Teehee you’re so quirky, fuck me already!’ I hate this. Karuniya just does not stop with the “Play hard-to-get for a bit” and wanting to “poke fun” at Murati, she’s so fucking weird. No other character in this webnovel so far has actively repulsed me just with their manner of speaking, which puts Karuniya below Sawyer and Selene on the Unjust Depths Shit Character List.

It gets worse, though:

"You've been looking, so what do you think? Ladies love it when you flatter their ego."

My reaction in order was 1) die neurotypical bitch, 2) am I fucking mistaken, isn’t the person you are talking to also a lady??? Are you just deliberately being a freak, what is your conception of Murati, Karuniya, do I even want to know? Karuniya is apparently oblivious though, so when Murati kindly tries to let it slide unacknowledged, Karuniya must bring it up again, as if for effect:

"A lady loves to hear herself talked about in exacting detail."

Murati laughed a little. "I'm a lady too, you know."

"It's the principle- it's the principle of the thing, you understand."

I feel so fucking bad for Murati here. I get that the bit here is likely supposed to be that Murati is an oblivious dork and Karuniya is enjoying prodding her, it’s supposed to be cute, but instead this scene reads like Karuniya has made a social gaffe of APOCALYPTIC proportions, Murati tried to let it slide, but Karuniya just cannot stop being fucking weird. Holy shit, just ask for her dick size, cut the goddamn pretense.

"So, I always thought you were a really popular girl, a queen bee." Murati said. "I didn't think I merited your attention."

Karuniya giggled. She reached her hand across the table and briefly poked Murati's.

She is cute, but she's such a dork. How does she not see herself in the mirror?

What the hell is that even supposed to mean? Coincidentally this exchange is not helping Karuniya to beat the neurotypical allegations, I’m pretty sure “queen bee” does not have a positive connotation. What is it about what Murati said that was dorky? ^I^ ^don’t^ ^understand^ ^people...^ And one more, just to rub in how shitty and weird Karuniya is:

"Did you know there's rumours about you among the girls at the Academy, Murati Nakara?"

Was it the alcohol? Was it bringing out the sadist in her? Why did she say that?

WHY INDEED YOU ABSOLUTE FREAK, holy shit if I were Murati I'd be having a fucking panic attack, I'd be paranoid for fucking WEEKS.

Why exactly Murati wants to have sex with this woman after that, what the fuck she sees in this painfully unaware neurotypical fucker, is beyond me. That’s the lead-in to them fucking after the date, though; I must be missing something. After that ends we get a quick look at Karuniya’s perspective about their little disagreement at Thassalid station, something about feeling lesser, but by that point it becomes kind of late for ruminating on their relationship, whatever. I already know Karuniya is a fucking weirdo, I honestly kind of don’t care what she thinks anymore.

I consider this to be Karuniya's character assassination. These are her innermost thoughts: a garbage dump. I had been very mildly suspicious of her in prior chapters, but I brushed it away because eh, I’m probably just being paranoid or weird. Her behaviour in this chapter is basically my worst possible fears made manifest though, and to me this shit casts aspersions on all previous chapters. Maybe the "husband material" thing was her being fucking weird after all, since it potentially doesn't really seem like she'd internalised Murati as "female" by their first date, based on the evidence. Fucking gross!

That was such a fucking weird interjection, too, coming just after/before Karuniya and Murati launch in the “Helios” two-pilot diver. Marina’s flashback shows us what kind of life she’s led and why she’s still motivated to fight; why did we need to know that Karuniya is a fucking freak before she deploys? The intent was probably for the backstory to strengthen their relationship textually, but that fucking backfired. You truly could have just cut that dogshit flashback, because the subsequent fight is actually fun. Helios reporting for duty, y’know, it’s like Darling in the Franxx but less horny, I guess?

From this, I halfway get the sense that the Karuniya who exists when their relationship is under pressure or on the rocks, is a fundamentally different person from the one idly daydreaming about "dick-game-out-of-this-world" or Murati fucking her roommate years ago. Maybe we will get some actual character development, as a little treat, to see how Karuniya quit being a weirdo? But the text doesn’t seem aware that she is, so I’m not hopeful.

I hate this, someone please tell me I'm wrong for feeling this and logic it out at me.

Also Gertrude fucking surrendered, holy shit. The crew of the Antenora is getting their collective asses exposed, and the exposed asses are all the asses of COMPLETELY PATHETIC LOSERS, I mean imagine being High Inquisitor and losing a fight to a seafloor exploration mech. Sucks to suck!

It was good of Fan-Favourite Cuttlefish™ to help Elena reach the bridge, and I greatly approve of Elena's big declaration. She would have probably been a hundred times safer and less awkward not revealing her identity, but she has gained initiative, values and a disdain for sitting pretty while letting other people fight her battles. Idk if she has fully earned this, since she hasn't talked to Marina in ages and she's mostly just been clowned on by the security team, but it's cool & I'm hoping this jumpstarts her character. Her decision to remain onboard the Brigand even in the face of Norn the Praetorian is rad.

Poor Genrtrude is really entering her villain era now though! Like Sieglinde she doesn't really have beliefs or convictions, so it sucks to suck (again) when your gf says "no" and you lose your entire reason for being! I could sort of tell from her overbearing nature that she might not respect Elena having autonomy, but woooooow she really flipped out, she's gonna be the NO ELENA YOU ARE MINE REEEEEE abusive ex now :/ rip high inquisitor, u will be missed after Norn fucking flays your ass, lol.

Also wow though, Sieglinde is coming with the underwater commies??? Kinda hyped for that.