#setrákus getting more and more frustrated

[angorwhosebabyisthis]

i think possibly the best way to summarize the inside of setrákus' head from a writing standpoint is that he thinks he's a pokemon trainer and every single other living person in the world is a pokemon

[aroace-number-eight]

I wish that instead of passively acknowledging Nine being an asshole to Five and the other Garde telling him to just brush him off, there should have been more tension in that and calling out Nine going "dude what's you're deal he's one of us."

The whole thing was done to put Five as the victim of the situation while also being a bit of an off-putting guy for everyone and not easy to interact with. Then both of these facts are inverted by his infamous traitor reveal at the end of FoF, which puts Nine in the right for being an asshole (and makes a second read through feel more justified and satisfying for readers who hate Five) and makes Five's awkwardness entirely purposeful so that he appears less of a threat for a majority of the book. Because Five is the antagonist working for the main villain and is willing to put his own people behind him to get what he wants (later questioned as actual brainwashing though it never gets touched on any further than that because Five sucks ig)

Aside from that it would have felt more sensible for the characters who actually really hate asshole behavior to get on Nine's case during the book, I feel like the tension would have brought up a really good defining point about the Garde's situation and who they pick and choose as their allies. Nine was an asshole, but he was also one of their best fighters, teachers, and knew how to be sensitive when it called for it. He's rude, but he's honest and charismatic about it and knows how to play up a joke. He's annoying, makes crude comments, and is difficult to get along with, but dropping him from the team meant shrinking their chances at fighting Setrákus Ra. The Garde are all united under the same cause, and it's unlikely they'd all get along together if someone was constantly putting them on edge (something they did with Five going forward from FoT, so the writers knew how to pull this one off). So pointing out how Nine is difficult to be around for frustrating reasons puts to light the necessities of allies and community needed to fight a common cause, how not everyone you work with will be your friend, and how everyone has to deal with it when working with someone they would rather not be in the same room with. And instead of an anti-hero/villain-turned-ally character who creates the tension, it's a character who has sworn up and down he will fight for any Loric in his introductory book

It also brings out Nine's characteristic behavior from RoN that made his chemistry and parallels to John so interesting, and expands them to show how he creates tension and discomfort with other characters and how they deal with a person like him. Eight tolerating him because of his passive nature and revealing his discomfort for fights and unease because of his history and regrets with Reynolds and Lola. Marina having dealt with abuse and shying away from Nine when he starts getting riled up, and feeling conflicted because she thought the Garde would make her feel more confident and safe and learn to stand for herself, though maybe it's dealing with Nine that gives her a voice after all the shit she went through. Ella romanticizing Nine (whatever this meant to her character according to what the writers wanted) and ignoring his faults and finding him cool anyway, being on his defense and revealing to the reader's that this kind of romantic mannerism is integral to something deeper in her character, like finding comfort after Crayton's death and seeing Nine in a really protective and fun perspective that she admires, or having a regular crush like any pre-teen would and holding something so remarkably normal for what her life has been ever since she joined the Garde. Six having beef with Nine while respecting the way he holds himself in a fight, and hating it just a little how he's a good team player as opposed to her and her independent survival style that she has to learn while working with the others

It would have spiced up the dynamic between the whole group and maybe led to a different branch of character development for everyone if things went as they did in canon

And I wish there was a good reason for Nine being an asshole to Five in the first place, because what we got first and foremost was that he made the mistake of marking his presence via crop circle (understandably knocks on Five a couple pegs for a decision like that had he actually been running from the Mogs, but not a whole book of being ridiculed), and every instance after that had been a crude fat and lazy comment (consistent because Nine made similar comments to the truckers in RoN, still not great)