#ion christine rotates in my mind 24/7

[v3joker]

*Originally posted for a YouTube post, directly copy+pasted the same text (reason why it mentions being a YouTube post). I've reposted it to Tumblr for archive sake. And cause I have to talk about Ion.

YouTube: [X]

[~☆~]

No one understands Ion like I do. And it's my mission to make people understand. I legit could make a whole essay on him and I unironically want to, but a YouTube post is not for that (I have a character limit…). But this is part of what I would talk about, cause his trauma is a core part of who Ion is.

Ion Christine is a deeply traumatized person who's only goal in life is revenge which is self-destructive.

His own power (that was most likely forced on him when he was a child [the youngest age he was being 9 years old]) causes him harm and yet he is reliant on it to continue forward in his desperate goal of revenge and to heal himself, if this even heals him. The power is even representative of his pain and trauma cause it hurts him every time he uses it, leaving scars on him that he has to hide with bandages he always wears.

He's a deeply traumatized person who had his childhood stolen from him that one of his main ways of coping is putting on a heroic persona. His quotes come off as something a shounen protag would say, with a hint of taunting in his tone. But then there's specifically his Korean lobby quote where it's "I decide my fate" (내 운명은 내가 결정한다). He puts on a persona to hide himself but that's what he truly wants, to regain his life, take fate into his own hands.

This is a long extra bit but ties in with his persona. His persona can even be gotten from his alt designs which are so fitting to him and why he has my favorite designs out of the entire game. He's one of the few characters who actually fit his alt designs. Surfer used to have these old quotes that came off as surfer dude bro, it was him having fun for once in his life. Phantom is designed to COPY Dr. X's style to the point he looks like him, an Ion who was resigned to his doomed fate and became the very person he hated. I see it as Ion losing control and losing to Dr. X. But then there's the PLUS version of Phantom where in some places, the text for that is "Finally, Ion has cut loose the chains and shows his true colors". Ion, despite a doomed fate, will still find a way to take control and free himself. Prince is Ion's freedom. An heir to a forgotten kingdom and he comes to claim the throne (in some instances, it reads Midas throne instead so that can be him trying to takedown or claim the Midas Group). Ion comes across happier in this, especially in doting on his owl in his sprite animation (he also has an owl for his OG self as hinted by the pin badges with the owl wearing a hat that matches his OG self's jacket pattern). He's free and living happily. Champion is him fulfilling part of his goal: winning the Genius League. He wants to win cause he KNOWS it'll lead him directly to Dr. X because of how the winners always disappear. He looks confidant cause he knows he's one step closer to his revenge.

I just really love him. He has been infecting my brain since early 2016 when I started playing this game. I don't want him to ever leave. I don't think any character has ever had this much of an impact on me in all my life.