He was trying to fill himself with Nina, the "Az" reflected in her eyes made him feel whole. It's not exactly Nina he needed but what she represented. She clung to him just like he clung to her for his own self-worth. That's why he always says I want you by my side, I need you, you make me feel real

Yeah, Az's issue isn't about having anyone by his side like Nina or learning to love like Sett. It was something internal, how he sees himself as fake and hollow. So in the end, his character development is embracing himself as he is. It's not Nina's love he needs but self-acceptance.

I believe Nina started falling for Sett since Galgada but she didn't know it was love. She only realized it was love when they traveled together because to me, it would have been to fast if she fell for Sett when they traveled together, esp if that heartbreak with Az was too deep.

Just like how she said she wants him to be happy.. if not (it was cut but I believe she thinks she won't be able to be happy if he wasn't happy because he's the one who was there when she has no one and that's why his happiness means a lot to her.

Also she never even thought about Az this way, just that being with him makes her feel like on cloud 9 because she looks up to him and he sweeps her off her feet. I also believe her saying she won't be able to live if he died isn't inherently romantic in nature..

And in chapter 18 when she said she feels a tug at her heartstrings whenever she thinks of him and she wanted to hug him and I believe that's love. She may not understand it because the "love" Az taught her was different from the love she felt for Sett hence she believes it's not love.

Yes! I also believe that. Like when she told Az she shouldn't have come and the small fire in her heart as the reason why it's so hard. Rikachi used fire in one's heart as a metaphor in her skating manga and I believe that's also what she was doing her. She was falling for Sett then.

I am also hoping she looks back or references how she thought Sett is so dear to her it makes her heart hurt even if it's not love and says I didn't realize that's exactly what love is. Like please these words feel like her saying the reason she loves him

Oh that would be good! I still believe this arc parallels the prison arc so I am wishing we see a parallel to this too where she explicitly says/screams she loves him

I hope so too because I'm getting desperate. Good thing Rikachi posted that illustration. Im positive now we'll see her lovestruck in the main story too

The way that's the official positions of the acrylic stands when they could have her walking towards Az 🤣

Based on Rikachi's recent illustrations of them esp that one for bluray cover, there's a sense of distance in their illustrations now even if it's meant to happen before she even went to Galgada, like Az isn't allowed to touch Nina, so I wonder how she's gonna do their illustrations for the artbook

Like this official illustration where Nina is walking towards Sett and these covers where Nina and Sett is wearing the same colors while Az is wearing a totally different color. I was wondering why they're wearing different colors and it made sense to me when I saw Nina's cover.

There's also an extra illustration for a volume where Nina shared her scarf with Sett and Az took the other side bad put it on him, choking Nina.

These valentine's day illustrations that show the SettNina dynamics well. At some point her trio illustration became more neutral but there's still hints

There's also the cat illustrations where the dynamics between the ship is pretty obvious. Az had his tail around her while stars block their eyes but Nina has Sett's tail on her lap and she and Sett look at each other's eyes without distraction

Yeah esp with that illustration for tha anime, it would have made sense if she posted Sett in episode 4 because that's his official appearance but she really posted him for ep 1 too, with him saying he's appearing in ep 4. She posted Az earlier, alone, for the digital release.

Also when the first ep of the anime was released, she posted Nina and Sett, and Sett's words seem like they're meant to be side by side. Even with the bluray illustrations. Az wasn't even allowed to touch Nina while Sett intertwined his fingers with hers.

When she posts for Az, it's always just him, not AzNina.

I know some people got upset that she made a follow up tweet that there's AzNina as well in the artbook but like... they're also the target customers, ofc she has to give them something.

I think honestly she's more SettNina since the start esp Sett-leaning, esp the way she always redraw his panels to make him perfect, which she doesn't do for Az and Nina. Also the last time she ever posted something ship related is SettNina as well for Sett's heartbreak in chapter 28.