#as for the beard: they just wanted to grow it out wosjwk. theres probably more to it but Ill explore it another time

[opal-owl-flight]

Change.

Its never a straightforward journey.

3 comes from a region that frowns on cutting ones tentacles off this short -- especially theirs, as a once clan heir. Despite cutting their ties with the more powerful members of the clan, they never cut their tentacles off, the practice socialized into them so deeply that they cant bear the thought of it.

Until now.

They cut their tentacles off out of sheer anger at seeing the sanitization stains. Out of wanting to be something else. Someone better.

During this time, theyre at that point in their arc where theyre wanting to be better for the ones they love (and themself) instead of pushing everyone away. But changing out of old habits is so hard!!

They want to be at the end of that journey so bad. Theyre doing whats supposed to be done, theyre yelling at themself to stop second-guessing 8 and 4s love for them, so why arent they there yet?? Why does everything still hurt???

Why do they still despise themself?

--------

*this takes place waaay in the future!

After (newly) retiring from both Captain of the NSS and from Trenchturf (which is its OWN arc), their mind is free to wander down the scars and wounds left behind by the war they fought. And continue to fight on the political end, frankly. All these thoughts and pains that their duty and reckless battles had buried have been unearthed, exposed to their eyes, felt by their aching hearts.

They managed to finally let go of the things that were actively killing them, but the journey to heal isnt over yet.