#higgs x fragile

[bidonicart]

Timefall

(where else to find me)

[higgssupremacy]

From @goldxnvessel

[bidonica]

Hey! I see you're into fragile/higgs ship and caught myself quite like them too recently (tho i've been in DS fandom already for a year and mostly thought about them as a friends)

Just wondering why do you like them? Do you have any headcanons/interesting thoughts? I'm very curious 👀

Hi! First of all apologies for the wall of text you're about to get, but unfortunately you came knocking at my door after I spent nearly two months ruminating about this ship basically by myself sooo I'm dumping it all here

Well the short (lol) version is that in my first playthrough I mostly just absorbed the characters and storyline, but by the time I got to their final scene on the Beach I was like wait a minute... their whole shared storyline feels way too loaded for them to simply have been business associates, that shit is personal, even Higgs wanting to damage Fragile feels way too pointed to just be justified by "he was a turncloak with a secret agenda." Now, I'm not against a "they were simply close friends" interpretation, it works just as well to explain the emotional weight of their falling out, BUT I also cannot ignore the zest, the flavor, the spice of them actually having been involved romantically at some point. And honestly going into my second playthrough with the shipping goggles on I can't help thinking that Fragile speaks about Higgs like he was an ex that hurt her, and the way that she is suspiciously cagey about the specifics of their relationship makes my ears shoot up like a German shepherd.

On a Doylist level I also find it interesting that Kojima gave Higgs extra backstory that connects him to Fragile in the Director's Cut, and also how the behind the scenes for the DS2 mocap show Troy and Léa sharing a scene... I think Kojima is not done intertwining their story and we'll get more info in the sequel.

Now for the headcanons... I have enough that I might or might not be writing a long-ish fic about it, but I want to finish this Director's Cut playthrough before completing it (I could just look stuff up on the wiki but that's not fun). Also I have some art in the pipeline about it that I hope to post within the week. Anyway, the bite sized version of how I envision their relationship:

I hc Higgs as being immediately attracted to Fragile but not really acting on it, while she develops her attraction after getting to know him a little. Then she's down bad but she doesn't even realize it until it's so obvious it hits her in the face

A few people at their joint Fragile Express/whatever Higgs' operation was called co-op assume they are an item long before anything ever happens, because they just hang out together a lot. They have a similar penchant for corny jokes and puns and enjoy some light banter; Fragile finds Higgs' flair for theatrics endearing, while he is drawn to how gentle she is because he has known so little softness in his life (also he thinks she's insanely pretty, which duh. It's self evident because Léa Seydoux) (it's his first serious girl crush anyway; I hc him as bi and as having had mostly experiences with men before her)

They bond over their DOOMS condition and Higgs is fascinated by Fragile's powers, while she is less enthused by all the collateral effects. In my hc, at this point she has yet to become as skilled at traveling through dimensions as she is in the game, which makes her reluctant to agree to Higgs' requests to show him the Beach. This sows the seeds of his resentment towards her, because he feels she has a privilege she doesn't make use of and doesn't want to share.

They are both pretty touchy feely (canon!) so when their relationship goes from friendly to romantic it gets physical immediately and enthusiastically. Yes even accounting for the worldwide lowered sex drive. If there's one thing I never do is put characters in horny jail 🫡

 I think Fragile got to know a version of Higgs that was quite different from what we see in the game, which you sort of can gauge from the more optimistic pages of his diary. Like there's a part of him who's starved for love and connection and a sense of belonging and gravitates towards people like Coffin (he never had a mother) and Fragile herself; ironically, the pull towards Amelie answers to the same need but in reality it feeds on his more nihilistic, call-of-the-void side. I'm not saying that Amelie brainwashed him or anything, but I think she saw what was already there – a  deep seated resentment towards a hostile world and towards those he feels got handed a luckier deal than he did, that he countered by clinging to the notion of being special because of his DOOMS, but then there's someone like Fragile who's even more special and doesn't seem to be doing much with it. Amelie gave him a chance to fulfill what he felt was his potential and shared her power with him, but the tradeoff was severing  the connections he had, "killing" the part of him that wanted to be loved to make space for what he perceived as a higher form of love ("I found someone who completes me" which he says to Fragile specifically like he wants to rub it in her face? Like she wasn’t  enough to fulfill that role?)

That’s why I think it’s significant that he lost his hands with his power-up, because the (holding, welcoming) hands are strongly associated with Fragile; and to me it makes sense if he purposely ruins her body also because it’s a way to stifle his attraction to her. There’s also a lot of projection because HE is the one who’s felt like damaged goods all along, who grew up being  crushed psychologically and physically. I also think that both of them coming close to annihilating the other but choosing not to – leaving them in a dicey situation but not entirely without escape – shows in some twisted way that their bond still exists, which makes me giggle and rub my hands like a nasty little goblin knowing we have another game coming.

So… That’s the gist of it. Sorry for rambling on but as I said, I don’t really get the chance to talk about this ship much – greetings from rarepair hell, etc.

[savage-rhi]

Softly running their hands on your arms and feeling how cold to the touch your skin is before wrapping you in a hug to share their warmth. + fragile & higgs 😍😍😍😍 please and thank you

You got it!

Contemplations lurked above Fragile. Her thoughts were heavy like the Timefall that poured down overhead. Even being under the shelter, the small hairs on her arms and body stood at attention. The cold of the rain was like death itself. Ever present and numbing. It never got easy dealing with Timefall, much like it wasn't easy for her to let go of what happened earlier today.

Higgs and her had taken a rookie out for a delivery run. The kid showed potential. Fragile couldn't recall someone so young having the ability to do as told, and not argue about it. The trait was a rare commodity these days as were porters. For all the good the kid had, it didn't stop the MULEs from tearing him apart and stealing what he had on his person. God, there were so many ways Higgs and her could've handled it. If they hadn't been busy scouting for BTs, one of them might've been able to save the boy.

Death was a well acquainted friend to most in this world. To Fragile, it was another member of her family. Someone she didn't like meeting, but who would come around to pay a visit. Reminding her that it was always there. Today was one of the few days Fragile thought about giving up. Turning the keys of her company in, and calling it. The temptation was tickling the back of her skull.

"You're cold," The familiar drawl of Higgs snuck up from behind. Fragile tensed, feeling his slender fingertips travel from her shoulders then down her arms. The warmth of his body soothed the tension that had been growing.

"I'll be fine." Fragile murmured. No. She couldn't deal with affections right now. Not when so much had been lost. The dead needed to be paid their respects.

"Darlin', we both know you're full of shit." Higgs muttered against her ear. He wrapped both his arms around her waist, holding Fragile close to him. Overtime, he could feel her back sinking against his chest.

"Just cause' we lost the kid, don't mean you deserve to freeze out here. C'mon. Let's get back inside. Lemme warm you up." Higgs whispered.

"I hate this, Higgs." Fragile sighed. She could feel her body leaning more into his just as her emotions leaned on him for support.

"I know you do," Higgs nodded. He nuzzled the back of her head with his nose. "But we both know you ain't gonna give up that fight in ya. The kid slipped up. There was nothin' you could've done."

"You don't know that."

A long silence fell between them. Eventually, Fragile could feel her legs moving while Higgs guided her back inside the safe house. He had been the one constant in her life, and Fragile knew he wasn't about to let her give up her father's dream.

If you like my work and feel generous, feel free to donate to my ko-fi account or my cash app account!

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[unsolvedghoulboyz]

WAIT THIS IS SOOOOO CUUUTEEE

“handled with love” ^_^

[nerf-this-vagabund]

Short focal length chosen because of Sam's POV, so there might be some visual distortions.👀

[gortashs-skidmark]

How many death stranding fans we got? I have a plot for a fanfic but sometimes I don’t wanna do things too niche that I’ll give up on.

I only do xreader-s bc I cannot emotionally invest in an oc bc I’m not given a reason to. If it’s not a canon character I will have no attachment to this over powered too perfect oc that someone else made. I hate giving characteristics to ocs. Xreaders are so easy bc it’s fill in the blank with your own oc or self insert, it’s inclusive too.

The only thing is I make afab xreaders bc it’s all I know how to write. I do make it nonbinary with they them n no chest description but sex scenes are afab. I do like when xreaders got the top surgery. Anyway.

I have other stories I need to finish first but a DS storyline would be brainstormed as I finish others. It’d be the first one I’d start after finishing at least two other stories I have.

[torao4577]

yes

[felixvanhuss]

This came to me in a vision

[rey-of-luke]

At least this game will feed my goldenbridges / Sam x Fragile / Sam x Fragile x Higgs heart with more crumbs (hopefully).

[sanctaignorantia]

Starting another text about how my mind is deteriorating as I think more about Death Stranding 2. Here we go!

Today we're going to talk about how I believe Fragile will be the friend who betrays us in the sequel, but not because she's bad, but because she had no choice or because she's in a risky situation.

Let's start with a few points (which may be confusing because my memory isn't great, sorry). During my conversations with @love-bigboss1fan-me about Metal Gear and how Kojima's mind works within his worlds I came to a few conclusions. Let's get started!

-> Fragile and Higgs will be "on the same side".

If we were to put APAC as the common point between Higgs and Fragile then I could assume that both would be working "together", without knowing it, or knowing it, but still with a certain dislike between them.

How did I come to this conclusion? Coffin.

Coffin is the only thing that closely links Higgs to Fragile and I am very suspicious of the ease with which Fragile closed Fragile Express simply to open Drawbridge. The Qpid that Sam will now wear is basically the same design as the necklace that Coffin wore. Higgs' cool sarcophagus has the same ideas, so we have Coffin linking Fragile and Higgs here.

And you know what's bizarre? I was looking for these photos and then I thought "Fragile's father reminds me of Higgs…", the type of hair, the style, I don't know…

But then you ask yourself "why would Fragile be involved?" - Was the design of the new Qpid made by Drawbridge or APAC? The DHV Magellan is something that was given to Fragile by APAC so I assume that all the technology Drawbridge has is thanks to APAC, the ship, the Qpid and the "rings". And then we come to the second very funny thing that makes me think APAC has Coffin's finger in the middle.

I thought this new technology represented rings, but it could also be miçanga, remember?

A bead (miçanga in brazilian portuguese) is a small decorative object made from natural materials such as stones, bones, shells, wood or, in most cases, glass. They are usually used to decorate necklaces (or any other ornament made from glass), and are recognizable because they have a small hole in the center for threading or stringing. They are then attached to a string, chain or necklace. Their colors and different shapes are widely used in fashion, handicrafts and decoration to create unique pieces. The use of beads originated in South Africa and surrounding countries, where they have a spiritual value, since these necklaces were used in their early days for prayer or devotion, or perhaps to ward off evil spirits. For indigenous peoples, their meaning is not purely aesthetic, for them there is a question linked to ancestry and corporeality. x

Coffin hands the miçanga to her husband and then he hands it to Fragile. The object is purely a bridge between mother and daughter and then becomes a bridge between Sam and Fragile.

These new miçangas will be used by us (Sam) and the entire Drawbridge team, each miçanga is a "knot" that is joined by a large cord, leaving everyone united.

So we have the design of the coffins, we have the miçanga, we have APAC behind Drawbridge and Higgs (according to theories), then we have Coffin. "But ah… Coffin is dead!" - Cool, since when was that an impediment in Death Stranding? Since when, for Kojima, is killing someone the end of the line? And I'm talking now because I have knowledge of MGS and all the architecture behind "bringing people back to life through AIs" - here in Death Stranding 2 we'll be going into a world that's "very Metal Gear on Kojima's part" so I think it's important to take into account the fact that he's going to CONTINUE using Metal Gear references. And I say continue because DS1 already has a lot of references...

Coffin may be dead, but her ideals still survive somewhere, in someone, and just as we believe that Higgs raised this cult of Amelie as an extinction entity, we can assume that leaving Coffin with her ideals somewhere, germinating, would not be crazy. The next point would be to think that there is something behind Coffin, in case Coffin is "the face" of APAC? Probably. This is Kojima we're talking about, and in terms of manipulation, things work like an onion.

In DS1 Fragile tells Sam the "whole truth" that Higgs tells her, before she leaves him behind on the Beach. Knowing the unknown field that is Higgs Monaghan I would have thought that handsome son of a bitch had a card up his sleeve from the start. He had to. He didn't look like someone desperate in the face of imminent destruction. So taking on his big Hollywood starring role, because acting is also his "thing", it would be easy for him to keep telling truths that hurt and he obviously does with Fragile since he was "about to die", but what would stop him from telling her that he also worked with Coffin?

They are damaged goods and damaged goods with common points that hurt both parties, they are already deeply connected by the red thread of destiny, they are already part of that great string full of miçangas.

Assuming that in the trailer 1 when Fragile escapes with Lou, the vehicle she uses already contains the Drawbridge logo, then she will basically have had her team assembled since the beginning of DS2. I'm going to conclude that, in trailer 2, when we hear her telling Sam that she's closed down Fragile Express and set up Drawbridge, it's actually at the very beginning of the game, probably in one of the scenes where we have Fragile visiting Sam to look after Lou for a few moments. So these visits will be frequent in the same way that Fragile's insistence on Sam coming to work with her at Drawbridge will initially be frequent. When the trailer 1 comes to an end and Fragile invites Sam to meet her crew, that's Fragile's last attempt to convince Sam to work with her, and guess what? It works because Lou is gone… There's nothing left for Sam… AGAIN!

We have some points that I haven't been able to think about yet, like Higgs. If he's with APAC because there's Coffin's "face" behind it, then why is his cult for Amelie and not for her? That sort of thing. But let's leave it alone because I believe that, although Higgs and Fragile may have this much in common, they still have particularities that will set them apart.

-> Higgs is not so "bad".

Evil is a point of view, and in my honest opinion Higgs was never a villain, he was a victim.

As @love-bigboss1fan-me always reminds me, no robot/human character in MGS is a total villain. They always come across as "neither friend nor foe" (although most of them are more like friends, but they don't admit it). So I'm taking into account that Higgs in DS2 will be an anti-hero. Messing around and creating chaos is still his thing, he's there to do it and he enjoys it, but he's going to help us.

Higgs in DS1 wasn't afraid to get close to Sam, to look him in the eye, to break the safe distance of Sam's private zone. No, Higgs wasn't. Higgs would pierce any barrier Sam put between them. Higgs puts his tongue in Sam's cheek without trembling, he likes it. But in trailer 2 he simply keeps his distance, he hardly looks Sam in the eye. He touches the gun, a soulless husk, he touches the puppet, knowing that it is a soulless little husk, and then he touches Lou's empty pod.

But while Sam? Well, he only touches Sam with his words and, probably, with his truths. When he says later on that Sam will have to seek the truth and that the pain he's in will only get worse, I don't believe he's only talking about Lou because later on we have lines from Fragile indicating that "it wasn't her intention to string him along". And it's not as if Fragile is the villain, perhaps the lie she tells Sam is exactly the omitted truth "I didn't tell you because you never asked!".

If Fragile and Higgs have a link to APAC because APAC is linked to Coffin, then why should this be Sam's business? Sam doesn't seem to share his visions of Cliff out there, so "everyone take care of your family" and we'll be fine, but back to Kojima and his way of telling stories, we know that family isn't exactly what descends from our own blood or genes, family is what passes on and leaves a connection in us. And connections are what Death Stranding is all about. Humanity needs to connect, because humanity is the Great Family here…

-> Is it Higgs who "kills" Lou?

I can see Kojima saying "we need to set it up so that everyone thinks Higgs is the one who shoots. Maybe he shoots Fragile, maybe Lou. But actually Higgs is shooting at whoever is chasing Fragile and Lou. Higgs is helping them."

They don't look shot to me. The background isn't even the same color and for the situation to get to where it is, with this fire and destruction, then there was a lot of fighting, something that just one shot would have solved, one shot would have ended the show.

And Higgs, like a good son of a bitch, is going to help with his own intentions behind it. He's going to help Fragile and Lou, but maybe he's going to kill whoever's after them while acting as if he killed Lou and got Lou out of there (here comes the theory that Lou is closely linked to Amelie and then Higgs' interest with his EE cult). Higgs had opportunities to destroy Fragile and never did, Higgs had opportunities to destroy that baby in the pod and never did. Higgs talks too much, but he wouldn't kill them. Fragile gave him a choice, shoot or be trapped forever on the Beach. Fragile was merciful so I don't see Higgs wanting to get back at her.

So how could Fragile become the "villain", but not because she wants to but because she "had no choice" or "is at risk"? APAC is a new face, a new company, Kojima likes to deliver the new as friendly and then that's not really a very friendly thing. We'll have APAC vs UCA then we have the top of the pyramid. These are dangerous names because they are names that have power, so these are the names that will be in control. Seducing Fragile and Higgs using their deepest connections isn't something new for Kojima either, we're still treading the same minefield as DS1 and the entire MGS franchise. The big problem is what's behind those masks, what's behind all the curtains when the show is about to start and then when it's over, what only the people who have that power in their hands will be seeing. We are just puppets, pawns.

You seduce them, hand them a fraction of that power through weapons and soldiers (for Higgs) and technology (for Fragile) while they believe they are using it for THEIR OWN INTERESTS, when in fact they are bait, they are "the pawn bridges" for the purpose of these "kings".

I don't believe that Higgs becomes "the villain" in DS1 because he wants to, and I don't need to explain his reasons. So here I don't believe that Fragile would be the "villain" because he wishes it when everything is about manipulations and well-rehearsed lies. Fragile is at risk because she does again what she condemned in DS1, she will ally herself again with something "faceless" because it gives her powe/and or has things in common (technology, dhv magellan, connect the world, make deliveries) and that will lead her into the hole. In the same way that we have Higgs doing again what he did in DS1, letting himself be seduced by icons. And we have Sam doing exactly what he didn't want to do in DS1, teaming up with a "great idea" to connect the world, this time, because it's the only thing he believes he's good at, and because he has nothing else left and because someone told him that it would heal him. THE SAME CYCLE IS STARTING ALL OVER AGAIN.

And when I talk about cycles that repeat themselves, I talk about reincarnation, I talk about how a spirit needs to repeat the same things during its spiritual journey so that it learns from its mistakes and breaks this karmic cycle and thus evolves. We see this in MGS with Hal, for example, breaking the "karmic cycle" that his father Huey "started" and so on with "the future generations" or "descendants" that are placed in the story and that can also be interpreted as "future reincarnations" of the same "soul" = idea, ideal, character. And yet, we can compare the karmic cycle of all humanity, which, in both Death Stranding and Metal Gear, continue to practice/and or be part of the same "karmic cycle" that only generates its own destruction.

[bidonica]

me every time I find another figgs shipper in the wild

[mandrakebrew]

Whumptober Day 2: Trust Issues

Pairing: Higg.s x Phoenix Words: 583 Rating: G Content Warning: OC x Canon

Masterpost

Prompt List

Summary: Higg.s reaches out to Phoenix after his death.

“Well, well, look what we have here.”

It was a voice Phoenix knew. There’s no way though, he’s dead. Is this another cruel dream?

They turn to look to where the voice came from. They see someone standing there, in some kind of orange… Armor?

“Didn’t ya miss me, Darlin’?” When he speaks again, they realize, yes, it’s Higgs.

They say nothing, studying him. If this is real, how? Their eyes travel down to his midsection. There’s something… Floating? Inside of it.

“I come all this way and you don’t have a thing to say to me.” There’s no bite to his complaint.

“What do you want?”

“I can’t come visit my other half?”

Phoenix folds their arms before answering, “Your ‘other half?’ I thought that was Her.”

That took the wind from his sails. He looks away, to some spot on the ground. His hands holding each other in front of his chest.

For a moment, he looks like the shy porter they met all those years ago.

“It wasn’t like that.” He speaks with an earnestness they haven’t seen from him in a long time.

Phoenix knows that. The nature of his feelings towards her didn’t really matter, though. He thought she had something that Phoenix couldn’t offer him, so one day he just went off and left them behind.

“Seriously, tell me why you’re here.”

“Come with me.” He suddenly closes the gap between them, looking them dead in the eyes now.

Their eyes widen, but they don’t move. “Excuse me?”

“Come with me, I have a plan. I’m gonna get back at the people who-” He pauses, glancing down at his body.

Phoenix, now with a closer look, has a sudden realization. “Are you a BT?” Their voice is quiet, in disbelief.

“… Something like that.”

They had mourned his death. Who exactly they blamed depended on the hour of the day. But here he was now, not dead. Mostly.

“So basically you want me to come with you now that you’re all alone?”

“You… You asked me to come with you, even when everyone else wanted me dead.”

“Gee, I wonder why they wanted that.” Phoenix responds, voice dripped in sarcasm and venom. They had begged Higgs to stop. To come back to them. Something they hated themselves for. Begging the man who had left without notice. Where the hell was their self respect?

“But you don’t.” Higgs said.

Phoenix stops. Of course not. Despite the heartbreak, despite him hurting Fragile, despite all the people he killed.

“No. But that doesn’t mean I’m going anywhere with you. I thought I knew you, but I don’t.”

“Look, I’m-” He stares at them for a moment, before speaking again. “I’m sorry. Can I try to make it up to you? Please, Darlin’.”

It’s a trick, Phoenix tells themselves. Showing this soft side of himself, only to them, to make them think they’re special, that they can trust him because he trusts them.

Higgs trusts nobody. Except her, and look what happened.

Still, the idea of him truly wanting to make amends, truly trusting Phoenix to help him…

Things could never go back to the way they were, they know that. But if Higgs was being honest, they could have something like it. Maybe.

Goddammit, they missed him so much.

“Fine. But we have a lot to talk though.”

He lights up, whether the joy in his eyes is genuine or not Phoenix isn’t sure. But it’s beautiful all the same.

[raiden-brannigan]

Higgs for the ask game

How I feel about this character

HIGGS ‼️‼️‼️‼️💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜

All the people I ship romantically with this character

I am a huge "turn everything into a ship" person so like. Everyone LMAO. Samhiggs and Fragilehiggs are my faves, idk the ship name but him and Amelie have a super fun dynamic to play with. And also there's the good old "Higgs x veteran porter" and also "Higgs x the one random porter partner he mentions exactly once in his journals" my beloved 💜

My non-romantic OTP for this character

I really like the dynamic he has with Coffin and I hope we get to see more of it in ds2. HIS COFFIN IS SHAPED LIKE HER NECKLACE CMONNNNNNN she wouldn't have been added to the directors cut if her dynamic with Higgs and/or Fragile wasn't gonna be relevant

My unpopular opinion about this character

Honestly I think he should be stinkier 💜 I like higgs when he's at his most shittiest bastard person levels 💜💜 excited to see where he goes in ds2 cause he seems more chill but I am going to miss "unapologetically blowing up cities cause I want to" Higgs. I think he deserves to commit more crimes

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.

Honestly his story is pretty solid there's nothing I necessarily wished happened I just wish we got to SEE more of it yknow? We know his backstory cause of the journals but I would've loved to see a little more of it so fingers crossed ds2 delivers 🤞

[ GIVE ME A CHARACTER ]

[unsolvedghoulboyz]

I love em sm

Been a while since I drew them, but here they are, very much in love with each other and their cozy winter sweaters. :3

[nerf-this-vagabund]

"Careful, the contents are fragile."