#ooc: headcanons and meta

[raynewolferune]

Meta Jazz, the Arkham Intern Therapist Pt 2.1

Note: The writing bug bit me while wading through the comments and replies so you guys get more! 😁 Special thanks to @the-scarecrow-of-aus & @starlightcat04 for helping spark this continuation!

Also, so you're not confused, this part is from Kon's POV and backtracks to before the Bane incident to explain how Kon started going undercover in Arkham. Pt 2.2 has the Bane incident from Kon's POV.

~*~*~

When Kon got the call from Tim asking if he'd be willing to do a favor for him, he hadn't expected it to be an undercover assignment in the infamous Arkham Asylum itself.

"You want me to do what?" He asked staring at Tim in disbelief once he reached the Nest to debrief.

"Go undercover as a new guard in Arkham." Tim repeated with a deadpan expression looking over his shoulder at Kon from his computer chair. Holy fuck, his eyebags were bad. 

"Have you slept in the past week, Tim?" Kon asked, taking in his best friend's appearance.

Tim frowned at the question. 

"I don't see how that's relevant but yes." He answered, heartbeat unchanging. Which didn't really mean anything since it was Tim but Kon decided he'd believe him. 

For now. 

Kon sighed heavily and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Okay, I'll do it." He said. "Can you tell me why we need someone undercover at least?" 

Tim eyes widened, startled by the question like he was surprised Kon didn't know yet even though Tim hadn't told him yet. Okay, deep breaths, calm down, Tim clearly hasn't slept in at least two days. Kon coached himself as his temper flared up at the evidence that Tim wasn't taking care of himself again. All the Supers agreed: sometimes you just wish you could beat some sense into the Bats and make them take care of themselves like normal human beings.

"Ah. Right." Tim said, turning back to the computer and pulling up some files as he explained. "Two thing have occured within roughly fifteen days of each other that together are rather suspicious. First, Dr. Thomas Rylie, Jonathan Crane's undergraduate roommate and classmate throughout undergrad and grad school, was hired to work as one of the new in house psychiatrists at Arkham Asylum. They also got their doctorates from the same school during the same time frame and both focused on the impact fear has on the brain. Dr. Rylie's focus was on fear conditioning and Dr. Crane's focus was on fear responses." Well, that sounds suspicious. 

"Second, Gotham University lost their minds and began an undergraduate and graduate internship program partnering with Arkham Asylum." 

Kon went cold. They did what?

Pictures of the Asylum, University, and three people -presumably Scarecrow, Dr. Rylie, and a young woman- filled the computer screen now. 

"The internship program has only one applicant so far and she'd already started working at the Arkham. Her name is Jasmine Fenton and her background is...sparse, to say the least." Tim turned in his chair to face Kon.

"I'm too recognizable in Gotham and among the rogues to successfully go undercover in Arkham so I've set you up with an apartment and ID as 'Kyle Jennings.' You're scheduled to start work at Arkham as a new guard tomorrow morning."

"Okay," Kon said with a nod. "What do you need confirmed? What are the primary objectives?" He prodded Tim again since his friend's sleep deprived brain seemed to think that was enough information for debriefing. It wasn't. Definitely not. A lot was implied but it wouldn't be the first time Tim had completely different intentions than what Kon had understood from his briefing. Sleep deprived Tim frequently assumed others could read his mind or something. Sleep deprived Tim was wrong.

"We need to determine if Dr. Rylie is here working for Scarecrow as part of some new scheme. We need to determine if Jasmine Fenton is complicit. We need to know if Gotham U is also in on it. And we need to find out what exactly Scarecrow is the planning." Tim stated automatically as he ticked each one off on his fingers.

"Got it. Guess I'll head over to my new apartment then and start prepping for tomorrow." Kon said, heading towards the exit. Tim hummed in agreement waving a hand in his direction as he left. That dumbass was probably already absorbed in the next case. Kon sighed, hopefully Tim would at least pass out sometime later tonight.

~*~*~

Kon's first day at Arkham wasn't anything special. He didn't see Jasmine, Dr. Rylie, or Scarecrow. He didn't see any rogues or doctors at all. It was just a really Gotham kind of orientation. 

"This is where we keep a cache of stun grenades, long-range scope rifles, tranquilizer rounds, and rubber bullets." His new supervisor and guide through orientation, Alex Fhizer, said as he showed Kon how to access, inventory, lock, and re-conceal the cache. "Everytime you pass by a cache on patrol, you will check the inventory again and sign off on it with the date and time. If anything is different from the previous inventory entry, you will immediately radio the tower and the island will be put on lockdown." Greyish Hazel eyes peered out of a weathered face staring Kon down. "You will never neglect to inventory a cache while on patrol. You will never neglect to report an inventory discrepancy. The first time you do you will be fired immediately and you can count yourself damn lucky if that's all that happens to you." 

Fhizer was intense, man.

"Yes, Sir." Kon answered. Fhizer's hard look lasted another long moment before the older man gave a firm nod and continued showing Kon the ropes.

~*~*~

The second day was no where near as chill as the first. Hell, his brain was already starting to warp, there hadn't been anything chill about that orientation.

Kon started his second day by boarding the Arkham transport bus with the rest of the staff and early morning visitors to the island. That was where he saw Jasmine Fenton in the flesh for the first time. 

She has got to be part Amazonian, was his first thought upon seeing her. She was around 6ft tall with a thick mane of red hair tightly braided reaching all the way down to her waist. Jasmine was wearing teal stud earrings, a silver bangle type bracelet on her left wrist, a white blouse, black slacks, and black flats. She carried a small, clear purse that only held a small notepad, pen, house key, chapstick, and a thin teal wallet that presumably contained her IDs, debit cards, and a small amount of cash. Damn, she was tall.

Kon's concentration was broken by the quiet sound of metal crunching slightly beneath his fingers. He immediately loosened his grip on the hand rail, checking for damage with a wince. He breathed a soft sigh of relief when he saw the damage was almost entirely unnoticeable to the naked eye. He'd have to mind his strength more closely. Kon was too used to the farm and facilities that were all reinforced to handle casual use from people with super strength. 

Tim's notes indicated Arkham wasn't reinforced for super strength anywhere. Not even along the outer walls. The facility had opted to use suppression collars on their meta inmates instead since they were cheaper and easier to repair and replace according to the official reports. However, Tim's notes had also mentioned that Arkham had reinforced the outer walls to account for super strength at one point. They'd poured nearly every dime the facility could spare into the project for months until the Joker himself had taken it personally. The madman had absolutely obliterated the reinforced outer walls until no part of them remained standing. Given Joker had destroyed the walls without having any meta powers at all and his history of viciously attacking -damn near mauling- anyone that tried to put him in a straight jacket, Kon didn't really blame Arkham for stopping while they were ahead.

Kon looked up as the bus jolted to a stop. The other passengers filing off around him. He watched as Jasmine Fenton was met by Dr. Rylie in front of the bus as he waited to disembark. 

"Ms. Jasmine!" Dr. Rylie greeted her enthusiastically with a broad open grin and beaming eyes. He reached towards her with both arms, hands open and she reached back. Their right hands clasped as their left hands landed on the other's upper arms as the two greeted one another openly. Kon wasn't very familiar with intern-mentor relationships nor what would be considered normal or professional for them, but it looked like a rather affectionate greeting for them having been strangers two weeks ago. That was strange, wasn't it? Was Tim right to be worried about them?

"Ms. Jasmine is the first and only applicant for Dr. Rylie, Director Keener, and Dean Byle's hairbrained idea to hire more doctors for this place." One of the older guards that had been standing just behind him on the bus explained having apparently noticed Kon watching the pair.

"They just seemed rather affectionate for Gotham." Kon shrugged dismissively as he turned to look over his shoulder at his new colleague. The shorter man laughed.

"A bit, yeah." He agreed. "I think Dr. Rylie is just desperate for this program to work out." He continued as they finally managed to get off the bus. Dr. Rylie and Ms. Fenton were gone now. "Pretty much everyone's been treating her like a princess." 

"That doesn't seem fair to everyone else." Kon commented, dropping back a bit to let the older man lead the way to the guards room for morning debriefing and to get their assignments. He'd already memorized the layouts but 'Kyle Jennings' shouldn't have yet.

"Who cares about fair as long as it works?" The guard answered. "If treating her like a princess scores more interns for the program in the long run, and if one intern every year ends up interested in sticking around, I'll be happy to cater to every single one of them." He confessed, stopping in the middle of the hall to turn and face Kon directly. Kon glimpsed the name Ryans as the silver name badge flashed the briefly reflecting the overhead lights. "You non-gothamites just don't get it. We're desperate for whatever help we can get." 

"That's why I applied here." Kon lied. "Going to school across the bay, I heard a lot about what went down over here while I was in college. I want to help." 

Ryans gave a short solemn nod then turned and led the rest of the way to the break room. 

~*~*~

Day four undercover was when Kon officially met Jasmine Fenton. 

Everything had been going well so far with his undercover assignment. He'd settled in to the role of Kyle Jennings, been getting along well with his new coworkers including Ryans and Fhizer, and hadn't yet managed to screw up inventorying the caches during the outer patrol loops. That being said, Kon was having other issues.

The worst part of being an unstable Kryptonian clone was that his strength tended to fluctuate. It normally wasn't much of an issue when he was surrounded by reinforced everything in his daily life but here at Arkham it was becoming a problem. Case in point, Kon thought to himself with an exhausted groan as his freshly made coffee mug shattered in his hand.

"Oh come on." He sighed snatching a handful of paper towels from the counter and bending to wipe up the coffee and ceramic shards on the floor. At least he was the only one in the room when it shattered. The door clicked softly behind him and Kon jumped twisting to look. 

Jasmine Fenton stood behind him having just closed the door to the break room after entering.

"What happened here?" She asked, sounding bewildered with slightly wide eyes as she took in the mess on the floor. Thank God. She didn't see it.

"Guess I was a bit more tired than I thought." He said with a forced laugh in order to hide his nerves. "Slipped right through my fingers."

She nodded, accepting his words at face value. 

"I've done that more than a few times close to finals." She admitted. "You guys have 10 hour shifts, right? You must be exhausted. When's your next day off?"

"The day after tomorrow." Kon said. "This is day 3 for me since orientation doesn't count."

"You get 2 days off followed by an on-call day, right?" She asked.

"Right," Kon agreed. "AKA 2 days of freedom and a day chained to the Bowery." He joked.

"Absolutely terrible, they may as well put an ankle monitor on you." She cracked back grinning. Kon snickered. The door opened again.

"I see you found another non-gothamite here." Dr. Rylie said striding into the break room with a wide grin.

"Sounds like that makes three of us." Kon agreed. Outside of Joker, he had never seen a gothamite grin that wide in his life.

"Dr. Thomas Rylie, a pleasure to meet you." Dr. Rylie introduced himself holding out his hand to shake. Kon shook his hand as gently as possible, mindful his strength was on the fritz.

"Kyle Jennings, nice to meet you. I just started as a guard earlier this week." He said then held his hand out to shake Jasmine's.

"Jasmine Fenton, I'm an intern therapist. This is my second week here." She greeted with a warm smile shaking Kon's hand. She didn't say anything about being glad to meet him, Kon noted. It wasn't exactly strange behavior but something made him take note of it anyway. Like by not saying it she was saying she hadn't decided whether meeting him was a good or bad thing yet. Dr. Rylie didn't seem to notice anything off with the interaction though as he went about making his own coffee. The three of them made idle small talk as they made their own coffees. Once his new cup was ready, Kon bid them both goodbye and went on his way. While they were his main objective, lingering too long this early into their aquantiantship would probably be strange.

He had several other small friendly interactions with both of them over the next few days. Taking the time for greetings, small talk, and sharing small bits of casual background info from Kyle Jennings's past to encourage them both to open up to him. He also broke a clipboard, two more coffee cups, several pens, and a doorknob during that time as his strength continued to fluctuate. The doorknob had been particularly embarrassing. He had gone to open the door for Jasmine when he saw her with her arms full of files and somehow managed to twist it in such a way that the screws holding it in place sheered off and the knob came off in his hand. Collins, his partner for building patrol that day, burst out laughing hysterically as Kon stared at the doorknob in horror.

"No worries, man." Collins said, clapping Kon on the shoulder still snickering. "Someone else probably broke it and put it back so they wouldn't get scolded or something."

"Yeah," Kon said with a nervous laugh. "That must be what happened."

Jasmine's eyes flicked between the two of them then she grinned.

"And here I thought you just really hated that door." She teased Kon. He felt his face heat up as Collins laughed at him again.

"It is an ugly door." Collins agreed enthusiastically smirking.

"Terribly ugly. Hideous even," Jasmine said with a smile.

"Possibly even traumatizing to behold," Collins continued to smirk.

"You've got me. I have a deep rooted traumatic fear of metal taupe doors." Kon deadpanned ears burning. Jasmine snickered as Kon got the door open for her and they went their separate ways.

~*~*~

"What have you found so far?" Tim asked. Kon did not have the words to express how much he didn't want to be at the Nest at 3am on his first day off from undercover work. If it was anyone other than Tim he wouldn't have even answered the phone.

"Literally nothing," Kon said dryly. "I am still the newest of newbies at Arkham. I practically spent the whole week being babysat by senior guardsmen." He sighed, reminding himself that it wasn't Tim's fault that he was a little insomniac goblin and that Kon really did love his friend and would be sad if he hurt Tim's feelings. Eventually. When he woke up again in the morning. "I did start befriending them both though. It's slow going since we're in different areas but nearly being the only non-gothamites there seems to be helping me make some headway at least." 

There was one other non-gothamite on staff, a medical nurse named Sharon Earley. She was in her mid-thirties and the most sour and unpleasant person Kon had had the displeasure of meeting so far on Arkham's staff. Not that Kon could blame her for that. Not when she had several large ragged scars spanning from her chin and down both of her arms from when Zsazz had gotten hold of her alone after dark her second year at Arkham. It was a damn miracle she'd survived him. Kon didn't know how she managed it but he wouldn't try to find out either. Ryans had taken him aside right before he first met Nurse Earley and warned him not to stare or ask about any of it and then explained the bare basics of what happened to her after they'd left. 

Tim probably had a file with every detail of that night as well as information about Sharon Earley's life both before and after that night somewhere on his computer. The thought made Kon nauseous. 

"Good, good," Tim said absently as he updated the mission file on his computer. The keys clicked so rapidly that Kon again reconsidered whether or not his best friend had super speed. "Better to keep them from suspecting than to rush in anyway." 

"Exactly." 

Tim continued asking questions about every little detail he could think of concerning Dr. Rylie, Jasmine Fenton, and the rogues currently in Arkham.

"They don't let me near those guys yet. I'm too new." Kon said when Tim asked if Scarecrow looked to be plotting more than usual.

"They don't?" Tim sounded surprised, going so far as to stop typing so he could turn and stare at Kon. The clone was amused to note something about his statement had managed to wake Tim up enough to be visibly shocked instead blank-faced with exhaustion.

"Of course not," Kon answered trying to keep the amusement from his voice as much as possible. "As many times as your rogues have broken out they're leary of letting new hires near them in case they're goons in disguise." 

Tim sank back into his chair looking like Kon had uprooted his whole world by proving the Earth really was flat via actual science.

"That's impossible." Tim said sounding faint. "Everytime there's a mass breakout, we always hear that some of the guards helped them escape. How?..." He trailed off, eyes darting rapidly like he was tracking lines of an invisible conspiracy board in the air in front of him. Kon shrugged, uncomfortable with this new information.

"Scuttlebutt is that the people helping them escape are visitors. The guards get blamed because the goons visit wearing clothes similar to the guard uniform from a distance. All blue polo shirts and black pants look similar at a distance." Kon explained. "It also doesn't help that the guards can't really do much to stop the escape attempts since they only have stun grenades, tranquilizer darts, batons, low voltage tazers, and rubber bullets to fight back with. So as long as enough people are involved in the escape attempt at least some of them will make it out even if the guards manage to to tranquilize several of them." 

Tim still looked like Kon was blowing his mind. It was such a rare experience that Kon had to continue.

"Plus the tranquilizer darts and the rubber bullets have to be fired from different hardware." Kon told him. "Which sucks because you have to carry twice the amount of weight while chasing after the escapees which slows you down and it takes longer to swap between them."

There was something similar to mystified horror spreading across his friend's face now.

"Speaking if swapping between them, they have different ranges too." Kon continued gleefully. Half because it was fun wrecking Tim's worldview and half to actually impart the information. "Batons are short-range. Tranquilializer darts and stun grenades are mid-range. Rubber bullet riffles are long-range."

"If that's all it is, WE can fund then better gear to control the inmates." Tim interrupted turning back to the computer and swiftly typing out a list of things to send Arkham. Kon shook his head.

"That won't work." He disagreed gently. "They aren't failing because of the gear itself."

Tim turned back around to face him, confused. This was not going to be a fun conversation, Kon swallowed hard and forced himself to continue.

"The problem is that if you fire the rubber bullet riffles from mid or short range you could seriously injury or even kill the patient. If they get past mid-range, you'll miss them completely using tranquilizer darts or stun grenades. If you try to use either of those at short-range it'll be bad for you whether it's because they'll get hold of you before the tranquilizer knocks them out or because you'll stun yourself too."

Comprehension and trepidation began to dawn on Tim's face. He deflated in his chair, sinking lower and lower as he stared off into nowhere.

"You also can't hit them with more than one tranquilizer dart in a four hour window because you could accidently kill them that way. That also means even though you have a baton, you typically can't do enough damage to them to keept them from escaping because that might potentially kill them." Kon said completely solemn now as he relayed the information. "Because regardless of the reputation Arkham has or what the patients have done, it is still a hospital and they are still patients." 

Tim was staring directly at Kon now. Mouth open, face slack, eyes wide with a kind of numbed shock. Kon held his gaze.

"Yeah," Kon said after a moment. "Yeah, that's how I reacted too." He looked down, picking at his nails for a moment before forcing himself to stop and meet Tim's gaze again. "Phizer, my new 'boss', made sure to drill that into my head during orientation. 'Arkham's guards exist first and foremost to protect the patients. Arkham isn't supposed to be a prison. It's a medical facility. The patients are confined to the premises because their affliction has made them dangerous and they have to stay so that we can keep them and others safe from further harm. We are here to keep the patients and staff from hurting each other, themselves, or being hurt by people outside of Arkham's walls.' Not gonna lie, man." Kon said quirking a bitter grin as his did. "Hearing that kind of fucked me up a bit."

Tim sucked in a huge heaving breath then slowly let it out before he responded.

"I can't say I ever thought about it like that." He admitted in a soft strained voice. "Can't say I ever wanted to either." There was a bitter tinge to his words.

"Yeah, neither did I." Kon answered, shoulders slumping a bit. "Was there anything else you wanted to ask me? I kind of want to head back and sleep a bit."

Tim shook his head slowly.

"No, I think we're good at the moment." He said looking twice as exhausted and drained now as he did when Kon first got there. Kon nodded.

"Good night then. I'll see you later, man." He said, pushing off the wall he'd been leaning against and heading for the door.

"Be safe, Kon." Tim answered softly turning back to his computer.

[lokiusly]

OG s2e5: Loki observes timeline Mobius from afar, unsure of how to proceed. They make eye contact. Mobius walks to Loki & kisses their cheek. “Hey honey, what’s up? Where are the kids?” Loki’s cheeks redden for the first time in eons— mouth agape.

[dvilsdesire]

// I love that everything Raphael is when you see him, is quite clearly a grandiose act. Why? Because there's only a few moments where you see that act actually crack.

One of them is when you can say you want to claim the Crown for yourself and say that you're going to wear it. His laugh is obviously an act, until he realises you're serious. There's a huge shift in the dynamic of his voice when he apologises and says "I-I'm sorry... you're serious?" He stammers also. Raphael... stammers. Until he gains control of himself again. For a fleeting moment, there is this sense of Raphael being grounded in his profound shock.

In the same conversation, he can admit that it frustrates him about the Chosen and how he talks about how they've made a bloody mess of it all. There's just something more casual about his tone here. Something very honest, even. Perhaps it's just something you can both agree on, quite genuinely.

And of course, there's those moments where he simply loses his temper--the worst of those being when you insult his performance in the bedroom or compare him to a mortal. Quite literally, the tip of the ice berg after you have already insulted him by breaking into his house and stealing right from under his nose.

Everything he says, in every conversation with you, is filled with pure intent and purpose. The way he composes himself, the way he backhand compliments you at times (lose the Orphic Hammer, it's okay, he will ignore your negligence in misplacing it), every little bit of it is done on purpose. But then there's these little fleeting moments where you see something else entirely beyond the simple ambition, and I just find that so fascinating.

One of my favourite characters simply because of his complexity and just how perfectly he's been written. It's clear Larian wanted him to be a mastermind act, everything is poetic in nature, everything is BIG, his personality as much as his ambitions, and of course, one of the greatest scores in the entire game, along with his own musical piece titled Raphael's Final Act. 👌

[sachsoup]

does anyone know any good needy or soft tom fics.... pls...

[styxisms]

// I am being so serious when I say subaru is probably nonbinary at the very least

[airteacher]

//Remember, in Book 1 Tenzin claimed he didn't have time to train Korra bc of his responsibilities to Republic City and the solution was to have her move to the island? I believe Tenzin and Aang's situation was similar. Only, Aang's responsibilities required him to travel everywhere. The natural solution would be for Tenzin to travel with him and be trained between Aang's other responsibilities.

It also explains the vacations without Bumi and Kya. Tenzin was probably building sandcastles on Ember Island because his father had business in the Fire Nation and Aang wanted him to not feel the weight of the world on his shoulders for a spare afternoon. Same for Kyoshi Island and the elephant koi, and their other "vacations".

[frightmeister]

after josh gets his shit together he does actually finish up college with an undergrad in psychology as he wants to better comprehend his own situation (and learn about something other than film). he then goes into film and works with his dad for while before setting out to try and work on his own career outside of his dad's shadow.

yes he makes predominately horror movies. yes, his experience constructing the "prank" is key in his success early on. no, none of this is lost on him. yes josh is considered a "problematic creator" if/when literally any info about his actions on the mountain come out. like genuinely the twitter wars are a bloodbath.

[medicus-mortem]

[💀] - It is official. I am now canon divergent. The main points where I diverge from canon are as follows:

> The Rocky Port Incident was an incident during the two year timeskip that took place in a port city called Rocky Port. Law instigated a riot that lasted several days. Many people were killed in the violence, but that was all a distraction, so Law could torture and murder the Flevance royal family that was living in luxury in the wealthy port town after fleeing Flevance and leaving it to its fate. Coby was in Rocky Port at the time and was a huge thorn in Law's side, saving many lives and figuring out some of Law's plan. It is how Coby earned his title of "Hero".

> The 100 hearts Law took were from pirates he hunted down personally during the two year timeskip. Some of the pirates were based on Pirate Island and were under Blackbeards' protection and control, which brought Law into conflict with him and boosted the notoriety the hearts provided Law.

> Doc Q doesn't turn Law into a woman during the fight on Winner Island. Instead, he creates a disease that is similar to Amber Lead Syndrom and inflicts that on Law's crew, forcing him to heal his crew very quickly and expend a large amount of his energy. All the while, Law is fighting off a panic attack.

> Kikoku's gender is female, and if she was human, which she'd hate, she'd look more like a creepy Japanese ghost. A bit like Sadako.

[devilagent]

📑, 📝 ? please and thank you! 

favorite part of your muse’s backstory + favorite headcanon? / ask prompt.

THIS IS SUCH A FUN ASK TO RECIEVE THANK YOU VERY MUCH!! i don't usually get to talk about his origins so this'll be fun!!

nicholas backstory is incredibly non-existant in the canon of the soap opera! the only real 'backstory' we get from humbert is that nicholas is the agent '007 of the underworld. he said so very playfully.

that being said, i have nicholas open to two different interpretations - now, in the soap itself there are conflicting pieces of information, because there is different instances where it indicates nicholas is inhuman - and other instances that indicate he may have been human.

CREATURE OF THE DAMNED.

the first interpretation is that nicholas is a creature of the underworld - never having been a human to begin with. "warlock" being a title of what he is since he practices magic. pretty much a minion and conformed to doing the biding of someone else, which i figure is why he schemes so much to get out and acquire power for his own.

there has been various statements in the series that suggest this might be the case, i'll pull up a few that come to mind at the moment…

being seen as a mortal or human, and showing such emotions, are seen as weak and looked down upon. nicholas himself has stated similiar a few times to angelique. along with this, emotions such as love weaken their own magic abilities…

THE DAMNED MAN.

the second interpretation is that nicholas was once human, a long time ago, and became condemned once he started practicing magic as a warlock.

although dynamite comics are rather unpopular ( i don't enjoy the gore and overtly dark storytelling either ) - i do genuinely love the backstory concept they made for nicholas, along with the art of him! i wish his backstory in this wasn't tied to the collins family though. tragic.

this panel has stuck with me for years. the symbolism with the shattered mirror pieces, his eyes, the text. his reflection, his soul broken up into pieces like the glass.

the panel itself alluded to human nicholas selling his soul in a moment of weakness - i can very much see it as a canon fitting backstory for him. did he solely want power? or was it out of desperation of something more personal to him instead? i really enjoy the openness of this interpretation. and the look in his eyes makes it feel like there is more to his story than it appears to be.

as for me Personally, i lean toward his origins being from the underworld. i find his newfound human love of maggie to be very compelling in that way, i always have. it would be a much more compelling narrative to tell - especially considering how devious nicholas is by nature. he would essentially be going against his very own nature, being from the underworld and inhuman. this is one of my favorite things about him and what drew me to his character!

we love a villain that melts his big bad exterior for a loved one👏

*just a small side-note that humbert confirmed evan and nicholas aren't the same person, and i never viewed them that way either.

+ since i rambled on about nicks backstory, i'll keep the headcanon bit more brief - in a debate of whether nicholas is a cat or dog person, i always felt he is a dog person. he looks like a feline but likes dogs! he values their loyalty and finds their behavior amusing to watch.

[clarafell]

Inside the interior of Homura’s apartment. Did Homura use any form of magic to make the inside of her apartment like that?

unprompted / always accepting!

Hello there, dear anon. I want to start off by welcoming you to my little blog. Next, I want to personally thank you for taking the time to send me such a thoughtful question. I'm always willing to answer any questions related to the franchise since Puella Magi Madoka Magica is a really big comfort for me, even if it doesn't strictly relate back to my muse. As someone who adores everything about Homura so much, getting questions relating back to her always make me really happy. I always get super excited when I receive thoughtful questions out of the blue.

Let me get this out of the way: You are not the only person to question what the heck is happening in Homura's home in the franchise. There is a lot going on in her home. It's a pity she doesn't give a tour of her home, isn't it?

But the lack of concrete knowledge on Homura's home only makes her air of mystery all the more fascinating. Many fans alike have sat and pondered the same thoughts. I'm sure that everyone has their own personal headcanons on Homura's interior home, so please don't take my personal thoughts as facts. Here is my personal take on the interior of Homura's home...

Isn't Homura's home on the outside so pretty?

Allow me to mention that the world of Puella Magi Madoka Magica is shown to be sprinkled with advancements in technology. Let's take the school, for example. The desks are shown to be built so well that the desks can retract into the floor, effectively clearing away the room with only the push of a button. Gone are the days of stacking the desks away, at least in the school that Homura attends.

The image above reveals the floor where a desk is secretly located, ready to be pulled out for the student to use. The Japanese seen on the floor reads Sayaka Miki's name, showing exactly who the desk is belongs to via the digital sign. Not only does it state the student's name, but it states that she is absent. Isn't that cool?

I believe this example of technology advancement in a public space really does speak for itself about the world. There is a popular theory on why technology is so impressive: It is a visual example of how wishes have progressed the advancement of human kind throughout history. I believe this theory to be a really easy one to understand, but it also makes plenty of sense.

As for Homura's interior room...

There is a lot to unpack, but I believe the interior of her home is a strange mixture of both technology and her magic. With that said, I do heavily lean towards the technology side. Personally? I like the balance of both worlds. Not only do I believe that technology and magic are at play, but I also believe that Homura has sought out to refurbish her home.

I have reason to believe that parts of Homura's home are holographic displays. The frames of the various illustrations in the background appear to have frames that resemble image-like tabs. Not only that, it appears that Homura has found references in her studies over Walpurgisnacht. Judging by how old Walpurgisnacht is, I assume what we are seeing on the blank wall is Homura's research.

Walpurgisnacht aside, these clusters of images on the wall do scream that there is some form of technology at play in the background.

A closer look at the various images show that the window-like frames are actually physical frames. This little detail implies that these potential holograms behave like picture displays, but only for digital photos. I believe that Homura is basically using her walls as one big monitor in order to always be looking at her research. She is taking workaholic to the next level by covering every part of her home's interior with her research.

Walpurgisnacht has taken over her life so much that Homura eliminates all of her old distractions. The image above shows just how much Homura has changed after all of this time— Her home is distant and cold and empty...

The exact opposite of Mami's home, if you think about it. Both Mami and Homura live alone, but their interior homes are so vastly different from each other. Mami's interior is welcoming and cozy, mirroring her personality. However, the moment that we lose Mami is when the warm atmosphere of her home becomes sad... Almost bittersweet. Mami's home looks more normal, showing us that all Mami wants is to block away the loneliness with as much comfort as she can.

Let us take a brief look at Homura's old interior. As you can tell by the two connected images, Homura's old style is less bizarre-looking. You spot a desk, table, couch, and even a couple of framed paintings. But nothing really screams Homura. It shows that all she cares about is having what is necessary. Not only that, but it shows that Homura is easy to adapt to whatever she can find.

Darkness covers the entire room, perhaps to foreshadow Homura's descent.

The old interior gives off a gloomy atmosphere. It still, however, looks like a home. A lonely one, yes, but still something normal. It isn't anything special, but it still has something. The fate of Homura's interior in the later timelines lack personality, looking as detached as its owner. The future look of Homura's home looks more like a witch's labyrinth, not someone's home.

I do, however, believe that Homura has reconstructed her home with the help of magic and technology. The odd-looking flames on the candles (maybe even the slowly swinging pendulum) scream that they are formed by magic. Fans have also pointed out that Homura's room looks more like a clock, easily a reference to her time manipulation magic hiding in plain sight.

As seen in the original anime, covered in a purple aura-like light, Homura has the ability to control large objects with her magic. While this might be only for weapons, it still shows that Homura can use magic on physical objects. With this in mind, it could be possible for Homura to redecorate with her magic when her technology cannot do the trick.

Overall, I love the changes that we see in Homura's home. I am hoping to be able to see more of Homura's home in the upcoming movie, Walpurgisnacht Rising. I love seeing Madoka or Mami's homes, but I would love to see more of Homura's life.

It's interesting that Rebellion doesn't feature Homura's home, even though the witch behind that impressive labyrinth is actually Homura herself. The lack of a home really does show that Homura doesn't give a second thought about her home. Homura is anywhere but inside her empty home, even within her labyrinth...

It's almost a little sad, actually.

With that said, I hope to see more of Homura's home again!

[glaciescustodia]

Kinich's Personality. (HC)

In the grand scheme of things, he is either with you or against you. Mind, not against others in malicious intents but he's been taught certain ways.

Those same teachings makes Kinich a shrewd individual, difficult to get a read on.

To first deceive yourself is to deceive others.

A common quote he tends to opt for.

In spite of his deceitful methods, he's not without a moral code but the first few times, he'd rather test people, foreigners especially. There is no telling if this Dendro bearer is plotting against you or keeping his manners in check.

He's a warrior, comes from the Land of War, so this is what he wants to see; someone who can fend for themselves.

Towards natives Natlanians, Kinich is a bit more open minded and friendlier without needing to put on an act. Still, much to his underhanded methods, he is not without honor.

Aside that cunning attitude of his, once a certain trust has been set, he is more likely to loosen up.

Whenever he is on businesses with other tribes, he would rather not be interrupted & will ignore you, wheter you're in friendly terms with Kinich or not.

[unstablerk800]

|| A tidbit that still has me feral: Connor dodging bullets.

A bullet is fired at a typical muzzle velocity of around 2,700 ft. per second. I repeat. Per SECOND.

We get to dodge bullets with him on top of Stratford tower. Simon is shooting at him and Simon has EXTREME accuracy.

And Connor just dodges the bullets.

Still going insane over this.

[dvilsdesire]

Some in depth character analysis... (:

This is going to get long... as I do a bit of a character analysis on Haarlep with little bits of Raphael as well. I will likely go on tangents if they come to me, so please be aware that there is likely no solid structure as I ramble!

Please note that this is ALL speculation and headcanon as there is no way of analysing a character's full potential when you only see a few moments of them in game, let alone Haarlep's relationship with Raphael when you don't even get to see them interact outside of Haarlep's small comments and end-game letter.

Know that there is also no right and no wrong, and I will be exploring both sides and "what if" scenarios. These are just some things I want to expand upon, and we are all entitled to different opinions and headcanons. That's the beauty of getting to explore and delve into characters that are given no depth to them--you can make them your own!

First and foremost, it should be noted that DnD lore on incubus has flip flopped over the editions. Where they were once strictly demons, they were then turned to devils, and now they are recognised as simply "fiends". Haarlep, in game, is a fiend, and his race is incubus. Again... be your OWN DM... do what makes you happy, that's the beauty of DnD (but also remember that Larian itself have their own set of rules and lore that they made up which may have separated them from DnD lore as well, and that's not a bad thing! The more creativity, the better imo, especially in a world like FR).

I personally write Haarlep as a devil aligned fiend who leans towards more chaotic than lawful evil, but that's just me! Toss in a little demon bloodline, especially with the Queen of Succubus, and play around a little!

Okay, let's get into Haarlep! (potentially triggering content)

I'm going to go through this in order of Haarlep's scene. There was a really neat theory that was shared HERE about how Haarlep starts off with a poem as they are introduced. Is this something that the devs simply used as trickery so we THINK it's Raphael in the bed (even though it clearly says Haarlep)?

Also note how Haarlep uses the term "Mouse", the one that Raphael has been calling the player the whole time. A coincidence? Or is this proof that Haarlep is aware of what is going on with Raphael and his potential client? Is this rhyming corruption simply from being within the HoH or something that Haarlep has picked up from via time spent with Raphael? All of these things fascinate me, because as a devil, and Raphael who is quite literally meant to symbolise the real world devil (there is a lot of symbolism with Raphael and Satan/Lucifer imo but that's not something I'll delve into here), or are they just trying to lead us into a false sense of security that this is just Raphael playing his games (despite the name on the subtitles)?

Maybe it's an outer moment of we know as the player, but our actual PC doesn't know. Which gives us the opportunity to play around a little with them, which is also cool. But the idea that Haarlep also says a little poem and speaks in such a devilish manner, is a nice little touch and a reminder OF Raphael as well.

Then, of course, the player themselves, identifies Haarlep as Raphael, despite the youthful look (I'll delve into this later).

What interests me is Haarlep's response if you actually say this. He seems amused that you'd even THINK he's Raphael, despite his obvious visage. The pride of an incubus, perhaps? Haarlep simply toying with you and making this encounter last longer by the way he speaks so slowly and playfully? Luring you in, one question and curiosity at a time.

Haarlep genuinely seems interested in WHY you are there, yet if we go from line one where they're calling you a thief... it pretty much indicates that he knows you're there when you're not supposed to be (which makes entire sense since the whole HoH has its own riddles and games you need to play to get inside rooms under lock and key). Even to get into the boudoir, you require an invitation (though Raphael clearly forgot that he left his door to the balcony wide open and there's rock formation you can traverse lol--things like this are PURELY game mechanics, and I don't think they should be read into deeply. It's a game, your player NEEDS access, whether it's getting it the hard way, the lawful way, or outright breaking in lol).

If you lie to Haarlep and claim it's a botched teleportation spell, he instantly sees through you, you don't even get the chance for a saving check on this. No matter what, Haarlep knows you're not supposed to be there. However, he wants to know WHY you're there.

Interestingly enough, Haarlep's voice is very aggressive when you lie to him, especially when the first introduction is all sweet and breathy. This comes down to control, imo (which we also learn that Haarlep is the dominant role in the bedroom, or at least a top--more on that as I go). Genuinely, though, it feels like Haarlep is very displeased if someone lies to his face, though being the incubus they are, will also give you a chance to respond truthfully before he decides your fate--this is something I also see Raphael do. Even if you attack him in your first meeting, he gives you a second chance (and a third if I recall? He only tells you the deal is off if you attack him in Sharess' Caress and kicks you out of the Devil's Den--tho correct me if I'm wrong as I'm focusing on Haarlep here).

So is this typical devil behaviour and something we can expect from devils, to give you a second chance so they can get the information they want? I'd say yes. Especially if they DO want to know. Haarlep is more than happy to kill you if you don't give him what he wants, so it seems pretty standard for devil practice, and of course, he returns to being softly spoken again, almost immediately, like it's second nature. Or is this something he has simply learned from being around Raphael for so long?

If Raphael does give you a third chance, guess what? So does Haarlep. You can lie to him (though exposed instantly), and then outright tell him you refuse to tell him why you're there, and he gives you the final chance:

Obviously, fantastic that the player can really choose what they want to do, but there's also been far quicker battles in game. Haarlep really is trying to get that information from you (and your soul no doubt). If we wanted to delve deeper (I did say what ifs!), we could also question if this is just Haarlep being playful or lazy. Does he really care to go to the effort to kill, or would he rather just get some useful information? Is he threatening the player so he can just be done with his game, have sex with the player and let them leave so he can just add their glamour to the collection? Who knows! It's all under speculation.

Haarlep's health in battle, if you choose to fight him, is also 169, whereas DnD monster manual has them at 66HP. Haarlep is a stronger incubus, and at 169HP, it's much greater! Again, is this scaled up just due to game mechanics? Or something else? Makes sense by the time you delve into the HoH, a HP of 66 isn't that challenging anymore. I did do a little hc post about my thoughts HERE. Funnily enough, there was also THIS about Haarlep being titled as a courtesan.

Moving on to if you tell Haarlep the truth about why you're there. I find his response here to be very interesting, especially in the way he seems to drop the sensuality for a moment. The thoughtfulness and pause to Haarlep as he likely recognises who you are now.

The facial expression changes also, to something more concerned looking. Of course, this could all be a facade, especially as we know that Haarlep absolutely gives you the Hammer if you're willing to sleep with them.

Not the usual plucky, jovial Haarlep that is being seen, but a moment of thoughtfulness as the creature no doubt ponders what the next move could be. Perhaps Haarlep is even contemplating what Raphael would do if things were out of his control? If Tav was killed.

I often DO wonder how Raphael would react if the game ended where Haarlep killed the PC. Would he be furious that his means to get the crown is entirely fucked now? Would he just go that's frustrating but I'll get it another way? Haarlep, no doubt, would be in a lot of trouble, but it seems that either Haarlep doesn't actually care (because he knows Raphael can't really resist him anyway), or he might just get the crown another way.

Whatever the case, Haarlep does seem to entirely underestimate the powers of Tav an Co, because he attacks them if you don't comply, and I doubt he thought even if they DID get the Hammer, they weren't going to get through Raphael (Haarlep likely is playing his own game, in where yes, sure you can take the Hammer now that I have gotten what I wanted, but that doesn't mean you'll be able to leave). Once the Hammer is taken, the entire HoH becomes hostile, meaning Haarlep LIKELY knew this, and didn't think you were going to actually kill his master.

IS he outright betraying Raphael, or is he just... shortsighted? All of this is entirely up to speculation of course, but Haarlep would 110% be aware of the fact that Raphael is the son of Mephistopheles, and there is no denying that Raphael is the HARDEST boss battle of the entire game, even if you CAN power shot him with your super builds. There is no denying that Raphael's boss battle is difficult, and he would be considered one of the most powerful fights in the entire game (which is so insane to think about since you can SKIP the entire thing or just outright MISS it). So why WOULDN'T Haarlep think that Tav and co would get fucked by him in a fight, when Haarlep has likely witnessed Raphael's wrath and fury before? When we speak of this betrayal from Haarlep, there's no telling that his actual intentions were.

So... was Haarlep being a typical devil, scheming and getting what he wanted just to win both ways by believing Raphael would have bested Tav and friends (even if it didn't turn out that way in the end)? Or was he betraying Raphael because he just didn't care? OR, a third option, was he making sure Raphael wouldn't get the crown because his true master is Mephistopheles? By stealing the Hammer, there was no deal that Raphael would GET the crown in turn. There's so many things we could assume and guess, but the fact is... we don't know, because Larian never told us, and that's okay! Because that's what fanfiction is for.

As we move the scene along, Haarlep finally introduces himself. We all know that Haarlep is an anagram for Raphael, which in itself is fascinating. Where did Haarlep get the name? WHO named him? Is Raphael so in love with himself that he named his personal incubus after himself? Was it Mephistopheles? As some kind of joke? Was it Haarlep themselves? What does interest me is is how Haarlep explained that he's not just glamoured as Raphael's image, but he's transfigured. I feel like this makes it something more permanent, or even as a base setting.

I love the idea of True Form Haarlep, personally (and it is my general go to with my writing), but I DID say what if's above, and this is one of them. What if Haarlep HAS no true form? What if his form is now FIXED as Raphael as a base form (we know he can still take on other forms since yours and Haarlep says out loud he has a collection), but what IF? What IF? We just don't know...

I wanted to delve into this line next, because someone pointed out something interesting which I actually wanted to delve into deeper with it:

You might be going "no you're not, you don't look like Raphael as he does now". Well, you are correct. However, I do have a theory behind this as well. As we know in canon lore, cambions generally stop ageing in their 20's. Funnily enough... Haarlep looks around that age, which is where I personally headcanon that they first met and first slept together, when Haarlep was gifted to Raphael. That's not to say Haarlep can't change to Raphael's current, more mature, visage (or even his human form). But when Haarlep says he's the PERFECT copy, I do feel like there's some burn to that, that Raphael is reminded that HE has aged and is no longer that perfect resemblance of what he once was.

There's also a fannon theory going around that Raphael's more mature look is actually a farce, and that he uses it to appear more mature to get souls, etc. That's a really interesting take, and I love it (how manipulative of him and that works!), but my personal headcanons? Raphael is no mere cambion. Raphael is the son of Mephistopheles, and we know nothing about his mother (as mother's die at childbirth). She could have been anyone! Mephistopheles is an Archdevil, and Mephisto also looks more middle aged in most of his pics. It makes sense to me that Raphael would age more compared to other cambions simply because of his more potent bloodline and the fact that he is the son of someone so powerful. This could be a symbol of something amongst devilkind even. We know that Antilia (Raphael's half sister and Mephisto's daughter), though pretty no doubt, is described to look a lot like Mephisto.

So, my theory is that Haarlep is the appearance of Raphael when they FIRST had sex, and when he first consumed Raphael's glamour, and he wears it proudly, and no doubt Raphael keeps Haarlep around like that as a reminder of how youthful and beautiful he was. I'm not saying Raphael isn't a silver fox (he is), and Raphael still considers himself attractive, but it's like looking at your younger self when you've lost some of that edge, and you wish you could be there again. It's almost torment, which... just fits with devils, especially Raphael being such a complex character.

Some people have pointed out that there are some different structures within Haarlep and Raphael's face. Yes, there are. These are actually the things that change with age. The most obvious to me, is the ears. Raphael's are larger. This is legitimately something that happens with age. So is the structure and plumpness of cheeks (as someone who works in healthcare, these are things I see every day with patients). Even myself if I look at a pic of me 10 years ago.

(If I could mod, I would get the same screencap to compare, but for now...)

All things that come with age are (within humans):

Larger ears, wrinkles, less fat around the face and skin that becomes less plump and taut, (particularly cheeks, chin and eyes), and the thinning of lips and complexion paling. These are all exactly what Raphael has in comparison to Haarlep.

A little note on Raph's nose is that the distortion COULD be caused by changes in cartilage over the years, OR... it could be someone punched Raph in the face and it permanently got fucked after he'd been with Haarlep (whatever the case, it's still beautiful!). I still like to think someone punched him tho >.> lol.

You're looking at at least... 20 odd years between these two, tho. Raphael is said to look middle aged (in his 50's), and Haarlep, to me, looks about... 26-28 with those small wrinkles at his forehead and crows feet when he smiles?

I can't say the technical details of who designed this in game? But they did a phenomenal job on what they actually aged (or deaged for Haarlep's encounter). I have no idea if they simply used that technology on Raph's original form or what they did for Haarlep, but it's damn good.

I won't go into Raphael's sexuality in this post because it'll add too much to it, but I DO want to in the future. But moving on to Haarlep once you agree to sleep with them. What does interest me is that Haarlep wants to make sure that you're comfortable during the act, which is when the Archduchess comes to play.

Now... this one makes me question a little (and please fill me in as I don't know all DnD lore!). I do understand that incubus/succubus can be seen as interchangeable, and I do understand that once they have a glamour, they can wear it whenever, but I'm not certain about taking on a shape that... doesn't exist? Someone like Orin, who can shift into whoever she pleases on a whim without having lain with them, is that something that incubus share as well, but that brings in the question why bother sleeping with someone to take their glamour if you don't need to (outside of the fact that they are beings of sex ofc)?

Haarlep speaks about how they're adding your glamour to their collection and that's basically what they are getting out of this little transaction of yours. This is provided with the following prompts:

This gives the impression that Haarlep requires you to actually verbally VOW that he can have your body... that he can add it to his glamour...

Is that the case, or is Haarlep simply using you and playing games because they WANT to hear you say it? Is this devilry at its finest? Or does an incubus literally require permission to gain that glamour? Like the victim is literally giving up a part of themselves in some wicked contract?

So, please... let me know how it works with Raphael's Archduchess form, OR was this simply something Larian threw in there so the player could feel more comfortable with a choice of female or male? I would love to delve more into this, because I REALLY am curious about how the hell Haarlep got a female version of Raphael, or was this something the devs just thought "We'll give them an option".

Personally, I just feel like without that knowledge, I can't see it outside of a "let's just chuck that in there so they have another option and say Raph is curious at times". But please, please let me know if you do! Some devils of Baator CAN change sex on a whim, but by disrupting the order of the Hells, they are actually punished if they do it, even tho it's entirely allowed and absolutely a-okay to do! The laws of Baator are just very stringent. Being a creature of sex, maybe it's different for incubus and succubus?

Also just a note here, you can call Haarlep he, she, or they. The Narrator, in game characters, all use he when Haarlep is male, she when Haarlep is the Archduchess, and they during some of the Narrator's comments.

Speaking of glamours, though, it has been deciphered what Haarlep's harness says in Infernal, and it says "1000 lover's in 1 body" (link to reddit).

Some people have theorised that this is part of the secret contract that Haarlep was under. Personally... I think it's for nothing but Haarlep to gloat about in the Hells. I think it's entirely an aesthetic and prideful thing and nothing more. We know the devs have scribbled infernal on contracts and it literally says nothing (looking at Raphael's lol), it's all weird junk and silly things, so it's no surprise that they've written something like this on the harness Haarlep wears. Some little inside joke, but also a boast for Haarlep.

Raphael clearly likes to see himself wearing skimpy clothes, so maybe it's even to please Raphael. Maybe it's Raphael knowing that Haarlep has slept with that many others while wearing his face? Who knows. But personally, I really don't think there is anything significant when it comes to this, it's just a good little bit of humour added into the game.

During the sex scene, you will notice that Haarlep's eyes begin to glow throughout the rest of the encounter. I also find this fascinating, and I think it likely comes down to arousal or the power of the act, which when taking the glamour, would be a form of magic or corruption.

Pre sex:

During / post sex:

They are significantly brighter, and remain that way throughout the rest of the encounter. So, could it be the use of charm? Could it be arousal? Could it be the corruption and taking your body? Either way, it's something that I found interesting and I wanted to put here also.

Once the act is done, we get back down to business. This is where you can ask if Raphael is any good in bed. Of course, this is a whoooole debate amongst the fandom, and honestly, I don't think it needs to be taken so seriously. You've got to remember, Haarlep is an incubus, someone that is forged from lust and sex, and has likely slept with waaaaay more people than Raphael (especially if we take it literally when Haarlep says Raphael only wants to sleep with himself). That's a whole different topic, though, and this is Haarlep not even elaborating, just laughing and saying "no". But you're never going to get as good in the sack as an incubus, that likely knows all the trades. This isn't just a skill, it's INSTINCT for someone like Haarlep. Even if Raphael WAS bad in bed, though... what's the big deal? Who cares? I actually think it's something that makes Raphael more realistic, because he has a flaw and someone else is better at something than him. Good, make him feel vulnerable, let him be reminded, and perhaps that is also why Haarlep is kept around, so Raphael can imagine the incubus' prowess as his OWN whilst he wears his face.

Back to where Haarlep could be seen as potentially betraying Raphael by pointing you into the direction of the Orphic Hammer. Once again, like mentioned above yonder (this is getting long), there's no telling where this is coming from. Is this a betrayal? Is this Haarlep being short sighted and not really thinking Tav and Co could kill Raphael once he came back, knowing that the HoH was rigged to attack the moment the Orphic Hammer was taken? Interesting how Haarlep disappears amidst the chaos as well.

There's no saying what Haarlep was thinking, it's all speculation and guessing games, which fits perfectly with a devil, tbh. He's a scheming little shit, just like everyone else in the Nine Hells. Makes perfect sense to me that we don't know his true intentions. Plus, it's literally a 10 minute interaction. You can't possibly understand someone with a 10 minute interaction, you can only guess and assume.

What I do find a little funny is the following:

So we have Haarlep saying that Raphael hides NOTHING from him, and can't (likely because Haarlep wears his face and potentially uses charm on him to get what he wants), but also...

Haarlep gives you the key. To. The. Safe. The safe that he doesn't know what sits inside it... (bullshit).

He literally pulls it out of his arse and just hands it to you. Flat out. So how did Haarlep get the key? Why does HE have access to it? But doesn't know what's inside the safe? Definitely bullshit. He knows what's inside it, and Raphael, who has every door locked and invitations required and a ritual to get inside his house etc... just... hands his safe key to Haarlep? Or doesn't realise Haarlep has stolen it and keeps a copy?

Either way, this line about Raphael telling him everything indicates that Haarlep and Raphael talk to each other. Which, of course they do. They have been sharing a bed for who knows how long?

The reason why I have come to it being over a thousand years of being with each other goes back to Haarlep having Raphael's much younger glamour. Raphael is 2000+ years, as we know thanks to his comment about Karsus' Folly and how he was there to see it.

Haarlep likely came after, after he raged about the Crown, and when Mephistopheles realised that his son was ambitious and wanted power. 1000+ years is a long time to share your bed with someone and not grow some sense of comfort within that company. Even without realising it or admitting it (or even being in denial), Raphael is still a half human and half devil, those weaker natures, those human natures, he no doubt falls to every now and again, no matter how much he detests and attempts to refuse it. Company is company, and if anything, this is the sort of company that feels like it's there for complacency and self gain (not realising the self loss in the process).

I am not saying Haarlep and Raphael love each other. In fact, whatever they share is likely nothing but a mutual benefit from one another somehow (and of course, Haarlep being contracted there). But love is an extremely complex notion, and it's not that simple. I don't think it's yes, and I don't think it's no. I think it's an exceptionally GREY area that has become complacency, comfort, possessiveness, and selfishness. As for Haarlep? Who is a full fiend, tho an incubus of all fiends (master of lust, sensuality, intimacy...), I think Raphael has a greater chance of falling in love than Haarlep does. And that's saying something.

We know for a fact that Haarlep was sent via Mephistopheles, but there's some conflicting dialogue that can feel like Haarlep is "sworn to" Raphael but he's a gift, so who does he really serve?

Whatever the case, I still think that Haarlep is absolutely capable of manipulating Raphael in ways that others can't. Also, if Raphael didn't really care to have Haarlep around, he could just get another incubus to have his glamour and be done with it. Haarlep can change his face to be Raphael, yes, but he can't change his personality that easily. If Raphael really hated Haarlep, he'd just go "be gone" and throw him out the window.

Obviously, as a GIFT from his father... that might hold a little bit of sentimentality to it, especially for someone like Raphael, who is obsessive and possessive of his possessions. Haarlep would be seen as his, and only his.

Then there's the indication that Haarlep is unhappy and hates Raphael as much as any other devil in Baator. Haarlep is jovial in nature, he makes fun of people, including Raphael, his supposed master. I really don't see his end letter as him hating Raphael.

As above with the quote, Haarlep states Raphael can hide nothing from him, and deny him nothing, which pretty much solidifies that Haarlep has him wrapped around his little finger. If anything, Haarlep is the one in control of whatever relationship that they share (whether that's just sexual or not). Raphael still has power, of course, but it's this dynamic that shifts up and down between them, until they are back to the very same place they always end up.

The letter that you see in the epilogue never states anything on Haarlep's feelings towards Raphael. They state what OTHER devils feel. What the letter says is:

The only indication that one might get from this is the term "timely end" when it comes to Raphael's death. I wouldn't say this is an indication of Haarlep detesting the man. Haarlep isn't known for his love, so why would he mourn to a stranger? Why would he care, really? He's a fiend. The death of Raphael meant he was no longer bound to any contract, so it's absolutely opportunistic for him! But opportunity doesn't mean hate.

The entire atmosphere of Haarlep's letter has a sense of superiority around it, which if course it does. It's Haarlep. He's a fancy little snob that thinks he has better taste when he's actually fucking gelugons on a daily basis... Have you seen those things?

I'm more interested in the contract that was bounding him to secrecy. It's never explained more upon. Was Haarlep bound to secrecy to stay within the HoH? Was he bound to secrecy so no one knew him and Raphael had slept together and that Raphael had a personal incubus? Raphael has invitations for others to come into the boudior, so I highly doubt Haarlep was some little secret shame of his. If anything, Raphael seems the sort to boast about getting to have sex with his handsome self.

The only secrecy I can get from this would be the fact that it was a secret Haarlep was keeping from Raphael that he was a spy for Mephistopheles.

Which... let's talk about this spy as well. We don't know the terms and conditions of the contract between Haarlep and Mephisto, all Haarlep claims was that he was sent to "distract" Mephistopheles' naughty son.

Doesn't really mean spy. It CAN mean spy! Absolutely it could mean spy (and the devil's in the details). But if we think about what Haarlep was potentially sending back to Mephisto... why didn't Mephisto do anything? After all, Raphael can't hide anything from Haarlep or deny him anything, and that gives me the impression that Haarlep knows most of what is going on, and if he told Mephistopheles about all of that, I'm pretty sure Mephisto would have a shit fit over the fact that his son is after the crown that has been stolen from his vault.

This is a crown that Mephistopheles KNOWS pissed Raphael off when he took it and locked it away. Raphael tells us that he raged over it for years after it happened. So when the vault was broken into, I'm pretty sure Mephistopheles would have been onto Raphael about it immediately. If Raphael came up empty handed and literally didn't know a damn thing about it, maybe... MAYBE his father would be willing to go "fine, whatever," but this is a very paranoid Archdevil that has killed his own spawn before to better himself. Raphael is no different. He is expendable. He doesn't even live in Cania anymore (HoH is in Avernus), and as far as I can tell, he's keeping all those souls to himself so he can use them to turn into an ascended form (which makes me wonder if he got the idea from his father and Cazador).

So for being a spy... Haarlep is a pretty damn poor one, if you ask me. Haarlep comes off as more of a sloth than someone who is really interested in doing hard work. He wants pleasure and games, and he is content if he has that, but he's also a fiend, and Haarlep is still as selfish as any other devil.

If you kill Haarlep, you can also speak to his corpse, where he will give you the same information just in a different way. He will tell you where the key is, he will explain that Raphael was never on top during their bedroom games, and he will tell you he was sent to distract Raphael from Mephistopheles.

I am absolutely certain I could keep going with this, but I'm running out of juice, lol. Anyway, this is my little (big apparently) analysis of Haarlep's character, and why I write him the way I do.

There is no right and wrong when it comes to this, remember. We ALL have our unique headcanons and opinions on characters, and we see all but 10 minutes or so with Haarlep in a game that lasts over 100 hours of gameplay. There is always room for character growth and development. Just because you don't agree with someone's personal hc doesn't mean they're wrong or you're right.

I would love to delve further into some more headcanons, especially with Raph, his sexuality, and Haarlep and his relationship a little bit more, but for now, this his already gotten long enough, so some small dot points:

Hope says she has been in the boudoir against her own will (which makes me believe Haarlep and her have likely shared a bed--this is apparently triggered if you save Hope before doing anything else).

Haarlep is a top in the bedroom (as provided by his own words when you speak to his corpse)

Haarlep doesn't know of any weakness Raphael has in battle (this is indicated when you speak to his corpse and ask if Raphael has any weaknesses in battle, to which the corpse remains silent and the Narrator says "the corpse does not know"). A really neat hc post about that HERE.

Incubus eat hearts and meat (Haarlep, if you agree to let him devour your soul and body) stated that he will eat your heart.

If Haarlep devours your soul and takes your mind and soul, you do not die, you become a thrall of his to command, which will obey him and "my master" (which makes me think he speaks of Mephisto more than Raphael).

Haarlep can command imps (he summons them if you decide you want to battle)

If I think of more, I will add, I'm tired now, lol. If anything, can y'all appreciate how long this got? :'D

[aerospectrum]

hey I LOVE your writing! Have you thought about writing more about Kayce and Jamie? I feel like they have such an unexplored dinamic on the show. Of all the family relationships theirs is the one with most love and understanding even though they are kinda distant. I also think about how close Jamei and Lee must have been, because they were the ones that really stayed at the ranch (well, Jamie left for college but came back). I have this headcanon that Lee was probably gay and that’s why he never got married. I imagine that he and Jamie would be kinda of confidents, you know?

AHHH that is so kind to say and means so much, thank you so much I am so happy you enjoy my writing I get so anxious somedays, thank you my dude! I know I'm gonna ramble so I'm going to save dash sanity and bring in the readmore!

I would love the opportunity to write more about Kayce and Jamie, I do write them on a few ao3 stories and I love getting to explore their relationship through those stories! I recently got the opportunity to start writing with a multi who writes Kayce and it has been so fun and so great! I love their interpretation and embodiment of him it feels so real and just good man, I have been itching to write with a Kayce for so long so it feels so satisfying and makes me happy. He just has such a cool dynamic for a character, I love it.

I think Jamie and Kayce have a unique bond where Kayce just doesn't give a fuck what the rest of the Dutton family thinks, to him, Jamie is family whether there's shared blood or not. There's that brotherly loyalty and there's this scene where Jamie breaks the glass in the kitchen and starts to scream that he hates John and Kayce catches him in this hug and just like wraps him up and cradles his head and I'm always so caught off-guard by how loving that gesture is. To see your older brother be so discarded and manipulated by the rest of the family for his whole life and then to catch him when he does break, it's so intimately heart-shattering!

The one thing I'd love to change about their relationship aside from the unexplored and unfair distance is this; I think when Jamie finds out it's Garrett behind everything that happens to the ranch and his family I feel like out of all of them he would've told Kayce and I know trauma fucks us all differently, but I think he would've broken down and been like "this was my fault kayce... my father did this to you- he tried to kill your wife and son and it's my fault and I don't know what that makes us... you and me, I don't know if that makes you want to kill me because-- I'm part him and always will be...i'm... i love you, but im sorry, I'm sorry I caused this." because I think if anything kayce would've reassured Jamie "No, you're not any of him at all you didn't cause this, you're my brother and I love you and I'll fix this for you." I hated that Jamie didn't tell Kayce what happened when he found out Garrett had orchestrated the attacks. because Kayce would've understood and he would've given Jamie the clarity and assurance that he wouldn't let John and Beth blame him for it. he would've fought to defend Jamie against them both.

i think I hate Taylor Sheridans force narrative that only blood makes someone family and that jamie being adopted makes him this automatic villain to the family who's innately evil just cuz of who his birth parent was. it's just shitty and spiteful writing imo, but also because personally i'm adopted and my birth dad ain't shit.. but i'm making something of myself even if my adoptive dad doesn't always see me how i wanna be seen as the middle son. I guess I've got some personal trauma of my own tied to these characters lol.

I love that interpretation you have of Lee and Jamie being closest since they both came back or stayed at the ranch, also I am fully here for that headcanon!! I love Lee so much and I'm angry with how they forgot about him after his death. I wanted so much more of him in the show he brought a clarity to the entire family and I miss him aaaahhh justice for the dutton siblings! But I agree I think him and Jamie would've been confidants in that. I love the scenes they had with the guys at the river and the bond they all shared. I loved that Jamie was just so excited to hang out with his brothers again and even him listening to Kayce and Lee argue he was just so happy to be there with them and we all deserved more of that lol.

I think Jamie and Lee shared a bond unlike the rest especially since Lee would've been old enough to know his mother wasn't pregnant and that they brought Jamie home to meet him... I think he would've been a big defender of Jamie growing up and made sure he had a voice in the world for sure. And Jamie knowing Lee was gay and that's why he hadn't married makes so much sense. Just the weight that comes from that in the way they all were raised and the mindsets that they grew up around just makes so much sense- I feel like it's the same for Jamie but beth makes so many harsh remarks about Jamie's sexuality all the time that I don't know if Jamie would've shared the full depth of himself with Lee just out of fear that Beth would overhear and use it against him. So I think he lives with that regret a bit after Lee's death as well. AAAAHHHH I want to write with a Lee so badly I neeeeed to. The dutton siblings have all intrinsically rewired my brain and mutated my dna, i fear there is no recovery lol.

Sorry this go super long and had no end in sight, but I love these kinds of questions and ideas and back and forth headcanon talks, it's my favorite thing thank you so much for sending this in and sharing your thoughts on the guys too, this was so awesome! thank you!

[gumpistol]

   ***trigger warning:  discussion of major character death and mentions of terminal illness and chronic heart disease under the cut

— 𝐋𝐔𝐅𝐅𝐘'𝐒 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐋𝐓𝐇 - 𝐋𝐈𝐅𝐄𝐒𝐏𝐀𝐍 —

   Luffy lives his life to the fullest and recklessly. he pushes himself to the limit, even learning how to manipulate his devil fruit ability to push his body to do things it shouldn't be able to do. he is a living miracle, having survived Magellan's poison, his wound suffered at marineford, his heart literally stopping and restarting during his fight with Kaido, and other countless, near-death moments. so while in the current manga timeline, at the young age of nineteen, Luffy makes miracle recoveries from injuries and exhaustion, it is highly unlikely that he will live a long life. but of course, he hardly cares about that and all the stress placed on his body if it means protecting his friend and achieving his dream. 

   pre-timeskip alone, Luffy puts extreme strain on his body, especially his cardiovascular system.his unchecked use of gear 2 and 3 during enies lobby and thriller bark were noted to be damaging to his health as a whole and chipping away at his life, with Chopper even fearing the worst in the moment of both their use.

   and when treated by Iva's healing hormone during impel down, it’s made known that the energy level required to activate his immune system and fight off the poison is ten years-worth of his life.

   these are just a couple points in which it is directly mentioned how Luffy’s life is periodically being shortened. and while it’s not directly mentioned how it affects his overall health after recovering, the massive damage from the chest trauma wound he received at marineford ( which i plan on outlining the details of soon ), has likely left behind lasting effects that aren’t yet visible or known. so at only 17-years-old, Luffy's body has taken a lot. and this doesn't even begin to touch on the various physical traumas he dealt with while growing up. 

   post-timeskip, he hardly slows down. despite training and technique improvements for gears 2 and 3, Luffy’s new transformations put just as much strain on his body as before, if not more. gear 4 is incredibly exhaustive and nutrient taxing, and leaves Luffy immobile after its use.

   the same goes for a gear 5 transformation. besides the fact that Luffy had to physically die for several minutes before his devil fruit awakened, the use of gear 5 escalates the rate at which energy and nutrients are depleted even more, showing to even physically age Luffy's body temporarily in the aftermath. in addition, Luffy has to consciously change the rhythm of his heartbeat to match the drums of liberation in order to transform, effectively giving himself an irregular heartbeat. i’m sure you might see where i’m going with this, as i mention his heart repeatedly.

   being the intentional spitting image of Roger, and following in his footsteps to become king of the pirates, it's my belief that Luffy won't live to be much older than Roger was at the day of his execution ( 53-years-old ). maybe he'll live a few years longer, but i really don't see Luffy ever reaching the age of 60, especially if there's no point in which an older version of him slows down. it will definitely be a challenge to get him to do so, even if it's recommended.

   i've spoken in part about this with a couple others, but due to the type of internal damage that Luffy has endured, i headcanon that he will develop some sort of heart condition ( which i will go into more detail on a later post ). but whether Luffy ends up slowing and eventually picking an island to settle/retire to, or if he continues his reckless adventuring to the end, has yet to be decided. regardless of how the story goes though, Luffy will die relatively young, and it will likely be from premature heart failure.

[runicaria]

anyone wanna talk about celes being a general at age 18 & possibly earning the ire of others due to both her youth & gender ?? the fact remains that, the very minute she was suspected as a traitor, they decided to chain her up & beat her senseless. the idea that, celes was being considered ( implied in dialogue ) by emperor gestahl to be subjected to breeding with kefka, all to make a supersoldier with incredible magical potential ?? for all of her power, her demeanor & pride ... she was a young girl at the whims of evil men.