Delusional Grant Curly truther

Curly x Reader

Curly ➳ Pre-Crash

» Curly isn’t overtly romantic, but he shows care through consistency. Sitting beside someone during long shifts, wordlessly handing them what they need, remembering small preferences.

» He prefers relationships that don’t demand too much emotional performance. Comfortable silence, shared routines, parallel tasks. He feels safest with someone who doesn’t push him to explain himself constantly.

» Curly subtly positions himself between his partner and danger, standing closer during tense moments, stepping in before arguments escalate. He’d never call it “protecting,” but it’s instinctual.

» Before the crash, Curly dodges conversations about “after” or long-term plans. Not because he doesn’t care, because part of him is afraid that naming a future makes it fragile. He lives in the present with the person he’s with.

➳ Post-Crash

» Post-crash, Curly struggles to believe he deserves affection. If someone stays, he assumes they’re doing it out of obligation. He loves deeply, but it’s tangled with self-blame and shame.

» He won’t admit needing reassurance (well he cant), but he lingers, he stares, normally itd make someone uncomfortable, but your happy hes still alive, after everything.

» When things get too intense, Curly pulls away, not to hurt his partner, but because he thinks distancing himself is “doing them a favor.” He believes his presence is a burden.

» After the crash, relationships become anchors. He survives because someone is still there. If a partner reaches for him first touch, words, forgiveness, it breaks him open in the quietest, most devastating way.

BUT when I saw him initially, I was intrigued by how visceral he looked. I like good gore! Post crush Curly has a great albeit exaggerated design which catches the eye (no pun intended). He's akin to a mascot of the game, you are more likely to remember him than Polle if we're being honest here.

And to me, he's appealing in a way that he is like a wounded, tragic animal: Curly deprived of his autonomy on physical level, not even given a chance to speak. Just his unblinking red eye as a carrier of his tournament, which only enhances our recognition of perceived pain. But it's also a reminder that there's human there, conscious and present. He's arguably one of the most fascinating characters solely because post crash we don't really get to hear what he thinks about the predicament. We get some idea in dlc, but even those lines are kept vague. Instead in the base game he cries, he moans and breathes audibly — those noises, not resembling any words, but the state and emotions Curly goes through. There's a reason why there are theories which suggest that Curly could be a metaphor for the baby, as newborns and Curly share lots of similarities and parallels.

arching spine

brows knitting together / grimacing

clenching teeth together

cold sweats

collapsing to knees

covering the hurting area

crying out / screaming / yelping

disorientation / confusion

doubling over / curling in / stumbling

dropping objects

eyesight blurring / blacking out

flinching / jerking

flushing / going pale/ashy

gasping / hissing

going rigid / tensing up

goosebumps

holding breath and sharply exhaling after

inability to speak / babbling incoherently

lightheadedness

lips pulling back, baring teeth

nausea

nostrils flaring

protective posture

rapid blinking

reaching out for something to hold onto to avoid falling

ringing ears

squeezing eyes shut

tears welling / crying

voice cracking

vomiting