Hii! I have a question for you about your FS!AU (it’s such a cool concept!) does Caine only wear the paper bag? Or would he wear something like a shemagh/headscarf or face mask?
Also bit of an angsty question, was there any part of his face that he focused on when he was going through his dysmorphia and curiosity?
Hello! Thank you for being interested! As for your question:
...does Caine only wear the paper bag? Or would he wear something like a shemagh/headscarf or face mask?
He wouldn't necessarily only wear the paper bag - but it's one of the easiest options. He's known for being ~creative~ after all :]
Maybe as he acclimates longer to humanity, he might get to a level of comfort where he'd be able to wear scarf/something to resemble his teeth, but I imagine it would be a long ways away(if at all, or ever) that he would want to see his eyes. So any headwear that would be able to resemble his digital avatar's set of teeth and eyes would be fair game at that level of development. But I think currently(a year into his humanity) it would be really difficult, even if he wore goggles or something - since I think just having the shape of a human face/head would be upsetting for him. With the paper bag, it's just a 2D drawing, so FS!Caine would be able to completely detach himself from picturing human features beneath.
As in: it removes the feeling of picturing certain placements of human features + the tactile element of having fabric wrapped around the upper brow, around the jaw, etc.
....was there any part of his face that he focused on when he was going through his dysmorphia and curiosity?
The way I pictured the actions he made in reaction to seeing his human face for the first time would be similar to a 3D model artist editting their work. Or loading up a Sims game and realizing the avatar you have to represent yourself is completely wrong, so you start trying to enlarge, remove, peel away, etc.(i'll leave the rest up to your imagination) to fit the avatar to your liking.
He hates having a face entirely, so it's more likely that instead of having specific parts he dislikes, he hates every part for specific reasons:
Ironically, even though Caine's avatar does have eyes and a mouth, I feel like he'd be more aware of those because how different they feel and move. Why is his jaw/teeth movement so limited? How is he supposed to express himself visually? And his eyes aren't equipped for 360 degree viewing either(I think post-ep 9, Caine likely lost some circus power, or respected the cast enough not to use his all-seeing eyes as often anymore, so a small mercy is that he'd be less concerned about losing that ability) . These features are something he recognizes most, but they're uncanny because they aren't the same at all.
Also his nose and ears- "there are sources to my senses now? Oh yeah, senses! That's something I have now, and not something I have control over!" Which is where curiosity stems more from, like testing his ears/eardrums(cupping them, scratching them, and probably much more not-gentle things). And the fact that he can locate and touch them would be something his curiosity would quickly spoil into fear or disgust, just due to it being so foreign and uncontrollable.
His hair and neck: Initially, he wouldn't like it if any hair strands were long enough to brush against his face, finding it a nuisance and overbearing new thing he's in contact with. And I think for FS!Caine, having a neck would have that same "limiting" feeling like his eyes and jaw do, but he's given player avatars necks before. But to actually have one himself? One that if he thinks too hard about, or lays his palm against the front of it - he can feel real air circulating throughout this new body? That it's not an optional process, or an animation to play and mimic humanity anymore - but a necessity that is somehow meant to be muscle memory? Though on a maybe lighter note(not really), I think he'd also be curious to how far he could push himself(either with putting pressure/choking/holding his breath, etc.)
....AND MORE!!! But really, he did have to go through some intense rehab to be able to even feign being relatively adjusted, so the sky's the limit to what you can imagine how he feels :"] hopefully I didn't ramble too much and that answer could satisfy a bit of your curiosity!
