Headcanons tiodm, hc from personal experience (bc why not) and two ocs
Hi. I wanted to share some hc and ideas (I’m so nervous 😖). I love this game so much since I discovered it! because the friendship of the main character reminds me too much of one I had, it’s soo similar, even the emotional codependency (and being shipped bc of how close we were, ironically), I’m Howard, she was Phil, so unfortunately I just can’t ship them bc of it so no hc for that 😞, but you’re free to take my ideas so this community grows! 😋 I’ll also add some hc based on experience on emotional codependency (never thought it would be useful for something 😅). I also made some pencil drawings based on some of these hc, I'll post them later. Hope my english is good, here we go:
• I think Phillip might have adopted Howard into the friendship, as its common between introverts and extroverts. Howard was the follower and Phillip the leader when they were young. Wherever Phil went, Howard went.
• Phil has a weird side but its either a mostly socially accepted one or he hides it well (unlike Howard, who is too obviously weird with his rhymes). Its through this he connected with Howard first.
• Howard was, probably, too self-conscious during his teenage years because of his difference, Phillip probably talked for him a lot and protected him. Once in college though, in a place where people cared more about intelligence and grades and didn’t have time to worry about other people’s business, he adopted a more indifferent attitude, shielding himself with his brilliant mind, but deep down, he’s still insecure ‘cause he knows people still think him slow and strange and he’s still discriminated (like Morose, who didn’t give him the job because of his way of talking, and I don’t think he was the first nor the last one)
• Phillip is the most extrovert and could make more friends, but my theory as to why in game no one else seems to worry for his lack of response, nor is anyone else mentioned besides Howard, is that, after Katie’s death, Phillip pushed people away and his obsession towards curing all diseases and maybe even death, made him unapproachable. Only Howard could understand and connect with his grief and was smart enough not to fall behind in that quest of scientific research.
• I think Howard’s emotional codependency isn’t helped by the fact that Phil is the only constant in his life since childhood and the only one he could honestly consider his family after his mother’s death, adding to that, his oddness probably made it difficult for him to make friends.
• The ugly side of emotional codependency in friendship I think happened more than once by experience. When he saw Phil with other people, making friends, Howard must have felt an ugly mix of emotions: envy, which was in itself also a mix between jealousy at how easily he made friends and jealousy over him because he was HIS best friend and they can’t take him away and are stealing the time they spend together. Then fear about losing his only good friend and being left behind and alone, and loneliness is something he hasn’t learn how to face. Finally shame, because he knows deep down that Phil has a right to have other friends, people who are better and normal and wouldn’t limit him like he does, better friends because they don’t have these ugly feelings hiding in their hearts.
• Howard put his hand in the flower, though, in my hc, in the end he didn’t need them because he survived all the dangers of the island, it did leaved a few scars in his hand for using them. Phil still doesn’t understand why he did this.
• Howard and Phillip’s friendship is much healthier now.
• Angelique put in writing that her Medicinal Research lab would hire based on merit and what they could do and NEVER discriminate for things outside the person’s control like speech patterns, sex, etc. Howard cried when he saw this.
• Nessie is obviously the lab’s pet and never goes hungry.
• There were side effects to facing an Elder God and having all knowledge shove into your head. Normally, Howard can’t remember all of that, his subconscious does though, but when he’s in an altered state of mind, like in the hospital, after his leg was treated and he was given many pain medications during those first few days, he had brief moments were he was fully connected to this knowledge and would say things that would sound like nonsense to most people, immediately after, he would return to normal just to be hit by the aftereffects of this connection, such as nausea, nosebleeds, dizziness and general weakness, he would also not remember what he had seen and said under that state. It worried Phil and Angelique, who didn’t understand what had happened when he faced that God nor what it entailed. It took Howard many months before he spoke about it and there are still some things he saw that he reserved to himself.
• About the subconscious thing, Howard just knows things, from time to time he even sees images of events that will happen, the most annoying thing is when he gets an earworm of catchy songs that won’t exist for many decades. At first, because he feared they would think him crazy, he decides to be cryptic about it, but after being saved from minor to major incidents by his weird remarks, Phil and Angelique decided to confront him while assuring him they believe him, which makes Howard feel much better about this new weird side of him.
• Another major side effect is related to all his descendants. Like it happens in Lovecraft stories, being anywhere close to these deities (worse if you're "touched" by them) can lead to a family curse (or a “blessing” that feels like a curse to a human). In Howard’s case, all his descendants are more susceptible to anything related to these other beings and dimensions, they either attract it or are attracted to it, but is mostly minor stuff and almost never an end of the world event like their predecessor, situations like making friends with that weird painter or musician, accidentally acquiring a weird book, stopping by a strange seaside town with strange fish looking people or going in a scientific expedition to Antarctica that ended badly for everyone but them, but this is counteracted by them also inheriting Howard’s weirdness that protects them from the madness, so they get out in one piece, at least mentally.
• Because of this, Howard starts to collect things that he just knows will one day be useful to one of his descendants.
• Knowledge the cat must have grown fond of Howard, at least, that’s what Phil thinks, because he not only appears there to help his descendants, but he also send messages to Howie through them, which are still partly therapy, but also partly rage bait. Once Howard gets over his fear for his children after realizing they are protected by his weird genes or whatever he has, he mostly rages over those messages. Still, deep down Howard is grateful towards that cat for looking over his children, even if he probably does it because he gets some fun out of it, in fact, when he’s close to his end, he follows his subconscious and goes out, finding Lucky's bar and the cat, they spend the night just talking and playing one last time.
⭐This is a small next gen OC, a small version to share, still not sure if I should share the full one with the drawings of them:
• Carter Plunkett is one of the grandsons, based on my favorite character Randolph Carter, who’s the most similar to his grandfather, but with no Phil or friends in general, and more reserved. He saw many seuss worlds and similars through dreams, he longs to travel them all and feels disconnected to his own. Tries to be normal for many years. He’s closer to his grandpa, mother and little sister. He idolized Howard and stole his hat so many times he was gifted a similar one. Once he reaches 30, he’s done trying, he manages to find Knowledge’s bar and finds a way to leave with him, becoming a traveller of worlds.
• Sarah Plunkett, Carter’s little sister. She’s closer to him than to her first brother, and also considers him her first best friend. Howard has a soft spot for her because she looks like his mom, just younger and with more energy. After Carter’s disappearance, she’s the one who took it the hardest, to the point Howard worries himself sick, for he’s always worried that she might meet a tragic end like her great-grandmother. She does end up getting involved with a cult in her new workplace that makes her the first descendant to face an apocalyptic event like Howard, in this adventure, she also gets to say goodbye and let go of her brother and best friend.
❤️ Hope it sounds good and someone like it? Idk...
