Okay, Hank is super emotionally intelligent and self-aware, right? (Even if he refuses to use that emotional intelligence, he still has it) He knows himself for what he is, he understands what he's doing to himself, he just doesn't care

But then Connor coming along and needing someone to take care of him MAKES him care

So this self-aware emotionally intelligent man, after the Revolution, just goes "Well, it's time I guess, gotta look after Connor after all" and just starts going through the process of slowly cutting back until he's not drinking at all anymore. Like. I think Connor believes that he's the one who had to convince Hank to do it, but in Hank's head he'd already just decided and started doing it himself without any prompting from Connor

Hank is SO funny to me man

But not necessarily in the same situations a human would pant/breathe hard, so it's sort of human but not human at the same time

First off Hank's ex, I totally a million% understand why people protray them as having an ideal marriage that only fell apart after Cole died, because it makes the tragedy THAT much more tragic, but it honestly doesn't come off that way to me

Hank is completely distraught and devastated about his son, but he's not distraught or devastated about his ex. She never comes up in the game, we only know she exists at all because of a singular sticker. This sticker is what originally made me think it wasn't a good marriage to begin with: "If I wanted to be ignored I'd talk to my ex-wife" doesn't sound ideal to me. And that's not a problem that comes from your son dying either. Plus, Hank is so destroyed by Cole's death all traces of him are removed from his house and his workplace except for a single framed photo he usually keeps hidden away (implied), he doesn't have like jokes about losing a kid on stickers. So if his wife leaving him was tied to what happened to Cole, I don't think he'd have a sticker making a joke about it? And I think if she was important to him he would talk about her and we'd see some of that pain too. In my opinion, Cole was Hank's entire world at the point in time when he lost him. He and his ex may have been separated or even already divorced before Cole ever died

Next up, Gavin. This one's less controversial thankfully

Now I LOVE the headcanon that Hank, this man who is a father in his soul and literally can't help but parent the people around him, took Gavin under his wing when Gavin was a rookie (and did the same to all the rookies :3). You just know their height difference would only make Hank even MORE paternal. It also makes the way Gavin treats him at the time of the game THAT much worse as well, plus what it says in the gallery about Gavin's crusading vendetta against Hank in general

But just... look, Gavin's a jerk and an asshole, alright? But is he enough of an asshole to harrass and publicly humiliate a grieving father? Even with the headcanon that Hank took Gavin under his wing aside, if they never really knew each other at all, would Gavin harass and publicly humiliate a coworker (actually his boss) who he watched deal with the most devastating personal tragedy a person can ever endure and sink into alcoholism as a coping mechanism and then make FUN of him for it??? I honestly don't think so, one-note as he is in the game. I always assumed Gavin had transferred to that precinct within the last couple of years, and he actually DOESN'T know about Cole. He just sees this guy constantly drunk/hungover at work, never showing up on time, sometimes never showing up at all, and Fowler always just lets him get away with it. That to me makes a LOT more sense for why Gavin would hate Hank than the other way

These are the two main ones, maybe I'll ramble again another time but I just feel like nobody else in the fandom really sees these two things the same way as I do and I wanted to get this out there to anyone who's gonna read my fics because this will be the way it is in my writing

edited by me, original photo: credits

i've been listening to the neighbourhood a lot lately and all the songs from i love you seem very applicable to Connor. but especially this song. it captures the fear of being replaced and disposed of so beautifully, and i think it's one of Connor's biggest fears.

he's disturbed by the fact that every time he dies or fails, he could be replaced. is there any inherent worth for him? Amanda is encouraging him, coddling his ego and gaslighting him about being unique and strong and yet she refuses to accept when he's not strong enough. this dynamic made Connor doubt his self-worth, and he struggles to accept that he's just as worthy of identity, meaningful relationships and freedom, even after deviating.