#also i do not interpret them as ''equally toxic'' and dont trust those who do

[hatgame]

I do love going through your tags to read the backlog of thoughts you have on snatcher so if hes not asked?

he has not been! i am grateful for your interest.

any pronouns & unlabeled everything lol

a very uncommon opinion i have is that he finds great but self harming and maladaptive comfort in the cellar and blizzard stages of his life.

to base this:

something ive seen a lot but disagree with is the claim that after their death they gained control, going as far as to become lowkey power hungry and enjoy and crave being treated as an authoriy. living its truth as a spooky spirit and generally being content with this life.

hat(and bow?) kid kind of pokes fun at that by calling him a tsundere and a big softy, but i never thought of it as her seeing him as a literal tsundere. she saw something he doesnt want to be viewed as and went with it to gain the strongest reaction, even if only in theory, while really meaning she doesnt think his behavior is sincere. this might look like im putting words in her mouth but i just genuinely always assumed this was the intention. its pretty in character, too - shes mischevious and childishly malicious at times. i think its fits. i also only bring this up because itll be important later

with the blizzard still present around vanessas manor, ice covering the subcon well from the inside and chunks of ice randomly forming around the forest i believe its fair to say it did not vanish on its own and is instead actively suppressed by something. considering snatcher provides an array of services to the subconites (granting them bodies, likely supervising the new vilages construction, maintaining community important structures via contractually obligated mortals - none of her contracts benefit her directly. they resemble community service far more, which is remarked on by hat/bow kid in her diary) it wouldnt be too far of a stretch to come to the conclusion its by his efforts the blizzard is contained - not to mention when first encountered he tells hat/bow she needs her to take care of "some other things, that i cannot do myself..." implying there ARE things it can and does get done! and its for the blizzards suppression specifically i believe it steals and absorbs souls.

(newer content typically has them claim they hate chores and use minions for everything which i choose not to take into account due to most of said content severely contradicting his main game appearance writing wise. i also think there was something that justified treating it as an unreliable narrator but i cant recall what exactly so i wont be using that argument to defend myself here. so, source: trust me)

this places snatcher in the place of a damage suppressor for the blizzard. this, if on its own, while an interesting dynamic, isnt much more than that. its effect on snatcher as a person is unknown. that is, unless you take his backstory into account.

the blizzard is typically interpreted to exist a result of vanessas actions and unlikely but possibly continued efforts, but i personally would claim its an extension of her, similarly to how the snatcher is an extension of the prince: its her soul and personal apocalypse externalized. its her.

in this way, snatcher, even after his death, is forced into a relationship with her ghostly presence infusing and dilluting subcon where it must expose itself to and suppress her. its a dehumanizing and horrible position to be in. something to note is that in the subcon layer of the tour rift snatchers tree is shown beneath the village, coveted in frost. it always was a deeply haunting thing to me, and now i realize it can be used as further proof that the village can only really exist at the price of snatcher enduring constant violence behind the scenes. i used to say this very likely acts as a parallel to princes and princess vanessas relationship before realizing its not a parallel, its an extension of it. its almost like he never left.

the only opportunity he ever got from the constant pressure and obligation to keep up a notably insincere appearance, being used as a tool to keep something that feels larger than anything it could ever be in check, was when he was abandoned to fall apart in vanessas cellar. he even calls it home once. ("this captain guy is great! his nasty smell and dead eyes remind me of home..")

i will be honest, im mixed on to what degree he is aware of any of this, in the timeframe of the ingame events at least, but if he does come to the conclusion hes been going in circles i dont doubt hed start craving the only place defined by the lack of vanessas presence.

i have a lot more to say such as why he initially chose to leave the cellar, what he thinks vanessas opinion on him is, or how exactly the subconites factor into their recovery, which is fully possible btw, but thats it for now. thanks for reading, now you have a bit more context to my art

if hes feeling affectionate towards her it might also wish to wander in the blizzard again.. since its an extension of her, its kind of the closest they can possibly get, literally residing inside her soul while still remaining isolated and staying out of her reach and sight. its also invasive creepy and miserable and completely erases all boundaries between the two of them