Hey Gachiakuta Tumblr™, I've got a headcanon abt Rudo that totally isn't me projecting my own autism onto him in the slightest that I wanna throw at y'all...
I think Rudo would absolutely LOVE puppets if he ever came across them
This is long, buckle up
He believes that objects have souls and feelings and are alive in their own way, he would 100% apply that to puppets and it would probably be harder on them because they can ACTUALLY be brought to life
If a mask that resembled a human face being thrown away was enough to get to him, imagine how he would feel if he saw something capable of being brought to life, literally made to be a companion, abandoned for the smallest reason
I really relate to Rudo and his personification of objects. Puppets are my biggest special interest and people will totally think I'm crazy for how much I love them and how much life I think they have. They feel as real to me as people, even when I'm operating one I kinda forget that I'm the one doing the work and my brain goes "Yeah, my hand is right there but so is my friend :)" and doesn't make the connection for some reason. I have several secondhand puppets that are in fantastic condition that weren't being given life anymore. I recently found this ballerina doll that someone had strung to be a marionette at an antique store, and I felt instantly maternal as soon as I processed what she was. She was hidden between other items, she was dirty, her tutu was in tatters, and she was all tangled up in her strings and looked so uncomfortable. My heart just broke for her, I needed to get her out of there, and I did. I took her home and am going to make her new clothes and learn how to make her dance once more. Being able to breathe life into old puppets again fills me with so much joy, my heart breaks that they were left lifeless for so long before I met them. I feel a sense of gratefulness from them when they move for the first time in God knows how long. If you wanna get a better idea about my feelings towards puppets, my favorite Junji Ito story is House of Puppets. Enough said, I think/silly
Now you look me in the eye and tell me that little guy wouldn't be at LEAST similar. You tell me his little heart wouldn't break into a million fucking pieces if he saw something made to be brought to life tossed away over the smallest thing
I also think he would make puppets and things for them if he knew he could. Puppets can be made from ANYTHING. The very first Kermit was made from Jim's mother's old coat and ping-pong balls, Rowlf's head was literally a basketball cut in half. I've made several puppets from secondhand materials and literal trash. I made a marionette out of a Twinkies box and yarn, I turned multiple skirts that didn't fit me into dresses for one of my puppets, I was given a wig someone couldn't style and used it for a puppet, someone gave me an old Halloween goat mask that I'm going to use for the head of a puppet, I have two puppets whose bodies are made of old clothes I sewed together and stuffed, the list goes on! I think he would definitely turn stuffed animals into puppets or make trash into puppets, as well as make accessories for them
Another reason I hc he would love them is because he had nobody except Regto and Chiwa growing up, and he constantly had to fear if people would understand him or not... that wouldn't be the case with puppets. They're saviors to lonely bullied children who feel thrown away by society. I can see him using them for communication with Regto to better understand his emotions as well. Being able to compartmentalize them and project them onto something that both of them can interact directly with probably would've really helped him. He was just an angry little kid and couldn't truly process why, and I think he would've benefitted from using them in a therapeutic way (Source: Trust me bro)
Lastly, I believe the aspect that he's creating life with his hands would definitely be a huge part of his passion. Rudo is disabled. He has chronic pain, his gloves are his disability aids, regardless if Kei Urana intended him to be Disabled™. And I also have chronic pain in my hands! Sometimes puppeteering does hurt, but that doesn't stop me because the joy of bringing something to life is much greater than the physical pain. I can take a part of my body that hurts and bring things to life with it, it makes me feel like my body has a purpose other than just wallowing in pain. My pain drains me of my life and my energy, so imagine how it feels to be able to make other things feel frankly more alive than me. So, from my lived experience as a person with chronic hand pain, I think Rudo would find immense joy in being able to physically breathe life into objects with hands that have caused him so much pain physically, societally, and mentally
Uuuuhhhhhh yea that's pretty much it! If you read this far tell me what you think each of the cleaners' favorite Muppets would be, no wrong answers 👍
