i like to think that when cartman gets older he calms down a bit so very rarely he talks about his emotions with his bf's ofc he has to add fucked up jokes in there cuz hes well...cartman
After Cartman died at 65, Kyle at some point cuts all his long thick hair off until he has a buzz cut and shaved his beard. It was a little bit shocking and concerning for Stan but he also could understand Kyle was depressed and it got difficult to maintain his hair. Instead of brushing out all the knots he just whacked it off. But he mostly did it for catharsis.
Some headcannons about adult Cartman and the way he socializes with others
Cartman is extremely complicated so get comfortable this is very long.
When Heidi Turner died of an overdose he blamed himself for her addiction even though he didn't directly cause it. But in his mind he absolutely did. This gradually caused him to become significantly more closed off from people. At his 30s nearly ended his life from the guilt and he's scared of someone else dying like Heidi did because of his carelessness.
Cartman comes across and cold and reserved around others and can be a little harsh with his coworkers at the cat shelter sometimes. He's a little closed off not because he's afraid of getting hurt he's afraid of hurting other people by letting them care about him and invest a relationship with him. So he avoids being close with others and generally he's a bit of a perfectionist which can make him irritable if someone is doing a task at work.
At the cat shelter he's a weird case to other people. He's a stand offish man who's mentally ill and disabled. He can be quiet and lack sympathy on good days and he snappy and irritated on bad ones. However he's exceptionally well at handling and caring for the most angry hissy old cats without hurting them. He's gentle and patient with orphaned kittens who need to be fed milk. He's good with animals, but not a people person.
This is why when Kyle started reaching out to him his immediate reaction is to get away from him and drive him away. The only reason he doesn't completely follow his instinct to push him away is his therapist trying to work on his social skills and forming healthy relationships that aren't destructive. So Cartman take up his offers to talk and meet up at placed to catch up with each other. Cartman is spending time with him sure but he's still keeping Kyle at arms length and acts aloof. However Kyle is willing, no, determined to play the long game with Cartman and get close with him again. Months pass and little by little he's getting closer to Cartman again. Kyle repeatedly affirms that he's not gonna give up on him. He's not trying to fix Cartman per-say, he's just giving Catman the opportunity to become friends again and he's never going to deny that from him anytime soon. But ultimately it's Cartman's choice to change his behavior towards people.
When Cartman comes to a Channukah party he was invited to, Cartman stays in a corner and doesn't talk to anyone. Kyle tries to get closer and understand why he's being so asocial. Cartman respongs to his generosity and loyalty by blowing up at him with accusations and anger. Kyle argues back until he realizes Cartman is scared of Kyle's kindness because that kind of vulnerability scares him and he hates himself too much too let people care. So he goes against all logic and instinct in his brain to just leave Cartman alone and end it, and he pulls Cartman into a hug. He admits he forgives Cartman and Cartman is so stuck in this perception that he's a bad person that he refuse to belief and accept his forgiveness. Then Kyle tells him he doesn't have a choice. Kyle knows what he's doing is stupid to everyone else close to him but Kyle is just as stubborn to stay as Cartman is to drive Kyle away. When Cartman realizes Kyle isn't giving up so easily Cartman raises his white flag. Cartman let's himself be held and be vulnerable with Kyle.
After that Cartman finally let Kyle into his life and open up to him. He's only open to Kyle though. It takes months to be at least a little more patient with his coworkers but he's still closed off from them. He doesn't know how to feel about Stan because he knows how much Stan still hates him and he would rather just avoid the people he's hurt altogether. He refuses to interact with them without their complete consent with building a relationship with him. For awhile Kyle was his exception because Kyle was stubbornly attatched. For a couple years Stan reciprocated Cartman's avoidance and resented him. But as Stan saw Kyle become happy in his relationship with Cartman he starts to let his defenses down and give Cartman a chance. Cartman continued to respect his space, but didn't refuse him if he wanted to hang out quietly with he and Kyle. Cartman started to open up to him as Stan warmed up to him and wanted to understand what Cartman had been through and even share what he's been through too. Then they both became friends again and become very close.
When Cartman converts to Judaism he was terrified of opening up to a Rabbi and answering extremely vulnerable questions but his desire to be Jewish and support from Kyle made him give in. As part of his conversion Cartman was told to wear a star of David necklace and to get used to being publicly seen as Jewish. The experience made him realize how differently he was perceived when he openly expressed being Jewish. Weird looks from strangers. Uneccisary comments and attempts to convert him out of being Jewish. After that he felt more cautious to who he opened up to or trusted. He even felt cautious of how he spoke or how he acted out of fear of how they might respond to him knowing that he's Jewish. It was definitely a slap in the face when he was called "whiny jew" for arguing over someone being fatphobic to him. His Rabbi already warned him that was a risk he had to take with conversion. He had already felt sympathy for Kyle but it increased a little more once he understood his experience.
Being a fat, disabled intersex mentally ill gay man definitely increased the stigma people felt at first glance of him. But when he'd meet one of the good ones who didn't make comments or look at him like he's a freak he was more open to smile and maybe share small talk.
He gradually got more friendly with his peers at the synagogue. He was open to groups who wanted him there. But Cartman was still aloof with most strangers and coworkers. Not as mean anymore but still closed off. He struggles hard with making friends outside of Stan and Kyle because he's still scared. He tries to date other men but just upsets him when men are rude or act weird about his asexuality and refusal for sex.
Cartman was never really able make friends outside of Stan, Kyle and eventually Kenny. But he felt okay with that. He just wasn't a particularly friendly person and that's fine. He's at least less defensive and angry now.
He did start to regress a little bit when he was dying from cancer but the sickness from treatment and stress was getting to him and started getting snappy with nurses and caretakers he didn't know personally. It's hard to blame him that type of situation would emotionally exhaust anyone so he got a bit irritated. But generally he was still sweet to people he knew well, despite it all
Do u have any more Otherkin south park headcanons? They make me veri happy... :3
I forgot if I posted about it but I hc Cartman as dietykin/angelkin. It's influenced by his identity delusions and grandiose delusions but part of his identity nonetheless. He gets phantom wings and when he got on antipsychotics he felt like his wings got clipped in a sense. He was more grounded but at the cost of feeling numb and depressed. In his 50s his doctor decided he needed to get off antipsychotics because the side affects because too much for his physical health. So Cartman learned how to cope with his schizophrenia without medication. He was able to separate his grandiose delusions, which where distressing, and his identity delusions, which aren't grounded in reality but not necessarily harmful. He felt a little embarrassed talking about his otherkin identity with Stan and Kyle initially even though Kyle is a fox therian but they were supportive regardless. Kyle gives him space to talk about his otherkin identity and feelings and help him feel less embarrassed being otherkin.
Being deitykin did influence his religious beliefs when he was a young teen but as an adult he consideres his otherkin identity as something separate from his Jewish practices and beliefs. It's just how he views himself and his identity, it's not part of his belief system. He would probably fall under the label of psychological kin.
More general otherkin headcannons about below
Kyle doesn't do quadrobics but he does get very strong kinshifts out in nature that make him want to run around and climb stuff and poke around at plants and bugs.
When playing The Stick of Truth as a child before he knew he was a therian he begged to be an anthropomorphic animal species but Cartman thought the concept of a fox prince to be dumb. Stan let Kyle imagine alone with him though.
Stan isn't otherkin or a therian, he's a furry, but he is supportive. Frankly no one in their polycule is completely sane and they prefer it that way. Neurotypicals are not needed in their relationship.
Craig Tucker is kingenger and identifies as stargender or starboygender. He is the physical manifestation of a star inside a human boy's body. He looks human but feels alien in a way. He doesn't talk about it much with anyone outside or people he's very very close to because he knows how strange he sounds.
