so i was thinking as one does at midnight, and it was specifically about Clef and how it is Not Quite Human, and how people touch of that subject in a lot of different ways (mainly on here i see people lean into deer imagery for him, which i get, given Meri is deer coded).
given the guy doesn't have too many solid canon things people get to go wild with the designs, and what i have been somewhat thinking for a while is Clef's appearance is just made by those who view it. the common things like three eyes, blonde hair, dad bod, ugly as shit, they're all probably common because that's what got passed around so everyone just sees him that way. it's basically rumored into "reality", which would mean new people Clef meets see them differently to others and the appearance can change. think of it like a Foundation-wide game of telephone except nobody knows they're playing so it just seems like everybody is fucking with eachother with nobody being able to agree on what Clef's eye color order is.
also, with cameras being unable to capture Clef's face it can be argued that it leans into that idea of such a thing since you cannot photograph what does not exist, right? the clothes are real, so of course you would see them. Lucille (the shotgun) is real so you would see her- Clef's likeness though? that isn't real, it's all in your head, you cannot perceive the unperceivable
i'm PRETTY sure this ideal leans into the Clef=Satan canon and don't get me wrong i love the 4231 canon. but i don't think of Lilly as a Green (to me Little Miss Cornwall Goddess is a Type Black), nor do i really think of Clef as one either- so listen, Agora is basically the agreed mother of Cleffy and she's a Blue, you can't tell me you don't think Miss Livingforever wouldn't have a fuckass only child. +if i remember correct Clef's dad was a gardener/housekeeper or something like that?? i am not factchecking myself on mobile but i recall reading a post from AuthorClef along those lines. anyway Agora said bro died before Clef was born, could very well be some supernatural thing ykyk?
another thing- if Meri resembles her mother so much, it would make sense given if Clef doesn't really have a "form" than there would be little to work off of..no matter if you think Clef carried the kid or not, i think it could still work for that specific canon. eat the dna and spit out a cooy or something like that, i would probably have to think about it more if you wanted an actual answer
that's all for now though me thinks. tl;dr: what if clef was a cryptid that had the base nature of being a mindfuck without even trying
thanks for coming to our tedtalk. god, i talk a lot. sorry to whoever read this all. i wouldn't be surprised if i came back to this now that it's writen out