#xxgretchen

[musa-serenitatis]

{ ♥ } Gretchen Headcanons

(note: this is loosely based off the concept of doppels from the mobile game that i’ve always been interested in and realized i could use it to my advantage here)

doppels are the materialization of despair from magical girls that, if used correctly and under proper control, the magical girl in question can call upon the power of her would-be witch self in battles within barriers. 

upon gaining that needed control over one’s despair, the doppel comes about in a form that almost appears as a fusion of sorts between magical girl and witch. the two are physically connected, and proceed to remain as such until the doppel is called back into the far recesses of the user’s self.

the older and more experienced the magical girl seems to have an effect on a doppel as the range of emotions for their master is considerably smaller compared to younger, novice magical girls. because of such, a doppel will be unable to completely separate itself from its user and thus maintain a form where the two exist as one being. 

while doppels are common within kamihama city, one can say that magical girls who have frequented the area remain under the unnatural influence of the doppel even after they’ve moved on to other areas.

in gretchen’s case, she and her former self have come together in a fusion that is balanced by the control madoka previously gained over her despair, as well as the merciful nature that continues to strive within her physical body. even though madoka herself no longer exists among humanity (her name, history, and overall existence having been forgotten by those who knew her a la the case with persons who’s bodies are lost within barriers), she physically exists in this form shared with her witch. 

however, gretchen is the more dominant of the two which tends to color decisions  made depending on the circumstances. but, it is good to remember that she’s still vaguely madoka in heart, body, and soul.

one could almost say that madoka is merely sleeping while gretchen is the one who is awake (a literal example of such can be seen with her in-game doppel as madoka is slumbering while floating inside gretchen’s corrupted soul gem form) which might not be too far off the mark.

the influence of homura’s time hopping, as well as madoka’s power growing to exponential levels with each new timeline, may have played a part in this infusion as madoka is in no way a standard ‘veteran’,

as a true witch, gretchen’s barrier steadily grows until she completely envelopes the planet within her self-proclaimed heaven... in this form, no such barrier exists as she is still tied to the body of her former self. she can, however, create a much smaller barrier for protection that will leech away at the life energy of anyone that gets too close within it’s range. It isn’t exactly fatal, so much as it will leave victims of the absorption weak and lethargic even after being out of it’s dangerous radius.

she still wears her former self’s magical girl outfit, albeit a number of changes have been brought to it following this fusion: the color scheme now being black with her bottom of her skirts appearing as if cut into a flurry of ribbons. her white gloves are no more, instead the skin of her hands (from fingertips to around the elbows) are painted a murky black reminiscent to gretchen’s elongated claw-like arms in her true form. her nails follow a similar pattern, appearing sharp and almost monstrous.

she continues to fight with the bow and arrow. 

gretchen is not one for many words, unless you happen to be someone from madoka’s past. even then, that can be a bit of a stretch.

despite all odds, gretchen wishes to rid this world of misfortune. her means of doing it, on the other hand, is rather different than what she may have done in another life. in another timeline. she doesn’t fight fellow witches so much as she welcomes them into her paradise if they are willing. the same could be said about magical girls, but they are always a lot more difficult to handle compared to the former. 

although no one remembers her as madoka, gretchen still bears the memories of who she once was. they hold heavy on her shoulders.