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fannishcodex · 6 years

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Look I’m enjoying all this talk of Blue Morpho, and speaking of him being bi.

Tbh I have a rareship: Blue Morpho(Vendata)/Red Death.

Red Death is like the first and only person to show real respect or any positive feeling for Vendata at all, and that just gets to me.

Okay tbh I’ve sorta shipped this since season 6, just through the vaguest of hints and because it sounded interesting to me.

In season 6, it mainly revolves around some vague indications that Red Death could’ve known the original Blue Morpho.

It’s indicated that Red Death’s been around a while, maybe even long enough to have known Blue Morpho. That’s about it, an indication leading to fun speculation.

But then there’s the fact that Red Death goes straight to the Morpho cave not long after he gets involved with the Blue Morpho case and the false threat to his wife and daughter. Nothing has still been made of this in canon, but it’s like Red Death simply knew the Morpho’s base of operations the whole time. (It may just be glossed over, but it’s fun to speculate, and good for fic.)

Red Death does seem like a generally chill and nice dude--but I sorta feel like he does have a soft spot for Monarch in S6. And like that feeling’s grown stronger after S7--to me it felt like Red Death had a particular soft spot for Monarch and his group--Gary/21, Dr. Mrs. (Granted, I also think he’s interacted with them the most so far? But also if that’s the case, that could say something too.)

Like in S6, Red Death first gives Monarch just a warning. Though a little threatening warning, it’s still relatively mild, and preceded by genuine praise for Monarch’s antagonist work (something he rarely gets). Red Death later takes it remarkably easy on the Monarch and 21 for their Blue Morpho and Kano activities, and even helps them out with advice and literal action (though he says it helps sate his violent instincts too--chill and nice dude he may be, but also still vicious, but I find that an interesting mix and fitting for VB.)

In S7, that continues, Red Death still actively helps Team Monarch--there’s no direct interaction between him and the Monarch again this season unfortunately, but Red Death is still helping him and Gary, and now Dr. Mrs. too, in the S7 premiere. Red Death seems to bond further with Dr. Mrs. in a later S7 episode later as they become co-workers on the Council, and seems to partly screw with that rival villain guy because he insulted her.

I’m just saying maybe Red Death starts with a soft spot for Monarch and his group (and later seems to just bond with them more directly and more for their sakes) because he knew Blue Morpho back in the day.

And I headcanon Blue Morpho and Red Death fell into one of those possibilities in VB that’s cropped up--protagonist and antagonist on surprisingly good terms. Morpho was an unregistered vigilante and prone to being harsher with antagonists, but headcanon he wasn’t unreasonable, and could be more civil with those he felt could do that too. Headcanon Red Death has some different opinions in VB and could successfully navigate those with tact and such--shorter story, unlike most in organized supervillainy, headcanon Red Death would have respected and been fascinated by Morpho’s refusal to register.

Headcanon Red Death does figure out Morpho’s identity, but he likes Morpho enough to not take advantage of that and keep it a secret. He tells no one.

Headcanon Blue Morpho and Red Death did have a thing for a while, before Blue Morpho ever met his future wife. Think something like Batman/Catwoman conceptually. But they did amicably separate, and then Morpho got married, while Red Death remained fond of him, and still held something of a torch tbh, but was respectful of Morpho to never push it.

And again, season 7--with the reveal that Red Death worked with Vendata and respected him, which just made me ship it way harder, even though I believe Red Death had no idea Vendata was Blue Morpho until season 7.

Like on a visceral level, it was so nice to hear someone speak of Vendata with respect when I’ve had to hear a lot of the Guild--looking at you Red Mantle and Dragoon, you two honestly crack me up, but omfg why so mean to Vendata jfc you didn’t even know he was Blue Morpho until S7--insult him for what seems like no reason. I think Red Death was the only one to say anything directly positive about Vendata.

So, S7 had Red Death and Vendata working together. And I keep thinking, how long?

I think S7 diner flashback tries to have Red Death as a sort of young upstart, so you’d think he’d be too young for Blue Morpho’s time. But S6 indicated an older age for him in my mind, and S7 later gave me vibes of Red Death being quite old, with his talk of older villain traditions. And what is Red Death? Again, he’s like this sketetal skinned man--he seems more demonic if anything. He does seem to have supernatural powers, and that horse he rides on? I headcanon Red Death is not quite human, rather supernatural, long-lived, and that his mind may age differently (along with probably seeing the world even more differently from others in VB). Hence he may act more like a young upstart in the diner flashback though he’s actually far older. Heck, maybe so old and with a certain distance from average humanity, maybe he was like, “I’ll just go along with what seems to be the trend these days for this current stab at villainy.” Like he’s such an otherly being, he actually approaches it like another role to play, which could say something about the themes of roleplay in VB (Red Death even talks about “becoming lost in your character” in S6--so Red Death does imply his awareness of and use of roleplay like that). I can see him being this literally otherly being and approaching his supervillainy in like stages during his long life--literally here’s his 70s stage, and here’s his being-on-the-Council stage. (But his wife and daughter inspire new feelings in him. And feeling like he’s otherly doesn’t mean he’s not nice and chill--heck, it could be more why he’s like that. He may be more chill than other humans because he isn’t entirely one. That’s part of what does feel otherly to me tbh--how chill he is.)

After that aside:

Headcanon that maybe Vendata and Red Death worked together for a while. Like Red Death expresses respect for him in the diner, but he doesn’t go into the entirety of their relationship because the current context doesn’t ask for it, and it’s still private.

Red Death has no idea Vendata was Blue Morpho. He does look different without his mustache, and Red Death believed the news of his death. The only similar thing Red Death recognizes without learning the truth for years is that Vendata stirs feelings similar to what he felt for Morpho.

(Headcanon Red Death was aware of Malcom, but thought he should leave him alone with normal people in child care services, assuming he would be taken care of. Red Death was at least aware that Blue Morpho did not want his son near the world of superheroes and supervillains, and wanted to honor those wishes.)

Vendata feels some familiarity for Red Death, but no memories really trigger. But that familiarity feels comfortable, and draws Vendata to Red Death.

Headcanon that Red Death helps Vendata enter supervillainy, and they work together for a relatively long time, they’re allies. They become friends, and more.

Then the Massacre.

I think S7 implies Red Death was disturbed by the Massacre, especially the loss of his own comrades; and I think it implies that Red Death believed Vendata was the ultimate culprit.

Headcanon there was even more to it, like Red Death will only let some of the above out in public, but internally he was far more disturbed by the whole thing. He was really distraught over the loss of Stab Girl and the others. He thought Vendata had caused the Massacre that ended up including Stab Girl and their other allies as collateral damage. Red Death blamed him for it. On some level, Red Death does respect Vendata’s determination to kill the object of his extreme hatred, Jonas; but more strongly, Red Death feels betrayed and disgusted with what he thinks Vendata did to their team for that goal.

Communication breaks down. Red Death strongly believes Vendata is responsible, that he hated Jonas enough to do this. He never actually talks to Vendata about it. He does feel the need for it; but it’s an emotional time, Red Death is emotionally distraught, and in that state is turned off by Vendata’s lack of emotion. He knows Vendata has trouble showing it, but at that point Red Death has less patience for it and more revulsion. Red Death is further repulsed when Vendata seems to be confused by Red Death’s behavior--Red Death storms off, feeling that Vendata should know. Should realize why he’s upset.

Red Death believes Vendata did it, doomed their friends and allies to kill Jonas, and assumes Vendata is aware of what he thinks. But Vendata has no idea. Vendata does have trouble processing emotion because of the whole cyborg thing, and not being a very well built cyborg due to Jonas and later Dr. Z. Vendata feels the loss of Stab Girl and the others and sees Red Death is distraught, but has trouble being the most comforting presence, and has no idea he should be denying something or the real source of Red Death’s turmoil and anger with him.

Red Death leaves Vendata. Between his respect and lingering fondness and understanding of hatred and knowing they were in a dangerous line of work, Red Death would not take direct revenge on Vendata, he couldn’t. But he couldn’t stay with him either.

Vendata accepts this, without fully understanding why.

Vendata and Red Death just drift further away and remain apart in the years after the Massacre. Red Death meets and falls in love with his future wife, has a daughter, and feels like he understands Morpho better.

Vendata joins the Council. And Red Death wonders what it would be like if he had a seat too. Time’s cooled his rage somewhat--and things are different now. Married, with kids. But things are different--Red Death feels more keenly how he’s drifted away from Vendata.

Red Death finally checks up on Malcom, and though he knows Morpho would have been distressed by it, he’s pleased that Malcom’s become a super villain.

When Vendata expresses a difficulty connecting with people and his Council members criticizing him for that, he does think of Red Death years ago.

Vendata and Red Death did get in touch a few times, only a few brief phone calls that were simply small updates of each other. Vendata did keep track of Red Death through Guild records. He felt happy when the records changed to reflect Red Death’s marriage, though also a little sad. (It wasn’t just regret over an ex--memories of Red Death from his time as Blue Morpho, memories of his wife were almost triggered. Almost, but not quite. Just vague feelings behind that stirred, but not memories.)

Headcanon that when Red Death realizes Vendata was Blue Morpho the whole time, he thinks “ohfuck.”

Yeah, so, I ship it. Also I find that I could literally shorten a name for it to Red/Blue cute.

@danvssomethingorother

#venture brothers #red death #the blue morpho #venture bros #blue morpho #not a reblog

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