Headcanon: Vasco and Ludivica are just some regular guys whose partners represent abstract conspets opposing each other. Machete is Catholic guilt, depspair and unability to break negative cycles. Ludovicas partner is self-compassion, inner peace, optimism and unbound of societal norms.

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modern AU: Machete being driven to a medical appointment (he's just a bit too jumpy to drive): driver: "Why does Vasco call you babygirl?" Machete: "How about we stop talking for a little while?"

Ludovica, an old friend of Vasco's, offering to drive Machete to his appointment after his plans don't work out and it's the first time it's just the two of them alone in an enclosed space.

I've actually been brainstorming the circumstances that Machete could conceivably use to fake his death and run away with Vasco. I was thinking that it would take "divine intervention" levels of luck (as while faking one's death is generally planned in great detail, I almost feel like the opportunity would have to land in Machete's lap for him to consider it.) I'm embarrassed that I didn't think of burning a corpse sooner. Also, he would need to take a new name, which provides a nice symmetry to his story. I wonder if he might choose Sebastian, based on those paintings he and Vasco enjoy so much? (I hope this isn't presumptuous, I'm just very invested in your characters.)

I didn't even consider the need for a name change, you're totally right. I don't know what he'd pick though. Sebastian would make sense, but I've been thinking of the possibility of them getting a cat in modern AU and naming him Sebastian, so that one is kind of taken.

I imagine Vasco and Ludovica have a big painting (portrait but with two people) in Vasco's house (probably his father insisted of getting one of these, people used to do it in the old days, especially wealthy ones). While it's very serious and formal, in the way all these portraits were, it is also very intimate (at least it's implications). I imagine Machete just staring at it sometimes, feeling small while looking at the big painting. And sad, maybe jealous but I don't think he'd resent Ludovica. He, most of all, understands.

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Imagine for a moment that reincarnation is real... and now imagine senior, gray muzzle Vasco rescuing a sickly albino horse who seems very frightened and uncomfortable with the concept of being a horse. Vasco is too old and frail to ride anymore, as you've mentioned in the past if i remember correctly, but he takes this horse in.

No one at the stable can even make eye contact with this pale steed without its ears pinning back and its eyes threatening to bulge out of its head. However, Vasco visits every day he is physically able to, so he can gently comb its mane and tail and handfeed it oats and hay, since it refuses to eat otherwise.

Vasco doesn't give the horse a name, but in a voice soft enough for the two of them to hear, he calls it various old pet names only he should know. He swears the horse's eyes light up at his words despite not fully believing the possibility.

Regardless, they comfort each other.

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That barracuda Machete art makes me imagine a world in which he just loses it and murders the entire papacy. Boy turned his guilt into wrath

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If Vaschete were to have their drink or snack stuck in a vending machine would they;

A) Try sticking their arm in the slot

B) Shake it

C) Beat up the machine

D) Ask for help

or E) All of the above in this order

Vasco would probably knock on the glass, shove it a couple of times and try to reach in (maybe have Machete give it a go as well since his hands are smaller), but if it didn't help he'd just cut his losses.

Machete would proceed to note down the information of the vendor who maintains the machine, contact them and have Vasco's 2.50€ refunded to him.

When I think of feral Machete I've always pictured the sound of tapping/scraping nails slipping around on hardwood bc of his paw pad fluff, peppered with the occasional nervous sneeze pointed directly at the ground between his front paws. The type of no-traction dog to slide into the screen door before frantic TAP TAP TAP TAP SNNZZT (perhaps even a short wet Smeagol cough depending on how loud he bonked the door) TAP SNNZT TAP TAP THUMP TAP TAP back to his dog bed to tremble for 30 - 45 minutes

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Ok we already know Vasco sees Machete when he’s on official business visiting Rome but consider.. the Vatican gets an urgent request from Vasco to have a member of their clergy “specifically that cute white boy with the fluffy tail” come to his house for dinner to perform an exorcism

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I know you said you don't have a design for Ludovica's partner yes but do you have any ideas or vibes you want her to have? Perhaps some breeds that you might want to choose or her color scheme? (Long or short snout, pointy ears or nor, long or short furr etc).

I've been mulling over a few options but haven't made any concrete decisions yet.

I'm pretty sure I want her to have a darker color scheme for visual contrast, a fully black coloration would be striking but really annoying to draw (difficult to shade well, it tends to hide the details in the lineart and her expressions would be hard to read) so some kind of lighter markings would help a lot, even if it's just her face. I've looked at Mudi and Hanover hound for inspiration.

At one point I was trying to come up with a wire haired design because wire haired dogs are charming and I don't have many of those. Something in the spirit of Berger Picard, Scottish deerhound or German wirehaired pointer. But she keeps coming out looking like she has a full beard and bushy grandpa eyebrows, and I know it means a lot of viewers would always mistake her for a man and I'd have to keep correcting them, which wouldn't be very fun in the long run. I haven't abandoned the idea, it's just taking a lot of trial and error to get the look I'm after I guess.

I also considered a number of typical lap dog breeds you might potentially see in European courts at the time, like Pomeranian, Maltese, Italian greyhound, some kind of small Spaniel, Poodle or even an early Pug, but I feel like Vittorio (Machete's personal assistant who was partly inspired by Papillon and Volpino Italiano) already occupies that category of dog in the cast.

I've received a number of clever and inspiring suggestions and headcanons, here's a short compilation:

Hearing (or reading) Machete may escape to greece makes me so happy (speaking as a greek person). That's all.

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"Hey" Vasco said, catching Machete's attention. They were both tired, physically and mentally (faking someone's death will do that to you).

"Everything is going to be all right."

"Όλα θα πάνε καλά." Machete correct gently. "If we are going to be living in Greece we might as well start practicing now."

Vasco just squeezed Machete's hand in his own. They had each other, they didn't need anything else.

"Love you." He whispered.

"Κι εγώ σ'αγαπάω." Machete answered, a small smile crept across his face.

Yes, it was going to be alright.

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Sorry for the cringe here, just felt like writing something about this.

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I mean we have surviving letters and correspondence much older and from much more "irrelevant" historical figures than Vasco and Machete, so it's not that unlikely that some evidence of their relationship survived until modern dog times.

Especially if you consider that Vasco and Machete would likely preserve and keep each other's letters and presents for sentimental sake, they would still hide them of course but I think that should only make their survival and preservation more possible.

What I'm trying to say is that there is a world where their relationship become a very niche historical theory and regularly a part of "tragic historical queer figures" videos. Dog 2010s tumblr would go crazy for their tragic situationship (and Vasco's very spicy letters)

I had to put my phone down and thoroughly dwell on this world where they're occasionally mentioned in a video essay or a history podcast of some sort. And the idea of 2010s tumblr but it's dogs.

*vasco shows up wjth machete in a fake moustache after he fakes his death* "this is mansketti, my new personal assistant, whi bears a completelt coincidental similarity to my unfortunate deceased close friend"

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Building up on both of does anon posts, Machete and Vasco being historical figures that make waves every so often on tumblr feels very canon and not too far from actual tumblr's favourite historical figures.

And also, I feel that Machete shouldn't go that unnoticed by scholars. Being this powerful member of the clergy that escaped many assassination attempts before being killed and had a personal relationship with the pope. Like this man was a deathly and important part of the inquisition, but also left behind rumours of a same-sex relationship with a married politician.

I can definitely see him becoming a point of interest for some historians, especially does who studied the inquisition or the clergy. That's probably how Vasco's paintings of him got discovered and documented and how their relationship stopping being considered a rumour started by his now-death enemies, but an actual theory with some weight behind it.

Idk why but I'm becoming very invested in the ways history would treat and remember them, way too many scandals and drama for them to be forgotten in time.

You do make a very convincing point.

People are getting so invested in their hypothetical in-universe reputation and are clearly putting some serious thought into it and it's getting me hyped up as well ;_;

So regarding the fake names, and how it could be bittersweet for machete to have to give up his real name for the sake of anonymity and safety, I had this funny little thought that the entire church genuinely forgot his name from calling him machete for so long. So when they hear about his death, or hear his real name they just go “who?” In response. If he was ostracized as long as he was I doubt any of the enemies he had actually bothered to learn his real name, kind of another massively ironic twist of fate where the very thing that they could use to find him and they never actually bothered to consider it.

And now the question (if that’s okay, I know a suggestion for way to explain why he still is named what he is can be a little rude) Where would they go? Would they head north to where Germany or France currently sits? South/East towards the balkans? Even further north to the anglo-saxons island? I imagine they would need to find a place where the Catholic Church can’t find them easily.

I don't know how plausible it would be for people to completely forget his proper name, but I can't deny liking the idea of him being able to shed the Machete persona and attempting to revert back to his kinder and more sensible self. From the time before his work filed his personality into a set of sharp edges.

Truthfully, I'm not entirely sure, I haven't thought that far. Trying to settle in a protestant country would be distressing, since Machete dedicated so much of his life to counter-reformation causes.

i imagine Modern Vasco and Machete quitting their jobs and eventually owning and running a bakery so they could make sweet rolls for each other and cakes like it's their birthday/anniversary everyday

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