Pluto
"There is no intrinsic reason that insects shouldn’t experience emotions. Feelings, on the other hand, are a separate issue. Even though we use the two terms interchangeably in common parlance, scientists use them differently. “Emotions are collections of actions, and numerous species have emoted,” says neuroscientist and philosopher Antonio Damasio of the University of Southern California, “though we can not be certain that they felt their emotings.” In other words, emotions are the body's adaptive response to external events or stimuli. Feelings are the subjective experience of them." - Scientific American
Name: Pluto
Nicknames: Space Bug, Pest, PlutoV95
Gender: Nonbinary, they/them
Age: Unknown—young adult physique, but has regenerative immortality
Height: 5'2
Species: Leptid
Universe: Destroy All Humans! (2020)
Location: Earth's orbit
About
Pluto comes from a species with a tense allyship with the furons. The leptids, as they're called, have superior psychic ability and rivalling technical prowess, but don't match the expansive nature of the Furon Empire due to being somewhat less aggressive as a species, and haven't managed to crack the cloning technology that allows for the furons to have a more stable means of immortality. Despite this lack of assured immortality, Pluto still has a tendency to stick their head in places where it might be cut off.
As mentioned, as a member of their species, leptids have advanced psychic abilities. They can sense brain activity from long distances and, using their antennae, more effectively channel their own psychic energy to manipulate fine details on a target. When enhanced through genetic recodes as Pluto's are, these abilities can be so finely tuned that they can manipulate individual nerve clusters. They also have the ability to fly with their wings, Pluto in particular opting to enhance their flight through modules that create repulsion fields around their wings. All leptids have access to a regenerative "cycoon". This mechanical cocoon tricks their bodies into thinking they're undergoing metamorphosis, allowing them to essentially reform their entire bodies, remedying any severe injuries or aging. It can also be used to edit the user's DNA for the purposes of enhancing their innate abilities or altering their appearance. Pluto is currently on their 95th reformation.
The large amount of reformations is in part due to their aggressive temper, unusual for their species. They regularly get into fights with others, both from their species and beyond, and most of those fights end in severe injury. They have a high amount of disrespect for authority, and are considered to be something of a deadweight. They feel as though society has no room for them, and wander through space picking up odd jobs wherever they can find them. Despite their misanthropic view of the various interstellar societies, they still retain a strong sense of curiosity, and can be kept pleased with enough research material.
"Boy, you're my lucky star..."
Open the Leptonomicon
Return to the mothership
Cryptosporidium-137, romantic
Spoilers for DAH (2020) in the last paragraph!
Pluto actually met Crypto before his 137th body. They met Crypto-136 in a nightclub, and quickly came to blows with the arrogant furon. The fight resulted in them both being kicked out and sitting half-dead in front of the club as the star system's law enforcement quizzed them on the night's events. They were both let off the hook due to the need to preserve the leptid/furon allyship, but held a respect for each other's abilities since that incident. From that moment on, Pluto would make frequent contact with Crypto, and his disdain for the defective insect eventually turned into attachment. They began dating after a while, though Crypto would hesitate to call it that thanks to his pride.
Unfortunately, when 136 was shot down over Earth, his memories weren't fully transferred to 137 due to unstable genetics. He had completely forgotten the relationship and lost all feelings of attachment to Pluto. To cope, they tracked down the mothership orbiting Earth and told Pox that they would be helping with the DNA recovery efforts. He knew full well that this was just a ploy to get closer to Crypto, but with the situation being so dire, he decided to humor them so long as they actually produced results.
As of the end of the game, Pluto now aids Crypto in the subjugation of the human race. They play the role of "first lady", and helps write the speeches he gives to the humans. Though he still doesn't remember everything that happened in the past, he seems to have warmed back up to Pluto's presence.
They came from outer space!
This is a list of headcanons and fun facts for this self-ship AU. There will be no particular order to these, and no consistency to the subject matter. Consider it an infodump of sorts. It will receive regular updates.
All material with sensitive topics will be marked with a ⚠️, and spoilers will be marked with a 👽, so read with caution when you see this emoji!
👽⚠️ Pluto was the only one who spoke to Crypto after he discovered 136 dead in the Majestic base. They stayed with him in his saucer and talked out different human destruction scenarios to help him process the trauma caused by seeing himself dissected. This was one of the rare few times he ever thanked them for their company.
Pluto was a scholar before they became disillusioned and went rogue. They have a fair amount of knowledge under their belt, but they don't act rationally most of the time.
Leptids typically communicate through telepathy, but they can make vocalizations that resemble bird songs. Each leptid has a song that is entirely unique to them. Pluto's song closely resembles the brown sicklebill.
