#also how sad they only get to be used once like???

[dreamsteddie]

The Cost of Love

Written for the @stmarchmm day 14 prompt “second chance romance” | Tags: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Rock Star Eddie Munson, Alpha Eddie Munson, Omega Steve Harrington, Cw: Buying Someone in the Name of Love, Not as Creepy as it Sounds - Also on Ao3

Bat divider -@popmilky

The thing about being an Omega that sucks is that you very rarely get to make decisions for yourself.

Somewhere along the line, society decided that Omegas were too weak, too reliant on their packs, to make their own future.

For a lot of things, it was up to the luck of the draw whether or not an Omega got to choose anything or themselves. If they were born into a kind, loving pack who cared about their well being, then chances were high they could live their life in relative peace. If they weren’t well, their only chance at freedom was to find a good Alpha and try to convince them to take you on. 

Otherwise, you would live the rest of your life under someone else’s thumb.

Steve had that, once. An Alpha who saw him, who never tried to stifle him, who held him close but never down. They had two wonderful years together. They’d met in Steve’s junior year, fresh off a rejection, all alone. Packless. Eddie had scooped him up, taken him under his wing, and they’d almost instantly fallen in love.

They were inseparable.

Until they weren’t.

Because no matter how dedicated, how in love they both were, Steve was still under the legal guardianship of his parents. He thought they were being sneaky. Thought by the time they found out, it would be too late. But someone caught them, saw them sitting just a little too close at the diner or sharing candy in the darkness of the movie theater and called his parents. That’s all it took.

One day, he was falling asleep in the arms of the Alpha he was planning to mate as soon as he was 18, the next he was being locked in his all but abandoned bedroom on his weekly trip to switch out his clothes. His parents wasted no time in shipping him off, finding a ‘suitable’ Alpha to set him straight and make him a good Omega.

It felt like he was being torn apart.

The only saving grace was that this Alpha had no interest in mating him, he was only interested in an attractive, young Omega to hang off his arm after his last mate passed. It made Steve sick just to think about it, the Omega that came before him, how easily she had been forgotten and replaced. It didn’t really matter, though. None of it mastered. At the end of the day, even if he wasn’t mated, he was legally bound to his position. His parents had sold his future away for their own gain. 

He wonders, every day, if Eddie thinks of him. He wonders if he knows what happened, or he’s out there thinking that Steve just up and left him. On his worst days, he wonders if Eddie found himself a new mate.

Those days, he doesn’t bother to get out of bed, and his Alpha knows better than to try by now.

This has been his life for six years, and these days, he can almost pretend he’s ok. One month in, his Alpha put him on rejection blockers, tired of his new toy constantly scenting like rotten, sad Omega. They helped, made the ever-present ache in his chest feel distant. Made him feel distant.

Today was another party. Some gala or fundraiser or whatever that required him to put on a dress and hold on to his Alpha’s arm. Steve hated them, hated that Eddie wasn’t the one he was holding on to, that he wasn’t the first one to pick out a pretty dress for him to wear, but by now he was used to it.

All the signs and gift bags told him today was a music charity event. Something for underprivileged children who deserved a creative outlet. The thought of it made his chest squeeze painfully, even through the blockers. It was exactly the kind of thing Eddie would have loved.

He’s thinking so hard about him that for a moment, he thinks he sees him out there in the crowd of actual VIPs. He catches sight of dark curly hair and a lanky frame and he feels his heart leap, but he quickly shoves it down. There’s no way Eddie would be here at an event like this. He turns away, tuning in to the conversation his Alpha is having with another benefactor. 

They're getting ready to move into the dining room when things change. All these events are the same. Drop off your coat, mingle in the foyer, eat an overpriced meal, listen to a speech, applaud for the entertainment, mingle again, go home, and rest your aching feet.

But this time is different, because one moment he’s getting ready to finally sit down and give his feet a rest from these heels, and the next there’s a gentle hand around his wrist.

And a voice he’d know anywhere.

“Steve?”

And a face he could never forget how to love.

“Eddie?”

He can feel his Alpha tighten his hold on him, trying to pull him into the next room. Steve doesn’t care, he digs his heels in and makes him stop. He’s not leaving Eddie behind. Not now, not again. He can see the other Alpha, his real Alpha, look him up and down. Steve wonders if he looks different, he tries not to look in the mirror too long these days.

“Can I help you, sir?” His Alpha asks, posturing like he’d have any chance if Eddie decided to challenge him. At 53, his Alpha is getting a little pudgy in the middle and, more importantly, has given up on the gym in the last two years. Eddie looks mad enough to take on a bear. His eyes don’t leave Steve, but he can feel his hand tighten where he hasn’t let go of Steve’s wrist.

Eddie doesn’t respond, just keeps staring at Steve, the scent of pissed off Alpha starting to fill the space around them. It should probably make Steve cower, but it just makes him feel safe. Complete in a way he hasn’t been in six years. Eddie’s gaze travels, taking in his face before trailing down and getting stuck on his untouched mating gland. Steve watches as the Alpha’s nostrils flare wide, finally turning to Steve’s Alpha, lifting up to his full height to posture back. People are probably watching them, but Steve doesn’t care.

“How much?” Eddie asks, which, what?

“Excuse me?” His Alpha asks, clearly confused.

“How much, to buy your marriage contract?” Eddie says, clearly losing patience. Steve’s breath caught in his throat, not even the blockers could stop the feeling of molten hope rising in his chest. He wants to say something, to beg his Alpha to let him go, but he holds his breath instead. Doesn’t want to risk drawing too much attention to himself.

Steve’s Alpha laughs, that stupid rich-person laugh that always makes the Omega grind his teeth. “I really don’t think that’s appropriate, son. And anyway, I wouldn’t let this one go for anything less than a million, which I highly doubt is within your price range.” He gives Steve a tug as he says this, drawing him in and lifting a hand to his face to stroke his cheek. It’s a move that Steve hasn’t flinched at in years, but with Eddie watching, he can’t help but tilt his head away in shame. “Such a pretty face shouldn’t be wasted,” his Alpha finishes.

Eddie’s hand is gripping him hard enough to bruise. Steve kind of hopes it does. His Alpha was right; the Eddie Steve knew could never afford that price, and even if he could, Eddie had always been surprisingly frugal. He wouldn’t waste it all to buy an Omega he hasn’t seen since they were teens.

“One and a half million.”

“What?” This time, it’s Steve who speaks. And oh, there’s that look. That look Eddie used to give him every morning, every time they kissed goodnight, every time they scented. Eddie still loves him, even after all this time. He still wants Steve.

“Now young man, I really don’t think you should make jokes like that. You clearly don’t belong here,” his Alpha says, referring to Eddie’s dirty docs and ripped jeans. He probably thinks he’s one of those underprivileged youths.

Eddie drags his eyes away again, baring his fangs mean and smug. “You really don’t give a shit about who you donate to, do ya buddy?” He says, leaning in to leverage his superior height. “This is my god damn charity dip shit. Lead singer and founding member of Corroded Coffin, at your service.”

Oh. Steve thinks. Of course.

Because Steve had always known, even if he could never really say he understood it, that Eddie was talented. Extremely talented. Of course he’d gone out and made a name for himself. He’s probably been out there gaining fans and winning awards while Steve lived under his rock, kept away from the real world. Shielding himself from the light of day.

He couldn’t be prouder.

Something must bloom in his scent because Eddie is turning that look back at him with that look again. “I can cut you the check right here, right now. I’ll walk you to the bank right now if that’s what you want, but I’m not leaving here without Steve.” It’s the assurness in his voice, the finality to his declaration that wakes Steve up fully.

He’s allowed himself to become a passenger in his own life, floating between the days when he could have been running. Maybe trying to escape, even if the law was against him. Meanwhile, Eddie has been out there, presumably, loving him through the last six, miserable years.

He can’t let this opportunity pass him by. He won’t.

People are definitely staring now, stopping to stare at the person they’re all here to support making a scene, but Steve doesn’t let that scare him. He rips his arm out of his Alpha’s grip, turning his back to Eddie, taking solace in the warmth of his shadow, letting it fuel him. “You can keep my dowry,” he says, facing his Alpha. This small man who owns him. Steve used to think of himself as strong, large for an Omega and defiant to society's expectations for him to be dainty and sweet and empty. “I’ll sign it over to you, but I’m going with Eddie.” He can feel Eddie’s hand on his upper arm, letting him know he’s there with him.

His Alpha, his hopefully soon to be former Alpha, is giving him an appraising look. Not the one he gave him that day he picked him up from his childhood home, like he was a lamb ripe for the slaughter. This look is like the ones he’s seen on the days his Alpha brought him into the office to show him off, like he's weighing the pros and cons of a major deal. It means he’s taking them seriously. “One and a half? Plus the full dowry? Are you willing to put that in writing?”

Steve can feel Eddie’s heart beating where he’s pressed himself flush with Steve’s back, his scent blooming sugary spice with his excitement. Eddie catches him waving his arm behind him, making some kind of gesture to someone in the crowd. “I’ll have my lawyer draw up the papers right now.” A pretty blond draws up to Eddie’s side and if it wasn’t for the way Eddie has wrapped his arms around his waist, Steve might feel worried about him whispering in her ear.

There’s a serious look on her face, which is quickly overtaken by wide eyes and a sharp gasp, her eyes turning toward the Omega. “Steve? Your Omega?” And oh, that makes Steve want to purr, the fact that this lady has heard of him. The idea that Eddie has been talking about him all these years.

Her face firms, her position as a high-profile lawyer evident in her stance. “Sir, if you’ll follow me, I can get those papers drafted right away. Would you prefer a check or a direct wire transfer?” Her smile is sweet but leaves no room for argument. This is really happening

Holly shit this is happening.

Not in his wildest dreams did Steve ever think he would be free. He’d resigned himself to keeping his memories of life with Eddie at the forefront of his brain and staying on the rejection blockers for the rest of his life.

Now, it’s looking like he won’t have to content himself with memories anymore. Maybe he can have the real thing. He’s almost afraid to breathe, afraid to turn around, like the whole thing will be an elaborate dream. Like any pressure from his expanding chest will make the arms around his waist turn into a fine vapor.

“Hey, let’s get you out of here, sweetheart,” Eddie whispers in his ear, picking up on his distress.

Steve should probably say no. Should probably let Eddie go in there and be a part of his own charity event and get a grip. Maybe step out for some fresh air. But he doesn't. He lets himself turn to face his Alpha, his real Alpha, his only Alpha, and take a breath.

“Take me home Alpha. We have a lot to catch up on.”

[hajihiko]

hi. i’ve seen from your art you liked akane!! (i think?) and wanted to ask if you have any headcanons 4 her :)

sure! I feel like I did one before...? But idr

also yknow warning for headcanon stuff. And it's sad. And it's Akane's fucked up backstory (that means hints to child sexual abuse)

My favorite thing is 'gymnast that always lands on her feet' hehe. She's the most resourceful, resilient person out of everyone, and I genuinely have a hard time thinking of how Junko got to her in the first place.

Her 'instincts' are actually hyper-intelligence when it comes to reading people and the environment. She doesn't know she's doing it, but she's always alert, and can tell when something tiny has changed or someone is acting just a bit off. She honed this skill trying to navigate her disaster life from age Way Too Young.

She seems ditsy because anything that isn't really life threatening just isn't that important and she doesn't bother with it. Again, because her life has been real rough.

She's super casual about nudity (this is canon) and spreads it to her classmates. Once you're used to her absolutely killer body in the nude in a totally casual nonsexual way, you just kinda get over it all.

After waking up, she isn't quite as wild and violent and active, and she takes Nidai's advice to work on her inner self too. Yoga, meditation, that kind of thing*

She loves dancing!

Any kind of physical activity, really. Hopscotch? Aces it. Jump-rope? Aces it. Surfing? Well she gets distracted and falls off a lot but she loves it anyway!

She enjoys sex but doesn't like, crave it. It's a sort of exercise that feels good, like yoga or Nidai's massages. She doesn't really see why it's such a huge deal to some people.

That said she's definitely picky about who she does it with. Don't make it weird, dude.

If you're gonna be weird about it, you don't have a chance, because she can tell.

Also if you're a man you have like a 10% chance. Women... may try

Sex is completely divorced from romance to her, though.

She thought the plan-B pill was like a tylenol. Everyone does it when the occasion calls for it, right? It's whatever, right?

Non-Despair AU, she doesn't really drink alcohol except very occasionally. You can count on her to let you crash at her place, no problem.

She actually has a sort of open door policy. One, because she is unfortunately used to having no privacy. Two, she is used to letting ppl stay if they need it- she'd rather sleep in the bathtub than let anyone sleep on the street. Three, she can kick anyone's ass, *try* and do anything untowards.... cmom try :)

Post-wakeup, one of her worst moments is when she realizes she just no longer likes food :( her body rejects it too hard and nothing tastes the same. She eventually develops a much different taste, but at least she can enjoy it sometimes.

Loves eating with nothing but her hands. Food tastes the most pure that way, no metallic taste or wood texture to interrupt her. Teruteru takes this to heart and starts planning his dishes with utensils in mind, too.

If she does a blind taste (or smell, or touch) test, she fucking kills it every time.

She can tell when Junko is around because of Junkos incredibly threatening presence.

i guess the only reason Junko got to Akane is because Junko was slightly better at manipulation and hiding herself. Akane has never forgotten and therefore Junkos presence is a permanent concern in Akanes psyche. Akane won't be fooled again.

Akane and Nekomaru never actually have a talk about their relationship or whatever. Akane just loves being around him, and feels safe, and they infect each other's mood, etc. He has never set off any of her alarm bells, so she trusts him with her whole self.

Fuyuhiko reminds her of one of her brothers, who was younger than her but not by much, and always tried to take care of her. Trying so hard to be the man he thinks he should be. Younger brother vibe.

Sonia reminds her of the pretty ladies in books, movies and ads. So put together and bright...blush. But she could stand to be more honest, and smile more genuinely.

Kaz reminds her of a girl (HMM) who wasn't quite family, but stayed with the Owari household for a while because of complications. Equals sort of?

Hajime is.... someone Akane is always on the brink of challenging or going up against, like something in her just wants to maul him. Not in a bad way tho (probably)! but he feels like a real challenge. But, of way more prevalence, she wants to be around him and work with him, and loves his presence. She's incredibly glad they ended up as friends instead. (Thats a reference to her being the villain in the drafts!)

Akane really likes being tucked in. She did it for her family all the time, but no one ever did it for her until post-wakeup.

She never actually comes to terms with all her abuse fully. Like she gets it, she knows objectively it was wrong, she has the right idea.... but there is just. Too much. She lives a good life and she functions great but she just doesn't revisit or confront those corners of her mind. People might think that's not right, but she has autonomy over herself and good luck trying to force her into it.

Some things just don't get resolved or accepted. Sometimes bad things just happen and you keep living. She's definitely not the only one who puts something unresolved behind her.

She used to be a city girl, but she loves the island and the nature, the close crowd of people and the total freedom. Her life at the end of the 'story' is the best she's ever had it.

*I'm gonna post a picture ok it's nudity it's boobs OK

Her peacefully meditating & connecting to her soul as well as her body :)

i love Nekomaru's line about how like..... idr like she's super strong but needs to work on herself spiritually too. I think it's nice that he considers her spirit as well as her body. Once she reaches Peace she's practically unstoppable

[butterflydm]

WoT 3x01-3x03

Spoilers below through 3x03 of the Wheel of Time series! Book spoilers through... Winter's Heart. Let's say Winter's Heart.

I'm going to rewatch the episodes this weekend and post about them individually this weekend, so these are just more my off-the-cuff responses to the first three episodes. Short and fast, with more to come either tomorrow or this weekend.

I also might not be remembering what happened in which episode. I'll have it clear after my rewatch!

3x01

Still loved this episode on a rewatch. Someone mentioned that Lanfear cut her hair short IRL too and I clocked that this time. But it's especially creepy when she's with Rand in TAR because it really makes her hair look so much like Egwene's.

The interaction between Siuan & Moiraine was so good and I loved their yearning towards each other. Excellent yearning.

Okay, went into this episode already knowing that Avilayne would hook up at the end, so I can put my thoughts about that into more context.

Overall, after rewatching, my feeling is that I feel like this happening so quickly is more about meta reasons than 'flowing naturally from the show' reasons (Elayne's "Finally" especially feels like it's more directed at book fans who have been longing for canon Avilayne for years than it is about the situation she's actually in for the show, since we've never seen Elayne & Aviendha interact before this episode) but I can understand that, given the state of television production, and since they were initially only renewed for 3 seasons at the outset -- Rafe wanting to get the Avilayne portion of the polycule set up makes a lot of sense. I understand but... I miss their canon dynamic and how it felt like that would lead naturally into a slowburn romance.

So, will a part of me still be a little sad that we don't get the slowburn Avilayne of my dreams? Probably. Because hooking up first changes the vibe, even if we end up getting some or even most of their book scenes in the future. So. That's kinda where my feelings are. I understand why people are so happy to get it canonized right away but I'm sad that the version of the ship getting together that I personally would have enjoyed most isn't going to happen.

I will have to pin my slowburn hopes on the Avirand and/or Randlayne subpairings of the polycule instead!

Because, once again, I was struck by how pitch-perfect both the Randlayne and Avirand interactions were in this episode.

3x02

Morgase is ruthless! The episode did a great job setting up the royal family and the heavy expectations. We see Elayne struggle with them and then declare her own path. Really looking forward to digging into all that when I rewatch.

They swerved me hard in this episode, held back on Mat's duel with the princes until the next episode!

I really liked Mat's interactions with Siuan and Min.

Elayne got rushed through the Arches without us getting to see it but that's true in the books too and we got a very good look into her interactions with her family, so I'm okay with the trade.

And we saw how incredibly shiver-worthy good Rahvin is at Compulsion. Holy shit. And there's no male channelers around, so no one to spot his weaves! The way everyone just remembered him and how beloved he was and how natural his dynamics with everyone felt!

We got a Semirhage namedrop in the Forsaken meeting, so that means Demandred has been cut. And it looks like Rahvin has set himself up as the center of three different alliances -- this one with Lanfear & Sammael, his meetings with Graendal & Semirhage, and he's also the only one aware that Moghedien was watching.

The pacing of the show is faster in some plotlines than I was expecting and slower in others. It always surprises me!

3x03

The show swerved me again on Mat! So we got a viewing about him going into the doorway and getting hanged but he did NOT go into the doorway in Tar Valon! It was foreshadowing!

I like how they're riding this interesting line with Min (Min is so much more interesting in the show than I ever found her in the books). And it is fascinating how Min and Mat talked around Rand in their conversations and did not bring him up. Sometimes an absence is louder than a presence.

The fight with Galad and Gawyn was good - haha, I'm sad that Elayne didn't see it, but it was an important moment for Mat & Nynaeve's friendship, so I get it.

Overall, really loving everyone's development. My thoughts are really hard to contain to the individual episodes right now, so I'm looking forward to watching them one at a time and setting out my thoughts properly.

Rand's stuff with Lanfear I am finding more interesting than his scenes with Egwene, but I know a lot of that is just that I am, unfortunately, constantly just having that feeling of "oh wow, they're still together, wow" about Randgwene, and a lot of that does come from my book knowledge, I know. That's really a place where I'm interested to see what non-book readers feel about their scenes, because it is very hard to disentangle my book knowledge.

Interesting to me that Lanfear & Rand are currently meeting in Cairhien (in TAR), given what we saw in the trailer with them in the Two Rivers. And she's, once again, so much better at making a pitch than she was in the books. Because this is the offer than she makes in the books to Rand -- that together, along with the most powerful sa'angreal in the world, they can defeat the Dark One.

I'm not sure how much time passed between eps 1 & 2. Not sure they gave us a direct time, just that it was enough that the hall was somewhat repaired, though there was still some damage that Elaida noticed.

Elaida was great! I loved her interactions with everyone that we saw her with. Looking forward to digging into that more when it isn't 4am and I am not exhausted, lol.

Faile's introduction was good. I can see why she disarmed Perrin. Oh! The moment when the Two Rivers people refuse Perrin's offer to turn himself in to the Whitecloaks! Very good!

I love Bain & Chiad flirting with Loial.

Alanna and Maksim made my heart hurt. Alanna's talk with Perrin was very good. I do... the fact that Alanna is managing to keep herself relatively level now does make me feel like it's even more likely that Maksim is going to die, to send her off that balance and push her into the actions that she takes in the books.

There's so much to think about and I am very tired, lol.

We saw Liandrin in Tanchico a lot sooner than I expected and we moved pretty quick on the reveal that they're looking for a male a'dam.

I feel like I'm forgetting so many things.

Well, I will sleep and see what I remember in the morning!

I had a chance to listen to the soundtrack before the episodes dropped (they let me start listening at 11pm my time!). I only had a chance to listen to them through once before it was time for the show, so no in-depth thoughts.

On first listen, Rand's theme is my favorite of the new songs. <3 <3 Looking forward to reading the translation of the Old Tongue. I think I picked out "saidin" at few times. Elaida's was my second favorite, though "Bring the Dawn" was pretty gorgeous too.

And "The Hills of Tanchico" is the one with Ceara singing! She sounds nice! I wonder how much of this we'll get to hear in the show. <3

I am not the music expert (looks at @markantonys) but I am pretty interested at poking at the lyrics when I have a chance and analysing them!

[optimisticflicker]

🙈 ... Buck and Bucky were never put in the same compound at the stalag

OOOF the angst...

Also correct me if I'm mistaken, but in real life, I remember reading somewhere that the actual Gale and John were separated for months, in differents areas of the camp.

But in show version, I could only imagine Gale's reaction to actually seeing Bucky alive, feeling like a weight has been lifted off his chest, cause John is there alive, but a little cloud of dread that forms because he realizes that John is here. That little content feeling of seeing John actually alive quickly washes away when he sees just how hurt he really is, knowing that most of the 100th that came from the Münster mission were not that injured.

Mentally preparing himself of all the things he's going to do to help John, make sure there's a spare bunk (preferably next to his), have some clothes ready that he can use, etc., only to then be told that they're putting Bucky in another compound, away from his men, from Gale. He'll try to see if he ever sees John, or try to get any information about him, cause not knowing is killing him.

Bucky's not doing so hot either, knowing just how close Gale is but so far away at the same time breaks something inside him. He goes through the throes of all the bad things his injuries brought him alone basically, cause even though the people in his room help him, it's not the same, to him they're basically strangers, knowing that the one person that could truly help him is maybe not even 100ft away from him, but still can't physically be there.

His mental health plummets, which he finds very ironic, more quickly than it does canonly in the show. He spends more days quiet than not, no words coming out, feels like everything is hopeless, maybe even get into a fight with a guard or two, and it gets to a point where they decide to see if putting Bucky in the same compound will help him.

It definitely helps him a bit but most of the damage is already done and oof, when the men see him, they're so sad and shocked to see the major, that would always make sure to put a smile on their faces and lift their spirits, look so hollow. Buck? Buck is HEARTBROKEN, seeing his best friend, his soulmate like this and feels so guilty feeling like he should've been able to help him somehow.

There are days where sometimes Bucky can say a word or two but there are other days where he just stays in bed all day, and Buck sticks with him through it all never once leaving his side, worried that he'll disappear again. Helping him whenever he hears Bucky go through a nightmare, make sure to that he's always at least with one someone that he knows if Buck can't be there at the moment, etc. (just a bunch of Gale being a protective caretaker). I also think that Buck wouldn't escape in the march but stay with the men and John, being their voice with the officials but also keep John grounded, making sure that they go home together.

Kinda long hahaha and probably a lot more details could be added, thank you so much for the ask and sorry for the late response 💕💕

[skeletonh0e]

yay you do write for males! That’s awesome :) most of the time the x reader girlies only write for girls (which is totally fair it’s not like it’s easy and stuff ya know- cause of the lack of…well let’s just say…haha penis.)

could I request the skeleton huzz’s reaction to an SO that died in lien of duty? We need a significant amount of angst on this blog. There is a lack for sadness

gender neutral

As I said I mainly struggle with the nsfw element cuz bro

What even are dicks

But anyway, guess it is high time for some angst ain't it? For this ask I went with the reader being a part of the royal guard and a monster but the exact species isn't stated

Tw: Unhealthy coping mechanisms (Fell, Horror, Lust & Fresh), Revenge (Horror & Fresh), and a general one for grief / mental breakdowns

The boys cope with lost

Classic Sans:

Man full blown shuts down

Boy does not cope with emotions well, especially with such extremely negative emotions at that. So for the past few days man just straight up disappears

He keeps contact with Papyrus but no one else sees Sans for awhile and it's concerning

He is not the type to have loud dramatic break downs but tears are shed, he weeps silently and in ragged breaths. And he's just....nearly completely unresponsive otherwise

It's a good thing Pap is there, man probably wouldn't even be eating otherwise

He'll pull himself up eventually, he does later do the traditional ritual of sprinkling your dust on your favorite items and keeping any keep sakes from your relationship though doesn't make any type of big deal about it in the sense it's not public

Bro keeps his mourning private

Once he's out and moving again he'll be the same but noticeably more somber, quiet and generally somber.

Especially anytime he passes some of the places you two used to hang out a lot at

I like to think he does have a conversation with Undyne later, talking about what happened and how you're both dealing with it. It's a bittersweet moment for the two of them, with Undyne assuring him that your death is not in vain and your memory will always live on

The captain of the royal guard also grieves for you

He'll move on, he'll be fine, he'll accept what happened and he'll cope if not for his brother's sake alone, but anytime your death is a sore spot and there's not a day that goes by when he doesn't miss you

Underswap Sans:

The shell shock is apparent

The moment Alphys hands him your pile of dust and explains what happens, he is utterly shook to his core

And then....he laughs....?

Blue: "Hahaha ha! okay....this is a really messed up joke? did my brother put you up to this? didn't know he could be so mean! Y/N! my beloved? come out! you know better than to scare me like this!"

But you don't come out, Alphys doesn't laugh, his brother just looks....disheartened

He's clinging onto denial so hard but the evidence to the countary is staring him right in the face

And then he starts to cry, borderline break down before he let's out broken messy sobs

Papyrus scoops him up and takes him home, deciding to stay beside him for the rest of the day

He's genuinely lost at what to do, what can he do from here, this wasn't supposed to happen, how can it happen?

Depression hits him hard and he's not really up for much of anything, lays around clinging onto your things and just cries for the next couple of days

He'll piece himself back together slowly with the help of Papyrus, probably gets back to own habits slowly but....

Does he even want to join the royal guard anymore? All it does is remind him of you now and well....

Maybe doesn't abandon the dream entirely but doesn't seem up to the task much

For being someone so magnificent he wasn't able to help you, to save you, would you be alive if he was actually good enough?

Maybe he's not such a magnificent hero after all, but he'll try to become one. For you. Because that's what you deserved.

Underfell Sans:

His default reaction is anger and boo howdy does it come through here

Undyne arrives, tells him and he's silent for a solid minute. And then he's PISSED

He explodes at her, the fuck do you mean his partner is dead!? What kind of captain is she!? Talks about how great she is and then let's one of her best soldiers die!? Where the fuck was she!?

The verbal lashing is brutal and frankly hard to watch

Undyne: "I did everything I could!"

Red: "well it clearly wasn't good was it!?"

It looks like a fight might break down but he eventually just storms off, bitter and angry still. And he's not just angry at Undyne he's angry at you for staying in such a risky job and not protecting yourself better, he's angry at whoever fucking killed you, he's angry at himself for not being there, he's just....angry

And then he's sad.

He'll cry behind closed doors then and only then, otherwise he's doing everything in his power to make sure no one knows his suffering

Grumpier and snapper than usual, especially if anyone dares to bring up your name around him

He is....drinking a lot, A LOT more than usual and if it weren't for his brother he might be dead of alcohol poisoning himself. It's bad. And it stays that way for awhile.

Papyrus and the many residents of Snowdin genuinely fear he won't recover or ever quit be the same again, Papyrus even offers that the two of them avenge you somehow hoping to get him back to normal somehow but....he doesn't even humor the idea

It won't bring you back....what's the point?

Horrortale Sans:

Hoo boy

You being a part of the royal guard had always been a point of contention in your relationship but one that was manageable, and he doesn't really like Queen Undyne for several reasons. The moment he heard you were dead?

There was no question about it, something in that man snapped, whoever is responsible is dead and that in that mind that isn't just whoever killed you but all the royal guard then Undyne herself

He's never been that mentally stable, he doesn't have a lot of things that bring him joy anymore, but you managed to do so in this god forsaken place and he is out for blood. No one can talk him out of it, not even his brother, maybe you could have but

You aren't here anymore are you?

Even if he dies or gets hurt in the battle he really does not care, he went completely feral and honestly he's hurting so much....joining you in death does sound a bit appealing....

He lives though, now just having a pile of dust to his name....

He didn't even get to say good bye.

Everyone stays wary of him for awhile, he seems almost catatonic or zombie like, being around but not entirely there in a sense

He's quick to kill people more than usual, snappier, less patient and has even been seen violently slamming his head against the wall at certain times

Constantly flip flopping between "it should have been me" or "we should have never got together" or even just going "nah i'm fine i even forgot who i was upset about" when it's the furthermost thing from the truth

Man will never truly recover and it's something everyone comes to learn

Underlust Sans:

I haven't finished my epic lore post for how I write his universe but TLDR for rn, the royal guard does exist and it's mostly normal! Hell, he frequently services them and it was probably how you two met

He loved boasting about how his partner was part of such a cool job and loved being eye candy on your arm while you walked around in your armor

Yeah, it's all fun and games until you don't arrive home one night....he already gets a bad feeling but once there's a knock on the door and it's just Undyne there.....oh no

Tries not to cry, tries to keep it together but before he knows it there's runny mascara running down his face and he quickly turns into an emotional mess

This can't be happening, it can't be happening, it isn't happening, it's a bad dream and he'll wake up in your arms then you'll both make some dumb jokes

He does cry himself to sleep, he does wake up, but you're not there

He tries to just carry on per usual, he does his job, he does his typical stuff but it's painfully clear he's barely holding it together

While working with a client, they happened to call him the same nickname you frequently used and he cannot stop himself from breaking down in front of them

He is....excused and given some time off, even if he doesn't want it

Definitely getting drunk as well as....trying some other substances, anything to get his mind off what happened...thankfully doesn't get hooked, Papyrus intervenes before it can get that far but fuck man

This is why he rarely does romantic shit with anyone, it always ends bad, always does and now....

He's frequently found hugging your pillow, wearing your clothes, and clinging to what little he has left of you like a sad cat. Desperately sniffing them for even the faintest hint of your scent

He just wants you back

Fresh Sans:

You're.....gone?

Fresh has always had a weird relationship to death, he fears it and does anything to survive....but like...he's never been close enough to anyone to consider how it'll happen to others or if he did he never cared about them

You though? He cared about you, really cared about you and you're gone. He's never experienced this level of grief before

He's just frozen for a bit, looking at a pile of your dust and the Undyne from your universe doesn't know how to respond much as Fresh just stands there, she gently gos to place a hand on his shoulder then he not only grabs it but proceeds to violently twist her arm

"w h y d i d y o u l e t t h i s h a p p e n ?"

It's easy to forget that underneath all that silliness Fresh is a terrifying creature capable of doing some fucked up things, but rest assured no one in your world forgot that today

He laid that entire universe to ruin, giving Error a good run for his money, man went completely fucking insane. Laughing, crying, screaming and doing shit straight of a nightmare, nothing is left.

Some of the other Sanses tried to stop him but there was barely anything they could do, they just barely managed to awkwardly brag him away once he's done raging and he breaks down finally

At the end....he just....cries....

He's not seen for awhile and when he is seen, he's....normal? Acting like nothing happened and just doesn't acknowledge when your name is said

He's fine :)

Grief is tearing him apart from the inside but he just lives in a state of deliberate ignorance, pretending to forget

But he remembers everything

[mochiotomedumplings]

analysis on sunday celestia trailer bcs getting into it is comforting. also the video is just so good now that i’m actually watching it, so much on sunday as a character (and generally an amazing cinematic work of art).

he’s just falling the entire time 😭

if we had wings made me cry bcs of how sad-hopeful it is, of trying your best to be someone else’s hope and protect them like how you had been by someone else. robin could not look away from her audience and herself, back on that first stage and the promise shared with her brother. like how she had been protected and given hope, she too would protect and become the hope of others, sharing the song that once comforted and gave her peace in moments of need (crying again).

i couldn’t not see how much sunday was like a pillar of support for her, even only as that bright-eyed boy building her first stage and sharing a dream of delivering hope and joy to everyone (their songs). but also see how sunday had already seemed to want to stay in the back supporting her instead of singing along with her - this would further be referenced in his own video - also how both robin and sunday were living lives being constantly watched by others, robin was able to escape for just a bit but sunday was only falling further until the dream was broken. but why the difference ?

sunday’s celestia trailer started with him using the harmony to question himself, almost like he had to resort to such a thing to be honest/ see his true thoughts & feelings. he is all about always keeping himself proper and “stately” - composed, orderly - due to and on top of what he was doing his whole life, being in the spotlight and leading others. as the “older brother”, the protector, the one in charge, showing his true emotions, weakness, any indication that things were not going well or he could not be counted on was almost impossible - a dereliction of duty, or just what he must not do, if he were to protect what he must.

if he had already been so “iron-fisted” as a child, so hard on himself and being “in order”, not only was this about him being manipulated at a young age but just how Early it was that he got into the order. 2.7 implied that it was aideen park when he had first enforced “order”, but it was not actively known to him back then. he must have known joining the order was a betrayal to robin, to their promise of sharing the song of harmony - i believe this was reflected by his first “fall” in the video.

sunday fell a total of three times - i will call it past, present and future. in the past segment, it started with him recounting the original dream he had with robin - the contrast of the vulnerability in his voice compared to strictness of the question & his usual measured tone was beautiful. it felt like he was just about to cry but holding back - and this would happen again. i think it reflected his guilt over what he did to robin, betraying the dream they had.

tuning into the past, we saw him walk to robin singing with the children - but he was not quite there with them, standing at a distance in slight shade. even in “paradise” he was not even next to his sister, only a supporting figure (note how he wears the family head garbs while robin wears soft casual clothes, even in his most beautiful dream he was more a protector than the one singing and bringing joy to others) (he’s playing the harmonica but it feels different from the scene of the two of them on the piano - mirroring robin leaving him after that, at some point sunday has decided he wants to support her at the back rather than sing alongside her).

then the dream turns dark - from his voice “such a small wish” we could tell just how much he had wanted to make the promise with robin come true. now that it is dark, the “light” on stage is no longer a good thing. i think it refers to reality “the shadow that looms over the dream”, perhaps the “dark side of adulthood” he had mentioned in his lines. it can be said that he’s more of an overthinker and more sensitive than robin - so many references of him crying next to robin wiping the floor with those paparazzis - and thinking back to what he said about violence and arguments and finding peace in the dreamscape, the stellaron disaster they went through, that “shadow” must have been sunday’s anxiety and/ or actual problems they faced in their childhood (robin woke up from ena’s dream bcs it was “too blissful”). what sunday did not tell robin, possibly gopher wood making use of his fears and showing him all the shortcomings of the harmony, it was enough for him to have lost the dream/ betrayed the promise: it was originally about sharing the song of the harmony, but he lost hope in the harmony (fell from the dream world made from jigsaw pieces like xipe). that was his first fall (he must have felt so much guilt all this time, which culminated into him being a “disappointment” to robin in 2.7).

i think him relegating himself to a supporting role and turning to the order were both due to sunday’s innate sense of responsibilities & protectiveness and their childhood circumstances. perhaps he would have been “wonweek” had things been different, but it’s not just one thing that’s led to the current him.

almost forgot, a darker light shone over robin and the kids - in the dark state the “light” meant bad things - representing the dangers that did/ could happen to robin. this mirrored how sunday talked about robin as one of the reasons he chose ena’s dream - it was worrying over robin that influenced why he lost faith in the harmony.

he had fallen from harmony, but had the dream changed to him ? he said he “didn’t know” - this led us to the present segment, of what led him to manifest ena’s dream in penacony. “the people in the land of dreams live in a different kind of prison” this refers to the prison of self-value he talked about in the quest, survival of the fittest. he tried to help the child, only to be bound by thorns then fell.

the thorns had been really intriguing to puzzle out, as they were in many places and all over sunday as well. we first saw them in the past scene, right after he fell - the thorns in the dream seen through the cracks of the harmony. i believe they represented the kind of prison sunday was trying to overcome with ena’s dream - the constraints, the suffering that made people unable to pursue happiness in reality. they were in the harmony’s dream, showing that sunday lost faith bcs of how the harmony’s belief of “the strong protecting the weak” had failed, where it was more “the strong oppressing the weak” and the people suffered (the thorns) if they were weak.

it was once again reflected in the present segment - sunday being shackled in chains/ thorns as penacony enemies crowded over him (strong over the weak - it seemed there’s more than one instances of sunday alluding to himself as weak/ helpless - like the previous scene when he was seen falling and “unable to protect those he loves”. it must have fuelled his desire for control and safety even more) (perhaps that’s also what he meant by “overcoming the thorns” - overcoming his past weakness of overindulging in the dream).

the enemies then pushed him into his second fall, this time falling into ena’s hands (eyes of the order). it also signified that he agreed with the plan because of the corruption he saw on penacony - manipulation or otherwise, ena’s dream had been fuelled by a desire to “save” the ppl - with absolute order, he would be able to “break” those chains and ensure happiness for all, liberating people from the prison of self-value and they would truly be happy. the thorns were about the suffering in a reality of “survival of the fittest”, the helplessness of everyone living in it.

oh all these falls… it’s just like the caged bird that fell all those times. “falling was originally just another name for flying” the parallel kinda uncanny, i guess while it could mean he considered a large part of his past as failures, that the last fall towards reality (towards tomorrow, towards the stars as mentioned in one dream jigsaw) was depicted in such a bright, positive and freeing animation next to all those flying birds meant that despite his broken wings, he was “flying” - no longer trapped in the past of a fallen bird, he too would fly/ fall like everyone will wake up to another day in the real world (the bird may fall, may not be able to fly, may not have a “future” - but still it belongs to the sky, falling or flying, it will always come back to the sky, like ppl will eventually wake up to tomorrow).

(the parallel with that passage at the end of aven’s story and not having a morrow… such foils)

the stage has many symbolism to him, but the curtain he was looking at while being questioned was the one that was covering the stellaron - it was when he opened it that we came to the future segment. when ena’s dream was enacted - we see so much of his true feelings from his voice, so unlike his usual composed self - he had been so certain of the dream coming true. the sheer hope and joy as he spoke of it, but here we have another instance of him sounding like he was about to cry but holding back. there’s a callback to the piano scene with the twins as children, but they faded away to a lone piano with no more song. then the septimus choir, and back to the empty piano again - i think just like that first scene, it showed how sad he was over the promise with robin.

the certainty with which he spoke of the paradise of the choir, the joy he seemed to exude talking about their dream coming true - was a brilliant contrast to the crack in his voice, that lonesome piano, the obvious contrast to their original dream. it showed that he was conflicted over the betrayal - he knew deep down it was no longer the same, and it hurt to not be able to keep their promise, but ena’s dream, that brief paradise had been so beautiful, had brought him so much joy that it was just like that beautiful dream we saw at the start, the one time he had sounded happy (i think the dream had given him so much reprieve from his life, imagine if he had been constantly worrying and also the stress of his job and the suffering of the people that he could not help but want to save… ena’s dream must have felt like a fix-it moment, as though the paradise they seeked had actually come).

then the breakdown of the dream. why is everyone so silent ? the voice was so harsh, so self-berating - the moment people started wanting to leave the dream, he fell into pieces (just like his boss fight, after robin started singing), once again showing how much he cared about and was affected by the happiness of the people “they aren’t laughing anymore”. then the choir members slowly turned into crows and flew away, a great cinematic moment as sunday realized the truth. this scene showed the ppl leaving the dream, the singers turning into sunday’s own crows flying away so he’s the only one left (the ppl didn’t want his paradise anymore, only he wanted to keep dreaming). it culminated into sunday being wrapped up in those very thorns he had wanted to be free from, under ena’s gaze, the irony that he was the only one left and so thoroughly gripped by such insiduous thorns and he called it the “sweet dream”. the conductor who thought he would stay awake and guide ppl to true happiness in the dream, had been the one stuck in the dream all along. the bleak color of that scene was really tragic, that all this time he was still helpless, still chained up after all. and he’s all alone.

and there’s a few snapshots of him being mired in the darkness - there’s crow feathers and hands grabbing at him, reminiscent of that image of him before the fight in 2.7 that was referring to his past titles and responsibilities in penacony - could be referring to how he himself isn’t “happy” so how can he give a song of happiness to ppl, it isn’t a true paradise. and omelas reference to how he’s the only one awake and suffering in reality. and symbolically, perhaps how he’s been the “traitor” and weighed down by what he went through over the years, suffering of the people and thorns of the order.

then the bird broke out of the cage between the harmony and the order, and the last actor left the stage, the show was over. sunday - the crow - turning almost all white again, and the conductor turning (back) into “sunday” again (the show of the past had ended, and he too had woken from the dream) (into the light, he’s finally in the light proper) (you can tell he’s more free and expressive from his wings before and after).

there’s a hole above the stage with thorns seen beyond it, i believe this was made by the bird breaking out of the enclosure that sunday was in i was cracking, he walked out from the dark like backstage or something during the why does life slumber part - the thorns look like they’re beyond the gap but they are part of the dream, stopping him from leaving.

he broke away from the thorns of the order and realized the truth of what he had done (that the order, what he did was the same as the constraints on the weak in reality), seeing the dream for what it really was (a deserted stage beyond the cage of the harmony and order in his inner mind, a dream in a dream… reminds me of omelas again, how he’s the only one trapped by the thorns to make everyone happy, and everyone left him behind).

the moment of wakening, the final question in the reminiscence and dream, why does life slumber ? then he fell from the stage into the sky of flying birds, “flying”. then he fell into a liquid world of sort, mirroring the liquid we had to be in to enter the dream. like he was falling into another world (he’s been in the dream for so long, remember how he kept working in the dreamscape) and it’s him really waking up to the real world, just like everyone else, opening his eyes to tomorrow. that even though the real world is full of unknowns and out of his control, and he can no longer “fly” - it’s a beautiful sky and he’s free, falling towards the stars.

and he’ll surely overcome the thorns - of his past, of the suffering of the world where there will always be a paradise to build. go reach the stars king 😭😭✨

[miss-musings]

OK, I've read the whole thing now, and want to add a few more thoughts:

Hunter and Echo's back-and-forth is very much a typical Leader-Lancer dynamic. I talked about this in my "Not Alone; We'll Do It Together: A Mini-Analysis of the Bad Batch's Roles in Their S3 Family Structure" meta.

The whole point of a Leader-Lancer duo is that they push each other to greater heights via their contrasting methods, ideologies, personalities, etc. Think Superman and Batman, Naruto and Sasuke, or Goku and Vegeta.

Hunter believes his foremost responsibility is to his squad, keeping Omega and his TBB brothers safe; while Echo thinks they should be doing more to help all clones. Neither of them is exactly wrong.

On that note, I also wanted to explore why Hunter feels the way he does, and doesn't feel compelled to fight like Echo.

Echo was a reg first. He was a member of the 501st, even if he joined TBB later. He has a connection to the regs that Hunter & co. never did.

As enhanced clones, Hunter & co. kind of did their own thing. They were separate from the other clones. They went on their own missions, had their own chain of command and -- as Crosshair says -- typically didn't work with regs.

Whether it was because of their physical differences and/or how differently they were within the GAR's military structure, TBB are "othered" by the regs. They have their own lunch table, and most regs don't respect them. They even cruelly call them "the Sad Batch."

Sure, they seem to get along well with Cody and eventually Rex and Echo. But they're seen as the exceptions, not the rule.

Thus, the dynamic within the Batch is always more insular. The 'us vs. them' mentality is more-or-less ingrained into them by TBB S1. Maybe they don't outright hate the regs, but they definitely don't feel compelled to seek them out either.

Hunter is probably the best example of this.

In TCW 7.02, he and the Frat Batch decide to go with Rex and Anakin to Skako Minor, not because they care about Echo, but because they think it'll be fun. Sure, once they pull Echo out of the chamber, they definitely look out for him, but we see in 7.04 that they're also suspicious of him and his true intentions.

Then, in TBB 1.01, Hunter decides to go back for Omega because she's "one of them." Because she's differe.

And, later in the same episode, when Crosshair is taken away by the Empire, Hunter says they don't leave their own behind. He's not talking about the regs. He's talking about Crosshair, and Crosshair only.

He doesn't give a fig about the regs, even once they know about the inhibitor chips later in S1. In 1.08, even though they're surrounded by clone troopers, Hunter only tries to talk Crosshair down, not the other clones.

I'd have to go back and check, but I'm pretty sure anytime a TBB member talks about their "brother/s," they're always referring to fellow TBB members. Not regs.

The first instance that comes to mind is Tech in 2.14, when he says: "We have not always agreed with Crosshair. But he is still our brother. We do not leave our own behind."

As I said, Hunter's foremost responsibility is to his squad, which consists of Tech, Wrecker, Crosshair, later Echo and even later Omega.

That's why, throughout the entire show, Hunter's fine with staying out of the larger fight unless he's pulled into it. Because his priority is to keep his TBB family safe, not to help every clone.

I imagine Hunter feels some kind kinship with the regs. I mean, TBB almost always use stun blasts against clone troopers, while they have no problem killing stormtroopers.

But Hunter doesn't feel responsible for them the way he does for his own squad. His squad's safety is always his priority. Throughout S1, he typically has to be talked into dangerous missions involving the Empire, like rescuing Gregor in 1.14.

This is in contrast with Echo, who is/was a reg. He does feel responsible for them. They are his brothers. He was raised with them, served with them and nearly died for them. He has a connection with them that Hunter & co. do not.

When Echo is sure Hunter & co. are safe, he leaves them for the bigger fight. When he hears one of them is in danger, he returns to help rescue them.

Both Hunter and Echo work to protect the people they feel responsible for. It's just that those groups don't necessarily overlap.

That's why Echo chooses to keep fighting for his clone brothers, while Hunter ultimately chooses to settle down on Pabu with his TBB family.

The Weight of Joint Leadership

Headcanons and Ramblings about Echo & Hunter

I talked about this in a post ages ago and then I think @saturn-sends-hugs asked to be tagged if I ever posted it. I’m finally getting around to posting this 😅 it’s been in the works for over a year now.

Hunter and Echo have a unique relationship that isn’t extensively explored throughout the series but one that still gets some attention nonetheless. One thing I really started to notice when I rewatched S1 a while back is that Echo and Hunter have this unspoken equal partnership where Hunter looks to Echo to push him and Echo looks to Hunter to ground him. Echo lends his expertise and opinion and Hunter questions the practicality of things with an emphasis on silent communication. These two are really in this together and they know each other very well and are able to hear each other without even speaking. Their motives often align it’s the way they think it’s best to handle things that differs. I think of it as them standing on opposite sides of a river. They’re both going one direction but they have to take different paths.

That doesn’t necessarily make either path wrong, just different.

Obviously I prefer Echo, I think that’s clear just from *side-eyes my blog* everything about me but it’s important to me to dissect every angle, even if there are ideas I identify with and prefer more.

Within S1 there are at least a good handful of times that they communicate either silently or verbally on issues concerning plans or the squad. Some of these silent conversations happen in mere seconds, the two of them only exchanging a look and a few eyebrow raises before Hunter announces what they’ve decided to do. Other times they talk to each other, even if just for a few seconds, before moving on and continuing their mission.

I think it’s highlighted best in ‘Entombed’. They keep looking at each other, clearly seeking input, and following the other’s lead.

Echo has no issues bringing up his displeasure, not to anyone, but there are certainly times that he waits until he and Hunter are alone to discuss it. Like in S1 E8 - Reunion. Echo brings up how they should’ve left with Rex, how they could be helping. Hunter doesn’t necessarily hear him out entirely but I think he isn’t exactly ready to either. He's focused on carrying out the mission at hand, not switching up their situation entirely. Then we have S2 E1 where Echo pulls Hunter aside to have that infamous conversation about how they should be doing more. I can only imagine how many times they’ve had that exact talk. How many times they’ve sat in the cockpit or on a bunk in the middle of the night and whisper-argued at each other until they came to a standstill. There had to be a breaking point where they realized they were never going to see eye to eye on this. The 'Nuna Nuggets' mission comes immediately to mind (their absence in ‘Faster’) as the place this happened. I can only speculate because we didn't see it but I think they took that mission solo because it was both easily accomplished with only a pair and they really needed some alone time to hash some things out. Without prying from the rest of the squad. Time to have an adult conversation.

I think they argued. I think they were arguing over what their future as a group was and I think they couldn’t come to an agreement. I think this disagreement eventually landed them in a place where Hunter had to let Echo go in order to keep the peace between them. Echo had to finally step away from the Batch, away from retirement, and towards the future he wanted, the way he wanted to resist the Empire. This is a big step for both of them. Echo won’t give up. He’s going to go save other clones. He’s going to go with Rex. The harder Hunter holds on and refuses to let go the more he will push Echo away. The more they all will.

And since Echo won't stop pushing there has to be give. If they keep butting heads and standing on opposing sides of the platform it will only make the rift bigger. At some point peace has to be made about this difference in ideology.

I think we see this struggle between them again in ‘Tipping Point’.

The following conversation is about their future. Echo asks if they’re staying on Pabu indefinitely and Hunter says it might be the best thing for them. When Hunter inquires about what Echo is up to the following conversation happens:

Echo: Rex and I have built up a small network of clones. Some are in hiding, underground, others act as our contacts within the Empire.

Hunter: Echo. You’ve seen the power you’re up against. You can’t defeat them.

Echo: it’s not about that. It about fighting for our brothers.

Hunter: I understand why you’re doing this but… when will it be enough?

They immediately get interrupted by Tech and the conversation never reaches a conclusion.

(Side note that I am tossing around this being purposeful. Echo hasn’t reached an end to his journey, he isn’t done yet. ‘Enough’ doesn’t exist for him. Not yet anyway. He still has work to do. I have my issues with the TBB and it’s overall ability to delve into its theme and complete a story and Echo’s lack of conclusion is one of them but that is a different post for a different day.)

Caveat that I can only speculate because we do not get a lot of detail surrounding this line or how either of them are feeling at this moment but we have gotten glimpses of their differences throughout the series. I certainly didn’t handle it well upon hearing this line for the first time. Now, I think what the writers were trying to do was continue to harp on this difference in ideology between them. This difference in motivation. Truthfully, I find this line to be an over simplification of what Echo is trying to do here and it makes Hunter look bad. Insensitive, apathetic. Especially given how clone force 99 feels about and treats the other clones this… doesn’t make clone force 99 seem empathetic. Having Hunter ask ‘when will you be done helping the clones?’ when they’re still trapped and being experimented on, trying to escape the empire, and in hiding is like asking why even start the race if the finish line is ten miles away? I think this scene would’ve benefited from some sort of challenge from Echo about this idea that he should consider giving up on his cause. Something to put more strength behind this disagreement and give Echo more of a voice here. Instead we leave it cut off (again, perhaps purposeful even if I don’t like it) and leave it just like that. Unanswered. If Echo had pushed back perhaps I would feel differently about the scene. Alas, the bad taste in my mouth remains.

Personally, I think this line is in poor taste given all we know about Echo and what is happening to the clones. But I’d like to take it apart a bit to try and reframe it as best I can and show that it still has those elements of ‘leading with the heart’ and ‘leading with the head’ that I talked about earlier. Pushing for more and grounding.

Echo is building something. He’s building towards bigger impact change. A way to network and build and grow. He’s saving the clones, fighting for them, refusing to give up. And that’s so integral to who he is at the end of the day.

Hunter is pumping the breaks. He often does. He always has, even with his own squad. Keeping them even a little bit in line had to be a challenge. He’s used to people pushing, Echo isn’t an exception to this. He reminds Echo how powerful the Empire is. How it would be impossible to defeat them on their own.

Here they are again. Echo pushing for more, to do good, to help those in need, while Hunter offers some wider perspective. They’re too strong. Taking down the Empire isn’t going to happen. Not like this. And, really, that’s not what Echo is after here but you know what I’m getting at.

All of this is to say that I still believe Hunter and Echo very much need each other. Not despite their differences but because of them.

At the end of the day they still believe in one another. Hunter puts a lot of faith in Echo’s skills, in his abilities. He knows Echo is the man to count on and I think that’s partially why he tries to slow him down in some of these moments. Hunter grounds Echo. We know the man can be chaotic. Jump in feet first and not look down until he’s half way through the fall kind of man. Hunter is there to remind Echo to breathe. That he has a place to come back to and that place - Hunter hopes - will be with them. Hunter gave Echo a space to grow. A space to find who he was after Skako. I don't think that's a small gesture in any way. Hunter is a way for Echo to find something steady. When he's ready to. Listen, Hunter isn't a talker. He doesn't do big conversations about feelings. He isn't that guy. And he'd never come right out and say it but the love is there.

Echo sees how paralyzed Hunter gets in the wake of the Empire, in the midst of massive change. Echo is no stranger to change. He’s changed all his life. Every stage has been another big step, another way to pivot, another path to follow. He’s used to this. Hunter isn’t. Echo can push Hunter to do more than avoid his problems, avoid the inevitable. Echo steers Hunter and brings him opposing ideas and glares at him when he thinks he’s fucking up. He argues with him and pushes back and doesn’t let him get away with any bullshit or hiding without at least some argument. He drives Hunter towards action instead of away from it. In subtler ways but he still does. We see this when he advocates to go save Gregor, when he advocates for helping Rex, when he insists on saving the clones, helping free people. He pushes on issues he is passionate about and he wants to make Hunter see him at the very least.

Truthfully, I think he does. I think that's why he looks to Echo when making big decisions, why he believes in his abilities so much, and why he knows Echo has it covered.

They are fire and ice. Fight or freeze.

They are two people who don’t usually agree but they respect each other. These two are constantly checking in with each other, seeing how the other will react, and eventually fighting it out on an empty ship until they ultimately decide that the best thing to do is to part ways. Imagine how badly that hurt everyone involved. Hunter and Echo came to a decision together, like they usually do, and I can only imagine Wrecker and Tech’s reaction when they brought the both of them up to speed. Echo will be leaving with Rex the next chance he gets. He’ll be gone for however long he is gone. He may never come back. It’s been decided. I can only imagine how hard it was to hear that Echo was moving on without them and nothing they could say would keep him out of the fight. They knew who Echo was when he joined them, though, and I can bet they saw this coming eventually. (I headcanon that Tech knew how strongly Echo felt about this because they've talked prior but this post isn't about them so I'll ramble about their relationship another day <3) Especially after meeting up with Rex is S1. But the hurt doesn’t mean his choice wasn’t the right one for him.

These two are important to each other. I hope that importance, respect, and love is highlighted the further we get from the conclusion of the show. I hope it can be expanded upon, dissected, and get more development eventually. Because they deserve it. Because I know there is love there and I’d hate to see it go to waste.

In my opinion these two characters aren't meant to represent apathy versus empathy - although I totally see where that is coming from. I see it as avoidance versus action. It’s having to choose between hiding in safety and fighting in the line of fire and what happens when one of you believes in a cause that the other doesn’t. It's choosing what matters to you and watching someone you love choose a different path. It's knowing they're making a choice that you may not want them to but doing what is best for you regardless. It’s two people who butt heads but still hold respect for one another at the end of the day.

It’s that Echo will go where he is needed. And Hunter’s path is different.

[jacarandaaaas]

I know it’s probably been said before but as an artist I can’t help but praise the character design of encanto

Like look at this whole cast of characters who are all related to eachother and still so distinct! One of my all time favorite facts about this movie is that the family are color coordinated! I love that so much because not only does it make it easier for the audience to tell which character comes from what side of the family but it’s also visually appealing!

Also the fact everyone’s outfit contains symbolism relating to their gift!? genius. and mirabels skirt being her own personal scrapbook where you can see she has everyone’s symbol a clever way to display her genuine pride for her family! Isabelas dress being closer to almas magenta than the other members of julietas family emphasizing shes closer with alma and is seen as her successor! I especially love how after “what else can I do?” She changes her dress colour to a dark blue representing that she’s finally found herself and doesn’t want to be just almas clone! She feels more comfortable with her own family and shows it by representing their color!

Also let’s talk about how pepas family all wear warm hues as shown to be bright, fun and ultimately happy. Which makes a lot of sense considering how pepas gift requires her to be happy all the time to avoid “bad weather”. Her family also wear warm tones to possibly help her maintain this and also because compared to what we see in the movie pepas children have a little less pressure and are considered more fun to be around! Also the fact green and magenta are opposite colors on the color wheel and Bruno and alma have a strained relationship. genius.

I just want to appreciate the character design because I feel like it’s just so creative and has had so much thought and heart put into it <3

[sysig]

I invite you to imagine (Patreon)

[tagidearte]

There's something special about Moon being the only side of the DCA who has canonically (gameverse) voiced his counterpart's name ("No more Sun", which yes it's not him directly saying Sun's name since it's a figure of speech, but still) whereas Sun - the chatterbox - only refers to Moon via "he" or "other me". Moon, the quiet one who mostly laughs vs Sun who mostly uses words. Sun, who is scared of Moon, never utters his name whereas Moon clearly has no problem with it. Both of them using "we☀️/us🌙" prior to Eclipse. Moon, whose only opinion of Sun we can infer is "the other me trapped me in light so now I trap him in shadow", vs Sun's whole thing which is profoundly more fleshed out.

I don't know man, the "no more Sun" line always did things to me. I remember playing Ruin for the first time and getting this... jarring emotion when I heard Moon saying that. It's such a small line but good god did I latch onto it.

[skunkes]

can we just get one good life sim game please. and Soon instead of 10 yrs from now.

[hermitcraftx]

just got a dm abt one of my posts and y'all please don't try and show the hermits (or any minecraft youtuber or content creator for that matter) my posts, i'm uncomfortable with it and don't want any of my posts shown to a cc. if they stumble upon it naturally that's unfortunate but i can live with it since i do maintag a lot (something i REALLY need to stop doing tbh i already know i need to make a tagging system just for my blog that wont clog results) but going out of ur way to show a cc is entirely different and something i am not comfortable with.

no hate to the person at all but even if i wasn't a little silly and weird with it sometimes i wouldn't be comfortable with it, i want my blog to be a purely fandom only space with none of the creators involved <3 please respect this

[deus-ex-mona]

i miss her…

[seventh-district]

7am, eating cold leftover teriyaki stir-fry for breakfast and crying over blorbos

[upsidedowngrass]

For drawing requests uhhh anything with Bryce? I just super adore the way u draw his limbs idk what it is about it !!! I'm just like 0-0 like a cat at him every time

here he is!!!!! thank u :D!!!!!!!!!!

[discjude]

Yeah this is about right (as always my thoughts are in the tags so there's actually kei content there lmao)