#and i love rambling about them lol

[vinjaryou]

also for The Sexy ABCs Meme, @mahkohime asked for a few, and I think I got them all? at least the ones that weren’t already asked, and if I missed any or you want to ask more, let me know!

(I know I began to answer them on the spicy twt ages ago, but seeing as I write a lot, I figured it’d be easier to post them here lol)

once again stuck under a cut to save dashes, because I ramble. ♥

F is for First Time: How was their first time together?  Was any of them nervous?  Did it live up to their expectations?

At the risk of sounding horribly cliché, their first time was sweet and tender, but very soul-bearing; it was the night before the final showdown, when Cloud told everyone to go and find their reason to fight, and Vincent found Reilena in one of the flower gardens at the house she'd lived in with Aerith and Elmyra. After a soft discussion, confessed feelings (she says it, he shows it because he's still super-hesitant on saying it despite knowing how he feels), and a long, soft kiss, she asked him to stay with her that night.

The nervousness was due to the vulnerabilities - the reveal of scars on both (especially the extent of his own, as when they'd [literally] sleep together before, he would stay as clothed as possible, with his shirt open just a little at the most), taking off the gauntlet to reveal the Galian-esqe arm it hides - and general first time anxieties. Oh, and throw in there too that he's uh... pretty well-endowed no matter the form, thanks to all the experimentation and shit done to him, so he doesn't want to hurt her.

If they had gone into it -with- any sort of expectations, they were lived up to and then some~ It was definitely not a one & done night, and they let themselves indulge as much as possible; discovering little nuances about each other, lingering in places to get the best noises and reactions, and the occasional ticklish spots getting some breathless laughter from both. ♥  

I is for Infidelity: Has any of them ever cheated on their partner?  Whom have they cheated with?  If not, is it something they could do?  If yes, have they told them or has the other found out?  Could they forgive and forget?

Reilena's been cheated on before – there is a reason why she doesn’t particularly like Johnny, and it’s not due to his boisterous attitude – but she hasn't and wouldn't cheat on her partner. There have been moments in the past when she's been with someone else, and felt the pull toward another, but stifled the temptation and instead tried to make it work with the current partner before breaking it off entirely. The last long relationship she had before she and Vincent met was with Tifa, and there was no infidelity between them – it was a mutual break, and they’re still best friends to this day.

Vincent's also been cheated on, and (depending on how you interpret their relationship, as this could be emotional, physical, or both) was possibly the other man with Lucrecia, which is among his regrets; though he knows it takes two, coupled with his utter dislike (and eventual hatred) for Hojo, potentially breaking up a marriage? Yeeeeeah, no. His split with Veld, as heartbreaking as it was for him, wasn't due to infidelity on either end. At least, that's what he was told, and he prefers to believe Veld than imagine the worst (which is good for him; Vincent does not need the additional heartache).

That said, Vincent and Reilena are honest with each other, and were as open as possible with each other when it came to their romantic pasts. They know how deeply they feel for each other, the trust they have, and though there might be slight attractions to others, it's just that - appreciating someone's look a la "oh they're cute" - and they couldn't imagine cheating on each other.

That’s not to say that there aren’t others they would consider inviting over for a night if things happened to fall into place for a threesome or such…

J is for Jewelry: Do they own any sexy jewelry (like butt plugs with rhinestones, piercings in intimate areas, cock rings, collars, etc…)?  What do they think about it?

There is jewelry that they can give each other in front of others, and then there is jewelry that they give each other in private, though wearing it subtly in public is a surefire way to get the other going.

Like when he visits the Heaven to see her and though he has his shirt mostly buttoned up, there's a peek of the collar he's wearing underneath, and she'll bite her lip with a smile, knowing exactly what he has in mind that night. Or if she's stopping by a WRO meeting and has a pair of matching bracelets on, with a chain attached to a ring she's wearing on her middle fingers, and he'll raise a brow at her, dropping a quick wink when Reeve isn't looking.

They've bought some together, too - they picked out each other's collars, and the first cock ring was an impulse purchase (thanks for the O.O look while they were perusing the sizes there, salesperson - they noticed~) - and others were surprises, like the leash with the cute paddler to go with one of their collars, or the nipple clamps.

...he did notice some pretty rhinestone lingerie one of the last times they visited the shop, too. It might be a little surprise for her later on~

Neither of them are pierced anywhere save for ears... so far ♥

M is for Masturbation: Do they engage in it?  Together or alone?  Do they enjoy watching their partner masturbating?  Do they use any toys, or just their hands?

Yes, self-pleasuring is something they both enjoy and indulge in, alone and together, with some close calls to boot, whoops~

Reilena's more likely to masturbate alone in bed or the shower/bath, and is very hands-on with herself. The showerhead does a fine job of helping her out at times, and she does have some toys as well, both bought alone and with him (yes, because I know you're going to ask, some are almost as big, but he is bigger~). She has a specific drawer in her dresser for her toys (which made for quite the blush-worthy reaction when it was discovered), and tends to put on music as well if she's by herself, with some specific songs letting anyone know that she's not to be disturbed if they're on. The music also helps cover her voice, since she can get a little vocal sometimes, moreso if they haven't seen each other for a while.

Unless you're her partner, of course - then it's an invitation~

Vincent's also likely to go at it in the shower or bath, but in bed/his bedroom is the usual if Vincent's indulging himself. It's usually hands only for him, being careful with the left one (for obvious reasons). He did have a toy collection before (obvs lost to time and well... dying), but he's gone about picking up some new ones, indulging in known kinks while discovering new ones and introducing her to some of his. He keeps his voice down for the most part, but does have a tendency to groan her name, especially if it's been a while and they're missing each other more than usual.

Watching each other began as a pleasant accident; while visiting her apartment, Vincent went to the bedroom to get something and heard Reilena whimper his name in the shower. The bathroom door was opened just enough to let him glance in, and though he caught her eye when she looked up, she didn't stop nor tell him to go. An attempt at an apology later that night was waved off, with her telling him that it only made it better for her knowing he was there watching, and when would she be allowed to see him do the same~? It's a step into voyeurism for the both of them; along with watching each other, masturbating the other also helps them get to know the other's nuances and kinks better.

And they love letting each other know just how good they are~

N is for Nudes: Do they send them to each other?  Do they save them on their phones?  Do they keep them to themselves, or do they show them to their friends?  Have they ever sent one to a wrong number?

Nudes.

We are talking about the literal last person in the FFVII fam to get a cell phone. Nanaki got a cell phone before Vincent.

And you are asking about nudes.

….yes.

Reilena was the one that started it, with a relatively tame one; after he'd gotten his phone and after the events of AC, Vincent went back out on his own for a while, but not without them exchanging numbers (this goes into a possible series I want to write with them dealing with the time between OG's end to AC/DoC, but I digress). He was at an inn when his phone went off, her name on the display, and thank god he was sitting off on his own because he opened the message and "...oh~" at the steamy post-shower "wish you were here~" selfie she'd sent him. ♥ He ended up sending her one of his own that night, once he was settled in his room (and once he figured out how the camera functions worked), just as he was about to indulge in some hands-on alone time~

They have a private chat on their phones for things like this - pictures, sexting, etc - and photos are all saved for themselves. There's the tendency to set favorites as phone wallpapers too, which means if they take a moment to themselves before sharing something on their phone, they're either resetting the wallpaper to something less explicit, or they're going directly to what needs to be shared and will not let go of the phone.

That being said, their closest friends know about this kink of theirs - one was by an accidental text, the other was figuring it out by a reaction from a message - and will sometimes quietly tease them about it; Tifa will elbow Reilena at times about being the only person with actual Vincent Valentine thirst traps on her phone, while Cid will just raise a brow and smirk if he notices Vincent biting his lip against a smile while checking his phone. Reeve’s picked up on it too, and depending on which one he’s with, he’ll tease Vincent about suddenly not minding having a cell phone, or ask Reilena if she needs a moment to herself.

And while it's tamer than nudes/sexting, they have talked about maybe doing a boudoir photoshoot. Maybe...~

S is for Spanking: Is this one of their kinks?  If yes, who’s the spanker and who’s the spankee?  Any favorite positions?  Do they use just the hand or any other spanking implements (like the paddle, belt, whip, hairbrush, etc…)?

You picked this one because Reilena likes grabbing Vincent's butt, didn't you? XD

ANYWAY, it wasn't one at first; they're more the type to slip hands into back pockets or sneak in a tush grab during a kiss/just because. But one frisky morning she went to grab him while he was brushing his teeth, Vincent smacked her ass with his free (left) hand, and Reilena might have let out a little whimper with that startled squeal. A raised brow at her reddened face and lip-biting, and when he was finished and she was in the other room getting coffee made, he tried it again. Once the coffee machine was set to brew, Vincent snuck in a little smack while getting their mugs down, and Reilena gasped again, blushing anew.

Lo and behold, Vincent discovers Reilena likes being spanked, just as much as she likes grabbing his ass~

His bare hand is her favorite, because she likes the way he caresses her afterward - and how his claws feel running along hot skin. They've bought a couple paddles to try as well, and one of their leashes came with a matching paddle that's used when the collar and harness come into play. As for belts or whips, Vincent has a specific belt that Reilena likes when they want to push the rough scale more, but that's her limit thus far, with whips still being perused and discussed.

[wolfsnooze]

in which hunter’s possession goes a whole lot worse

[milkamel]

Sudden kross thoughts + headcanons I drew in like 20 minutes I seriously can't stop thinking about these two idiots and I need to write about this somewhere..

Like- They're so different (also very similar) but complement each other so well- just perfect for each other. Cross needs someone to tell him that it's okay to relax sometimes and Killer needs someone to help him take care of himself more <3 gfjgkfgjfkh my sweet babies-

Killer belongs to rahafwabas Cross belongs to jakei

[melancholyfleurs]

orgasming just from the feeling of my clit brushing against my strap combined with the overwhelming rush that came from pleasing and taking in the naked form of one of the most gorgeous people i ever met underneath me will forever top the list of most mind blowing and pleasurable things i have experienced in this lifetime

[rosefires20]

My brainrot today is thinking about just how incredible for a character Eowyn is.

Genuinely. The series might not have many female characters but the ones we do get go so fucking hard.

To me, Eowyn is literally the definition of defining being a woman for oneself. She rejects the roles she is given despite acknlowdging the importance and its mostly because she knows part of the reason is that she is a woman.

The reason why she is obsessed with Aragorn isn't because she loves him but because she wants what he has. She wants the freedom and courage and bravery that Aragorn has at every turn. She literally has multiple conversations during the Two Towers about how what she fears most is a cage. All this girl wants is the freedom to be and not be forced into a role. The best thing is that she literally gets that.

The segment of Return of the King about Eowyn and Faramir is literally about her piecing together what she truly wants. She doesn't want Aragorn. She wants freedom and the ability to choose. Faramir does nothing but encourage that in her. Their love story is literally one of the healthiest love stories I've seen in a long time because at the heart of it, their love is a place to return home to for both parties. Both go off to lead and help their people for a considerable amount of time before returning to each other but that does not diminish their bond. Even Faramir, I believe, falls in love with her bravery and dedication to her loved ones. The reason she went to Pelenor Fields and Gondor with the troops of Rohan was because she had things she wanted to fight for. She wanted to fight for herself, her people, and her loved ones. She is the one who protects Theoden after he is killed so that his body gets the treatment it deserves. She encourages Merry and helps him go to the battle because she sees her struggle in Merry. They feel helpless standing around when there are things to be doing.

Let's also not forget the fact that she was around Grima Wormtounge just as much as the King was. She was exposed to the same poison and awful words that eroded the king. It's even implied that her care for him is part of the reason why Theoden was savable when Gandalf showed up. She had the same power and bravery as everyone else even if she didn't see it in herself.

Then at the end of the day, SHE decides where she wants to go and what path she wants to walk. She walked the path of a warrior. The path of a princess/ruler. The path of a caretaker. But in the end she decides which elements truly mean something to her outside of gender definitions. That is what makes her character so incredible to me. In this she literally kills one of the biggest enemies in that battle with such a badass line.

[demaparbat-hp]

Almost

[apollosgiftofprophecy]

EPIC fans: what else was Odysseus supposed to do?! Scylla was the only way home!!

Me, an intellectual: there WAS a way for Odysseus and crew to get past Scylla without one crew member dying. They previously had a bunch of Sirens at their mercy, so if they so wished, they could have used six sirens to satisfy Scylla’s price.

After all…ruthlessness (to others) is mercy upon ourselves

[batbabydamian]

Damian Wayne NYCC 2023 Remarks & Commissions!

Patrick Gleason

Jorge Jimenez

Dan Mora

Jorge Corona

Simone Di Meo

Dike Ruan

[wassupmygays]

"even if death tags along, i dont mind,

its still you and me.

I'll never leave you alone

I'll never leave you alone

I'll never leave you alone."

I'll be honest i have been listening to this album On Repeat for the past few weeks and only just now really Heard that first line. oh my god man. this is so important to me. they are so important to me.

just. this entire song is so very beautiful and speaks so much about these two characters. but johnny ending the song by saying he does not care if pony is right about this death around him. he doesnt mind if another horrible thing happens to them, because he will be there. they will be together no matter what. no matter what end is destined for them.

and then i think about ponyboy. this kid who thinks he is somehow causing all of this death. forgetting the frosting, or spitting in a soc's face. Or throwing his cigarette. his best friend in the whole world tells him that no matter what, he will be there with him. they will stick together, and he will never be alone. but then, suddenly, johnny is gone. ponyboy watched him die to a fire that his cigarette caused.

no wonder he was so broken after everything. after everything that happened, and all of their promises, ponyboy felt Alone. johnny was gone and it was his fault. and johnny must have been wrong, back in the church. ponyboy was right after all, and johnny was gone. he left pony alone in the end.

and no wonder he clings to johnny's clothes. that ragged vest that he always wore, with the intricate patterns stitched around the collar. something so loved, so tattered, so johnny. but clutching that pile of clothes to his chest just reminds pony that the boy who wore them is gone. johnny was wrong, and pony was alone.

it isnt until after pony finds Johnny's Letter and starts his theme that he realizes johnny might have been right. he starts to be able to see johnny in everything; in the sunrises, or the gang's laughter during a football game, or in the patterns he doodles in his notebooks. pony starts to see the beauty in the fold, he sees the world with the love that johnny described in his letter. and he feels his best friend in the whole world right there next to him again.

its still you and me

i'll never leave you alone

[wasabi-gumdrop]

thinking about modern au Kabru

ivy league college student, probably studying law and political science on a full scholarship. first time living away from Milsiril so he has to promise her, yes mom i’ll call you at least four times a week, no mom i don’t need your amex black card, yes mom the normal credit card is fine i need to learn how to budget like a Normal Person (it has a limit of $20k — that’s not normal Kabru).

Milsiril insists for a long time that she’ll just get him a house off campus so he can have his own space (aka a place she can drop by anytime and possibly live a few months out of the year just to be close to him) but Kabru puts his foot down and tells her the best way he’s gonna make friends is by living with other students (bye mom).

his floor in the coed dorms is the party floor and he always makes sure to invite everybody (his nightmare is accidentally leaving anyone out and having them think that he doesn’t like them). somehow it’s always a good time, everyone leaves with more friends than they came with, it never gets totally out of control, and plenty of girls who are interested in him (and a lot of guys too tbh) bring tons of baked treats so there’s always free food. Kabru is the RA’s favourite person to have in the building (even though Kabru himself is messy but most of the people he’s friends with are nice and clean up after themselves).

he has a porsche (Milsiril gift for his 16th bday) but he’s adamant about not driving it unless he absolutely has to (because he doesn’t wanna look like a douche). BUT he never says no when his friends ask for rides (so he ends up driving all the time anyway). he actually contemplates selling the porsche and going for a more practical car but Mickbell is like ‘dude you are not taking this away from me.’ Kabru sighs and decides to keep it because his friends (Mickbell) like being chauffeured around in a fancy convertible (Rin, Holm, and Dia don’t care, they’re just glad they don’t have to walk to the grocery store).

he’s probably on a casual texting basis with most of his professors and you know he’s going to all their office hours, grabbing beer with them just to keep chatting about life outside of school. and that’s how he winds up in some super secret faculty group chat where he’s now privy to all the college administration gossip.

Kabru is elected for student council during his freshman year and he’s probably the favourite to be sc president one day.

he doesn’t really date (gets too in his head about how he doesn’t wanna ruin any friendships) but he does hang out one on one with a lot of girls and treats them all really well. he probably goes so far out of his way to be platonic that he flies a little too close to the ‘Just Like One of the Girlies’ sun, he kinda forgets that most people interpret it as flirting coming from him. which leads to a few awkward conversations. people feeling led on, a few angry jealous boyfriends, scathing dms about him being a girl stealing homewrecker.

it’s such a nightmare for him and he needs it to end right now. so he begs Rin to ‘date’ him for a week or two and then publicly dump him just so the entire student body gets the message that he is Just A Friend.

Rin stares at him for a few seconds. then she laughs. she laughs and laughs. she laughs for a crazy long time. and then eventually she goes, ‘wow you’re an asshole, Kabru. no i won’t be your fake girlfriend. you’re gonna suffer and i’m going to enjoy it.’

and that’s when Kabru has a moment of enlightenment. ok yeah. asking for that is probably really selfish and mean. maybe he needs to think about girls’ feelings more and that’s maybe more important than his deep seated need to be liked, and when has Rin ever been wrong about anything.

he apologizes. and so begins one of the more serious talks he’s ever had with Rin about being okay with not being liked.

he thinks he can really turn over a new leaf. the whole ‘not worrying about what other people think’ thing goes pretty well — up until Kabru meets the aloof professor for his Monsters and Myths class who keeps forgetting and mispronouncing his name.

Kabru has never needed someone to like him So Bad, he needs Prof. Touden to like him as a matter of life and death, and he’s willing to look stupid for it (fails a midterm on purpose to justify begging for one on one tutoring)

[skrunksthatwunk]

one kill la kill detail that's particularly dear to me that ive never seen anyone talk about is how blatant mako's crush on ryuko is from the get-go

like, mako doesn't really go out of her way to make friends. she's sometimes friendly with people, especially when she happens to be around them (i.e. maiko, gamagori, satsuki), but we don't really see her seek out friendship in the way she does with ryuko. they meet briefly before school, but ryuko doesn't even say a word to her. but then mako does stuff like immediately eagerly waving ryuko over in class, trying to tackle-hug her, declaring them besties because they're desk neighbors. do you think she and that guy ryuko replaced were bffs bc of this? or any of the other people mako has sat next to? no. and while one could argue that maybe she tried and failed with everyone but ryuko, her persistence when it comes to ryuko (which ryuko herself comments on and which is evident before ryuko really accepts her company (i.e. before she moves in with the mankanshokus)) doesn't seem to be present with anyone else. mako knows what it's like to be lonely, but she has no reason in particular to latch on to ryuko, other than, perhaps, that shes someone she hasn't tried yet. but she meets new people pretty often, and that doesn't lead to much interest on her end.

it seems more likely that something about ryuko caught her attention from the jump, likely how cool and pretty she is (something she talks about a LOT.) she talks (with her family) about how hot ryuko's body is, how good her old pajamas look on her, compares her tit size to satsuki's (which means she was either staring at both of theirs or that she simply feels that ryuko's are bigger, likely out of loyalty or respect for her (think big dick energy)), etc etc etc. like she's always fawning over her and cheering her on and showing her off as her "bestest friend" to mikisugi and aghhhghdfhgdjdjdh she's so gay man. what the fcuk

this isn't really present throughout the series, but she's often seen blushing or sprouting nose bleeds or ogling ryuko in early episodes. like any time there's a WOAH!!! HOTTIE BOOBA NAKED crowd reaction shot there'll often be a little mako alongside the horny guys blushing or peeking between her fingers or whatever like. she checks her out

she also is immediately very welcoming and supportive of ryuko. she tells her family to leave her alone when she's talking to senketsu and that it's not that weird, defends her in the fight club episode, literally invites her to uhaul on day one (classic lesbian maneuver) like. and she's also always talking about how close ryuko and senketsu are, that ryuko and senketsu are closer to each other than anyone else, that, while she's in ryuko's corner, she never really asserts herself as ryuko's best friend, even though she's very clear that ryuko is her best friend. she thinks she comes second. she's a very good sport about it, but something about that natural assumption that she's not her #1 is a little sad to me, though maybe she's just giving ryuko space and understanding in a very generous way. again, she's very supportive. like she's always doing what she can to cheer ryuko up or help her along, like bringing her lunches and standing up for her when the students of honouji bend the rules in their favor (like in the tennis episode). she's very "ily!!!! no pressure. but you're great :D" and i love that for her (though occasionally when shit gets dire she'll put her foot down, especially as the series goes on, i.e. rebelling against satsuki, the wedding dress scene, insisting this and that about the ryuko she knows (esp right after the time skip)

she's also got her cuddly streak. about half of it's reserved for hallelujah moments but there's also the scooter ride and her calling back monster-ryuko and the post-recovery nuzzling (i love that scene ehehhehdhdhshdgcvzkzh) and the epilogue moments and her GLOMPS

anyway my point is she loves ryuko and she does from the jump and she's great and i love her and ryuko loves her too but that's a separate post and yeah!!!!! girlfriends <3

[solazu1]

something something I turned them into creatures because I saw a few other people do it. I might make Alex and Brian later but I actually have more planned for Jessica and Amy. I guess this counts as an Au...? My brother helped me with Jays design so that was cool, shoutout to @rorystr 🫡

Scratches head, ig like the most I've got for this au is that most mythical creatures live amongst humans, disguised as them, and completely unaware of other creatures living amongst them. (which is too few anyway, they are mythical creatures after all not common creatures) It just turns out that by some insane coincidence, almost all of the cast of marble hornets are secretly dudes in disguise (loud vine-booms). Also the operator sickness is still a thing and the operator is still the same old entity of malice just more fantastical yk? Alright enough of my blabbering I'm sleepy… I want to rant sm about how I think angels and other types function in this au but not rn 💥💥

[moeblob]

Happy Birthday to Ferdinand von Aegir!

I actually made 33 emotes, affectionately known as Aegirglyphics to some, for my own personal use on discord. However, I figure why not share some of them! They're free to use for discord servers/icons/pfps or whatever. However, my only request is Do NOT use them as subscriber emotes on Twitch. You can make them free follower emotes but you are not to make them locked behind a paywall.

[the-bi-space-ace]

Echo & Unshakeable Trust

If we really want to talk about how Echo and trust are intertwined then I think we need to start at The Bad Batch arc of The Clone Wars in season 7. We see pretty clearly that the batch doesn’t trust him, even before they know him. They make snide remarks, doubt him, and are ready to take him down if he crosses them. Hell, they’re sure he’s a traitor. One of the earliest examples of this is when Hunter first claims it’s a trap. He even says they’ll tag along with the mission even just to say ‘I told you so.’ Oh how wrong he was. How wrong they all were.

They venture into Skako to save Echo, following Rex’s intuition and going along with it even if they don’t agree. They go, they’re not trusting about it, but they go. What they find is Echo, being used as the algorithm for the Separatists. Rex has no reason to doubt that this is against Echo’s will but the batch… they’re not so sure. 

Echo’s plan to escape through the vents is what saves them from Wat Tambor. They have no choice but to follow his plan, even if they aren’t sure if they can trust him yet. But following along and going with it is what gets them out of there. That doesn’t mean it fixes the doubt. The batch even hesitates before walking across the pipe to escape. They’re still sure he’s screwing them over. They have no idea why Anakin and Rex follow Echo’s plans blindly, even when they’re objectively ridiculous. 

Rex trusts him. Always. Every time. When Rex hears Echo’s voice he doesn’t ever doubt that Echo is still alive and on their side. Even in the bad batch season 3 when he’s questioned about whether or not Crosshair gave them all of the information Rex doesn’t doubt that Echo handled it and they have no reason to question that. It’s such a beautiful thing to watch. His faith in Echo has always been unshakable. Just as unshakable as Echo’s faith in himself. At first Rex isn’t sure Echo is battle ready after being rescued; it's never about distrusting Echo, it’s about not being sure he’s ready yet. Has he healed enough? Is he stable enough to pull this off? It’s care, caution, not doubt. 

Echo even points that out: ‘I’m not a liability, Rex.’ Mace Windu really had me cheering when he says if Echo has a plan then he’d like to hear it. When Mace asks if Echo is certain he even responds with ‘Absolutely.’ Echo doesn’t doubt himself and he isn’t about to start now. This confidence is something we see from him a lot. From how he plans, how he moves, what he says. He knows he’s good at what he does. It’s so refreshing to watch him be so confident and grow in that confidence as time moves forward. 

It’s here we start to really see the batch mistrust Echo. Tech voices this most often, followed by Hunter. Tech isn’t sure of Echo’s plan. He even goes as far as to say that ‘We don’t really know where his loyalties lie.’ You know what’s incredible about this? Rex follows it up with ‘Well, I know.’ Because he does. He doesn’t doubt Echo, has no reason to. The batch, however, isn’t ready for that yet. 

When Echo sends all the droids to the assembly complex and successfully shuts them all down is when both Hunter and Tech - the two who were the most vocal about their doubt in him - are ready to accept that Echo is on their side. He isn’t fighting against them, he never has been. They’re ready. Echo has proven himself without ever even really trying to.

Echo: ‘Was there ever any doubt?’ Tech: ‘Some.’

Echo trusts himself totally. He’s been trusted by his squads, by Fives, by Rex, by Cody. Hell, even Anakin, Mace, and Obi-Wan trust him. He’s been surrounded by people who are convinced of his skills. Being confronted by the batch who doesn’t trust him doesn’t even really faze him. He knows his intentions, he doesn’t need to fight their doubt. He just does what he’s always done and he proves himself in his actions. This confidence he has in himself is what carries him through everything and we only see that grow over time. (This post by @phantom-of-the-501st demonstrates how much he’s grown perfectly. Please go read it. It's amazing.) 

The batch saw him in action when they first met him, they had their time to doubt, and once Echo had proven to them that he was trustworthy and skilled they’ve trusted him fully ever since then. Hunter trusts him to be his second in command - the mission where they save Gregor comes to mind. He always hears Echo out and usually follows him into nearly certain death even if he doesn’t agree. Hunter trusts his word and he knows he wants only good things for them even when they don’t agree on how to get those good things. I think it’s especially important to note that they do disagree often but that is never cause to accuse the other of something in bad faith. The batch even trusts him to lead them into Kamino, right into enemy territory, when Hunter gets taken at the end of season 1. They follow his lead, listen to him, and know he’s got this. They’d never doubt him. Not for a second. Not now. Not when it’s Echo.

And of course we have this most recent episode, the thing that spurred this all on for me. This episode only solidifies for me that trust is a main thread in Echo’s story. He gets them a ship, has a disguise for Rampart, and he is ready to take on the brunt of their mission when things start to get dicey. Crosshair does say something about how Echo can’t infiltrate the ship alone which I am certain is more about worrying for him than it is doubt in his skillset. Letting Echo go into enemy territory without anyone else is difficult for them but they know he can do it. They always know he can pull it off, even if it’s absolutely ridiculous. When Rampart starts to bad mouth the plan Crosshair is right there with ‘Relax. Echo’s on it.’ I am still absolutely losing it over this line. To see Crosshair go from ‘besides, he’s just a reg’ to his hand on Echo’s shoulder in their first mission after they meet to ‘relax. Echo’s on it.’ That… That makes me so emotional. Of course the plan will work. It’s Echo. He’s got this. He knows exactly what he’s doing and he’s quick on his feet. It’ll work out. It’s Echo.

To follow that line with Hunter’s ‘Echo will come through. He just needs more time.’ just further solidifies that they wouldn’t doubt him, not anymore. He’s proved time and time again that he’s got this. They’re prepared to go with whatever scheme he proposes. He’s just as bad as them but he’s also got the skillset to back up his chaos. He fits in well. 

Echo is a skilled man. He’s an excellent strategist and he gets shit done. The batch has learned to trust him with their lives, as quickly and as unshakable as Rex’s faith in him. I think this is a beautiful thing to have seen over the course of our time with the batch. The batch puts their lives in Echo’s hands more than once and they don’t doubt him. Just like how he doesn’t doubt himself. The people around him trust him because he owns what he says, because he can back his shit up. 

It’s rather fitting that the intro quote in the last episode of The Bad Batch arc in The Clone Wars (S7 E4 Unfinished Business) is: Trust placed in another is trust earned. They learned a lot by watching Rex’s unshakeable faith in Echo and they knew that’s something they could do too by the end of their mission together. He proved his chaos, his strategies, and his intellect were invaluable. So much so that they wanted him with them, whatever that was going to look like. 

[celtrist]

I really want to see a more fucked up version of Charlie in canon. Like, okay, I am a die-hard for sweet bubbly girls in media. But I always see how some people make Charlie actually, oh I dunno... demonic? And it's so refreshing for her type of character. I could honestly see her having low empathy (and we kinda see this with how she handled Angel's situation or even Vaggie's nervousness about taking control on an activity). An exploration of that trait (if it was intended) would be interesting to see for a protagonist, especially when her main goal is about helping others. I would love to see her actually have a level of difficulty in understanding others' feelings from the other residents, sinners, and even her father.

But give her a fucked up side. Not a "she gets more power when she's angey uwu", but a "oh, she's a little fucked in the head". It would give so much to her character that she just doesn't have.

@/murmurmurena (don't wanna bother them so slash there we go) has some fun ideas with Charlie. I highly encourage people to check their stuff out! So many fun dark ideas with her character while also still keeping to her canon personality pretty well! Personally, I think Charlie being a bit more naive to her own messed up traits would work best but her also being aware of these traits can make for some interesting character for her.

THIS FIC, "A Game Between You and I". RIGHT HERE WITH THE FIRST CHAPTER. A bit of spoil for the fic here: but I love how they handled Charlie’s absolute ignorance as to why the idea of Russian roulette is horrifying to Angel Dust. It doesn't feel like her being intentionally malicious or aware that she's the odd man out here. This is also a pretty old fic going by only the pilot, but the point still stands that it was such a fun take for her character!

Charlie is one of my favorite characters in the show in part of the POTENTIAL she could have as being the most bubbly sweetheart character while also being the most messed up character in the show. I can't say I have strong confidence with the show's writing and fully expect them to stick with Charlie being the "nice girl but oh no, don't get her angry or she gets scarwy". Which isn't bad for a character mind you, there's just so much more potential to Charlie outside of that trope, especially when you get into the theories of her either being a doll, Roo's biological daughter, or what have you. And for the MAIN CHARACTER of the show, it would be not only interesting but also bring the spotlight back to her.

There's really no question that the side characters steal the show, particularly all the male characters. If I'm honest, Charlie does not feel like she gets a lot of love from the show itself when she's supposed to be the main character. She feels far more flat compared to the rest of the characters (again, the male cast in this "female-lead" show has more depth than most of the female cast currently. I wouldn't be pointing this tidbit concerning the genders of characters if it weren't for the fact Viv defended Helluva's lack of development with their female cast by saying "Hazbin is a female-lead show and Helluva is a male-lead" and Hazbin ended up with it not feeling female lead (to me) and the male cast just completely stealing the show. I don't normally care about gender stuff, especially since I do personally lean interest towards male characters. But using one show as a defense for poor development of the female characters, and then that show not really holding up with no very interesting well-developed feeling female characters irritates me. It's just very clear that these shows don't seem to care much about the female cast :/)

If you like how Charlie is written that's totally fine. PERSONALLY, I just think they're missing so much opportunity with her character by just making her the standard female character type. I honestly don't have a lot of faith they'll actually do something with Charlie's character though. She's a pretty static character in S1 being the same from start to end. Not changing or learning anything to create any development. What does the end of season Charlie do that start of season Charlie wouldn't do? Fight back? Because we see with the pilot (which is the “first episode”) that Charlie does fight people if pushed like with Katie Killjoy and even Valentino. Static characters can work in media depending on the show or their role. But Charlie is the MC of a show about “bettering one's self”. So to have her as a static with not a lot of strong dilemmas for herself (like we see with Angel Husk Al and even Vox) seems silly. Plus, considering Hazbin is telling a whole story and it's not a fun episodic thing, characters are expected to grow on some level. Or else, what was the point of their hero's journey?

[arlo-rose]

2 years, 3 months, and 13 days can make a lot of difference :]

(June 23, 2022 - October 5, 2024)