#smallethubs

[dykelectric]

HERMITCRAFT 10 LEAKED: joel and bdubs fight to the death for etho’s love

[regulus-leonis]

etho bringing joel home to bdubs one day like “i picked him up on the side of the road can we keep him”

[ethoslays]

honestly i cant be bothered to color it anymore

[mcytshipsandmore]

Smallethubs genuinely makes me sick.

They have such an insane dynamic and I need more of them.

Why don't they have more fans? They need more fans!

Going crazy over the...

They are so dorky I love it -⭐️

[hmshermitcraft]

Bdubs x Etho x Joel for the theme?

Bdubs has nothing against rainy weather, but there's just something about storms that make them so pleasant to sleep through. There's nowhere better than snuggled under his blankets whilst the rain taps away at the window.

Joel has learnt to use this to his advantage. Etho is a twig, a piece of paper that becomes sodden at a single drop of water. But, for some godforsaken reason, he insists on being outside and working! Until he's all shivery and wet and pathetic looking.

But, what can't Etho resist? A sleepy Bdubs calling him for cuddles. It's the perfect combination! Less cold, sad Etho and more cuddly warmth under blankets.

And as for Joel, uh-

Fine, he'll go and join them.

[rosenbergamot]

thinking ab a boat boys ethubs pre relationship poly thing (idk what their ship name is) where bdubs is like “why are you so obsessed with etho” and joel is like “why are YOU so obsessed with etho” and are sooo displeased with each other but genuinely cant put into words WHY they hate the other? which leads to both of them having a reflection moment. there being someone else who is weird ab etho kind of like. grounds and sobers them and makes them think and reflect and both be like “hm why AM i obsessed with etho” to which they then realize. oh shit. im in love with that guy (how bdubs Didnt realize before is a whole can of worms)

and they talk ab it and HATE each other at first but then they grow to really like each other, have this genuine emotional bond, and start to develop feelings for the other. they can both be very vulnerable with the other bc joel is new and doesnt have this idea of the ethubs relationship and gets to know bdubs as a separation from etho and his own person despite them initially bonding over their mutual Weird Obsession. and bdubs doesnt know much ab joel because they dont talk too much and theyre from whole different servers. so neither of them have to act or put on a mask and theyre like “holy shit. i really like and appreciate you. we’re different but our differences work really well together. i viewed you as competition and a reflection of the things i dislike about myself but in getting close ive realized that i respect you and really enjoy your view of the world, yourself, building, and relationships. we should kiss”

meanwhile etho is like “why are bdubs and joel spending so much time together. is my life in danger” but no theyre just starting up a relationship which they will then add him into later

[quinquangularist]

etho tuesday and tummy tuesday on the same day?? coincidence? 🧐

[catminecraft]

i wrote an analysis about this & joels character development and how it directly correlates with bdubs and ethos relationship with their allies throughout the life series. but first let me drop the graph in order to explain this fully

im gonna put this under a read more because its gonna get a bit long

(this is copy pasted from a previous post i made about the topic but i havent tagged it so i dont think anyone read it)

i feel like etho and bdubs are clearly devoted to one another in an absurd way, but bdubs is incredibly possessive over etho while etho cares for him more than anything but he doesnt feel like his feelings towards bdubs need to be somehow corroborated by possession of him. meanwhile, joel is kinda exactly like etho is, minus the loyalty- and thats what etho really appreciates about him, that Joel just Does things, feels things on his own, and his affection is not a force of action like bdubs' is. Etho approaches life the same way as Joel does, and when hes with him he feels less confined than when he is with Bdubs. its basically like this

etho - unwavering loyalty, free spirit

bdubs - unwavering loyalty, possessive

joel - loyal to a point, free spirit

like. bdubs wouldnt have been able to betray etho for anything in the world. joel would have been able to betray anyone if he felt betrayed. i feel like this is a virtue both etho and bdubs admire.

bdubs and etho have already proven that they would not be able to survive on their lonesome. they always need someone to be there for them, and in wild life, bdubs playing on this whole "tough guy" agenda is clearly an act to try to emulate that sense of independency; etho, in turn, feeling unsupported, turned to another team, submitting to his image of a stray dog without an owner. but joel has Always been an independent. He is perfectly capable of surviving for a long time without anyone's support, and more often than not, he doesnt seek support outright; in fact, he doesnt seek support because he Needs it, but because he Wants it. Etho and Bdubs seek support because they Need it

in this way, their character developments throughout the series' is a perfect foil;

joel started third life as a literally lone wolf, with his wolf army. he went through the series completely alone, and died alone in battle, but did quite well all things considering. in last life, he tried to ally, but circumstances often prevented him from doing so- again, he spent most of his series solo, and still survived til the last episode, taking a lot of lives in the process. double life prevented him from going solo again. in limited life, his alliances were clumsy, but welcome. in secret life, his alliances were happy, unwavering, a lot less strained. and in wild life, hes literally calling him and gem Family.

etho also started third life alone, with the mindset that he will go to whichever alliance the wind takes him, but it wasnt long til he became codependent on the redwoods. in last life, he allied with bdubs, then tango and skizz; after they were out, he immediately jumped to his next alliance, eventually being taken out by none other than Joel, the Lone Wolf. the Lone Wolf who did better than him. And then, in double life, he was tied to him til the end. Joels independency mixes with Ethos codependency.

Limited life had etho torn through two different alliances which he could not choose between. In secret life, etho fully threw himself into this codependency, completely accepting the fact that on his own, he is nobody; unwaveringly loyal to cleo and grian, no matter if that loyalty would lose him lives, or would lose his tasks. and now, not being able to have that codependency he Relies upon for Survival, he is throwing himself at the feet of random people, begging to be taken in

And Bdubs has always been. Hes always been loyal to a fault, unchanging, willing to risk his life for the ones that he believes will be his allies forever. This is changing in wild life, where he is trying really hard to pretend that he doesnt need these alliances at all, but its very, very clear that he Doesnt think this way. he Needs someone to be there

for all of them, pinpointing the moment where their mindsets about alliances started to change is very easy. for etho and Joel, it was the moment they were paired together in double life. for bdubs, it was when he and joel fell on the battlefield side by side in secret life.

(and now onto more detailed character analysis of ethos and bdubs' relationship to joel. sorry this is formatted so weirdly 😭)

what sets bdubs apart from other characters in the series is that he does things because theyd be funny or entertaining not because he necessary believes in anything. though this factor is also this "constant" to him that sets him apart in other ways, analyzing him purely as a character instead of a player; he Does Not Learn like everyone else. from the very beginning, hes been constant in his need for alliance, and his need for possession of his allies. in some way hes always felt entitled to his allies, and their lives just like in general. (killing impulse in 3rd life, killing tango in last life). the difference between his attachment style and ethos, insofar as they both feel they cannot survive without allies, is that etho believes his allies to eventually split from him; he never sees these alliances as something that can last forever, and expects people hes allied with to also understand this. bdubs on the other hand completely expects his allies' submission in a way. he views himself as a stepping stone for his allies, but he also views Them as his own stepping stones . at least he did in 3rd and last life.

but like i DO think he actually started to change from this mindset a bit since double life at LEAST. double life forced all players to realize that alliances sometimes are in fact built to last once theyre built. bdubs used to take advantage of other players as much as he let himself get taken advantage of. in limited life and going through secret life, this mindset did change, albeit not in the "logical progression" way— he stopped feeling like hes entitled to allyship, Even Though he still views himself as someone his allies Should take advantage of for survival. this was clear in limited and secret life.

his relationship to allyship changed into more etho-esque, but reminiscent of him from third and last life. "i am loyal to my allies and i expect them to be wholly unconditionally loyal to me, but i will fight to win", changed into "i am loyal to my allies but i know they will fight for their own survival when the time comes, and i dont want to stop them from this" (him Refusing to attack etho and cleo in secret life was exactly this- bdubs from third and last life would have taken them out three times over)

more about etho though because i also find his relationship with allies interesting and it needs to be said to understand how joel is a perfect character foil for both of them

etho like i said before approaches allyship in a similar way to both bdubs and joel. i marked him in the graph i made as "wants to eat his cake and have it too" which i still think is a correct assessment. he believes himself to be inferior to everyone around him. he knows this as a fact. he started third life wanting desperately to have this freedom of being independent, but it was very quick for him to realize that he would get nowhere like this at all. he believes his allies to be the reason he has his standing. he, in third-last life, viewed allyship as a mutual codependency in which both parties are supposed to help eachother, but arent bound by restraints of unconditional loyalty til death. bdubs, in third and last life, viewed allyship as a codependency in which both parties are supposed to Take Advantage of one another, and either one of them will have to die For the other person.

for etho, allyship is a loose term; for bdubs, allyship has concrete rules you have to abide by

UNTIL ☝️double life

double life etho realized whats it like to have an ally that literally Cannot step away from you and go behind your back; an allyship where both of them played to win the game For the other person. he realized whats it like to Expect Loyalty.

in limited life he was so torn because he expected loyalty, now. but he didnt know exactly from who, and who expected loyalty back. in secret life, he, cleo and grian both knew that their alliance was loose at times, and this is the type of freedom etho likes the most in his alliances. even then, he started to expect loyalty to them on his own behalf

and now in wild life you get literally these two perspectives, literally mirroring mindsets, that came together and are like we need to learn how to be better, tougher players!!!! (becomes much much much worse). none of them really believe in what theyre doing. etho is trying to teach bdubs how to be "tough"- how to be him from third life. and bdubs is in turn teaching etho that yes, etho needs a strong alliance to survive- teaching him how to become bdubs from third life.

both bdubs And etho have taken one look at joel, at some point in the series (as illustrated by my graph number three), and asked themselves: What Makes Him Better Than Me?

etho came to the conclusion that what makes joel better than him is his ability to have a mutually beneficial allyship at all. Etho knows Joel doesnt need this type of relationship to survive, unlike him, but its almost Easy for joel to have one. There is no grief for joel, there never was; there is just mutual support, or Wrath. joel doesnt feel the need to grieve anything. He goes where the world takes him- etho greatly admires this

and bdubs came to the conclusion that what makes joel better is his ability to fight for himself and to care for himself without allies. because joel didnt ally with bdubs out of necessity, only because he Wanted to. Bdubs sees this as a reflection of weakness in himself- because he knows He only allies with people Because of necessity

one scene i cannot stop thinking about is joel "babysitting" bdubs in double life. that was such a good reflection of how bdubs feels about joel in general. when joel told him to do water bucket clutches and took him to kill pillagers and the entire time bdubs was like "am i doing it? am i doing well?"

Am I Becoming Great Like You, Joel? Am i becoming independent like you? Will i finally be able to be a person without having to be affirmed of my existence by someone else, like you?

Theres another scene mentioned on the graph, although through watching secret life its quite easy to miss— in the final episode of secret life, through bdubs' perspective, there comes a point where joel is desperately searching for someone to kill, because hes incredibly low on hearts. he tells the mounders this fact, and bdubs chooses to relinquish his horse to joel, so he can chase after skizz and regain hearts from killing him. Joel asks, "are you sure?" and Bdubs says "Yes. Go." They were both on red lives then. Bdubs has gone through half of the series being angry at people stealing his horses. He chooses this. (I believe Bdubs felt angry at himself for this choice. Not because he didnt want to make it — but because he saw Joel, asking him if he was sure about this choice, and realized that he will never experience allyship in the way that Joel experiences it. He was out of his league.)

And Etho. The scene when he and joel were in a boat in secret life. he said "do you remember, when you still cared about me?" and Joel said, "I still care, Etho. Im just with the mounders now."

Etho realized this then as well. Its always been so easy for Joel. Joel never had to beg for allies, he never had to prove his loyalty to anyone (like Etho had to prove his loyalty to Bdubs in last life). Etho was angry at this response, i think, internally. I think he wanted Joel to struggle with the loss of their alliance, and he wanted him to grieve, like he grieved in limited life after Joel. Etho wanted him to be violent, to be angry, to show that this alliance ment Something at all to Joel.

Do You Care You Taught Me How To Love Properly? Do You Care About How Much It Ment To Me?

He realized it then as well. Joel was out of his league.

paces around in circles. something about life series joel slowly expanding his alliances and if he wins this time it’ll be with a family

[that-tall-queer-bassist]

guys do i work on a bdubs essay or a smallethubs fic vote on your phones

[fizzlingdrinks]

Heyyyyyyyyy

What do think of SmallEthubs?

idk dude

i mostly see etho and bdubs as friends w benefits (the benefits being well yk🫣) as i cant unsee how it resembles me and my friend tgat i have irl (me and my friend r not friends w benefits tho just the dynamic is almost/basically identical)

BUT

bdubs and joel seems like they’d get along well. HOW WELL? well, depends on the situation 👀

[mcytshipsandmore]

RAREPAIRS I AM PERFECTLY NORMAL ABOUT

-Welsno -Shadowrot

-Smallethubs (Shortgrass by extension)

-Skizzledarity

-Zedango

REAL REAL REAL REAL -⭐️

[cactusringed]

wait. fuck. i could

while the actual shipname for joeldubs is beandubs, which is cute -- there is something incredibly funny about the idea of making their shipname smalldubs bc bdubs would hate it. also bdoublebeans is too long, but very cute as an idea

[shulkersneow]

i would like to make a quick post dedicated to the funniest person on the hc reddit

[nevereatpearss]

Let me introduce to you one of my rarepairs, Joel Etho and Bdubs. (SmallEthubs)

Now in most ways you’d expect Bdubs and Joel to be at each other’s throats, but the kicker here is that Joel is as normal about Bdubs as he is about Etho. Bdubs is so flattered by this, and they team up to tease Etho.

Which you can see just a tiny bit of in secret life.

This one is for the ethogirls out there and anyone else who ships either etho×bdubs or etho×joel (the two etho ships with most content from what I've seen) but how do you think the other party would feel about the other one? For example, how do you think Bdubs would feel about Joel (who is Etho's soulmate in double life) or Joel would feel about Bdubs (who is so close to Etho both in hermitcraft and the life series.) Asking because I might be planning on writing something that involves these 3

[that-tall-queer-bassist]

lowkey thinking about making bad decisions....

what if i go back to my smallethubs cowboy au. what if i abandon the rough draft challenge and work on literally anything else. what if i get back into pottery. what if i write a fic where i. project so hard the readers are uncomfortable with the level of vulnerability that's being expressed.

what if i made bad decisions....

[shulkersneow]

date night! im seeing a lot of people pit two bad bitches against each other when etho has TWO hands. unfortunately, the mounders have have unionized and are now making fun of him.

version with commentary under the cut