#this is SAD sorry yall.

[gomgeomeogmeogmy]

Uhhhh.... Dead Poets Society after the film HC's anyone?

TW: MENTIONS OF SU*CIDE!!! Mentions of mental illness/depression/anxiety, ANGSTY AS HELL. THIS IS GONNA BE SAD.

Headcanons of the Poets after Neil's death/after Welton because I like to make myself sick to the stomach w angst

I know we all love headcanons of a happy ending universe, but I wanna talk about what the poets did after the real end of the movie

CHARLIE:

Charlie was expelled from Welton after his outburst where he punched Cameron

It didn't help his case that when the headmaster asked him about Mister Keating, he cussed the man out for even implying that Keating had something to do with Neil offing himself.

His parents are pissed, to say the least.

His mom cries when she finds out, talking about "how could you embarrass our family like this?!"

His dad's reaction hurts him more, though

He just stands silently beside his mother, arms crossed, staring at Charlie with a look that clearly screams how disappointed and unhappy he is to have him as his son.

He doesn't leave his room until Neil's funeral, no matter how many times his parents come in to scold him and yell at him.

He stays in touch with Meeks, Todd, Knox and Pitts

He and Cameron don't talk for a few years, though.

They do, however, stand silently side by side during Neil's funeral, Todd on Charlie's other side, Meeks, Knox and Pitts beside them.

When the two do reconnect, it's years later. Charlie had just gotten a job at the same bank as his father, Cameron comes in not knowing he works there

It's awkward for a moment, then they smile at each other, and suddenly their both laughing, tears in their eyes (neither of them are sure wether they're good or bad tears.)

They agree to meet up and have coffee on their days off

The conversation is surprisingly pleasant, filled with happy memories the boys had shared between themselves and their friends in school

It ends in both of them apologizing to each other, hugging, and agreeing to try and stay in contact from then on out.

TODD

Todd doesn't talk much the next few weeks

He's silent at the table during meals, never touches his food, and doesn't meet anyone's eyes.

Each night he sits and stares at the present he bought for Neil a few days before he shot himself

He doesn't unwrap it, he doesn't return it

He just sits and stares at the dark green wrapping with the red bow tied around it

The first three nights he does this, he just stares. Silently

The fourth night he breaks down sobbing

He would fall asleep that night hugging the present in Neil's bed.

At Neil's funeral, his eyes never leave the casket

To this day he remembers the weight of it in his hand as he carried Neil to his final resting spot

He starts talking to the rest of the poets bit by bit

He's never as outgoing or as happy as he was when he was with Neil, though. That part of him is gone and buried six feet under right beside his best friend

Todd writes to Mister Keating often, the two exchange letters

Todd does keep writing.

He almost quit, but he swore he could feel Neil looking down on him, sad to see he had lost his passion when Neil lost his life

He keeps writing for Neil's sake

Everything he writes is about Neil in some way shape or form, even if it isn't directly, even if he doesn't notice it

Wether it be him giving the main character of his story brown hair, or brown eyes that look straight into your soul, or a smile that lights up the room, or a love for acting- there is always a hint of Neil in everything he writes.

He would eventually go on to become a published poet and author, even though he had to cut ties with his family in the process

He still talks to the poets now and then. Keating the most of all

Everytime he publishes a book or a poem, all the poets and Keating get a copy sent to them with a hand-written note written on the blank first page, dedicated to each of them individually

And in the back of every book or at the end of every poem, he makes sure to write "in loving memory of Neil Perry." No matter what.

The Christmas gift he bought for Neil stays in the top of Todd's closet, never opened.

He still holds it from time to time. Looks at it everyday when he's getting his clothes for the day and tells Neil how much he misses him

Todd loves Neil until the day Todd meets him again

Todd will never know this, but his mom has everything he's written on her shelf at home.

CAMERON

None of the poets talk to him for a while after he turns them in and blames Keating for Neil's death.

Cameron holds onto a little guilt over what he told the headmaster regarding Keating and Neil

He knows deep down that it wasn't Keatings fault, but it's easier for him to grasp that than the truth

He's not happy that Charlie was expelled. He really did want to keep all of the boys, including Charlie, in Welton. That's why he came forward about the Dead Poets Society in the first place.

Despite the ache in his face when he goes to his room for the first time after Charlie has been expelled, he can't help but feel a little uneasy and sick to his stomach at the silence that fills his room that night, which would've usually been filled by his hyper friends antics

That night is the first, and only time he allowed himself to cry over everything that happened

He even held back the tears at Neil's funeral. He didn't feel he deserved to cry, not when Charlie, Meeks, Knox, Todd, and Pitts were right next to him, still mad at him for ratting them all out and blaming Keating.

He wanted to stand with the others when Keating walked out, but he couldn't. He stared down at his desk the entire time. He couldn't face any of them.

After a LOT of time, he would end up writing a letter to Mister Keating apologizing to him for blaming him for Neil's death.

Mister Keating would never receive the letter, as by the time Cameron finally worked up the courage to send it, Keating had met his own fate. Cameron is never notified of his passing.

Cameron goes on to become an engineer, his parents are proud of him, but he will always feel a little dissatisfied with himself for reasons he can never put his finger on.

MEEKS

He tries to be there for Charlie, Todd, and Pitts as much as he can

Hides his own feelings and emotions to make sure his friends are okay

He only ever lets himself silently cry and mourn properly when Pitts and everyone else falls asleep late at night

Visits Todd's room every morning to check in on him and try to convince him to eat some breakfast

Holds Pitts when he's crying, holding back his own tears so he doesn't make his friend hurt any worse. The last thing they need is to be worried about .him.

During the funeral, he's shaking the entire time, jaw clenched so hard his teeth hurt as he tries to will himself to stop from crying

It isn't until Pitts pulls him aside and gives him a bear hug and asks him to talk to him that Meeks finally breaks down sobbing

Todd and Charlie shortly join them, wrapping their arms around each other in a group hug as they all cry over their lost friend.

He becomes an Electronics engineer after Welton and College, he loves his job and loves what he does

He works with Pitts, actually. The two of them stay as close as ever, if not closer.

He and Pitts both stay in contact with Charlie and Todd, the four of them meet up sometimes and have lunch, dinner, coffee etc, talk about life, and remember their past lives

Meeks has a framed photo of him and the Dead Poets Society (including keating) hung in his home and in his office at work.

He likes to go and see local plays when he gets the chance. It reminds him of seeing Neil on stage.

PITTS

Is the first one to be told about Neil's passing, since he just so happened to be the first one awake that morning.

He's the one who has to inform the rest of the poets before they go tell Todd.

He holds it together long enough to tell everyone, but when him and Meeks get back to their room that night, he loses it

Breaks down sobbing harder than he has ever cried in his life

Pitts was always a little socially awkward, Neil was one of the first people to not make him feel weird or annoying, one of the first people to genuinely care about and consider Pitts a friend

Neil had tried his entire life to make sure everyone felt included, that none of his friends felt alone, and it turns out Neil had needed that himself more than any of them had. That's what breaks Pitts

It breaks him that Neil was so selfless, so outwardly happy and worried about keeping everyone else happy, yet he was so sad and lost and alone in his own life, despite being surrounded by friends

He cried and cries until his eyes run dry and he can hardly make a sound anymore

He's nearly sick when he sees Neil's casket before they carry him away. He hardly holds his tears back while carrying him to the graveyard

He holds it together until he sees Todd's face, staring blankly at the casket, tears rolling down his cheeks yet no emotion on his face

Then he saw Meeks, shaking next to him, jaw clenched, eyes glassy, body tense, obviously struggling to hold it together, and for a second, Pitts is worried he might lose Meeks like he lost Neil.

That breaks him.

He pulls Meeks aside and hugs him, crying as he pleaded his friend to open up, to talk to him, say anything

Meeks cries in his arms. Soon enough Charlie and Todd are joining the hug and all four of them are crying

Like I said, he works with Meeks as a Electornics engineer. He loves his job and is happy doing what he does

He never fully gets over Neil's death, though. He still gets choked up anytime his name is mentioned.

Anytime Pitts meets someone or notices someone acting too bubbly, too focused on other people's happiness and not their own, he makes sure to subtly check on them and spend more time with them (He feels a little guilty for not noticing something was wrong with Neil earlier and tries to make up for that with everyone he meets now.)

He's always afraid he's going to lose someone else in the same way he lost Neil

He doesn't ever want to be blindsided by that again.

KNOX

Is the first one Pitts tells, as he was the second one awake and the first one Pitts saw after he was told.

He thinks Pitts is lying to him at first, and gets mad at him for pulling such a bad prank on him

He runs to the bathroom and throws up when he realizes Pitts is being serious.

He's in denial after this, even with Pitts sitting in the bathroom with him before they go tell the others, he keeps begging Pitts to tell him he's joking

He never does.

He couldn't stop thinking about how happy Neil had been right after the play before he saw his dad, how he had been practically glowing on stage while performing

And he gets sick again when he remembers the way Neil's face looked from the backseat of his dads car as he stared at Knox and the others as he drove away for the last time

He feels like he let Neil down

Neil had always been there to support Knox in everything he did- he feels like he didn't do the same to Neil.

When they do eventually go tell the other poets, Knox is crying the entire time

Just barely pulls it together to go tell Todd. He knows how hard it is going to be on him.

Tries to convince the others to let Todd sleep, to just tell him when he wakes up, but they all insist he needs to know now, despite Knox's protests

He doesn't sleep that night. He stares at the ceiling wondering what he could've done differently to save his friends life.

He has to excuse himself from first class the next day he sees Neil's empty desk.

After Charlie was expelled, he had half the mind to go after Cameron himself for taking away another one of his friends, but he decides against it.

Knox goes on to become a successful yet unfulfilled lawyer, much to his parents satisfaction

Is still very close and in regular contact with Charlie. The two meetup often.

Sometimes he still has dreams where it was all just a big joke. Where he's back at Welton that morning and instead of running to the bathroom to be sick, Pitts laughs and tells Knox he was only kidding about his friends death

He wakes up with wet eyes and a wet face those nights.

[somewhereincairparavel]

everyone keeps talking about Jason vs Percy but why isn't ANYONE talking about how powerful they looked when they both used their powers TOGETHER at the same time, side by side, in Mark of Athena? Like Annabeth even got goosebumps watching them cook up such an intense storm from afar. Sparky and Seaweed brain, Power duo smh.

[soosoosoup]

scrapped john dory and branch

[pixlokita]

Wait I’m just realizing how funny it is that springtrap/ William and all his variations see an unhappy child with brown hair, brown eyes and striped shirt and immediately goes … yes I must have him as my own like 🧍‍♂️

[witchinatree]

i'd like to add on to my surprisingly popular magnus protocol theory, i don't think you all understand how devestating this truly is for jon and martin

jonathan "refuse to become another goddamn mystery" sims is now the mysterious text to speech glitch on an old ass computer

martin "not lonely anymore" blackwood is now (possibly) completely alone for an unknown amount of time, unaware that his boyfriend is right there with him

we all wanted the "jonathan blackwood, actually" moment and instead we don't even know if they know they're together

[ganemouchie]

my dear blue hair and pronouns

[casually-eat-my-soul]

Stiles coming to the realization that he’s in love with Derek and just resigning himself to it. He knows that this love is different than the way he loved Lydia. It’s deeper and built on devotion and protection. But he’s still not enough,

Derek who is good and persistent, could never love stiles. Stiles knows he loves with people who are always just out of reach for him. He knew this when he fell in love with Lydia in the third grade. He felt it when told his mother that he loved her for the last time. He came to terms with it when he begged his dad to stop drinking, to rest, to eat better. And he resigned himself to it as he watches Derek hale smile. He is in love and knows that Derek will never love him back.

He just can’t imagine a world were Derek hale loves him back in the same way. So Stiles will love him, quietly but fiercely. Derek will never have to worry about anything with Stiles by his side. And Stiles will remain by his side for as long as he can. And maybe one day he’ll be able to watch Derek fall in love with someone else without it feeling like he’s dying but deep down he’s know that will never happen.

[cashmoneyyysstuff]

you are . . NOT !!

katsuki watches the maury show with you

you’re watching the maury show on your computer when katsuki marches into your room without a word and flops down next to you on your bed.

“ hello to you, too.” you snort. his words are muffled by your sheets but you’re about 90% sure he told you to shut up, you ignore it.

he lays face down on your bed for a while not saying anything and you know he’s had a long day and wants to be close to you without actually talking. you don’t mind, you’ll give him his space until he reaches out himself.

and he does after a little bit, turning his head around to face you as he looks from you to your computer screen, eyes focusing on the woman screaming that the man she cheated on her husband with was 100% not the father of her baby, mixed with the cheers of the audience.

he looks at you and raises a brow “ what’s happenin ?”

“ lady cheated on her husband with his brother.” you respond.

“ his brother ?” he repeats. his eyebrows furrow and you know he’s hooked. if there’s one thing katsuki loves but will never admit he does, it’s trash tv.

you nod, grinning somewhat evilly “his brother. now they’re trying to find out which one’s the father.”

he hums, scooting himself closer to you so he can see the screen too. he flips himself around so his neck isn’t craned at that awkward angle anymore and settles himself down right next to you. hook, line and sinker.

he wraps his arm around your shoulder and shoves his head in your neck, breathing you in. you both don’t say anything. “do you want me to play it from the beginning for you ?” he shakes his head in your neck. you reach your hand up to scratch at his scalp and you smile when he sighs. he holds you a little tighter, pressing feather light kisses into your neck.

katsuki’s never been good at expressing himself with any other emotion that isn’t anger. it makes him feel stupid and weak and soft. he’s had a long fucking day and he doesn’t wanna talk about it, simply wanting to indulge in you but he can’t tell you that, can’t find the words to, so he tries to find other ways to tell you and he hopes you understand and you do.

katsuki’s thankful for you because sometimes he wants to talk, wants to open up about what’s bothering him but sometimes he doesn’t. he doesn’t and you don’t pry when you know he doesn’t and he’s so thankful for you. he presses kisses on your skin and soft bites at your flesh to convey just how thankful he is, how grateful he is for having you. he hopes every warm press of his lips against your skin can convey how much he loves you loving him. and it does, because you turn your head and kiss the side of his head so sweetly and he knows you’re it for him.

he’ll tell you all of this one day, he promises. he’ll tell you all the thoughts swimming around in his head one day, but he hopes this’ll do for now. and unknowingly to him, it absolutely does.

he pulls his head out of your neck and kisses you hard on the cheek one, two, three times and you giggle. you feel him smile into your cheek when he kisses you a fourth time.

“fuck’re they screamin’ about ?” he says and you turn to look back at the screen. the woman is yelling at her husband’s brother vehemently denying the possibility of him being her baby’s father. you feel a little bad for laughing. “ she says he’s not the dad” you answer.

he clicks his tongue “ why the fuck is she on the show then.” he says, turning his attention back to your computer but his grip on you stays secure. you press yourself a little closer to him.

you’re still smiling lightly when you look back at your screen, simply shrugging. “ she said something about her having more sex with her husband than with him.” you answer and he snorts.

“ ten bucks neither one of them’s the father.”

[theythemmer]

phinktober day 11: ur fav AU

i dont rlly do AUs so i just drew them how i wish they would dress xo

(dan’s tats r carnations and snowdrops and phil’s r roses and honeysuckle. for no reason 🤗)

ALSO bonus version w makeup bc i couldn’t pick <3

[tangents-within-tangents]

Hot take:

Crosshair does not have the Imperial disillusionment and redemption arc of The Bad Batch

Emerie does.

Crosshair has an arc for sure yes but it's not that.

I was thinking about this scene:

and how it got right what this scene kinda didn't:

(It was so close but then bad writing decided to undercut the moment with a joke rip)

And I think it's really interesting that these characters who were more or less raised into the Empire/First Order and chose to leave it are all directly asked why.

But take a look at Crosshair's answers in comparison:

Different context for the asking, yes, but still, compare that to clones like Howzer, Cody, Slip and Cade who left or turned against the Empire because they knew what the Empire is doing is wrong and they weren't just going to blindly follow orders:

Crosshair - Loyalty, Purpose, and Survival

Crosshair didn't choose to join the Empire (though the show isn't very clear or consistent about how much control the inhibitor chips have) but he did, for whatever reason, choose to stay. By the end of S1 we know his chip has been removed and as he definitively says "This is who I am." There were likely still other influences on his decision, but listen to how he talks about the Empire in the S1 finale:

Hunter: Crosshair, I've seen what the Empire is doing. Occupying planets and silencing anyone who stands against them. You know it's not right. Crosshair: You still don’t see the bigger picture, but you will. Hunter: Can't you see they're using you?

Crosshair: We’re not like the regs, we never have been. We’re superior. The Empire can’t protect the galaxy without strength, this is what we were made for. Think of all we could do, together!

Crosshair: You all are meant for more than drifting through the galaxy. It’s time to stop running. Join the Empire, and you will have purpose again.

Hunter: They destroyed an entire city! Crosshair: They did what needed to be done. Kamino, regs, the Republic, that time is over. The Empire will control the entire galaxy, and I am going to be a part of it. Hunter: Don't fool yourself. All you'll ever be to them is a number.

He undeniably knows what the Empire is doing, but he does not care. In fact it sure sounds like he actually supports it and finds self-meaning in it. Hunter spends those episodes trying to convince him it's wrong, he doesn't change his mind. In the end they offer him an out and he doesn't take it.

Wrecker: You coming with us? Crosshair: None of this changes anything. Hunter: You offered us a chance, Crosshair. This is yours. Crosshair: I made my decision.

The next we see Crosshair in "The Solitary Clone" (S2:E3) he follows orders and shoots the Desix governor, right after Cody heartbreakingly tries to do what's right and find a peaceful solution.

Cody: Tell me something, Crosshair. This new Empire, are we making the galaxy better? Crosshair: We’re soldiers, we do what needs to be done. Cody: You know what makes us different from battle droids? We make our own decisions, our own choices. And we have to live with them too.

After this (glorious!) conversation, Crosshair stays. Maybe this began to seed some doubts, but he actually smiles a few scenes later when Rampart assigns him another mission. It seems like for him it truly is as he said in S1:E1 (chip not enhanced yet but still influencing him enough for his brothers to notice he's acting strange):

Crosshair: Republic, Empire... what's the difference.

Crosshair: Orders are orders.

This unethical mission that finally pushed Cody over the edge does not change Crosshair's mind about the Empire, at least not enough for him to take action.

But what does?

Mayday: And here we are, the survivors. Combat troopers stuck babysitting cargo shipments. Crosshair: Mission’s a mission. Mayday: Yeah, I used to say the same thing.

Mayday: After all the clones have done, all we’ve sacrificed. We’re good soldiers, we followed orders. And for what?

This mission has nothing to do with how the fascist Empire treats the galaxy, it's about how they treat their soldiers. It's about how Mayday loyally fought and served his whole life and Lieutenant Nolan let him die

Lt Nolan: He served his purpose as a soldier of the Empire. Crosshair: You could have saved him! Lt Nolan: Perhaps you didn’t hear me, he is expendable, as are you.

Crosshair thought he could find purpose within the Empire, and Nolan shows him exactly what that will be.

His turning point is accompanied with this powerful visual of the ice vulture, a symbol (and threat) of death, and also set up within the episode a symbol of survival:

Mayday: Vicious creatures, but you have to admire ‘em. They find a way to survive.

This critical moment (that gives me chills, oof this episode is a masterpiece!) comes right after Nolan calls him expendable and directly threatens him:

Lt Nolan: And if you speak to me again with such disrespect I'll see to it you meet a similar fate, clone.

then Crosshair sees the vulture's shadow and turns to Mayday's dead body (ahh visual storytelling my beloved) then makes his decision:

Crosshair turns against the Empire not because he believes Hunter was right about this:

Hunter: I've seen what the Empire is doing ... You know it's not right.

but because he was right about this:

Hunter: All you'll ever be to them is a number.

Redemption (both in fiction and irl in my humble opinion) comes with making amends and reparations (which is why death 'redemptions' bother me so much but that's a rant for another time). Unlike Emerie, Crosshair never explicitly denounces the Empire or his own actions within it. He never says anything to specifically show if and how his views have changed from what he said on Kamino. He makes amends with his family (sending the warning message, helping Omega escape, making up with Hunter) but that's about it. The most we get in terms of acknowledgement is this:

Crosshair: I thought I knew what I was getting into with the Empire. I thought I was being a good soldier. Hunter: Nobody really understood what was happening back then. Crosshair: I’ve... done things. I’ve made mistakes. Hunter: I have regrets too, Crosshair. All we can do is keep trying to be better, and who knows there just might be hope for us yet.

Which is nice and all but it's more about them making up as brothers so it's way too excusing tbh ("no one knew what was happening back then" ummm? "The Empire will control the entire galaxy, and I am going to be a part of it" remember? And even if at first Crosshair was being controlled by the chip, the fact that he chose to stay after it was removed* means he condones and is therefore still accountable for those actions).

There's also a bit of self-destructive guilt:

Crosshair: Omega, don't risk anything for me. I belong in here.

Crosshair: Omega needs you both. So I’m doing this alone, it’s what I deserve. Hunter: Don’t even think about plan 99, Crosshair. Omega needs all of us.

(which thank you Hunter for pushing back on the death redemption bs and oh look is that a wrap up for the purpose thing?)

But there's no action taken on his part to make up for what he's done or to stand against the Empire (aside from the bare minimum of help with Tantiss, only after it became personally relevant, which like yeah he had trauma to deal with but still).

While I do think the implications/follow-up of Crosshair's turn should have been handled better in S3 (like rip Howzer! he deserved an apology, but that's a rant for another time), I don't necessarily** think this arc is a bad writing choice. It's just saying different things than we expect:

Maybe Crosshair's story is not about standing up against an unjust system, like we see with many other characters (who deserved more screen time but that's a rant for another timeeee). Maybe his story is about how even those who are loyal to the Empire, who actually believe in it, still suffer under and within it's rule. Not to garner sympathy, but to show that there is no winning.

Crosshair has another 'so what changed' convo in S3:E14 with Rampart, in which they draw parallels to each other:

Rampart: You used to believe good soldiers followed orders. Crosshair: Depends on who's giving them. The Empire betrayed us both. Rampart: And you think you can fight them? That's not you. You're like me, loyal to no one but yourself. Crosshair: I've changed.

(note how he says who's giving the orders, not what the orders are)

"Loyal to no one but yourself" describes Rampart much more than Crosshair, since we often saw Crosshair pride himself as a loyal soldier of the Empire whereas we saw Rampart abuse power to be self-serving within the Empire (like when he killed Wilco to save face). But they were both betrayed either way. Vice Admiral Rampart, snively Imperial opportunist through-and-through, shouts "I was following orders!" as he is arrested for the Empire's purposes. (Edit: and where Crosshair rejected the Empire and found new purpose fighting for his family, Rampart was still self-serving in the finale. He still tries to gain power for himself and he gets his comeuppance).

Even Hemlock, the final boss immoral Imperial scientist, who has to be benefiting the most from this system, echoes the expendability idea:

Hemlock: What I am working on is beyond your understanding. Something so vital to the Empire it makes me indispensable.

Then there's CX-2, also set up as a parallel/foil to Crosshair (fight me), who in the end is discarded as no more than a weapon, a tool that served it's purpose, showing us what would have become of Crosshair if he had stayed.

There is no winning in the Empire. Loyalty is not rewarded, it "doesn't go both ways." Everyone has to fight for their value. Even high ranking individuals** who for a time benefit from the injustice, in the end are just pawns to be used up and cast aside at a whim for the Emperor's gain. Even people who are motivated by self-interest alone cannot survive within this system, the only viable option in this galaxy is to fight the Empire and dismantle that system. (unless you conveniently find a magically safe island to hide away on but that's a rAnT fOr AnOtHeR tImE)

Which brings us back to...

Emerie - Cooperation, Compassion, and Choice

(Okay this post has already gotten away from me but I still want to talk about her to show the contrasts.)

Emerie may not have been given a lot of screen time to really flesh out her development, but there is a lot that is pretty clearly implied with her:

Crosshair: They’ll never turn her [Omega] over. Hemlock: They don’t have a choice. She is a clone, and therefore Imperial property. *Camera cuts to an angle more centered on Emerie’s face*

Crosshair: Give me your access card! Emerie: It won’t get you outside!

Emerie: I tried to warn him what would happen if he did not cooperate with the Doctor.

Emerie: Prisoner? Omega, you are no such thing. It will take time to adjust, but you will acclimate. It is far safer in here than out there.

Emerie: You should go back to your room. Crosshair: You mean her cell?

Emerie: Why children? Hemlock: Children are easier to attain and more agreeable to the subjugations. They are unaware of why they are here and what they possess.

Emerie: They're children. Like I was... Was your plan to discard them too? Nala Se: The Empire will keep them in order to control them.

We don't know a lot about Emerie's background, but it's clear that she had a lot less choice than Crosshair and less opportunity or ability to leave. Unlike Crosshair, we never directly hear Emerie's views of the Empire (and she was most likely 'taken under Hemlock's wing' before the Empire even came to power), but lets look at how she talks about the Tantiss:

"Remain calm. Cooperate and you might survive."

"Don't make this worse, Crosshair! There is no escape!"

"All of us serve a purpose here."

"The Doctor will inform me, if it's necessary."

"It's best not to ask questions."

"Escape is not possible, Omega. This is for your own good."

She honestly does the best she can within the system she is also trapped in. She tries to help Crosshair, Omega, and the vault kids in the only way she knows how (warns Crosshair about the hounds and security, tries to protect Omega from Hemlock, tells Scorch his "actions were extreme" with Jax, insists on overseeing Bayrn's retrieval, double checks his m-count (to give him an out), and tries to find out where he came from). When she gives Omega, and later Eva, the doll, I think it shows just how little she really is able to do here (and it's kinda heartbreaking imo).

The framing of this shot especially (after Jax's escape attempt) visually shows how Emerie herself is trapped/imprisoned:

Despite the fact that very little of this is Emerie's fault, she has very little power and she is doing all she can, the narrative does not excuse her role in the Empire:

Nala Se: What will you do, Emerie? Emerie: There is nothing I can do. I don't have that kind of power. Nala Se: Don't you?

Emerie: I- I was doing my job. Echo: Yeah, I’ve heard that before. You’re a clone. How can you be part of this?

These fighting-the-Bystander-Effect conversations parallel these exchanges:

Hunter: We made a choice, and so did you. Crosshair: Soldiers follow orders. Hunter: Blind allegiance makes you a pawn.

Crosshair: We’re soldiers, we do what needs to be done. Cody: You know what makes us different from battle droids? We make our own decisions, our own choices. And we have to live with them too.

which did not change Crosshair's mind. And honestly, all respect to Echo's disappointed mom glare™ but I think it's clear Emerie had already made her decision, she just needed help to actually be able to do anything about it. When she stopped Echo, with her voice wavering on the verge of tears (ahhh v good voice acting), she clearly had no intention of turning him in. She's on her own in the Empire's most secure facility with very little resources, if she had tried anything on her own she most likely would have failed and been killed

Omega: Emerie, you don't have to do this. Emerie: (sigh) I’m sorry, but I do.

but as soon as she is enabled by an ally, she immediately turns around to help: giving information and getting Echo through security, helping the kids escape, and giving Omega the tablet that allows them to free the other clone prisoners.

Where Crosshair's turn is accompanied by the symbolic imagery of the ice vulture, Emerie's is the removal of her (literally rose-tinted!) glasses:

Symbolizing how she has shed her previous views/indoctrination that altered her perception of the Empire and blinded her to it's wrongs. It's disillusionment.

Emerie's story shows us that even those who are raised and indoctrinated into this system can, should, and will escape (with needed help). Even those who did not choose to be apart of the Empire and are not making the decisions still have the responsibility and ability to act on what they know is right.

Emerie, whose name means 'Home strength' 'Brave' and 'Powerful', and "reflects the importance of leadership and authority in the workplace".***

While Emerie is only in one more scene after her turn, so the wrap up is a bit rushed, she still very simply does what Crosshair does not:

Emerie: Because I was wrong about this place. And I'm trying to do the right thing.

Echo: I’m sure Senator Chuchi would find what you have to say very helpful for our cause. Emerie: I have a lot to make up for. I’d like to help out however I can.

She admits wrong, takes accountability, commits to making amends, and leaves with Echo to go take on the Empire (which hopefully we will get to actually see more of some day).

So, in short, she's showing us how redemption is done right!

---

Notes:

*Whether this writing choice was good/logical/in-character or not is another discussion entirely, but I'm going off of what we were given, what the show is presenting in the canon text and (reasonably inferred/intentional) subtext. Crosshair is pretty multifaceted and I could only touch on so much here. There's a lot of ways to interpret his character/choices, but I tried to avoid the realm of speculation or fanon explanations (even if they sometimes make more sense lol).

**History and political theory are not my area of expertise at all, so I have NO idea how well this aligns with real-world fascism stuff and therefore what implications this storytelling choice could have. I think the message of like 'if you think you could survive or gain power by doing what the Empire/fascist system wants you are wrong' could be good (like how everyone is actually harmed by the patriarchy type of a thing), but I hesitate bc maybe there are those who would benefit, since it's a hierarchal system, right? If anyone more knowledgeable than me has incite to share, by all means

Either way, I do think it works in-story and in-universe though. It's just in the execution. The main problem (even from a strictly theme/character arc stand point) is the lacking follow-up/consequences for Crosshair in S3. Like you gave your character accountability by removing the chip and I think that's great setup for an arc but you gotta follow through with that and actually hold him accountable!

***I'm always curious when clones have 'normal' names, like why did they chose the name Emerie of all things? So I looked it up. Idk how reliable sources are for name meanings so take it with a grain of salt but it's still fun. Fits pretty well, and clones names have definitely had significant meanings in the past (like how Rex and Jesse both mean 'king') so I'm pretty sure it was intentional.

Anyway, thanks for coming to my tedtalk

[gooseloaf]

He’s just like me fr [i want to throw bricks at them both]

[andyevej]

been thinking a lot about witch!sam lately

[nonbinoclard]

i wish harry du bois were real so i could share my wallowing playlist with him 😔 (lyrics from this song)

[silence-between-seconds]

the biggest betrayal to crowley was not that aziraphale chose heaven over him. it was that he chose angel crowley over demon crowley. when aziraphale says "come with me, to heaven. we can be together. angels." it shows how much he still remembers angel crowley and associates every good thing about crowley with his past angelic-ness. but he's wrong because crowley isn't good at heart because he was an angel, he's good because he's crowley. and crowley who wants him to love him for who he is, sees aziraphale asking him to become an angel again as a sort of betrayal. a sick kind of heartbreak for him.

[dizzybizz]

hppapy sunmday everyone 👍

i spent a day on magma again...

[cherrirui-official]

New hyha looks weird, why is Salty bald??

@saltydkart-reblogs