All Work (And Some Play)

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In the simplest terms is a story about redemption and love. What would it take for a being who once wielded immense power and was infamous for his cunning and cruelty and desire to suddenly fall so low? How does one who craves love like a hunger come to understand what love truly is? 

Doc

Doc is someone with an unwavering optimism and a resolute curiosity. Being turned away from home after home while growing up in the foster care system has done nothing to dampen neither their spirit nor their view of their self worth. They are blunt in everything; the way they speak, the emotions that they feel, the way in which they see the world around them. They both do and do not understand nuance. They say what is on their mind and can’t grasp why people don’t seem to understand them. Why are people content with the answers that they’re given instead of trying to learn more? Doc will push and push and it makes people uncomfortable. They’ve learned that they make people uncomfortable but they don’t really know why. It’s difficult for them to make connections with others. Until they meet Eclipse. 

It is these characteristics that bring them closer to Eclipse, both in a literal sense and in Eclipse’s own perspective of their value. They are driven by their curiosity to learn about the creature they knew as EX-35. Despite his aggression and violent nature they refuse to see him as anything less than a being capable of thought and emotion. Doc approaches Eclipse with respect and care, something that has not been afforded to him in months since his capture —arguably even before that— and begins their relationship on not exactly stable ground, given the circumstances, but at the very least something closer to equals. 

Doc is someone who cannot and will not be cowed by fear. Throughout the length of the story there are different characters who warn Doc to fear Eclipse, and the unknown. But they are someone who embraces what they don’t understand. They recognize fear as an evolutionary reaction designed to protect a person, but that that reaction should be sustained for only so long before it becomes a detriment. So, they push headfirst into the source of that fear. 

When they first meet Eclipse it’s not the cuffs or the muzzle that signify a threat that they notice, it’s his intelligence. Eclipse speaks, he says a name, he proves that he is a being who can think and feel. It’s Afton’s cruelty that they recognize, his superiority when it comes to a being that surely he has not taken the time to understand. No one knows what Eclipse is saying? But he can speak. Why would no one else try to understand what he’s saying to them? Doc would not be warned away, not when there are questions to be answered. 

So, they answer them. It doesn’t matter when Eclipse lashes out at them and hurts them, because they know why he did it. Knowledge is about conquering the thing that is supposed to scare you. 

In a way Doc matches Eclipse’s greed and his hunger. Except theirs is a hunger for knowledge. In the case of Eclipse and growing close to him some might argue that they bit off more than they could chew. 

Eclipse

Eclipse is a character who devours everything in his path, both in a literal and figurative sense. His fall from grace was an explosive crash that took everything from him. The saying “the bigger they are, the harder they fall” is suitable for this situation as it refers to the way that someone as great and powerful as Eclipse could be brought low by the weight of his own empire and hubris. His story began with someone who had everything and wanted for more and more. His greed and hunger became the very thing that destroyed him in the end. And Signs of Life begins with that crash. 

The real story began with Eclipse as a hollowed out version of himself. Clinging to the ruined scraps of his pride he wouldn’t allow himself to give in entirely to what had become of him. Eclipse kept himself burning with his hatred, his desire for revenge against those who wronged him. However, there was no real hope. His drive to escape his cell was fueled by anger and hate not a true desire to be free. He would have gotten free of his bonds and killed Afton and that would have been it. It would have been over at that point because Eclipse saw no reason to be free beyond that point. Afton had become the vessel through which Eclipse could channel everything else: the hatred he felt not just for humanity as a species but in particular for the one human who had wronged him, the one that he was certain he would never see again anyway. So, when Doc appears things change.

The Villain

Eclipse is a villain. In metaphor Eclipse is a cannibalistic star. A cannibalistic star orbits another star and continues to steal energy from it. One start grows dimmer and another grows brighter and brighter. It is unsustainable. Eventually the cannibal star will collapse under the weight of its stolen energy.This is exactly what happened to Eclipse. He collapsed. That collapse was necessary to his redemption. Eclipse is prone to violence and has a desire for control. 

Eclipse is used to getting what he wants. In the past he was at the top of the food chain, the apex predator that no one could contend with. He made matters of killing others into something trivial. He was offered up obedience willingly, and when it was not willing he would warp and manipulate until someone would at last bend to his will. There was nothing that Eclipse could not overcome with either cunning intellect or pure brute force. In the end the only thing that stopped him was himself. However, in the facility all of that is flipped on its head. He was at the very bottom of the food chain and the humans were above him. What a twist of fate considering that the reason he ended up there in the first place was because of a human that he had become obsessed with. So, Eclipse became the subject of cruelty. A taste of his own medicine, if you will. In the same way that he treated his shadow (i.e. involuntary medical experimentation) he was now treated.

He thinks that everything can be solved with sheer violence and force of will. When Doc was upset after losing access to his ship, Eclipse's suggestion to them was revenge and violence. He did not like to see Doc in a state of distress and thought that the solution was to hurt the ones who hurt them first. This could be a reflection of how he used to treat his shadow, compelling them to wield violence against anyone and anything that dared to stand in their way. However, he finds that Doc doesn’t agree. They don’t want to hurt others even if Eclipse finds it to be justified. And instead of forcing them to do it, Eclipse lets it go. He doesn’t try to change Doc into something that they’re not, he accepts them as they are. Instead he decides that he’ll hurt people for them. Which is also not something that they appreciate, but Eclipse is no longer killing and maiming for himself. He is doing it for Doc’s sake.

Selfishness comes naturally to a villain like Eclipse. In the past everything that he did was purely for his own sake. He ate his crew and family because he didn’t want them to leave him. He manipulated his shadow into becoming loyal and obedient to him. He tried to force Sun and Moon to stay with him. Yet, with Doc, that changes. Dr. Afton was able to use Doc as leverage against Eclipse because he cared. After months of refusing to speak in an Earth tongue Afton finally forced Eclipse to reveal that he could speak fluently because Doc was in danger. When Eclipse is given chances to act selfishly he will often think of Doc first. At the opportunity to leave the facility Eclipse could have kept Doc trapped with him so he wouldn’t have to be alone, instead he lets them go to keep them safe. Of course, he’s not cured of his selfish behavior. He puts Doc’s needs above everyone else’s. But rather than pursuing the consuming and endless goal for power the only thing he wants is Doc. 

The Lover 

Before Eclipse meets Doc he had been in the facility for six months. After being the captain of an empire he was reduced to little more than a science experiment. He was hollow and angry and lonely. He was surrounded by humans that he hated and all of them feared him, which he thought he preferred until he met Doc. When Eclipse first saw Doc he was immediately intrigued by how they acted, how they spoke to Afton by calling him out. There was no fear in Doc when they looked at him and as much as he thought that they were stupid for seeing him for the threat that he was, he also found their curiosity and boldness to be refreshing, interesting. Then they snuck into the examination room to see him not long after he had just torn off someone’s arm and he was in a foul mood. It had been months and he was sick of being a prisoner and an experiment, he had no reason to believe that Doc saw him as anything else. He had no trust in humans. He just wanted them gone, so he struck them and hurt them and Doc still didn’t react with hatred or fear like he was used to. And then they kept coming back.Doc was gentle with him when all he wanted to do was hurt everyone around him. They showed him respect and that’s what truly caught his attention.

The moment that Doc called him beautiful was the moment that everything for Eclipse changed. He didn’t immediately decide that he was in love with them, but he is someone with a very high opinion of himself that has been fed into by a cult for years. Then he was reduced to the ugliest version of himself. He maintained that he was more beautiful than the ugly humans surrounding him, but the truth is that Eclipse knew he wasn’t what he used to be. He was missing an eye that had been clawed out and he was missing two of his arms. He was covered in scars. He was malnourished. Cling as he might to his former glory Eclipse was proud enough to never admit it, but he knew he wasn’t pretty anymore. Except for when Doc calls him beautiful and they restore just a little of who he used to be.

To be loved is to be known. Love is something Eclipse has told himself that he’s wanted for so long. He was so certain that it was all he needed from anyone. But he never really understood what love was supposed to be. His version of it had been consumptive and possessive. He would turn whoever he thought he loved into nothing more than an object. That is what he did with Captain. They weren’t a person to him, they were an object that could be contained and controlled and used at his whim. At the same time Eclipse was desperate for it. He wanted to be wanted and needed to be needed. Most of all he wanted someone who would understand him. When he realized that Captain never understood him and they never wanted to stay with him he collapsed on himself. But Doc understands him. They are someone who quite literally wants to know everything about him. And from the language lessons it was evident that they desired to understand him fully, perhaps in a way that no one else ever could

It fed into his ego and his vanity the way that Doc would look at him and study him, how they thought he was beautiful. Eclipse was not who he used to be but Doc made him feel like he could be that again. They wanted to see him and he wanted to show them who and what he was. He wanted to impress them. Eclipse was starved for connection and maybe he had been for much longer than his imprisonment. He had been ground down into nothing and Doc made him feel more and more like himself. There were some changes, however. Eclipse didn’t just want to own and control Doc, he liked them. He found an equal in their intelligence and how quickly they took to his language lessons.

They were never someone that Eclipse had to manipulate in order to control. Doc was always there whether he asked for them or not. He found their presence to be a comfort. The first time Doc visits his cell it is when Eclipse is under the influence of a drug and is spiraling. What helps to pull him out of that spiral is the moment that Doc slides open the slot in the door and quite literally lets in the light. 

The Mirror of William Afton

William Afton is Eclipse’s mirror. He is his parallel. Taking on the role that Eclipse had in the previous story as an authority who demands obedience and control. The two of them share a lot of traits. However, Afton is more reserved and rarely gets his own hands dirty when it comes to the wanton violence that Eclipse displays. Afton is a man who is clinical in his malice. He defines himself by his intelligence and his superiority to others. He regarded the specimen EX-35 as a lesser being than himself. Although, Afton also matches Doc in some ways. They’re both very logical and blunt and use science and research to navigate their surroundings. But Afton lacks any warmth and has little care for anyone that isn’t himself or any goal that doesn’t further his agenda.

Afton is the same as Eclipse in that he is happy to use methods of cruelty to get what he wants. However, Eclipse was cruel for the sake of it while Afton prefers not to waste his time. Cruelty is a tool, a sharpened scalpel that is wielded with precision. To Eclipse cruelty is a blunt object that he would swing around carelessly. When Afton used parts of Eclipse’s ship it wasn’t just the pure physiological act of taking what belonged to Eclipse and turning it into an object of torture. The metal from his ship was the only thing that wouldn’t melt upon contact with Eclipse’s blood, it had a significance. Then Afton turned that metal into a new arm for himself, which had some poetry in it as that arm was taken from him by Eclipse so he might as well have Eclipse provide him with a new one. He didn’t simply want to torture Doc for the sake of it, he did it because he found it was the easiest way to get Eclipse to behave.

That isn’t to say that everything he did was only utilitarian in nature. There was also a sense of entitlement and superiority. Afton was the lead researcher and considered himself the most intelligent and therefore the most superior to everyone else. So why shouldn’t he be allowed to conduct whatever research he desired? Why shouldn’t he be allowed to cut into Eclipse when he was entitled to doing so? He could, so he did. 

Michael and Vanessa

The voices of reason that continuously fell on deaf ears. Michael and Vanessa wanted to help Doc, they tried to steer them away from the threat of Eclipse. But neither of them could really understand Doc. Despite their shared humanity with Doc they lacked the ability to form a true connection with them. They treated them the same way everyone else had, as something to be contained and guided away from their interests. To them safety was defined by living a life bound up in rules and finding companionship in the mundane. Maybe Doc could have been happy as their friend, but there would have always been a gap or a barrier between them. A glass wall that neither of them could cross to reach the other. They cared and they wanted to help but they continued to treat Doc as someone whose actions needed to be mitigated, who simply couldn’t understand what they were doing because they were too blinded by their own wayward curiosity. They didn’t give Doc the agency that they deserved. Always seeing them as a victim of circumstances rather than someone who was making their own choices. In the end, however, they chose to trust Doc and thereby they put their trust in Eclipse to care for them. 

A Reflection on Science 

Science is an overarching theme throughout the story. Doc is constantly observing the world through a lens of science; biology, physics, chemistry, engineering, ect. The way in which they interact with and investigate everything around them is through logic. They are a logical being where Eclipse is an emotional one. Everything they feel can be broken down into the simplest terms of biology or physiology. When they are met with something new or strange they relate it back to a subject that is more familiar and comfortable to them. When Doc is hurt they do not talk immediately about the pain but instead about the physical aspects of the wound.

Doc will always make a list. A list allows them to compartmentalize and organize information and help them digest it. They will separate out information and categorize it logically. So when they are met with multiple conflicting emotions they have trouble grasping it. Things are easier when there is reason behind them, when you can understand the basic components of how something works. 

This is what makes their notebook so important to them. In the same way that Doc needs their glasses to see, they need their notebook to help them navigate the world. They cling to it as their oldest and dearest companion. Without their notebook they have difficulty adjusting. It’s their apparatus for discovery and organizing information. It’s their connection to the rest of the world, a mode of communication for all of their thoughts. Most importantly, of course, it’s one of their many units of gathering information and learning. 

They love to learn. Eclipse was something entirely new that they had never encountered before. More than anything they were driven to learn everything that they could about them. And Eclipse’s ego demands an audience. He loves to be the subject their ravenous mind. In this way the two of them are perfect for one another. A scientist and the object of their (affection) study. 

Language the Binds

Language plays another important role in the story. Language is about connection and forming bonds. But it’s also about the act of conquering and dominating. Just like in Sources of Light, language is as much a bridge between individuals as it is a weapon. Eclipse refuses to speak in an Earth tongue when he is held captive in the facility. His language is the only thing he has left that he has any control over and he will not hand that over so easily. It is the last part of himself that can’t be dissected or sliced or stolen. It’s also the only power that he has, because when he can understand everyone around him but they can’t understand him then there is control. It wasn’t much to be sure, but Eclipse would not relinquish it.

Doc gave something to Eclipse that he didn’t know he cared about. Connection. A bond. Companionship. Before they showed up he had no one and nothing. He was in almost total isolation with his existence being reduced to the examination table and his cell, with his only interactions coming from throwing taunts at Dr. Afton. But when Doc came to him and spoke in his language Eclipse realized how much he missed the sound of it coming from someone else. He was desperate for more. He didn’t teach Doc with the plan to manipulate them, he did it so that he could have someone to talk to. And Doc treated him like he was someone worth talking to. He was a person again.

Before Eclipse was the leader of a cult and captain of an empire he was a teacher. The captain of his former crew, it was him who helped to teach Sun and Moon in their respective jobs of piloting and engineering. He had a way with others and getting them to like him and listen to him that was useful with giving lessons. He’s also deeply intelligent and skilled, there is a reason that he was the captain after all. But after he ate his crew he had no reason to teach anyone again, so he didn’t. Then Doc gave him the opportunity. They make for an excellent student and he makes for an even better teacher. 

Eclipse gave up his hold on his language, the last thing that he swore they couldn’t take from him, because Doc needed him. It was his first unselfish act. 

Metamorphosis (And The Sharing of Atoms)

The story is about the bonds forged between beings so different in biology and background and yet so alike in character. What started off as a mishap that leads to a terrifying kidnapping and one-way ticket off of Earth becomes a journey of healing and then the complete undoing of that healing. Through cosmic destiny and the imperceptible threads of fate these characters were drawn into each other’s orbit exactly when they needed to be. 

In Analysis of Y/N

By design not much is known about their past except for a few key details; they lived alone, they worked odd jobs, their old apartment was shabby and sad. Y/N for a long time drifted aimlessly through life, never asking for more. The modern world left them isolated and alone, they would go to work to make enough money to have an apartment to come home to. They were trapped in a gray area for so long that they had become numb to it. They were sad so often they forgot why they were even sad anymore, it was just another part of them that they had grown used to. And then all of a sudden they were swept away and their life was turned utterly upside down. 

This little human was now under the care of two aliens who were just as frightened about the situation. But now because of this Y/N comes to realize some very important things about themself. Now that they have someone who cares about them they understand the depths of their loneliness and feelings of isolation. Their fear of being left adrift is both literal and metaphorical. Literal in the sense that space is endless in all directions and for them to see that boundless nature makes them very afraid, because they are now tied to these two aliens who can choose at any moment whether or not they will simply abandon them. This is a fear that is later recognized and harnessed by Eclipse. But they had to leave Earth in order to form the attachment and bonds they have been lacking. 

The Self-Isolation of Moon

His distance and guarded nature are his coping mechanisms that he uses to protect himself after what happened with Eclipse in the past. He feels responsible for keeping Sun safe and at times feels at fault for what happened with their old crew. Of course, this isn’t true and he’s suffering from survivor’s guilt and remorse. Some part of him wants Sun to blame him, because at least that way he’ll be justified in his own self-hatred. 

If it wasn’t for Sun he might not have kept going, in that regard he has insecurely latched on to Sun as his last lifeline. And Sun has done the same thing with him. But he still remained distant. It was the best and easiest way to deal with his trauma and grief. Pushing others away would keep him safe after. He detached himself from things and focused primarily on protecting Sun (the only one he had left). Unfortunately, Sun needed the opposite, he was dealing with his own trauma and required someone to lean on. All Moon could provide him was some comfort when he couldn’t sleep, and when that happened it was another sacrifice for him to make. To stay awake and alone. But if it was for Sun he would do it. He would do anything for Sun, including going to a restricted planet. 

It was Moon’s decision to kidnap Y/N and he did it in order to keep Sun safe, because the consequences of getting caught would hurt him. Then the guilt of that action kept him distant and abrasive toward Y/N, until at last they were able to get through to him. At first he saw them as only a nuisance, perhaps even a burden that they would have to carry because of a mistake they made. Still, he tries his best to care for them the only way he knows how. 

He needed someone to rely on as well, Y/N was a person with no connection to their past that he could lean on. They drew him out of his shell little by little and provided some comfort to him. Moon is the one who gives comfort, but with Y/N he is able to receive the comfort he hasn’t been able to ask for.

The Loneliness of Sun

Moon was not the only one who was deeply hurt and traumatized by what Eclipse did,  and while Sun still greatly fears Eclipse, there is some part of him that cares. Neither Sun nor Moon can truly let go of Eclipse. In the aftermath of the cannibalism Sun leaned on Moon for almost everything. He was a source of safety and harbor in such an uncertain and terrifying time. Unfortunately, he doesn’t realize that he might have pushed too much onto Moon at a time when they should have been able to rely on each other. What happened was that Sun was shaken and scared and desired someone to cling to, and Moon provided that for him. He needed a support system but as Moon grew less and less responsive Sun was pushed away.

A rift developed between them, leaving both of them in close quarters and isolated. This environment made things worse for Sun. Moon was there but also not there, at that point in time Moon could be his guardian but not his friend. He had no one to talk to, no one to hold or be affectionate with. His grief was the only thing he had to keep, grief over the loss of all of his friends, his old life, and now even Moon. 

Monotony set in. They didn’t do anything fun or reckless or interesting because it was safer that way. It was their lifeboat but also their prison. And it was killing Sun. 

Until an unauthorized trip to Earth resulted in a brand new friend. Sun was apprehensive but also completely ecstatic. Finally he had someone who could be his friend, someone to talk to and play with and teach and learn from. The endless monotony was finally broken. Sun became attached quickly because this was what he had been craving. He was touch-starved and it showed, always wanting to be close to and holding and touching Y/N. At first Y/N didn’t want to be touched by the alien but came to realize just as quickly that they were also craving the physical attention and affection. Now, Sun had someone to emotionally support him instead of just keeping him physically safe. 

The Tragedy of Eclipse

In short, Eclipse displays some of the classic characteristics of a psychopath. He lacks remorse or empathy, is manipulative and superficially charming, cannot form true attachments. 

At length, above all else Eclipse desires control and dominance and is willing to do anything he can to seize power. When it came to his old crew they loved him, really and truly loved him, and Eclipse enjoyed and admired that unconditional love that they provided him. What he didn’t like were the outside factors that threatened to steal that family away from him. When he cannibalized them he was convinced that he did so to protect them, because he loved them so much. Eating them was an act of devotion (and sickness) because now they could always be together. No one would take them away from him. 

His love was literally consumptive and warped. 

Eclipse is driven by the overwhelming need for control and eating his crew was just another way to control them. He is prone to obsession and when he becomes obsessed with someone he becomes jealous. He wants to keep them as his own, because he is possessive. The same way that he is possessive over Sun and Moon. Even when they were apart he still believed that they were his and that he would simply go and get them at some point and they would return to him whether they liked it or not. And now he is possessive over Y/N, he is breaking them down and rebuilding them into something that suits him.

Y/N spoke in a language that Eclipse thought was ugly, and also he would not bend himself for them, this includes learning their language. So, instead he implanted them with a translator. The first part he broke from them was their autonomy and language. And now he has trained them to rely on the implant (e.g. using the heightened hearing to survive in high stress situations). The second thing he broke was their assumed weakness. Eclipse knowingly brought them into a dangerous situation to push them into a corner and force them to act in a way that he wanted. He strategically made them vulnerable and manipulated them into believing that they needed him. The third thing he broke was their support system with Sun and Moon. He wants to isolate Y/N again so that he can possess them in every way that matters. 

“You need me.” One of his favorite things to say, he hammers that message into Y/N as frequently as he can. In some sense Eclipse desires to be needed, to be wanted. Because if no one needs him then he’ll be alone. And he fears that loneliness.

Which is exactly how he is able to weaponize the fear of being alone against Y/N. He makes them feel as if no one will ever understand them, that he’s the only one who will ever love or understand them. Because isn’t it better to have him than no one at all?

In reality, Eclipse is projecting his own fear of being unknown and unloved onto Y/N. What he really wants is to be understood. Which is why he needs Y/N and Sun and Moon, because maybe they’re the only ones who know him. And they do know him because he’s the one who made them, all of them. It’s because of him that they have each other to begin with and because of him that they are inseparable.

And he can’t stand it. His jealousy is consumptive as well. He needs to be the center of their respective worlds. Nothing can come outside of him and if it does he will make sure to destroy it. So, the cycle continues on and on. And someday it may turn explosive when he realizes that no one loves him and no one will understand him and these things will ruin him. 

Symbolism of Color

As stated earlier, Y/N’s world was gray and this was meant in the literal sense as well. When they are aboard Sun and Moon’s ship they notice more color than what they were used to. This is used as a symbol to represent the way that their world was slowly beginning to fill with brightness and color now that they had Sun and Moon. 

Sun represents warm colors and the closeness of social bonds. Sun is loving and joyful and is able to fill Y/N’s life with those things. He gives them the warmth they were lacking in their old life and brightens their world considerably. 

Moon represents cool colors and gentleness soothing one another’s hurts. He is there to calm and comfort Y/N when they feel like they are losing their grip and slipping into their fear. He provides them with something steady to believe in. 

Eclipse represents the colors of violence; red and blue and black. These are the things that Y/N is often washed in when they are with him. These are the things that they fear and that are being used to control them. Blood and the dark. 

Black and white are representative of the control that Eclipse exerts over Y/N. They wear inverted colors to show their unity. Sometimes they wear a single monochrome color, again, as a unified force. It could also be that of Yin and Yang, that natural balance of light and dark that exists between them. Because Eclipse and Y/N are two parts of a whole, Y/N is Eclipse’s creation and someday Y/N will be his destruction. They are the call and answer to each other.

The Play of Light and Dark 

Sources of Light is called such because the sun and moon are celestial bodies that are actual sources of light. But metaphorically Sun and Moon are sources of light for Y/N’s dull and gloomy life. They shed Y/N with both cool and warm tones that always put them in a place where they feel seen. The nicknames they use to refer to Y/N are allusions to light (e.g. sunshine, starlight, starshine). Because as Sun and Moon have brought light into Y/N’s world the opposite is also true for them. With Y/N around they’re starting to see each other again. Things are brighter and more colorful.

However, where Sun and Moon are sources of light, Eclipse is a source of darkness. A shadow that hides and obscures and manipulates the light. In the fic, Y/N often references Eclipse casting them in shadow because that is exactly what he is doing. He calls them “his shadow” because he wants them close and trapped in the dark with them. But the more time they spend with Eclipse the safer the dark feels. No one can see them as clearly when they are able to hide in the shadows. After all of the horrible things they’ve seen and done the light feels harsh and exposing. It’s easier to hide, it’s better to not be seen.

The Themes of Loneliness and Isolation

Space is often used to discuss the theme of isolation and that is no different here. When Y/N first looks out into the void they are overwhelmed by it, they feel lost and hopeless with no way to escape. It isn’t until they grow closer to Sun and Moon that they begin to understand that it’s not as scary when they have others there with them. The bonds of love and family are the safety net that keep them from falling further away from the reach of helping hands. 

Each of these characters are dealing with loss and loneliness in some way. All of them just want to be known and seen and desired. Even Eclipse, although he is too far gone to realize that what he is doing is destructive. 

The only way to heal is through mutual love and support. 

The Ties That Bind

The cast of characters are caught in an intricate web of love and hate, growth and destruction. There is a tangle of threads here that extend far back into the narrative to the very first time that Sun and Moon ever met or when Eclipse decided to be the captain of a ship or the day that Y/N was born. Fate has irrevocably bound them together. 

They are a family. A small and broken family that depends on each other. They are the force that drives each other, outside factors are only obstacles for them to overcome to reach the others again. Moon hates and fears Eclipse, Sun clings to the tattered shreds of hope that Eclipse can be okay again, and Eclipse loves them to the point of consumption. And they’re still a family, whether they like it or not. Y/N now holds them together, as a hostage and an object of love and devotion. 

Love and trauma and hatred bind them. 

At once they are broken and whole, they are damaged beyond repair and there is nothing to fix. Nothing can undo what has been done to them. And if some unseeable force was able to turn back time and stop Eclipse from killing his family, would Sun and Moon undo the damage and never meet Y/N? Maybe they would, maybe they wouldn’t, maybe it wouldn’t matter if they did because nothing would change or something worse would happen. 

Devotion is a theme. These characters are undeniably devoted to each other, they would face any fire or flood for this family.

Fear is a theme. Fear as a means of control and as a force to drive actions because someone is afraid and doesn’t want anyone else to know or they need to protect. 

Change is a theme. The universe is in constant flux of growing and shrinking and passing time. Y/N experience a thousand big and small changes that bring them to where they are now. Some of these changes are good, some are bad, some are neither good nor bad and simply are and there is nothing that can reverse them. Sun and Moon want Y/N back but they will never get that person back but they can have this new one.