I was thinking about color and killer, and beats and kin, and the idea of codependency.
The big thing with Beats and Kin is that they’re both introverted, and Beats is extremely avoidant of people they don’t know and aren’t familiar with—deeply distrustful of people, to the point they’ll run and hide if approached or have panic attacks if they can’t.
Whereas Kin just seems to be highly independent and introverted, preferring to mostly be alone with just themself and Beats, Beats has something deeper going on as well as their introversion in general.
Forcing Beats to try making friends and talk to people when they don’t want to will be very bad for their mental health and will shatter their trust in the person forcing them to do so. Kin, acting as their big brother and sort of guardian figure, isn’t afraid to set and maintain boundaries regarding how people are allowed to talk to Beats, who is allowed to, how many are allowed to, and when they’re allowed to.
Kin can be very possessive, territorial, aggressive and protective—due to their dragon stuff I’m pretty sure. But they’re like this with all of their friends and teammates, such as getting protective and defensive of V when Kin felt the other V (girl, purple hair, werewolf V), was being disrespectful and rude to their companion.
Kin isn’t controlling, however. The control they do have regarding Beats and their boundaries seems to be things that Kin, Beats and possibly Maestro (Beats’ parent), have talked about and discussed in detail before.
Kin doesn’t prevent Beats from making friends or talking to people if they want to, which they rarely do anyway. Kin doesn’t stop Beats from talking to, spending time with, and maintaining their relationships with the other few people that Beats’ feels safe with—which is basically mostly just Kin, Maestro (Underbeats Gaster/Beats’ parent), Nico (Underbeats Papyrus/Beats’ younger brother), Uncle Grillby (Underbeats Grillby and Mae’s childhood friend), Underbeats Muffet, and potentially Blindy (Kin’s master/AU’s Gaster, who Beats calls their ‘other dad.’)
Beats also seems to be on okayish terms with Abyss Team members such as Abyss (who they see around often enough to be familiar with) and Mecha (gave him a flower to cheer him up), familiar with and trusting enough of them to approach them first; even if Beats doesn’t seem to yet consider the two friends.
There was also a brief drawing where Color and Beats were drawn by another creator talking and sharing some of Beats’ favorite drink together (milk), but Beats’ creator reblogged that post joking something along the lines of how Beats would immediately get scared and magically disappear. Something like that, suggesting that Beats wasn’t yet comfortable with Color at the time.
The two were described by their creators as something like eachother’s “comfort zones,” and neither really want to leave their bubble—but when one does on occasion, the other won’t try to stop them, and eventually the one who wandered off will come back to their “comfort zone.”
Even if the two can sometimes get jealous or insecure or sad when the other seems to be making more friends and connections, the other is also usually happy for them (happy that they’re happy), and doesn’t try to prevent it or make the other feel bad about it. And the one making new friends is also quick to reassure the other.
They don’t push each other out of their comfort zones, but they also don’t stop the other from trying to wander out and grow. They just prevent other people from forcing eachother to do anything they don’t want, aren’t comfortable with, can’t handle, or aren’t ready for.
On the other side of things, Killer is introverted and Color..is not. He’s extroverted. On top of that, Color has lasting trauma regarding being almost completely and forcibly alone for reasonably two decades, whereas Killer has trauma regarding people and never being left alone (and having his want to be left alone often ignored, sending the message over and over again that what he wants doesn’t matter) for assumingely a very long time.
Of course Killer wants to be alone with the very few things, seemingly the only things, that have never used or controlled or hurt him; animals and Color. His feelings towards most other people in general can range from extreme distrust to curiosity to contempt or apathy and disinterest, to fear and terror and potentially paranoia, depending on the Stage he’s in.
Meanwhile, feeling/being completely alone, isolated, not remembered, seen, heard, replaced and without anyone has deeply traumatized Color to the point he’d even join random groups of strangers just to feel less alone and forgettable.
I believe that, if it weren’t for not only the six souls but the friendships and connections Color has outside of Killer (Epic Sanses & Abyss Team), Color very likely wouldn’t have mentally and emotionally survived everything that took place between him and Nightmare, and him and the alternate versions of Killer that all replaced the other.
Color probably would’ve even tried to kill himself or been driven to desperate extremes in an attempt to fill the emotional void inside him and kill the loneliness, willing to tolerate or invite a lot of things if it meant someone remembered him, was seeing him, and he wasn’t alone. Which isn’t a good thing if he’s trying help a version of Killer that’s more violent or manipulative, or even a lot more cold and indifferent.
Hell, given the nature of the Multiverse and Nightmare replacing Killers with alternate versions, there isn’t anything preventing something like the scenario above from having already happened before; and Color and the souls having connections outside of Killer and eachother is what saved Color from that situation.
And then of course, when Color finally manages to successfully convince one Killer to save themselves and keep him alive, all these past experiences will color the relationship he has with this current Killer—in both nostalgic and potentially even traumatizing/stressful/upsetting ways, for both Color & the souls and Killer.
For example, Justice helping Color set firm boundaries with this current Killer regarding details and the nature of Color’s past relationships with other Killers; that Killer is not allowed to try and demand more from Color than he’s willing to share, and Killer’s not allowed to go digging through Color’s things to try and figure it out.
Not exactly because remembering and talking about them is too painful for Color (it is painful, but he’d never want to forget what he had with the others, whatever that might’ve been), but because 1. he is entitled to his privacy and he & the souls should be able to share when they’re good and ready, and 2. potentially, he knows how Killers can get; having dealt with extremely possessive and potentially controlling Killers before.
Not sharing or showing information until they’re ready talk about it on their own terms, to remember and invite in old pain and memories and open old wounds, until they’re certain this Killer can be trusted to handle this information without accusing Color of only wanting a replacement, or having ulterior motives, or getting dangerously possessive like some Killers might’ve in the past is for their own mental, emotional, psychological, and physical stability and safety.
I don’t know, I just like the idea that Color and the souls learn, grow, and develop throughout their relationships with different Killers—progressing and regressing—developing and defining their rules, moral codes, boundaries—what they will and won’t do, how they are and are not allowed to treat others, how others are and are not allowed to treat them—and that Integrity and Justice help Color build and reinforce this internal framework, with consequences both internally and externally if they aren’t followed or if a rule/boundary is broken.
