Im Not Part Of This Fandom, But If Any Of My Lovely Followers Are Interested In Star Wars, Please Consider

I’m not part of this fandom, but if any of my lovely followers are interested in Star Wars, please consider checking out my friend’s writing! She loves The Bad Batch and writes for aroace readers too!

Echo Relationship Headcanons

notes: can you tell i love echo? i love echo. there's a poll at the bottom of the post where you can vote which character i'll do this for next. link to the original ask meme. want to see more works from me? i have my commission info on my blog now! do you love these clones? join my clone discord! I would appreciate some reblogs and comments, it motivates me to keep writing.

contains: echo x gn!reader, fluff, can be romantic or queerplatonic if you want, kissing, cuddles etc.

warnings: none

❤️ — How does he react to being told "I love you"?

Echo is definitely shocked, even if it happens after you got together or after it's very abundantly clear than you like him. He never thought anyone but his brothers would ever say that to him. He's so used to being just a number to the nat-borns; so used to being treated like property or like a droid. He doesn't know how to react at first. Echo.exe is not responding.

He eventually closes his eyes and leans his forehead against yours, gently taking your hand into his and whispering a barely audible "I love you too". His voice even cracks a little. If you insist you love him more, he lets out a chuckle and you can see a happy smile on his face that he doesn't show to just anyone. Remember Ben Solo's expression after Rey kissed him? That kind of smile. Echo then pulls you into a tight hug, wrapping both his arms around your shoulders and resting his head on top of yours; thinking how lucky he is to be loved by someone like you.

🧡 — Is there anything he's most excited about when it comes to spending his future with you? What is it?

Echo chose to keep fighting against the Empire and for the freedom of the clones. Whether you choose to join him or not; doing that comes with travelling the galaxy and going to all sorts of different planets. Echo wants to spend his downtime between missions exploring them with you; making memories and finding beautiful places he'll never forget. Even if you don't join him in the Clone Rebellion, he makes notes of all the places he eventually wants to take you to and make some happy memories with you that will get him through any fight that's yet to come.

💛 — What's his go-to way of brightening up your day?

This depends on if you're genuinely upset about something / feel bad or if he just wants to make you a little happier than you already are.

If it's the first one, Echo has learned to cook for himself after leaving the batch, so he might make you a nice warm soup and hold you in his embrace for however long you need it. He'll also take a relaxing bath with you if that's something you're up for, holding you in his arms. If you accidentally fall asleep on him, he either doesn't dare to move or attempts to put you to bed without you waking up. Regardless, if you're having a bad day, Echo will provide everything you need to feel better. He insists you don't have to worry about anything, he'll take care of it just as you have taken care of him so many times.

If he just wants to make you happy, he has a tendency to take you on a nice evening walk. It has become a tradition at this point, especially when he's returned from a mission you weren't on with him. The two of you would talk about anything and Echo would eventually watch the sunset with you, enjoying the fresh evening breeze and telling you that he loves you.

💚 — Does he get jealous sometimes? How does it show?

It's less jealousy and more insecurity really. He trusts you enough that he knows if you tell him you love him, you mean it. But before he knows how you feel about him? He's not sure whether you would want someone like him. A clone who's, percentage-wise, more machine than man, as Tech put it. Echo is simultaneously a pretty confident person but also has an incredibly skewered relationship with his appearance after Skako Minor (because we have to remember in S1E1 it's only been like 6 months since he was rescued, that's incredibly recent). So most of the time he's fine but if he sees you getting closer to someone else and he's alone with his thoughts, he spirals a bit. He'd never act on these feelings but you can still tell. That mood blows over pretty easily though if you reassure him that he has nothing to worry about. Echo loves you because you're kind and honest. He has no reason not to believe you.

🩵 — What can you do to help him unwind after a long day?

Honestly just cuddling with him is enough. Sometimes when Echo had a particularly taxing mission, you just laying down on his chest and him getting to hold you already makes him feel more at peace. You can practically feel his breathing becoming calmer and his muscles relaxing. If you want to do more, Echo also loves a nice back massage. He has muscle tension. Really all of Clone Force 99 does (except Tech who does actual exercise to avoid that).

💙 — How long does it take for him to trust you? How do you notice that he does?

Echo's trust is earned but that depends entirely on your actions. If you show him that you have his back no matter what, he can trust you within a week. Echo is pretty good at assessing whether he can trust someone once he spends some time with them. So in a way he trusts easily but not without reason.

You can tell Echo trusts you because he is fine with you taking responsibility for vital parts of a mission and actively wants to hear about your thoughts when it comes to the plans you discuss. You could have significantly less battle experience and skill than him; if you're part of Echo's team, you're part of Echo's team. That means you get equal say on every matter, at least if he has anything to say about it.

💜 — What's an experience he daydreams about and eventually want to have with you?

Honestly Echo just wants to see a day where all his brothers can lay down their weapons and spend their remaining days healing and finding peace. And he wants you to be by his side when that happens; to be able to celebrate that moment with you and everyone else.

Also: slow-dancing with you. He's seen people do that but he's never actually tried anything like it. He's a clone, if he's ever been invited to any festivities it was to guard them. He's not sure if he'd actually like it, but he does daydream about dancing under a bunch of pretty lights with you, wrapping his arms around your waist and resting his forehead against yours while you sway to the sound of the music, quietly talking about whatever comes to mind.

🩷 — How does he tend to show physical affection?

Echo is a hugger, full-stop. Also, leaning his forehead against yours. That's a big one for him.

🤍 — How does he confess that he loves you?

If Echo realizes his feelings about you have changed and he wants something committed with you, he takes some time to really come to terms with his feelings and understand where he wants to go with you from here on out, simply enjoying getting closer to you. Echo's a little nervous about the possibility of being rejected but he doesn't fear it. He knows if there was something to fear, he wouldn't have gotten this attached to you in the first place. If Echo loves you, you're someone who would let him down gently and be kind and respectful to him no matter what.

When it actually comes down to explaining how he feels about you, Echo waits until you two are alone and have some time, preferably during an evening walk. He tells you he needs to talk to you about something and then lets you know how much you mean to him and that he loves you. He's calm, stumbles over his words once or twice but overall it really feels like a conversation you have with someone you deeply trust. If you want a considerate confession by someone who knows what he's doing and gets straight to the point while also making it really, really sweet — Echo's your guy.

🩶 — How does he comfort you when you're sad?

I already kinda answered this with the third question but basically the same way you would pamper a sick loved one. Soup, hot bath, wrapping you in a blanket and letting you rest while he takes care of whatever you don't currently feel up for doing. He's the mum friend of the group for a reason.

🖤 — What's his biggest flaw in a relationship?

Honestly Echo works great with someone who communicates as well as he does and can always come back around to having an open and honest conversation about anything but he's completely lost if his partner has an emotional outburst or is upset / anxious about something and doesn't dare tell him what it is. If you cannot open up to him when he can clearly tell something is wrong, there's a good chance he will accidentally make it worse.

💝 — How do his friends / family notice he loves you?

His brothers notice by seeing how talkative he gets around you. Echo is usually a man of few words. He says what he feels needs to be said. So when the rest of the batch see him have like, 30+ minute conversations with you about the planet you're on or his memories with the 501st etc. they know he's attached. They will tease him about it.

💘 — What makes his heart beat faster?

Compliments and Words of Affirmation. Just genuinely making him see how much you value him with your words. Making him feel unique and special to you. You could make it cheesy as hell, he'd adore it.

💖 — What does he think is most beautiful about you?

Echo loves your smile. Especially when he sees you interact with the clones you help and spread some hope and kindness. He'll smile at you from the side and Rex gently nudges him with a slightly teasing smirk on his face.

💗 — How much does he express his love for you verbally? What does he say?

Echo says everything that needs to be said for you to feel loved and content with his affection but it isn't excessive. He assures you that he loves you multiple times throughout the day and everything else is placed where it fits. Echo doesn't go out of his way to compliment you and pour his heart out to you just because but he always finds the right words when you need him to.

He'll tell you you're beautiful if you feel insecure about your appearance or you bought some new clothes you really like. He'll tell you that you did your best and that he's proud of you when you're unsure whether what you did during a mission was enough. He'll tell you about how much he missed you when you were apart. What verbal affections you get from him depends on the situation, really.

💓 — How does he deal with being away from you for a while? What does he do when he misses you?

Echo misses you, of course. He's confident that what you have can stand the distance, but he still misses you. Not in a way that makes him sad, but his thoughts keep coming back to imagining reuniting with you and he keeps finding things everywhere that remind him of you. He'll bring you a gift or souvenir for sure.

I also said this on my Love Languages post but if the mission allows it, Echo will sometimes keep his communication device turned on at night when you go to sleep and stay in the call so that you both can feel closer to each other.

💞 — What are his hugs and cuddles like?

Echo has mastered any form of hugging. He can hug you from behind, he can hold you while laying down, he can have you lay on top of him... it always feels like being home and like the safest place in the galaxy is Echo's embrace. Echo is almost always the big spoon when cuddling with you. Except when he's doing really bad. After a full-blown, very vivid PTSD nightmare you're gonna be the one holding him.

💕 — Does he have a nickname / pet name for you? What does he like to be called?

Echo calls you by your name. He was born in a lab surrounded by clones who all got addressed by their CT-number until they were eventually given a name. Names have more meaning to him than to the average person because they're not something he sees as self-evident. Many people still see him as a number. He likes your name, he's using it.

He absolutely adores when you call him a pet name though. His favorite is cyare. He eventually gets used to it but it gets him so flustered the first few times you use it.

❣️ — What traits does he love most in a partner?

Kindness, honesty and compassion are basically a prerequisite for being with Echo. He doesn't compromise on those; Echo wouldn't start any committed relationship with someone who's not genuinely good at heart and cares about the people around them. You don't need to be the nicest person in the galaxy, he isn't either. He can get frustrated and a little grumpy at times but at the end of the day Echo has a heart of gold. He wants someone who'll treat him and other people with kindness and respect and who's able to openly and honestly talk to him.

Some other traits I could see Echo really being into are emotional intelligence, a strong sense of justice, a strong moral compass, introspection and a good general awareness and understanding of what is going on in the world around you. If he can tell you clearly spend time thinking about the state of the galaxy and the feelings of the people around you, that's something he takes note of. I could also see him matching very well with someone who has a calm and rational approach to solving problems.

I feel like Echo also really appreciates some passion, dedication and idealism; someone who looks up at the stars and whose eyes light up when talking about their dreams, with an unwavering resilience and faith that they can make them happen. For what Echo is doing; fighting for his brothers against all odds, he can really use some of that hope and he will give you some of his in return.

❤️‍🩹 — How can you cheer him up when he's not feeling well?

Hold him and read him the reg manuals. I'm serious. You know how people can find comfort in holding a stuffed animal they had since childhood even when they've long outgrown them? That's what reading the reg manuals is like to Echo. He definitely felt like you were gonna judge him for that one and he isn't mad if you do. He gets it. But it does come with a certain nostalgia that brings him comfort... even if they're objectively full of propaganda bullshit like "good soldiers follow orders". Maybe skip that part and focus on the chapters that explain the equipment and how to make a mission protocol instead. It reminds him of the nights he used to spend with Domino Squad in the barracks, reading silently and listening in on the conversations of his brothers. He misses them dearly. Revisiting something that he associates with the time spent with them helps.

💔 — What would break his heart?

I think Echo moves on from breakups fairly well. If you separate on good terms, he finds peace in the idea that you will be happier eventually and if you separate on bad terms, he knows that despite how much it hurts, neither of you would have been happy in that relationship in the long run and that it wasn't what it used to be in the beginning.

No, what would really break Echo's heart is you dying or turning on everything he stands for. Joining the Empire, killing innocents, embracing the dark side etc. That would scar him for a long, long time.

💋 — What kind of kisses does he like to receive?

Echo is a sucker for forehead kisses. He loves when you gently press your lips to his forehead or temple. He'll feel very loved and appreciated when you do that. Also I went into detail about this in this post a little more but I think he loves soft kisses to his shoulders.

❤️‍🔥 — Is he clingy? How does he act when he is?

Echo loves physical affection but he isn't a particularly clingy person. He could live without it if need be. If Echo actually clings, he's either sleep-deprived or having a mental breakdown. Sleep-deprived Echo will nuzzle your neck, mumble something incomprehensible and hug you tightly. He's not getting up anytime soon and you're not either.

Echo during a mental health emergency clings to you like you're the only thing that's holding him in this reality and if he lets go he's magically teleported back to Skako Minor. Please hold him close and assure him you'll stay by his side however long he needs you to, it'll help.

😘 — How does he kiss?

Echo's kisses are so sweet. He's so gentle with you. I think he prefers the quick pecks to your skin over drawn-out and deep kisses. It's like telling you he loves you but without having to speak.

🤕 — How does he act when you're injured?

Echo supports you however he can but he doesn't baby you. He asks you what you need and does what you ask of him; whether that's bringing you stuff, tending to your wounds, helping you get up etc. He doesn't push his help on you, if you don't want it, then that's that. Unless you're genuinely overexerting yourself, then he makes you sit down and tries to get you to listen to reason. He will however keep you company until you feel better, so long as you don't express a desire to be alone.

😳 — How can you make him flustered?

Unexpected flattery. One time you sat down around a table on Pabu with the rest of the batch and Lyana told Omega about a story she read. Omega asked her what exactly a hero is. Lyana explained that it's a person of distinguished courage or ability, admired for their brave deeds and giving their all to fight for what's right. And you added "yeah, like Echo!" so loud that the whole table heard it and the poor guy almost choked on his drink. The rest of the batch were having the time of their lives.

🗣️ — What compliment would mean a lot to him? How would he react?

I think this goes for any of the clones but anything that makes him feel special to you. He was made to die as a face in a crowd; forgotten by the rest of the world. To the Kaminoans and large parts of the Republic, the clones were sacrifices for war; nothing but numbers and copies of one another. But to you he's so much more. Irreplaceable. Unique. And he has to admit he didn't know how much he craved feeling like that until you made it happen.

Also compliment his appearance. I like to think Echo already knows he's handsome and gets hit on pretty much as soon as he sets a foot into 79s but I think after everything that happened to him on Skako Minor, his mind switches back and forth between feeling insecure about his appearance and feeling confident. To hear you call him beautiful really tips the scale towards him being at peace with it. The words leave your lips and you can already see a soft smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

Also I think complimenting his bravery and the dedication he has to helping others means a lot to him as well. He went from rigidly following orders to making big decisions for himself and the fate of the Clone Rebellion and sometimes he feels a little lost; like he's falling without a safety net. The path he chose is so different from the rest of the batch, it means a lot to him that you think he's made the right call.

💤 — How do you sleep together (like, actual sleep)?

Echo tends to have his arms wrapped around you and holds you with your face buried in his neck. He rests his chin on top of your head and gently runs his fingertips up and down your back until you've fallen asleep. Sometimes you will rest your head on his chest and listen to his heartbeat, the sound comforting you and making you feel safe.

Echo feels a little bad about all the times he accidentally woke you up by jolting awake from a nightmare he had. He even made it very clear that he wouldn't be mad if you wanted to sleep in a different room than him; he understands wanting to have a peaceful sleep. But you want to be there for him; hold him tightly until his breathing calms down after the nightmare. You'd softly whisper to him that you're with him and he's safe and that you won't let anything hurt him. There's a good chance Echo can handle himself better than you could protect him, but he still appreciates the sentiment. He knows you mean it.

😈 — Does he tease you sometimes? If so, how?

Echo isn't much of a tease. He got nicknamed killjoy by Cid for a reason. But if he's cuddling you and feels a little playful, he might press some soft kisses to parts of your skin where you are ticklish. He likes to hear you laugh. He'll let out a chuckle when you gently swat him away, going back to resting his head on yours.

Also he has definitely put his cold metal scomp onto your exposed waist before to get you to shriek.

💥 — How does he react when someone else upsets you or is mean to you?

Well, Echo will definitely comfort you until you're no longer upset. How he acts towards the person who hurt your feelings depends on how much you want him to step in. Could be anything from a fist fight like in Episode 1 on Kamino to just keeping his distance and letting you handle the conflict yourself. Echo is always ready to fight for you but only if you're okay with that. He doesn't intrude where his input isn't wanted.

👀 — Does he stare at you sometimes when you're not looking? Why?

Echo is a very observant person. If he's taken an interest in you, he sometimes looks at you from across the room as you do your own thing, seeing how you will react to things and what little habits you display. Seeing you being kind to others is always something that makes him smile. His eyes definitely lingered on you for a little longer quite a few times when you helped others, being lost in thought about your kindness. Rex had to tap his shoulder so Echo even noticed he was being spoken to.

🌺 — Would he like to receive flowers? What flowers would be best for him?

Echo would love flowers, please give him flowers. He has no idea how to react but it makes him feel so special.

I'm not too familiar with flowers in the Star Wars universe, but if we're talking Earth flowers: Burgundy Roses. They symbolize love, longing, passion and unconscious beauty. You'd basically be telling him he doesn't even know how beautiful he is.

😰 — What's a fear he has when he gets attached to you?

Losing you. It's something that makes him wonder whether getting this close to you is even a good idea at first, until he thinks about it a little more and realizes you'd both have a lot more regret if you never got to be happy together. But losing you or seeing you lose him is something that happens in his nightmares sometimes. He tries to push that fear out of his mind as best as he can.

🌷 — How does he enjoy spending time with you? What activities do you do regularly?

As I said, probably sightseeing on the planets you visit to help other clones; getting souvenirs and gifts for the rest of the batch. You repeatedly have to tell Echo to stop inspecting the local food like it's a projectile or something before putting it in his mouth because people are staring already.

He also likes to take some nice walks through nature with you. On rainy evenings you snuggle up to Echo in a spaceship seat that's big enough for both of you and the two of you pick something to read together. If you have the time, Echo also likes to cook with you rather than buying food. At least if he prepares it himself, he can trust it.

🎁 — What kind of gifts would he give?

Well with Echo it's either something really thoughtful or a deadly weapon. Depends on the day really. For big occasions like an anniversary it's both sometimes. You unwrap a present that's just like,,, a beautiful necklace with a symbol that means something to you in a color that Echo said reminds him of your eyes and then he's like "open the second one" and it's just this massive badly wrapped "surprise" that's clearly a missile launcher. He loves you and he wants you to be able to protect yourself. Still, the duality is jarring.

😂 — Does he joke around with you? What do you laugh about?

It's Echo. He makes a joke like once a month and it's something like "Is there an echo in here?" "I'm Echo" when you least expect it. It cracks you up every time. He does chuckle and laugh about shenanigans you participate in though.

✨ — What's a quirk of his that takes some getting used to?

Sometimes when you compliment him or say anything to him that he doesn't know how to respond to he still just kind of... repeats it. It takes some getting used to but you've always found it endearing. It's just one of the many things that make Echo himself. And you love everything about him.

😒 — Does he hold grudges? How easily does he forgive after a fight?

Echo can hold grudges for a lifetime if there is no closure but if you talk things out with him he almost always lets it be water under the bridge. Unless you did something he considers deeply morally wrong, Echo forgives easily but not without a genuine apology and an attempt to do better. He's pretty reasonable about it.

🗯️ — How open is he with you? How good is he at communicating?

Echo is good at communicating as long as you're willing to do that. If he's so close to you that he considers a committed relationship with you, he sees no reason not to be open with you. Echo's the type of person you can talk to about anything. He's compassionate and sweet; there's no need to fear being ridiculed or judged by him for your feelings. If there's anyone you can 100% trust with your heart it's Echo. He's not always the most talkative person, but he has a lot of emotional intelligence and he navigates calm and honest conversations effortlessly, especially if you take the time to sit down with him in a safe space and focus on working through whatever is troubling you.

🤐 — What's something he struggles to talk to you about?

Echo struggles to talk about his feelings, his PTSD and his time on Skako Minor; but this is just something he struggles to talk about with anyone. It's not specific to you. However, once you've witnessed his strong exterior crack and are there for him to talk about his feelings with him, he trusts you enough to open up to you about it. It gets easier to talk about it with you as time goes on and your bond grows.

🎶 — What song describes a relationship with him?

The song I picked for a relationship with Echo is "We're not gonna fall" by Daughtry (just my favorite band ever). The lyrics for me represent the bond of two people who fight by each other's side, for one another and for a brighter future; which is fitting for Echo's journey as well as his commitment he would have to a partner.

❝ just when these four walls try to cave in and the ground underneath starts shaking it's the hope in your eyes that I cling to and I hope to god it never leaves you. after all this time we're not gonna fall now. [...] even if they come for us; everything can turn to dust, you and I are never going down. ❞

🧠 — How often does he think about you?

Echo has a busy life and he's always rushing from one task to the next. He thinks about you when something reminds him of you, which happens pretty frequently. Even on missions where you're not with him he sometimes assesses the situation and imagines what you would say or do if you were beside him right now. When he's alone, thoughts of his time on Skako Minor tend to come up, so he tries to distract himself by thinking about you. He always falls asleep thinking about you.

🛡️ — How protective is he of you?

This is Echo we're talking about. The guy who knew Omega for a day and a half and went "Harm her and you're a dead man". He's very protective. He would defend you with his life and he wouldn't hesitate to fight for you when you need it.

🗡️ — How does he feel about you fighting beside him / for him?

Echo may be very protective, but he's not the kind of protective that would cause him to try and keep you out of a fight. If you want to come along and join his cause, that's your decision and he will respect that. Besides, when you're apart you just worry about each other's safety. It's a dangerous galaxy with the empire on the rise and at least if you fight together, you can protect each other and have each other's back.

⭐ — How would he try to impress you?

Well, sometimes he's just going to show off that ARC Trooper training. He's cool as hell and he knows it. He tries to impress you by standing up for what he believes in and putting up a good fight on missions.

Additionally, Echo's not very used to wearing something that isn't armor or some type of practical gear provided to him by the Kaminoans but once he takes a liking to you he keeps looking at clothes he sees and briefly thinking "Okay would they like this?" He doesn't really know what he's doing but he decides to try something new once in a while and it always ends up looking very good on him. Nothing extravagant or excessive, but you're the catalyst for Echo finally getting into casual clothes. He gives you a brief and friendly "Thank you" when you compliment him on his look but he's secretly feeling a little giddy inside.

i don't even remember how i got into jeweler richard but damn. it's now one of my favorite pieces of media ever.

it's just so,, refreshing & comfy to read. every volume is like sitting in a warm patch of sunlight & learning about all these wonderful, new things (which may sometimes not be so wonderful, after all) as a child. like, every volume is chock-full of random trivia, it's so silly and endearing. i also love how Real these books get while still being so respectful & understanding. opened my eyes to so many things. everything from the queer experience to shitty fathers (an understatement) to beauty—man.

seigi & richard have such a lovely relationship, it's such a treat to read how their relationship progresses from strangers -> employer & employee -> friends(???) -> friends -> partners

i've only read up until the 8th volume, but idt I'll mind (that much) if they aren't explicitly stated to be romantically involved because the nature of their relationship is already so obviously queer, you'd honestly have to purposefully obtuse to not see it. whether they end up platonic (???), queer-platonic, or romantic (no matter how hesitant it may be), i'm glad that a series like this exists & that i got to read it. as someone who slowly came to terms with my own queerness, jeweler richard holds a special place in my heart. i can't wait to read the next volumes :)

so like, in the world of farming sims, stardew valley is one that like everyone has heard of. I even saw a creator do a twst x stardew au and loved it! but has anyone heard of the rune factory series? it’s fantasy farming basically, and beast men and elves and dragons exist in that world too, just casually hanging out. the protagonists of the series are always people with amnesia who start over in a town that takes them in and gives them a farm so they can sustain themselves. wouldn’t a twisted wonderland x rune factory crossover au be so cool? would anyone other than me be interested? I don’t really know any other people who are into the rune factory games, honestly.

looking for manga and anime recs!

do y’all have any manga or anime recs with characters that are aromantic and/or asexual? can be anywhere on the aro or ace spectrum! doesn’t matter if it’s explicitly stated or the characters can be interpreted that way because of how they were written by the creator, I just really enjoy finding and reading about these characters in general.

Thinking about the Pokemon AU for a bit... It's a shame that it's technically a porcupine, and that it would have had evolved by now, but I can't get the thought of Riddle having (having had?) a Cyndaquil out of my mind. He wouldn't be complete without ONE Fire type, after all.

Completely unrelated, and utterly coincidental, but I don't think you've made Chenya's team in that AU yet, right?

no, no, hold on, you're absolutely right, Riddle should have a Typhlosion. he needs a big firey pokemon that erupts whenever it gets mad but is also very soft and likes being petted! it and Roserade are best friends and they play catch with Togedemaru! it probably keeps accidentally melting Trey's Alcremie and always feels terrible about it! this is perfect

as for Che'nya, I thought about Meowstic for a while...but then I read Delcatty's pokedex entries and, nope, there he was.