its honestly a critically unremarked upon part of dave and karkat's relationship that like, while yes their presences in each others lives are mutually beneficial and help them in a lot of ways, while karkat loves dave, too, dave is the one who really needs karkat.
i was rereading dave//over bc im investing in the prediction that its going to end up being story relevant, and theres the bit where equius gives karkat the emotional vulnerability that he's been craving all this time from dave, how thats the thing he needs out of a relationship:
contrast that with dave in meat 32, who, in al's narration at least, dave thinks about how he'd be happy in any configuration of relationship, even if theyre stuck in a limbo without ever truly being honest about their feelings, as long as karkats there:
and i mean it feels like such an expression of daves underlying fear of abandonment, of his avoidance, his codependency...
like, in dave//over, dave needs to talk to karkat, cant handle the lack of response
and karkats potentially ready to break up with dave after a cheating double reacharound before he dies, while dave's emotional reaction to karkats death is so explosive he manages to make vriska cry
like yes this is within the extra fucked timeline of dave//over, but it carries over, especially with whats been established of their relationship in the epilogues/beyond canon. i dont mean to imply that their feelings are one sided either, again, its just the absolute dependency on dave's part. and this timeline is something davebot wouldve seen, too, and it all contributes to my existing line of thought that davebot in his dissociative depression has decided that karkat would be better off without him, thinking he deserves better. because karkat without dave becomes a successful revolutionary, fighting for a better world. karkat with dave, even if hes happier, seemingly stagnates. karkat without dave can still live, is still beloved by all, whereas dave without karkat stays repressed, unfulfilled, and kills himself. and like, karkat does want dave there! dave makes him feel seen in a way no one else does, he wants to be close to him. but he can still live, unlike dave. and for davebot to see that discrepancy, its, well! its easy for him to think that karkat deserves better
(crossposted from my tumblr, original link here)
