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shysublimecoffee · 3 months

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Look this is just an opinion not a fact don't get into such a tussle over a stanger opinion on a book of all things which are meant for entertainment. How I view this doesn't effect you nor do you take it as fact in fact youre free to disagree don't care.

It fucking says a lot about Shen Jiu as a character and the fandom as a whole in fanfics when the majority of them make him in fanfics having a better turn around in his life is always when a respected man is attached to hip usually( Liu Qingge) or acts as a voucher for people to even see him past his shell or his lies about the true reason he goes to the brothel goes out the window because otherwise he's a liar, a no-good and lecher and scum villain and because he's so emotional and volatile people do not respect him as a peakleader at all. He doesn't have a voice like it's telling me he's so female-coded cause ladies knows how dangerous people giving character assassination at your person could do tons of damage to your future prospects in future life and honestly I really like even though the ficwriters don't outright say it cause it subtle how majority every man and person in his life have taken away his autonomy and I find the most egregious example SY not actually giving a fuck about the person of the body he's inhabited and him not emoting at all when he saw the OG being abused and still validating LBG like if even the modern man from another era doesn't give a shit either someone who has to have sensible morals in society and even he doesn't care . This dynamic reflects a lot how society often undermines individuals who don't fit its norms, stripping them of their autonomy and dignity. SJ's struggle for respect and recognition in the story mirrors real-world issues of power and validation.

Everyone prefers SY. I'm not going to act as if I'm better though in real-life same I'd like him more too but his martial siblings barley tried. If they dislike him whatevs, but you guys are not at all suspicious about the 180 change in behavior how the kid he used to hurt and abuse is now being loved and pampered wtf??? Don't you guys owe him that much to investigate.

They could have tried to dig deeper aside from the one time they test him for possession but they didn't because they prefer the new and improved him". It actually so telling how the author chose someone of such a rich and idle pampered background to be transmigrated to the villain who's origin the very opposite of that and yet seemingly integrated himself better and incorporate better relationship with them then SJ.

The cultivation world, as well as the characters within it, reflect deep-seated classist attitudes. SJ's rough background and survival tactics make him an outsider, whereas SY, coming from a more privileged background, can navigate and be accepted more easily.

What does that actually say exactly that someone of a better background get along with the peaklords but not SJ because with our SJ he's a fighter and biter, he plays dirty to win in their eyes, he a lecher every inconceivable things is literally placed onto him just based on their perception of him. Is it that unconsciously they could tell SJ is not of of them or am I looking to deep haha??? The cultivation world is very classist is not news to anyone and that being the exploration in MXTX next book and how WWX background being how he literally met his end because of it says an actually lot how she took the things from this story and incorporate it into her next book.

The entire story had me retrospectively think hard how SJ voice is silent and yet to me at least he stills haunts the narrative because of it then when you get to the reveal about his backstory it makes you fucking think of him as an actual person and not just an object as a vehicle for the main character to just insert himself in because no matter the nature of a person it stills their body.

Like i've seen some fans even reflect this saying it not his fault that he transmigrated or he deserved it's technically his body and that he's a better person than SJ. At first, I agreed but then I took some time to process this. I don't care about SJ actions and his nature if it at the expense of his fucking body. SY can live for many many years but he's not SQQ unless he reincarnated like Airplane like it makes me want to me want to debates about transmigration. SY is his own person an adult with memories he has his own thoughts and feelings so when he transmigrated he took over the manual controls but that doesn't mean he's actually SQQ because he's not he's a pampered millennial.

In Otome Isekai (OI) stories, the original souls often face bad endings, while the transmigrators, who are modern characters inhabiting and thriving in these disliked bodies, desperately try to avoid such fates. They manage to charm the original male leads and are so focused on changing the story's trajectory that they can't accept its original path. This comparison to OI highlights how these characters' actions mirror Shen Yuan's (SY) predicament. The original person's identity and struggles are dismissed for the sake of the new character's journey, leading to the erasure of the original identity.

I don't vibe much with Shen Yuan because he seems very indifferent. The world revolves around him and his bias, much like many other transmigration novels where the MCs are similar. I find it hard to connect with a MC whose actions, even bold, lack a genuine foundation with other characters because they continue to see them not as people but character roles they're supposed to fulfill. He does everything to save himself, not from the sincere intention. His reaction to the death of GXY was cold af.

I don't like transmigration stories for this reason. They're often treated more as reader-inserts for fix-it fanfiction. We rarely learn about the characters' past lives, so we end up thinking of them as the person they transmigrated into, rather than who they were before. All we know of before was he was cyber-bullying and harassing the author and a troll so an asshole, basically.

If you guys don't know about OtomeIsekai basically we have bunch of modern day Koreans jumping into european white women bodies and inhabiting their bodies and living vicariously through them basically wish-fufillment bullshit trash . 9/10 nobody notices because this is a person who is widely disliked and despised and because no-one cared for the OG soul it easier to just go under the radar hell even the MC don't give a shit to so we have another MC that become so beloved in the eyes of the ML and how she bewitched everyone into loving her.

Transmigration is literal horror. " His Present" a short story I read from novel-updates where it literally based on this very concept where his loved ones preferred the imposter ugh made me bawl.

It makes me think about transmigration. Does it truly matter if the person who took over lived much longer than the original soul does that make them "THEM" ? I actually do appreciate SJ backstory being added but like now with transmigration just popping off on internet novels where the concept is everywhere where the original soul is discarded and the new one is celebrated, kinda adds a layer of tragedy and ethical dilemma to the narrative. It questions the validity of the new identity and the consequences of such an erasure. I'm always biased for the OG souls maybe that why a lot of SJ fics make him the character who is most suppressed by his role as scum villain succeed in making him heard to be listened to and mattered.

Imma nap lol this rant was loooong!!!

#shen jiu #svsss #shen yuan critical

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onlylove4louis · 4 months

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So Armands backstory reveal, and the discussion/comparison to Lestats previous peak into his own... More in regards to why it happened, and how Louis'/DremStat subconscious reacted to it, etc...

This is one of the things that I've been wanting to post about, but I just don't have a solid enough grasp on my own understanding and perception of it. But then I came across this post, by/from @loustat-0 :

That helped me sort of uniform my thoughts on it a bit more, and I didn't want to hijack that post, so I figured I'd just make my own 👌🏽

@loustat-0 please let me know if you're not okay with me linking you're post here, or your post being associated with mine via reblogging or commenting. As I am not able to properly use or access my messages and can't seem to comment on literally any post I come across, I didn't really have a way to respectfully ask for permission first. And if you don't want it publicized either way, you may be able to send an 'ask' my way. And I won't post that, but just a way for you to privately communicate, if you need/want.

Now, to this scene:

With a quick input about this part of it:

While the bulk of it will be the parallel/comparison, to this scene/moment:

Now, I will say right up front, the point of this post is not directly about either backstory... as both of their pasts and past traumas trigger me rather bad, I will not be discussing specifics about that. All I will say about either is they're both being honest, both backstories are true, but both have been clearly adapted ever so slightly for reasons that will be made clear later. But it can be assumed to be changed just to better fit with the adapted characters, and the adapted story being told here. Now, lets dig in...

First, I want to talk about what I personally understand of the 'why's of both, as in why they each individually divested this painful part of themselves, and exposed these particular wounds. What they hoped to gain, and/or may have used/utilized it for. Primarily because I think it's the core to helping you understand why Louis reacted to and handled it the way he did. And why DreamStat essentially barked at it 😅

I almost fully agree with what was discussed and answered in the link above, especially the part about Lestat being "forced" to give that part of himself in that moment, vs Armand "offering" it himself. And why that effected how Louis perceived it, but I wanted to reiterate certain things from my own perception of it...

So with Lestat, I do think he still had the choice and made the choice to reveal that part of him/his past. So while I don't think using the word "forced" is wrong, I just see it more as; both Louis and Claudia needed this thing from him, and he realized that in order to basically be allowed back in (to his physical home, to his family, but especially into Louis' heart) he knew he had to give this 'thing'. I believe it does need to be understood that this is a very VERY traumatizing thing for Lestat, this is something that he deals with CPTSD from, etc. for the entirety of the Chronicles. So it's something that he himself would not have just offered. Because he does not like to think about it, remember it, give voice or space to it at all, even acknowledge how badly it did/does effect him. But that also does not change the fact that he did very much use it as a means to gain understanding from Louis, via compassion, sympathy and empathy. Simply meaning he did utilize a painful truth in order to get him access back into Louis' very gentle, human heart.

Which is what I believe Armand did as well. But the differences, in the circumstances and how it happened, are why it just didn't get the same reaction/response from Louis. And it's also because of this previous moment with Lestat, that Armands attempt simply wasn't as effective.

So with Armand, the sheer difference is (I believe), other than Armand himself offering it without being asked, is; I genuinely believe Armand did in fact go into it, in order to actively garner the compassion and sympathy from Louis... Think of it this way, as a kid you would have to go on errands with your parents (usually mom), not wanting to, but knowing that there's a chance you MAY get ice-cream. Or McDonalds, if you do. Ultimately making it worth it... Versus, knowing for a fact that you will get it, so you proactively agree to go, or even ask to go, in order to get those things.

-- I don't know if that's a great analogy, but hopefully it helped some understand what I'm trying to say.

And I think that's what made the most difference between the two, in how if effected Louis. From Lestat, it was a moment of reluctant vulnerability. Humanizing himself, for Louis specifically, and allowing Louis a chance to have a closer look in order to get a better understanding, of what makes Lestat the way he is. Which in turn bonded Louis closer to him. For Armand, it instead felt like... and this is going to come out harsh, I apologize in advance... but it felt like a manipulation tactic. 'Let me tell you this sad story so that you will feel bad for me, and stop being mad at me for doing multiple things that have upset you.' Both were clearly utilized in manipulation of Louis' empathic nature, but only one was so overt that it made it hard for Louis to look past the manipulative nature of it. Combined with the first time leaving Louis untrusting and more paranoid about it being done again. Specifically because of how much he "allowed" it to affect him the first time (with Lestat). It made him alot less willing to allow that again, and made him alot less susceptible to that particular style of manipulation. Simply put, he's been so manipulated in the past, that he's jaded now and not as open or vulnerable to it as he was before.

-> I want to interject right here real quick before continuing, because I have come across and am aware that some people think and have pointed out/posted about that they feel Claudias Bruce reveal, was the same thing. And while I do understand why they may think that, and why they may have perceived it like that. I personally don't actually agree. And it's why I'm not also using that moment as an example of past manipulations, that have worked on Louis. Now I'm not saying that Claudia has not manipulated Louis in the past, because she definitely has. I just don't see that moment as one of them. And I definitely don't want this post to become a discussion about that.

Now, moving right on... Before we talk about HalluciStats "HA!" bark, and what I think that was all about, I want to get to the surrounding circumstances:

So it can't be denied (although some clearly keep trying) that Louis has been keeping Armand at an arms length. He's actively not allowing Armand to get too close to him, he's not letting Armand in. And for good reason. But it's very clear that Armand is really struggling with it. He's struggling with essentially finding ways to climb over Louis' walls. He's actively pressuring Louis STILL, to if not join the coven then at least to make more of an effort to "belong". Which does include using the fact that he knows and is keeping their "secret" (we all know what else that alluded to/implied) as a means to manipulate Louis into coming around the coven more. Which is really just coming around him more... And then he's also treating Claudia in multiple ways that Louis is very much not okay with (again, regardless of what some go out of their way to "erase"), and flexing his powers in ways that's are only reminding Louis of Lestat (derogatory).

I am not going to go into, the parallel made to abusive relationships that happens here, and that particular type of manipulation tactic used by abusive people. Because again, triggering. But I point all of this out, to point out the circumstances that put Armand in a place of wanting and needing to both placate Louis, defend himself, but mainly to get back on Louis' good graces. As well as attempt once again to get Louis 'closer' to him, to get him to open up more. Basically a, maybe if I allow myself to be vulnerable to you if I show you a vulnerability, you will in turn trust me enough to let down your guard to/around me.

Now it also can't be ignored, that one of the things that Louis is impressing on Armand here as well, and has been. Is that he actively wants and needs Armand to show him some of who he truly is. He wants to see some of the real Armand. Some of what's behind/underneath the Coven Master, hat. And just like Lestat, Armand understands that this is something that he needs to give to Louis, in order to get what he wants, from Louis. He needs to give some of his real self, in order to be allowed in.

But all of this, combined with the fact that Armand took Louis here, to this museum, with a specific purpose. Which means most likely, it's clear to Louis that this is not happening organically. He did not just happen to reveal his backstory because the moment called for it, or they happened to stumble upon, the moment. But instead it's been planned ahead of time, which falls too close to being orchestrated. In order to get a specific result. Which would make sense as to why Louis would already be on his guard, and untrusting, and skeptical of Armand and this entire thing. And would also make sense as to why he'd be weary of the manipulation in it, rather than anything else. Thinking 'why are you telling me this/what's the real reason behind it', rather than simply reacting to what is being revealed.

And finally, why I had to be jump-scared ass early in the morning, by Sam Reid barking on my screen. Because ya'll, on the first initial watch, and the 2nd to be honest, I was so caught up and stuck trying to emotionally survive Armand bearing his mangled, brutalized soul. And almost getting lost in his trauma, that I wasn't even paying attention to Loustat in the background, until the "HAA!!". And I just about

It took me two re-watches to really pay attention to Lestat back there. And what I can tell, is that while he's clearly manifesting Louis' unconscious mind being very skeptical of the whole story, essentially 'are you believing this, really?!' type of energy. Very reminiscent of how Claudia reacted to Lestats backstory reveal. She didn't believe a single part of it, because all she could see was the manipulation in it (lets not forget, just because that's what she saw doesn't mean that's what it was, or at least "all" that it was. It's simply just an individual perception). But you can tell, that DreamStat doesn't actually start getting legitimately angry, and defensive by how he's crossing his arms so tightly... Until Armand mentions Magnus. As in it's not the whole story itself, it's instead that particular part of it.

Because what Armand does there, is casually lump Lestat in with Magnus, and the implication is that what Lestat did to Louis, how he turned him, was in any way similar to what Magnus did to Lestat (which I'll say right now, very much was not). That's what he was reacting to, and that's what he (aka Louis) completely rejected. Which I think, unfortunately also drastically than decreased the effectiveness of the entire thing. What I mean by that is, if a part of what you're telling someone, no matter how sincere and honest it may be. If even a small part of it garners or causes a negative reaction like that, then they're much more likely to reject the entirety of what you're saying. So I personally think that's more where Armand failed here, than anything else. He doesn't seem to be able to not bring Lestat into it, if I'm being honest it's almost like he can't help it.

It's like him in present day Dubai, feeling the need to say "Forty-seven more than he did with Lestat" 🤣 Because the point was, to get Daniel to stop comparing and contrasting Loumands relationship with Loustats. But in saying that, Armand himself directed it right back there anyways🤦🏽‍♀️👌🏽

I don't know if there was actually intention behind it, but in mentioning Magnus at all, and then the "conception" of Louis via Lestat... two things he has no business speaking on. He inadvertently diminished everything that came before it. At least in Louis' mind.

But phew, I think that's it. I'll end it here. If you made it this far, thanks for reading 🙌🏽

#interview with the vampire #iwtv #iwtv amc #iwtv s2 #louis de pointe du lac #armand iwtv #Loumand #fan discussion #Louis is an easy target for manipulation and gets manipulated by EVERYONE... so it only makes sense he'd start growing some armor #and learn from past experience

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hugmekenobi · 1 year

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S2: The Bad Batch (8)

Chapter Eight: Truth and Consequences

Gif by @trapezequeen

Hunter x femaleJedi!reader

Series Summary: Some time has passed since everything that happened at Kamino and you and the Batch are trying to figure out your place in the rapidly changing Imperial galaxy. And you're having to do all this whilst figuring out where your relationship with Hunter fits into it.

Chapter Summary: An old friend reaches out for help and it sees you returning to a place you never expected to.

Masterlist for S1

<Previous Chapter

Genre: Friends (idiots) to Lovers (we're in the lovers stage now)

Chapter Warnings: Canon-typical violence, swearing, reader not knowing how to handle anxiety and things take a bizarre turn (I can't explain why my mind went that way, it just happened), use of a pet name (sweetheart), light angst and emotional hurt/comfort, more of me making up reader's backstory, very brief PDA (kissing)

Word Count: 5.4K

Author's notes: Back on the show plot now! Hope you guys enjoy! Also, I am going on holiday for a week and baggage allowance was small and unfortunately, my laptop doesn't fit so Ch9 will be a longer wait :( I have started it though so will get to work on it as soon as I'm back!

Things, for the first time in a while, were peaceful and it had given you the perfect opportunity to work on your meditation skills. It may still be working for you, but you and the Force hadn’t quite gotten back into the harmonious rhythm you used to have when you were at the Jedi Temple. Gungi had been an inspiration to both you and Omega and it had become something you did together. As the ship stayed stagnant in the bay of Ord Mantell, the two of you had seen it as another opportunity and so together, the two of you retreated to her room.

Echo turned in his seat to look back to see Omega being like a mini you. She sat in front of you and you both had your legs crossed with your hands on your knees and your eyes shut in concentration. He got up and started to head over.

Gonky’s honks distracted Omega, and she opened her eyes with a sigh to see Echo sidestep the droid.

“Meditating again?” Echo asked.

“Trying.” Omega grumbled as she uncrossed her legs. “Gungi taught me, and (Y/N)’s been helping too, but it doesn’t work the way it does for them.” She half turned to see you completely still, your breathing even and you looked relaxed and at peace.

“They’re Jedi.” Echo said logically.

“I still like it though.” She replied. “You wanna try?”

Echo shook his head and leaned against the wall. “No. I don’t enjoy solitude. I had enough of that on Skako Minor.” He glanced back down the ship to where Tech and Wrecker were. “If it weren’t for this squad, I’d still be a prisoner there or worse.”

“Is that what made you join them?” Omega asked, realising she’d never asked that question before.

Echo grunted. “This was where I fit, where I was needed.” Tech’s voice then got his attention.

“We have an incoming transmission. It’s Rex.” Tech revealed.

Omega gently tapped your knee. She knew you wouldn’t want to miss this.

You opened your eyes and blinked a few times. “How’d you get on?”

“Better, but I can’t shut things out or keep focused like you can.”

“I had a lot of years to practice, and I still struggle.” You said kindly. “Don’t rush it, it takes time and patience.”

Omega nodded before the three of you peered down the hallway as the hologram of Rex appeared.

You and Omega quickly hopped down the stairs and the three of you made your way into the cockpit. You came to stand on Hunter’s right, assuming he had come in earlier when you were still in your meditation zone.

“Hey, guys.” Rex greeted. “Any chance I could use your squad’s expertise for a mission?”

“Finally. I’m tired of waiting around for Cid.” Wrecker said.

“What do you need, Rex?” Echo asked.

“I’ll explain everything when you get to Coruscant?”

You practically did a double take. “Coruscant?!” Why was the past suddenly coming back to haunt you right now? First Nal Hutta and now Coruscant. You hadn’t heard that name in years. You never let your thoughts linger on it for fear of what the memories would bring.

The planet you had been taken to when you were a child.

The planet you had lived on for most of your life.

The planet where you had been forged to be a Jedi.

The planet where you had used the skills you’d been taught to fight a war.

The planet that had the heart of your people in it- or at least it used to.

The planet you had abandoned.

You could be going back? The panic made your stomach turn and you had to take a deep breath to regain control of yourself.

Hunter picked up on your discomfort and he lightly grazed his fingertips against yours to help ground you. He wasn’t thrilled about going so close to Imperial territory either. There was too much to lose by going there. “That’s a big ask, Captain.”

“Why? What’s on Coruscant?” Omega asked innocently.

“It is the galactic capital and, thus, the heart of the Empire.” Tech answered.

“But the Empire thinks we’re dead.” Echo mused. “They won’t be looking for us.”

“I’d like to keep it that way.” Hunter argued.

“It’s a covert mission.” Rex stated. “A simple data extraction but a crucial one. “I’ll send over a flight plan to bypass Imperial security and coordinates to a safe landing zone.”

“We’re on our way.” Echo said.

You had mediated for the majority of the journey, but it had been an arduous process and you weren’t feeling much better for it. You came out of your last attempt with an irritated sigh as you sensed that you would be leaving hyperspace soon. The others were all geared up, so you reached under your bunk and pulled out your armour.

You were able to slide on your vambraces and blaster holster no problem but as soon as you started to work on your shoulder and upper arm armour, your hands started to shake. “Fuck off, not now. Get a grip.” You chastised yourself.

“Let me?”

You looked up to see Hunter holding his hand out. You gave him a resigned smile as you held the pieces out for him. “Thanks.”

Hunter took them and sat next to you. “You wanna tell me what’s going on inside that head of yours?”

“Just nervous about going to the heart of Imperial territory.” You said shiftily.

“No, that’s not all of it.” Hunter pushed gently. “Sweetheart, you need to talk to me about this. Please?” He finished up with one arm before he moved to your other side and got to work.

You sighed. What if it’s still there?

“The Jedi Temple?” Hunter asked delicately as he fastened the last part. He rested a hand on your thigh whilst he waited for you to talk.

You nodded. Or what if it’s not? I don’t know what would be worse.

Hunter didn’t really know what words he could offer that could provide comfort. Your situation was a rather unique one. He pulled you closer and let you lay your head on his lap and rubbed his hand up and down your side.

When I first made the decision to leave, it felt so simple, I didn’t regret it. Then the months went by, and the doubt crept in, and I started to second-guess everything, and it tore me apart. All those years I was by myself, I was never sure of what to do and that was going to get me killed. So, I decided to forget, I stopped thinking about the Jedi, the Jedi Temple and Coruscant and it got better but now we’re going back and… “Hunter, what if I can’t handle it?” You said aloud, your voice wavering. “I’m a wreck right now and we haven’t even entered the atmosphere.”

Hunter nudged you to sit up.

You did so but didn’t make eye contact with him and kept your head low.

He curled a finger under your chin.

You held his gaze. “This mission-”

“Is covert and that’s all we know which is the crux of the issue. We’re going into the heart of Imperial territory blind and that’s never easy, but we can do this, we’ve done similar stuff before, and you know this. You’re spiralling because you’re coming back to a hard part of your life, and you don’t know how things’ll go or what’s there and it’s scary but we’re all here for each other. It will be okay. Trust me on this?” He placed his hands on top of your shoulders. He knew when you needed a firm helping hand rather than a shoulder to lean on and right now, you were overthinking, and he needed to help you pull back.

You released a shaky breath but nodded. He was right, you could do it. It’s just a more personal location but you could deal.

“You have a team of people here. You’re not alone anymore, whatever you can’t handle, we’ll pick up.” He said tenderly.

You gave him a grateful smile before you leaned in and kissed him softly. “Thank you.”

“Anytime.” He murmured before he kissed your forehead and together, the two of you stood and walked to the cockpit.

You stood behind the co-pilot’s chair as Hunter in it just as the ship left hyperspace. You took in the familiar sight of the city-planet- the outside all lit and covered in the rings that signified the thriving city below.

“We are approaching Coruscant.” Tech said from the pilot’s chair.

Omega stood in between the two seats and eagerly stared out the window.

“Everyone, stay ready.” Hunter advised as the ship entered the planet.

You’re not going to look for it. You thought to yourself as the ship flew through. Keep your eyes forward and focused on what the mission actually is.

The Marauder touched down in a hangar bay on one of the lower levels.

Hunter opened the door and led the way out.

“Glad you made it.” Rex said as he came out to greet you all. He moved slightly closer to Hunter. “She okay being back here?” He asked discretely.

Before Hunter could say anything, you beat him to the punch.

“She’s fine.” You groused. “She had her moment earlier but is back to normal now so watch your tone, Captain.” You said firmly but your smile softened any unintentional hostility. It was then you realised exactly who it was standing behind him. “Senator Chuchi?!” You couldn’t help but exclaim.

“Uh, yes. Do I know you?” She asked, slightly surprised that you knew who she was.

You cleared your throat. She didn’t need to know that in your time here during the war, one of your main duties was assigning senator protection detail and hunting down threats- a job that kept you rather busy with regards to this particular senator. “No, just a fan of your past work, that’s all.” You said hastily before you took a small step back.

“This is Senator Riyo Chuchi.” Rex made the formal introductions to the rest of you. “These are the special clones I told you about.”

“Hello.” Omega waved at the senator.

“And you?” Senator Chuchi asked you, curious as to where you fit with this group. The squad in of itself was already an interesting sight. Special was right, she had never seen a group of clones like this, especially a group with a child in their ranks. And you were an addition that strengthened the remarkable nature of you all.

You shrugged. “We never really figured out a term for my spot here. I’m just a permanent helping hand.”

Riyo accepted that. “Thank you for coming.” She said to all of you.

Hunter nodded before he angled his head to Rex. “Why are we here, Captain?”

Rex signalled to the room behind him. “Inside. There’s something I want you to see.”

You had an eery feeling as you stared at the coffin on the table, and you stuck an arm out to stop Omega from getting closer.

Rex opened the hatch, so the head of the body was visible.

Your eyes widened at the sight of the dead clone.

“He’s an assassin.” Rex explained. “His identifying number’s been wiped.”

Tech was taken aback by that piece of information. “I was not aware that was possible.” He said, sharing a look with Hunter.

“Who was his target?” Hunter asked.

“A clone contact of mine named Slip. He said he was in danger. I came to Coruscant to get him out, but the assassin got to him first. Nearly got the senator too.” Rex replied.

Your eyes caught the faint flicker of both fear and regret in the senator’s eyes. You figured she’d been there trying to help the clone that got killed.

“Why would a clone be targeting another clone… or a senator?” Echo asked.

“To silence us.” Senator Chuci answered. “Admiral Rampart has the entire Senate believing Kamino was lost to a cataclysmic storm. Slip witnessed the truth.” She hung her head for a moment before she addressed the group once more. “I wanted him to testify to Rampart’s crimes.”

“We were there too, Senator. I can be your witness.” Echo offered.

“The Senate won’t listen to any of us.” Hunter said. “We’re deserters.”

“Hunter’s right.” Rex agreed. “But there’s another way to provide the Senate with the evidence of the Empire’s crimes. The command log on Rampart’s Venator.” He revealed. “Slip made a copy of it on the ship’s backup data banks.”

“Where’s the Venator now?” Wrecker asked.

Being retrofitted at the Imperial shipyard right here on Coruscant. Lots of security, but I know a way in.”

“Rampart’s Defense Recruitment Bill goes to a vote tomorrow.” Riyo said. “We must prove his crimes before it passes. I’ll return to the Senate and garner support where I can.”

“Senator, who’s on your security detail?” You couldn’t help but ask. You remembered a quite a few headaches being caused by this senator. You admired her to no end, but she had made your job rather difficult at times.

“She’s right. You could still be in danger.” Rex said, concerned.

“Then I must be on the right track. I have my guards, I’ll be alright.” She said bravely.

“I can go with her and keep an eye out.” Omega suggested.

Not quite what I would’ve gone with. You thought to yourself, but it would take Omega away from the main danger which was something. And it was a good way to ease her into handling more stuff on her own and see how the more lawful side of the galaxy attempted to operate.

“You can’t enter the Senate district without an Imperial security clearance.” Riyo said to the young girl.

“That will not be a problem.” Tech said confidently.

“Then let’s get to work.” Rex said.

Whilst Omega was being another set of eyes and learning the ways of politics, the rest of you began your infiltration.

The first part of the process involved a steep climb up a ladder beneath the belly of the shipping yard.

Wrecker groaned as his pack got shocked by the electric current in the space behind him. He risked a glance up to see that there was still a way to go yet, much to his dismay.

You all made it successfully through the first level but there was still another hatch to get through.

“I got it.” You said before you lifted a hand and used the Force as a guide as you searched for weak points in the hatch.

“Haven’t been in these maintenance tunnels since the war.” Rex reminisced.

“Gotta say, Rex. Coruscant’s the last place I’d expect you to be.” Echo said.

“It’s worth the risk.” Rex replied. “More and more of our brothers are waking up to what’s been done to them. I can’t turn my back on them.”

“How many have you reached?”

“Not enough.” Rex said with disappointment. “Troopers who know too much are a liability to the Empire. I’m working with a few contacts I trust, but we’re spread pretty thin. Help’s hard to come by these days.”

That struck something within Echo, but he pushed it to the back of his mind for now.

“Got it.” You called as you flicked your wrist and the hatch opened.

“Great. Ray shields.” Wrecker grumbled as he peered up.

“Leave it to me.” Tech said before he got to work on the control panel.

“And how are we getting onto Rampart’s Venator?” Hunter asked.

“I’m taking a lesson from your squad. We improvise.” Rex answered.

“Hey, we’re role models!” You said with an over-the-top cheery disposition that sounded foreign to your ears. You noticed the quizzical helmeted looks that were sent your way. “I can’t explain that.”

Hunter noted the change in your demeanour, and it definitely had a slightly different vibe to it, but he put it down to you handling your emotions about being back on this planet, so he didn’t press the matter. As long as he was sure your head was still focused on the job right now, he didn’t need to worry.

Tech stared at his datapad. When it looked like things were in place, he programmed it in and turned back in the direction of the ray shields and each one promptly deactivated.

The climb started again.

Wrecker opened the top hatch and led the way out.

Now’s where it for tricky. Being out of the tunnels meant less places to hide and with troopers patrolling the area, the chances of discovery increased dramatically.

You all ran as quietly and as covertly as you could, using the underside of ledges and hiding behind stands as cover.

You all paused to analyse the situation.

Echo peered out from behind a column and all he could see was open space patrolled by soldiers and droids. “There’s not enough cover. We won’t get across the shipyard undetected.” He said to Hunter.

An idea popped into Hunter’s head as he saw the smaller transport ships. “Not on foot.”

“Brilliant!” You admired before you mentally checked yourself. What the fuck were you doing? It was a good plan but usually you kept your appreciation more internal or at least more low key. It was then you suddenly realised that you went from nearly having a breakdown over coming back to replacing your nervous energy with exaggerated optimism and that was somehow more concerning.

“Thank you?” Hunter said. Yeah, you were definitely unsure of how to deal with whatever set of feelings it was you were working out right now.

“Everyone ignore me, please. Unless it’s urgent, I will be shutting up from here on out.” You mumbled awkwardly as you walked over to a column closer to the front.

“Is everything definitely okay with her?” Rex whispered to Hunter as he watched you walk away.

“Yeah, I think she’s just figuring out how to deal with how she’s feeling about being back here. She’s fine, she’s not a risk to the mission.” Hunter reassured before he saw the free moment. “Move.” He ordered.

The group of you dashed across to the next transport ship and clung on to the underside of it just as it took off.

Hunter stuck his vibroblade into a panel and it fell away which gave Tech the access he needed to become the pilot.

Rex glanced over to see Wrecker groaning and mumbling ‘don’t look down’ to himself. “He’s still not better with heights?”

“This is him better.” Echo said.

You risked letting a hand go to give Wrecker’s shoulder a sympathetic pat.

Tech fiddled with his datapad. “I have bypassed the controls. Hang on.” He took command and drove the transport in the direction of the Venator.

One particularly bumpy lift of the transport had you all readjusting your grips.

“Tech.” Hunter cautioned.

Tech quickly got the transport up and over the top of the Venator. He unplugged his datapad. “Now.” He signalled.

You all let go and a safe landing meant you all able to get up and run to the nearest way in.

Tech breached the system of the door panel and succeeded in opening it for you all to go through.

You all drew your blasters as you headed for the bridge of the ship. As soon as the first set of doors opened, Hunter and Rex led the way and stunned the first two troopers.

The main doors to the bridge opened and a quick scan told you all it was guard free, and you took up your watch positions.

Tech tapped into the system. “Well, that is unfortunate.”

“Wanna narrow that down?” Rex asked him from the position by the front windows that he and Hunter had taken.

Tech looked through his datatpad. “Energy conduits are offline. The only way to retrieve the data is the reroute power, which will most likely signal a security breach.” He finished, looking over at Hunter and Rex.

“How much time will we have?” Hunter asked.

Tech looked at his datapad once more. “Not much.”

“Then let’s make it quick.” Echo said.

Tech nodded and together he and Echo got the power back on.

The Venator bridge reactivated, and it was time to start the clock.

As the alarm sounded, you sensed the bodies on the other side of the door. “We’re gonna have some company.” You called over as you got your blaster ready.

“Seal the door.” Hunter directed.

You fired a shot into the control panel, but it didn’t do much, they started the override process quickly and the doors started to stagger open. “The door won’t hold much longer.” You warned.

“I am expediting the file transfer as quickly as possible.” Tech replied.

As soon as he finished his sentence, the door whirred open and troopers starting firing at you.

You, Hunter, Rex, and Wrecker took cover and fired stun blasts back, but you knew it wouldn’t be long until reinforcements arrived.

Hunter noticed the ships coming to provide support. “New plan. 14, 5, 86.”

“All of them?” Wrecker double checked.

“Yes.” Hunter confirmed.

You bit back the positive affirmation about to leave your mouth. It was most definitely not the time to start that up again.

“Echo, man the cannons. Deal with air support.” Hunter ordered.

Tech grabbed the datacard and put it in a case. “Data transfer is complete!”

“Plan 5, set!” Echo confirmed.

“Activate.” Hunter instructed.

Echo powered up the engines and the ship started to pull against its secure lockdown.

The resultant chaos gave you the opportunity you needed to make a break for it. With you firing off more stun shots and Wrecker barging through the remaining clones, you all successfully made it out of the bridge.

“Security teams will be swarming this trench. We need an exit strategy.” Rex said as you all sprinted through the ship corridors.

“Got one. We’re going over them.” You revealed.

“Over them?” Rex repeated.

The Venator smashed to the ground and the resulting vibration had you all stumbling for a moment which gave the Imperial troopers a chance to catch up, but you dealt with them swiftly enough.

Echo opened the hatch to the escape pods.

Rex paused outside the entrance to one. You all had confidently ran into one, but he saw a problem. “These escape pods are non-operational.”

“We only need them to eject. I can handle the rest.” Tech said confidently.

“This should be interesting.” Rex mused as he walked in and closed the door behind him.

Tech got the pod in the air and got in heading in the direction of the maintenance tunnels.

The pod crashed to the ground.

Hunter pushed open the door and examined the landing. “Not bad.” He complimented his brother before he stepped out.

“I was off by 6.4 meters. Not my best.” Tech disputed.

You did a light skip past Tech as you left the escape pod. “Don’t put yourself down, Tech. What’s important is that we all made it out safely.” It was out your mouth before you could stop it. “Shut up shut up shut up.” You mumbled in a panicked fashion to yourself as you reached the entrance to the maintenance tunnels first. Fuck, you skipped! Skipped! Force did you want some other outlet for the anxiety you were unable to channel properly.

You waved a hand and the hatch to the tunnels opened.

“It’s almost morning. We need to hurry.” Rex stressed.

Rex and Echo boarded the speeder and set off to the meeting spot.

Omega looked up to see them come around the corner. She dashed up and took the case from Rex.

“Get this to Senator Tuchi. Hurry!” He said.

Omega ran back into the senate building.

As Echo and Rex returned, it became a waiting game. You only hoped the information would be enough to stop Rampart.

Hunter removed his helmet and faced you. “Well, you managed it. You alright?”

You nodded. “Yup. Had a moment of channelling a terrifying alter ego but yeah, I managed.” You said with a light laugh.

“Wasn’t that terrifying. More… weird.” Hunter teased.

“Oh, perfect.” You said with a playful frown.

Hunter placed a delicate kiss to the wrinkle in your brow to soothe you. “Weird is good.” He murmured.

You smiled fondly at him but there was a glint of mischief behind your eyes. If a situation like this ever arises again, you’re my new outlet.

Hunter released a low sigh. That was something he could get on board with. He couldn’t help himself, he placed a soft kiss to your lips.

“Come on.” Wrecker complained. “We’re all still here.”

You stuck your tongue out at him.

“Clearly I missed something.” Rex said with a knowing smirk. He’d called it all those months ago on Bracca.

“Just over 6 months and that’s all the information you’re getting, Captain.” You said with a grin.

“Wasn’t looking for much more.” Rex kidded.

A few comfortable beats of silence passed before Echo’s voice spoke up.

“Hey, guys. I… I need to talk to you about something.”

Having been successful in getting the information to Senator Organa- another ally in this fight- Omega hid and watched the replay of her home behind destroyed and the pain of that day came flooding back but the panic in Rampart’s face and the outraged cries echoing throughout the chamber made things a bit easier.

All of a sudden, an alarm started blaring throughout the room and the clamouring grew quiet.

Omega withdrew further into her place of cover as a deep chill went down her spine upon Chancellor Palpatine entering the chamber and the video of the destruction of Kamino ended. All she could do was listen and remain unseen as his advisor spoke.

“It would appear that Senator Chuchi’s horrific assertions are correct.”

Omega released a small, triumphant sigh. Maybe what she was feeling was intimidation rather than fear, it seemed like Chancellor Palpatine believed the footage and would do something about it. The advisor continued to speak.

“This unprovoked attack on Kamino was a cowardly act by Admiral Rampart to further his own personal agenda. Guards, arrest and detain the Admiral.” The yelling continued as Rampart got arrested and it threated to break out of control, and he knew his master needed quiet for the next stage. He banged his staff. “Order! We shall have order!”

When everyone quieted down, Chancellor Palpatine stepped forward. Sometimes it really was too easy. “I am deeply troubled by this recent revelation. My gratitude to Senator Chuchi for exposing a rogue element within our ranks. Many lives have been lost, but I assure you, Admiral Rampart will face consequences for his treachery. However, he did not act alone. The fact that the clones under his command so blindly followed orders, inflicting such carnage without hesitation, gives me pause.”

Omega listened on in nervous wonder. That tingling fear was creeping back in. What did he mean?

“Perhaps, it is time for a change.” Chancellor Palpatine proposed. “Now more than ever, building a strong galaxy requires protection and security. Due to the nefarious actions of Admiral Rampart, and the immediacy of the bill on the floor today, it is my opinion that this legislation is our future. With this momentous act, we shall usher in a new era. Heralded by the Imperial stormtrooper.”

No! Omega thought to herself, how could this have happened? What did they miss? The bill would be pushed through, and the clones would be cast aside and rejected. How had they failed them?

As Senator Chuchi and Omega finished filling you in, you found your natural demeanour returning and if you were angry, you couldn’t begin to imagine how the others were feeling. You thought you had the Empire this time, you thought you had finally found a way to cut through them, but it was all for nothing. You hadn’t helped protect the clones; you’d seen to their downfall.

“Palpatine was one step ahead of us during the war, and he’s still several steps ahead of us. We played right into his hands.” Rex said frustratedly.

“I don’t understand. We did the right thing. We told the truth.” Omega said.

“And he twisted it to his advantage.” Hunter explained, doing his best to keep his disappointment at bay.

“He knows how to manipulate the system, Omega. Doing the right thing doesn’t get you very far with him.” You said tightly as you remembered how he conducted himself during your time with the Order.

“The Emperor wanted us to implicate Rampart to get what he was after all along. Senate approval for his stormtrooper program.” Rex growled.

“The fate of all the clones is now sealed, because of us. What’s gonna happen to them?” Echo asked, concern and regret laced in his voice.

“I don’t know.” Senator Chuchi replied with a regretful sigh. “But I will keep fighting for the clones. You all deserve the same rights as every citizen.” She bent down to face Omega. “I won’t give up.”

Omega believed her. She’d proven she cared and that was what was needed.

“If you need anything, Rex, just say the word.” Hunter told the clone captain. “Senator.” He dipped his head in goodbye before he turned to Echo and rested his hand on his shoulder. “Wherever you end up, remember what I said.” He headed back in the direction of the ship.

“Don’t get into trouble without us.” Wrecker said with an affectionate punch to Echo’s arm.

“Without us?” Omega asked curiously.

Shit. You forgot she didn’t know and that made everything far worse. You took your moment to quickly hug him, and you didn’t just yourself to speak out loud. Be careful, okay?

Echo nodded at you as you stepped away.

“Best of luck, Echo.” Tech said sincerely before he followed you and Wrecker to the ship.

“Luck with what?” Omega asked him as you all left.

This suddenly became a lot more difficult than he had been expecting. “I’m going with Rex.” Echo revealed to her. “The clones will need our help now more than ever. I can’t turn my back on them.”

“You- You can’t leave.” Omega stammered. “We’re- We’re a squad.”

He knew she wouldn’t understand as clearly as the rest of you had and he knew he had to make this as easy as possible for her. “Omega, this is something I have to do. I’m going where I’m needed.”

She couldn’t fully accept that. “But we need you too.” She choked out.

Echo kneeled in front of her and placed his helmet down so he could lay a comforting hand on her shoulder. “It’s not forever. I’ll be back. Keep up with your training while I’m gone. Huh? Understood?”

Omega threw her arms around his neck and hugged him close.

Echo hesitated for a moment. This was a level of intimacy he hadn’t reached with Omega yet, but he didn’t mind it. He placed arms around her and returned the embrace.

Omega pulled back. “Yes, Sir.” She sniffed as she wiped away the tears that threatened to spill from her eyes.

Echo stood. “Keep an eye on them.” He directed with a slight smile as he signalled for the young girl to head back to the ship.

Hunter waited for Omega at the top of the ship’s steps. Another brother gone. But he was just grateful he wasn’t losing Echo to the clutches of the Empire.

“How are you doing?” You asked, entwining your fingers with his as you both watched Echo and Omega say their goodbyes.

“Fine.” Hunter replied briefly.

“Really?” You titled your head at him. “You don’t have to be.”

Hunter sighed. “I am fine. I just hope he finds what he’s looking for and that he stays safe.”

“We’ll see him again. Choices, remember?”

Hunter nodded. “At least this choice I understand.” He said quietly with a hint of sadness.

You squeezed his hand in understanding and kissed the corner of his mouth before you turned back into the main body of the ship, only releasing his hand at the last moment.

He let his hand fall back to his side and straightened up as Omega came up the steps. He placed a gentle hand on her back as she walked into the ship.

Echo watched as the ship lifted off. He knew it wasn’t the last time he would see you all, but it would take some getting used to. For now, though, his path was elsewhere.

Next Chapter>

Tagging: @noeasyisnoisy, @fuckoffthanos, @tpwkcalli, @graciexmarvel, @arctrooper69, @nightmonkeysstuff, @brujaporfavor, @flyingkangaroo, @sunkissedclones, @ladytano420, @keep-calm-and-drink-caf, @yyourmotherr, @xxeiraxx, @starwarsnerd111, @skelllymom, @dorck26

#the bad batch #the bad batch season 2 #the bad batch s2 #hunter x reader #hunter x fem!reader #hunter x female!reader #hunter x femalejedi!reader #sergeant hunter #sergeant hunter x reader #hunter tbb #hunter the bad batch #the bad batch hunter x you #hunter x y/n #tbb hunter x reader #the bad batch fanfiction #star wars #friends to lovers #angst #hurt/comfort

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akimeowk · 7 months

Text

Siren Goddess Reader Hcs

Y'all voted for this, sorry if it's bad

I don't write fanfiction often lol

Fem reader because i specified goddess and i don't think i'd be good at gender neutral

Warnings: some stalking, mentions of kidnapping, mentions of selling people, mentions of drowning

Enjoy!

Before i get into reader and freminet, i feel like some info about my ideas on sirens should be shared

Sirens come in the following three forms:

Shallow water:

These are the smallest sirens. They tend to stick near the surface and around islands, often have tanner skin. They feast on small fish and land animals. They closely resemble mermaids, except with sharp teeth to eat meat.

Open water:

These ones are longer than shallow water sirens. They swim in to deeper waters and don't go near land often. A little more blue in skin tone than shallow sirens. They swim way more than shallow sirens, so they have more fins to help them swim quickly. The fastest of the sirens, they hunt larger fish.

Deep water:

These sirens are HUGE. Because they live in the depths of the ocean, they can grow to extreme lengths. They don't often go to the surface, because of this their skin is unnatural shades of blue. They often have claws. They don't chase their prey, they evolved to swim at consistent speeds for longer distances. Their color allows them to blend in, stalking their prey silently.

Y/n is most like a Deep water siren, however she's not actually a specific kind of siren. She's technically a mix of all three.

Also some backstory

Y/n was friends with Egeria (hydro archon) before the archon war. The sirens used to all live in the dark sea, but frequent hunting caused them to seek shelter in Fontaine.

When the archon war began, Y/n knew she wasn't strong enough to become an archon. But she couldn't allow her daughters to die. So she asked for help from Egeria.

Egeria agreed to help, and sealed off a large underwater cavern so that only Y/n could allow people to enter and exit. The sirens all hid, and haven't been seen since.

But even queens surrounded by their children get lonely, so Y/n finally decided to take a trip into Fontaine.

Freminet just wanted to go for a beachside walk. He didn't expect to come back with a clingy fish lady.

How Y/n and Freminet met:

Y/n had been seen by some people in her half siren form, and they were trying to capture her to sell her. She was perfectly capable of defending herself, and was about to, but Freminet stepped in, thinking she was in danger.

Freminet had recognized her from an old fairytale.

One about hideous monsters disguised as beautiful sea women that lure sailors to their deaths. She fit the description of them, except the tail. He thought that maybe the fairytale had some truth, and that she was an endangered species, hence why he decided to help her.

In awe of how a human could care enough about a creature like her to fight his own kind, she decided "he's adorable. He's mine now."

She fully planned on keeping him in her domain, but when she picked him up and started walking away, he freaked out (he thought he was gonna be eaten), and convinced her to let him go home.

They ran into each other by "coincidence" (Y/n stalked him until the perfect time to reveal herself) later and had an actual chat. Freminet learned that no, she didn't plan on eating him. Y/n learned that it's actually morally wrong to stalk people and very creepy, along with what kidnapping is.

Human customs are so strange.

Y/n is already infatuated with him right away, but Freminet doesn't quite like her like that yet. At most its a simple "she's really interesting, i wanna get to know her better" kind of thing.

Though that starts to change as Y/n makes an effort to court him with sea related gifts and cute dates.

Also, she can carry him.

I think he'd just swoon over a lady who can literally sweep him off of his feet.

He's always trying to be strong for other people, he needs someone to be strong for him so he can lower his guard for once.

And who better than a giant sea goddess who's head over heels for him?

He'd have a wonderful time in her domain.

So many sirens... if only the looks they were giving him weren't ones of hunger and bloodlust...

At least the caverns are gorgeous.

He wouldn't be able to explore her domain on his own for a while. Too many sirens that have been deprived of their favorite food for too long.

Once they start to understand how attached their queen is to this human, they back off.

Back to Y/n being in Fontaine

Freminet (obviously) can't stay in the caverns forever. So he has to leave for long periods of time.

But without her favorite human to occupy her, Y/n quickly finds that the caverns are too boring.

The sirens are all big girls. They can handle themselves! At least until Y/n gets back.

Of course, she has to go about it differently than last time (Freminet banned her from exiting the caverns without him unless she disguised herself.) She forgot that sirens are nothing but a myth to humans now, so showing up in her semi-siren form will only attract unwanted attention.

The solution? Human form!!!

I think it'd be funny if her human form was a little bit shorter than Freminet. Amongst other sirens she's HUGE. But if she was scaled down like other sirens, nope. Below average length. Which is why her human form is on the shorter side.

The sirens find it hilarious. Y/n, not so much.

Of course we can't forget about our favorite twins (wonderful transition i know), Lyney and Lynette!

As funny as the whole iCarly smoothie scene is, i don't think they'd meet Y/n in her semi-siren form or her full siren form right away.

The house of hearth is in the middle of fontaine, Y/n is NOT sneaking past that many people.

Freminet also wanted to wait a bit before letting his siblings meet her. Y/n isn't exactly... caught up on human culture.

After a month of dating though, the twins get suspicious of all the "walks" late at night that he's been taking.

They immediately figure out he's been going on dates with someone, just haven't figured out who.

At this point, Freminet deems Y/n educated enough on modern Fontaine to only be slightly strange.

So the twins finally meet her in her human form.

But they know something is off.

It's uncanny valley for them. She looks human, acts human, talks human, but you just get that feeling that something isn't right.

Freminet doesn't seem to notice their discomfort. Or maybe he does, and he's just praying that the months worth of lessons he gave Y/n didn't go in one ear and out there other.

Lyney puts up a front. He doesn't trust Y/n one bit. But he doesn't have any reason to start a commotion. So he acts friendly and observes for now.

Lynette i think would be a bit conflicted.

She's like Lyney in the sense that she doesn't trust Y/n. However, Freminet is smiling and chatting happily with somone who isnt from the house of hearth or the traveler. He's opening up to someone without the help of his siblings.

She decides that as long as Y/n doesn't hurt Freminet, then there's no issue with her being human or not.

It's still gonna take some work for them to fully trust her.

They'd find out shortly afterwards that Y/n is a siren.

Lyney, wanting to learn more about this strange girl who just showed up one day, suggests that they follow her home.

Lynette finds it ridiculous at first, but she can't help but be curious as well.

So they follow Y/n and Freminet from a far.

I honestly don't think they'd be that surprised when they see Y/n shift into her half-siren form.

"You mean the random girl who's never been seen around fontaine before, has no records of existing EVER and has a strange fascination with trying to drown fishermen, is a siren? How shocking. :|"

Like, they're not surprised that she's not human. But the siren thing? A little shocking. Actually, Freminet spends 80% of his days in the water diving. So maybe they shouldn't be that surprised.

Y/n knew Lyney and Lynette were following them. She doesn't care. She may not be able to win in the Archon war, but she damn sure can keep two human magicians silent.

Unfortunately, now things are awkward. Lyney and Lynette know that their brother is dating a sea monster. Y/n is too smug for her own good.

Freminet is struggling. How did he get into this mess?

Whenever Freminet leaves to hang out with Y/n, Lyney tells him to "not let her eat him alive"

Most people think it's a joke. Freminet knows it's genuine advice.

--------------------------------------------------------

I think i'm running out of ideas.

Lyney and Lynette finding out that Y/n is a goddess would have to wait for another day

Feel free to request some things if you have any ideas! I think i'll only write for Freminet for now though

Thank you for reading and have a lovely day!!

#freminet x reader #anon who cried #hellion’s anon who cried #akimeowk #siren goddess reader

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genericpuff · 1 year

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Hello you often use the word “retcon�� and I’m not sure what it means. I looked it up and I’m still super confused. Could you please explain?

A "retcon" is an attempt to change a plot point that has already been established, typically as an overcorrection to a past plot point that a writer may be wanting to change. Retcons are usually seen as cheap ways to erase, deny, or "fix" the canon you've already established, instead of working with the canon you've set up for yourself. They can happen a lot in works that weren't planned well enough ahead of time, such as LO. It's essentially the writing version of gaslighting LMAO

Think of it this way. You're watching a movie where a character's family member has died, killed by a random gunman committing a robbery. The main character grieves the loss of this family member, but eventually learns to move forward with their life and live with the values and morals passed down to him by them, carrying on the legacy that that family member left behind. Two movies later, it's suddenly revealed that that family member wasn't killed intentionally by a robber, but accidentally by another gunman who was teamed up with the original robber (but never shown in the first movie). That new gunman is one of the 'bad guys' in this third movie.

What I've just described to you is the retconning of Uncle Ben's death in the original Raimi Spiderman trilogy LMAO originally Uncle Ben died in a random but tragic shooting that was framed as an intentional murder for getting in the way of a carjacker, but later on in Spiderman 3, they suddenly change what 'really' happened into Flint Marco (Sandman) shooting Ben accidentally after asking him for his car. It doesn't really add anything to the plot at all - even Peter lampshades this (calls it out) slightly when he asks why the police department is just now finding this out and telling them when it's been years - and it's clearly being used just as an easy plot device in Flint Marco's backstory and Peter's symbiote plotline. Rather than write a new backstory for a new villain, they changed what information they had already established to 'fit' an easy backstory for a new villain. Ironically, had producers not interfered with Raimi's original vision for the film, it would have worked a LOT better to just stick with what they had already been building up to for the past two films, making Harry the new Goblin and the central focus (but instead he plays third fiddle to the Sandman and the symbiote, both of whom were random villains with zero foundation in an otherwise well-structured trilogy.)

Anyways, rambling about Spiderman aside, that's essentially what a retcon is! It's typically in the form of introducing new information that erases or 're-explains' old information that didn't necessarily need to be corrected or otherwise should have just been stuck with for the sake of continuity. In LO's case, there's clearly so little planning on the story's trajectory that it basically retcons information every other week.

In this case, as I'm assuming you're referring to my recent essay post about the SA retcon, it feels like they're trying to subtly retcon the story away from the SA plot, by giving us a sob story from Apollo's POV and by claiming that Persephone found Apollo 'handsome' (she didn't) and that she felt 'special' around him (she did not). They're revisiting a past scene with descriptions that are completely false and inconsistent with the original scene, hence, a retcon.

Hope that answers your question! :)

#ama #ask me anything #anon ama #anon ask me anything #lore olympus critical #lo critical #antiloreolympus #anti lore olympus

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ohmaerieme · 2 months

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What’s the overall plot for your music box take?

turns around slowly. im so glad you asked........

BASICALLY tldr its mtmb if it fit into the lm universe, so imagine alice's mansion with minibosses and keys etc, except theres parts where youd play as mario trying to find out how to beat alice while luigi tries to catch up to them. AKA mtmb if it was tamer and under nintendos watch (mostly)

now the longer explanation. like a step by step of the plot in my brain:

lm mtmb is, as mentioned, an au i guess? of mtmb where the initial concept of 'mansion with ghost in a music box who possesses mario', except with far less dark themes to keep in the 'vibe' of the luigis mansion games. mario finds the music box, winds it up (because he's the first to die in any horror movie ever), accidentally releases alice who is incidentally connected to him since hes the one who released her (though partially). more explanation to the connection to mario later

so alice freaks out after being free, realizes mario essentially has her cage in his grasp, queue chase scene up to the second floor, at which she catches him and realizes she can possess him and break the music box to free herself. she realizes the music box is basically indestructible, and after some contemplation realizes she can use it to trap others instead of herself. and even better AGAIN, having possessed mario she can see through his memories vaguely and realizes hes got connections to a princess!! and she LOVES a lavish life. so she decides not only does she want to be free, she wants to use marios body to escape the mansion, overthrow the mushroom kingdom, and reign as queen so she can basically be pampered and spoiled.

she can only possess mario and/or be out of the music box for a short amount of time, and then will need to sing/play the music box from within it, in order to 'recharge'. this often gives marios location away when hes hiding from alice's minions, the other ghosts in the mansion. mario's half of the story relies on a run and hide and dodge kind of gameplay rather than luigi's usual attack head-on gameplay in lm games.

then luigi is sent over because the mushroom kingdom realizes they sent the guy who got captured by ghosts several times over to an abandoned mansion, and yes, luigi brings the poltergeist. he goes through a normal lm first floor experience, then when he gets to f2 he confronts alice who is in the midst of possessing mario. luigi is unable to use his poltergeist on alice in time before she sends ghosts to stall luigi while she runs forward in the mansion, and this routine continues through the story.

mario works on hiding from ghosts and researching the music box through the house much like in the original game, and luigi works on making his way through alice's forces and catching up with them. alice is desperately trying to find out how she can reverse the music box and use it to trap others whenever she can possess mario or just appear outside the box.

final battle is on the roof, alice reveals that shes possessing mario to luigis complete LACK of surprise. the glowing eyes and mouth gave it away, alice. luigi has to dodge beams of music from the box, as well as avoid damaging mario when alice hops out of his body. a very precision based boss fight, id like to imagine

at the end of the day, luigi weakens alice enough to grab the music box and seal her back inside of it, then settles to take it to egadd for safe-keeping so some guy doesnt. idk.. wind up a creepy music box in a lone room without reason. who who do that right mario. Mario

as for alice's backstory, she was wealthy and from a noble family, but not necessarily royalty. and she loved to sing! but when she moved into her new mansion, it ended up being haunted, primarily by riba. riba complimented her voice and promised to immortalize her in music forever, which alice took to a promise of fame, and happily followed rita's plans, only to realize he was leading her into a trap.

riba traps alice's spirit in the music box, taking 'immortalizing in music' quite literally, and then possesses her empty body and runs off- they never see each other again.

riba mainly has a small part in the story because i feel like he never fit in too well with mtmb to begin with?? like hes an immortal demon or whatever but also marios gay lover???? something something chicken farm IDK. i feel like he serves better as a vague villain that was the catalyst to the current villain u know?

ANYWAYS. yea thats lm mtmb xoxo

#lm mtmb #mtmb #mario the music box #mtmb au #mae asks #mae rambles #ohmaerieme

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aspoonofsugar · 2 years

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hii what do you think of the latest hxh chapter?

Hi!

It is one of my favourites so far! We got a lot from just few pages and I am very happy about it :)

Here come some random thoughts:

1- It seems that what I mentioned here and here about the Heil-Ly being the Spiders' mirror is being addressed already:

The Heil-ly are the Spiders' negative foil and Morena especially is Chrollo's negative foil. They are meant to bring to light what the group and its leader have been refusing to face about themselves.

I would not be surprised if the more we know of Chrollo's background the more his connection with Morena becomes clearer thematically. Speaking of connections...

2- Hello Sheila!

For people, who have not read it (even if I doubt there are that many by this point :''')) she is the girl Pairo and Kurapika find and help out in Kurapika's backstory. She is the reason why Kurapika wants to explore the world. Unconsciously she is also probably the reason why he wants to become a Hunter himself. She is presented to us as idealistic, good natured and determined to become a Hunter, even if she is definately clumsy and slightly unprepared to face the world.

This chapter shows a younger Sheila, but keeps her characterization intact. Moreover, it reveals she comes from Meteor City and used to be friends with Chrollo. This info is very interesting because it gives us a hint of what may have happened between the Kurta and the Spiders:

The Spiders annihilated the Kurta and stole their eyes. However, they also left a note with Meteor's city motto, which has been reminded to us this chapter: "We refuse nothing, so do not take anything from us".

This modus operandi feels strange and contradictory. After all, the Spiders are introduced as ruthless thieves that killed the Kurta for their eyes. Uvo's words in YS together with the cruelty they displayed in killing the Kurta (forcing adults to see their children die, so that their eyes become a more brighter red) seem to confirm it. However, the note they left behind seems off... what could the Kurta have ever taken from them?

Well, Sheila might be the answer to this conundrum. What if after Pairo and Kurapika said goodbye to her she was spotted by the Kurta Elders and killed to keep their location a secret? Her death would explain why the Spiders chose to attack the Kurtas of all people... Knowing Chrollo's coping mechanism I wouldn't be surprised if he decided to avenge Sheila hiding his grief behind an utilitarian objective, like... let's take the Kurtas' eyes and sell them at the black market.

I also think I prefer this theory over the more cynical ones I have heard about. Sheila being necessarily malicious towards the Kurta to the point she would help the Spiders to kill them would mean 1) that the Elders were right and the outside world is bad... hence Kurapika's childhood dream (which btw it is Gon and Killua's childhood dream) is worthless and 2) that Kurapika is indirectly responsible for his people's death, which really doesn't work for his arc and his survivor's guilt.

Sheila being an unknown catalyst to violence and tragedy instead works better on mutliple levels. First of all, it would make Kurapika's idealism the right thematic choice over the Elders' cycnism and fear of the other. Secondly, it would fit with the exploration of the cycle of revenge as fundamentally wrong and damaging to all sides. Thirdly, it would be sweet tragedy for both Chrollo and Kurapika... after all, Kurapika's dream comes from a person close to Chrollo, while Chrollo's act of violence hurt 2 friends of Sheila, who had helped her.

3- Kurapika and Chrollo's foiling is now deeper. Their background show them both as sweet idealistic kids, who grew up in secluded places dominated by a hierarchical group of elders. They are both considered prodigies and take an interest in the outside world. Kurapika is enchanted by Hunter D's book, while Chrollo scavenges Meteor City's ruins to find tapes and discover more about other cultures and languages. Still, it is clear that the both of them were deeply traumatized by a cynism catalyst... Kurapika's the destruction of his clan, while Chrollo's is yet to be seen.

4- This foiling makes the structure of the arc overall stronger and clearer. To be more specific, Kurapika, Chrollo, Tserriednich and Morena's criss crossed foiling seems to be the thematic heart of this storyline.

As already stated, Kurapika foils and opposes Tserriednich, while Chrollo has Morena as a counter-part. However, Kurapika also foils Morena, while Chrollo clearly foils Tserriednich as well.

Both Kurapika and Morena have become key figures in the current war and both are trying to spread the knowledge of nen, but they do so in opposite ways. Kurapika hopes that more people learning of the power would mean more princes would survive and the status quo is protected. Morena instead wants to fight the status quo, by provoking a revolution by sharing nen with people from humble origins. Not to consider they are both on a suicidal spirals.

Both Chrollo and Tserriednich are instead collectors of people. Chrollo collects people's "souls" (their nen powers) in his book, while Tserriednich collects body-parts. They are both incredibly intelligent and ruthless and even if they are so far being more passive... they are clearly 2 of the main forces who will influence the war. Not only that, but it is possible both have isolated themselves from others:

It is too soon to say, but the group of "friends", who are clearly smart and talented, but choose to keep their distance from Tserriednich, so that they can preserve their "friendship" with him is interesting... and it touches on something common to all 4 characters: loneliness and isolation.

Kurapika has friends ready to help him and has quickly become the center of an alliance among hunters, but he chooses to keep everyone at a distance. He avoids answering his loved ones calls and tries not to involve his closer ones in his business.

Chrollo is the leader of a group he himself has chosen to treat as an ideal instead than a family. He clearly loves and treasures the Spiders, but probably because of this and of the fear of loss, he has chosen not to treat them as individuals, but as a part of an organism that is immortal precisely because everyone is replaceable.

Morena is the leader of a group she is clearly using for her own great suicide attempt. She acts as the savior and the messiah of her people, but she is really just a gamer using them and herself as board pieces.

Finally, Tserriednich is a Prince who believes himself to be superior than everyone else. He apparently has no problems killing his own friends. And yet, he seems to have people, who are loyal to him, despite it all. People who would like for him to change, but do not believe it to be possible, so they are uncertain on how to reach to him... or even if they can reach to him. Not to mention Theta, who sees him as dangerous and tries to slow his progress with nen. She even plans to kill Tserriednich. However, she is also ready to kill herself after his death. There is clearly something deeper going on with the 4th prince army...

And this is all... more or less... I also have some crack theories and ideas, but they are really just headcanons and not meta thoughts :)

Thank you for the ask and have a great day!

#hxh #hxh spoilers #chrollo lucilfer #the spiders #genei ryodan #kurapika kurta #kurapika #morena prudo #tserriednich #asksfullofsugar #anonymous #hxh meta

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loosesodamarble · 6 months

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Hi Erika! For your ship game, can I get your thoughts on Obanai x Mitsuri (kny), Jellal x Erza (Fairy Tail), Lumiere x Secre (BC), and if I can be a little bold (and because I’m very curious), Henry x my oc Lorelei? Also, if you haven’t gotten asked about them Nacht x Josele (but I’m sure you’ve been asked already). Please 💖 Thank you! (Sorry if that is too much 😅)

😈😈😈😈😈😈😈😈

Oh Acacia, you absolutely SPOIL ME! 🥰💖

Buckle up, folks, this’ll be a long post.

…..

To start, there shall be a trend in these ships that boils down to “brooder and comforter.” One half of the couple is a bit (or maybe a lot) down on themselves and their partner is the warm embrace they need in life. The dynamic will forever and always be beautiful to me, just as much as “two pure sweethearts.”

Obanai x Mitsuri

Makes sense and 1000% compelled by it.

Obviously Obanai and Mitsuri fit that to a tee! Obanai is very clearly a broody boy and he states outright that Mitsuri saved him with her cheerfulness and smile. But it would be a massive disservice to the ship to ignore that Obanai also was Mitsuri's comforter in a way. She felt the way that he looked at her with affection whenever they were together which meant the world to her since she felt like it would be hard to love. They never judged each other and felt loved with one another and AAAAHHHHH HADKJHFLKAUHEILTHALEKTHKAEJG!

I know I've brought this up in the past but it bears repeating that I love this ship so much that I managed to work it into a college paper about depictions of (failed) romance in Japanese literature. Because, well, in a sense Obanai and Mitsuri's love wasn't successful. Let me share a bit of that essay to get my point across.

This mutual but unrecognized love is best described by the chapter title revealing Obanai’s backstory. The Japanese title is “hitsūna renjō” (悲痛な恋情) which I would translate as “a painful, miserable romance.” Mitsuri and Obanai’s feelings of self-loathing make their love a painful burden on their hearts. Even their confession is ultimately tragic, as both are in tears and on the cusp of death when their feelings come out.

Then again, the cycle of reincarnation allowed that love to continue and be acted upon. Still, this ship makes me VIBRATE with all the emotions. It's so unfair that Gotoge was able to invest me in this romance with only brief snippets and a small reassuring epilogue. And then the fandom just hammers the stake deeper into my heart. ObaMitsu. Beloved ship~!

.....

Jellal x Erza

OOOOHHHHHH! Man, it's been forever and a half since I really watched Fairy Tail but Jerza is that ship that sticks with you (and Gajevy but that wasn't the ship asked for, now was it).

So much sense is made with the ship and it'll never not compel me.

Again, Jellal is the more blatant brooder but Erza has plenty of moments of hitting low points (and it's usually over Jellal). And again, they both act as a source of hope in each other's lives. These two knew each other as kids and they made strong impressions on each other clearly. I mean, Jellal made some strong impressions on many people for a variety of not good reasons... ANYWAYS! It makes so much sense that Erza is always holding out hope for Jellal because his turn to darkness back in the day was very out of the blue so deep down in her heart, she'd know that something wasn't quite right. And even as she loves him, Erza expects Jellal to take responsibility for his actions. You talked about it yourself when discussing this ship but with Jerza, their personal feelings don't immediately mean Jella's sins/crimes can be ignored. He has to work to right them and fix himself. Jellal changes not because he's browbeaten into it but because he wants to be better for Erza. And Jellal isn't the only one changing. Erza is able to open up and let herself wish a little more because the trauma of their history is slowly being healed. Their love is such a journey. Multiple times they're pulled apart before finding each other again. And each time they meet, they heal a little more, grow a little closer.

.....

Lumiere x Secre

I won't say as much about these two as the others but I'm still a sucker for them!

In this case, Secre is the brooding soul while Lumiere is her comfort. She looked down on herself and her magic while Lumiere saw potential and inspiration. Lumiere gave Secre something to hope for and she gave him devotion. The way Secre's love endures over the centuries and she remembers to have hope from Lumiere's example is something that makes their love really special without them ever having to be in a relationship. We don't get Lumiere's perspective on Secre directly but the fact that he named his super special magic tool (the big spherical one) after her says quite a bit to me. She's important and special and helpful in Lumiere's eyes. Secre living on while Lumiere moves onto the afterlife is sad but he wishes her more happiness in a continuing future, even without him. It's an ending of separation but not of mourning and it's beautiful (even if I wish Lumiere could've stuck around).

.....

Henry x Lorelei

UwU CC x OC time~!

I actually did read the fic where they meet a bit ago. It's just in my queue for reblogging. But ooooooohhhhhhh! I CAN GUSH HERE!

So I will be real, there is one detail of the ship that doesn't make sense to me. But that's Tabata's fault for making it that even low mana people feel drained by an extended exposure to Henry's mana draining. It's just unfair that really no one but Asta can safely be around him with his curse in place. So it's not on you. You made every other aspect of the ship wonderful. Henry definitely would fall for someone as openly sweet as Lorelei and her sense of whimsy is a wonderful complement to Henry's loneliness. The way he so shyly begins to talk to her is so in character and I think adding Lorelei to Henry's backstory helps explain why he's easily able to just talk to Yami and later Asta since he now has experience meeting someone new. Lorelei's Lucky Magic seems interesting (and fits in with David's Dice Magic) and well, I think it brought luck to both her and Henry. And do I even need to say it but this ship got me hooked with one fic. It may need more time in the microwave before it finds a permanent spot in my heart but... I'm digging the vibes already.

…..

Nacht x Josele

YEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!

I’ve talked Nacsele before for the ask game but I’m gonna talk again!

GAAAAHHHH! The way Nacht always loved Josele and was content(?) to simply love her from afar... Josele harboring her love for Nacht when she felt he didn't love her back... It gets so messy when she's with Morgen because he truly did make her happier than words could say. But half of Josele's heart was with Nacht. And when they finally get together, after much heartache and soul searching and doubting, it's gorgeous. Nacht is so hesitant about the relationship that he doesn't even call Josele his girlfriend for a while because he still sees Josele as Morgen's love. Josele too was hesitant, not wanting to risk her happiness being destroyed again, but once she got a talking to from one of the Bulls, she embraced the chance to be with Nacht and helps him with his steps into the future.

AND I LOVE THEIR FUTURE TOGETHER! Josele never really stops mourning Morgen and the future they could've had. But she doesn't lose sight of the future she's attained with Nacht. She loves Nacht and the way he's able to forgive himself. And Nacht accepts that Josele will always have Morgen in her heart, he really wouldn't have it any other way. Nacht slowly but surely frees himself of his guilt and self-loathing to full embrace all the affection that Josele always had for him.

My ship... I love...

..........

AND I LOVED TALKING ABOUT AAAAALLLLL THESE SHIPS! AAADJHGLKHAIUHAETKJHAETUHUI!

Thanks for the chance to ramble, Acacia~!

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basim-ibnishaq · 1 year

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I’m seeing a lot of discourse about Miguel being out of character compared to his comic self. I kinda disagree because I think Miguel is going through a character regression. In the comics, Miguel started off (in Xina’s words) “an arrogant pompous jerk” who relied on an authoritarian system (Alchemax) to achieve stability, something he never had in his past. In a way, Miguel retreads similar ground in ATSV where he comes off as an antagonistic force (a jerk :P) who relies on an authoritarian system (the Spider Society) to maintain stability for the Spiderverse after being traumatized by the destabilization of his alternate dimension. I think the creative team is implicitly tying this aspect of Miguel’s origins into his film arc while placing it in a new context to better fit the Spiderverse trilogy and introduce new audiences to his story.

I think the reason why Miguel is retreading this aspect in the film is because he’s trying to hide his true comics origins. Despite Miguel’s first intro showing a near replica of his first comic issue (creating the assumption that he’s going to tell his comic origins like the other Spiderpeople thus far), he instead states that he’s the leader of the Spider Society (essentially making up his own origin story where he’s framed as the “ultimate” Spiderman). One reason why he might be hiding his true origins is that it might delegitimize his position as head of the Spider Society, since the majority of Spiderpeople get bit by a spider. Another reason could be that he views his origins and the implications of his transformation being too traumatic to disclose (something Miguel in the comics does as he hides the abuse he faces from Conchata). With both of these reasons, Miguel uses his high position at the Spider Society to create a fresh start where he’d only be seen as Spiderman. This way he doesn’t have to deal with the trauma of his past nor the lack of closure he has regarding his relationships with Gabriel and Xina (considering the ending of the 90’s comics).

However, Miguel ignoring his true past ends up becoming his folly in ATSV. While becoming Spiderman was the catalyst for Miguel’s growth in the comics, Spiderman becomes the facilitator for his regression in the film as he delves into the responsibility and guilt aspect of this persona. By trying to shed his civilian self and donning his Spidey persona full time, he forgets the true essence of Spiderman (which is to always try to save people) and the progress he made in the comics as he’s now boiled down to his fatal flaws: rage, guilt, and self-hatred. Plus, since the Spiderverse films are “a meta-commentary on art while still being art,” Miguel not mentioning his backstory and him constantly going in and out of different dimensions could be a comment on how modern iterations of his comics don’t take place in his home (dimension) of 2099 or feature his full cast.

I feel like Miguel’s true self would emerge once his real comic origins and story are revealed in BTSV, which includes the loss of his interpersonal relationships in his home dimension. By being truthful to himself and others, Miguel would be able to merge his Miguel and Spiderman persona together instead of viewing them two separate entities (something he struggled with in the comics). This could even lead to reconciliation between him and the Spider Squad as the other Spiderpeople (ie. Peter B, Gwen, Miles) experienced the same issue in the trilogy. Overall, I think BTSV will truly do Miguel justice by allowing his backstory to be told, affirming him as both Miguel and Spiderman, and by going back to his home dimension to show that his issues can be fixed ( hopefully seeing Gabriel and Xina). Hopefully after BTSV, it will inspire creatives to continue/reboot Miguel’s story from the 90’s and have it be set in 2099 with his full cast in the future.

(I’m sorry this is so long! It’s just SV Miguel isn’t really popular in the sm2099 comic fandom rn, but I can’t help but draw this connection and believe this is Miguel’s direction in the trilogy. Hopefully, you can share your thoughts on this, but I really just need to get this idea out there, privately. Thank you for reading all of this though!)

hey! this is an interesting read and i'm glad you shared it with me, i can see what you're saying and agree with elements of it but personally (and this is purely my opinion) i'm not sure i'm seeing all of it the same way as you

firstly, i do think it's a bit too harsh to describe the spider society as authoritarian - there are thousands of spideys in the society who all belive in miguel and what he's set out to do, he's not forced them to be there and demanded they do everything he says, and in the movie we only see a couple of events out who knows how many they've dealt with overall - and we can gather from the reactions of others that this is the first time miguel's reacted like this. miguel is their leader but he's not an authoritarian leader, he doesn't demand absolutely obedience in fact we know from dialogue that he's discussed how to handle miles with a few of them at least and he tries to explain everything to miles to give him all the information about what's going on, he doesn't just lock him up straight away and refuse to divulge any information, so he leads them yes but being a leader doesn't make you authoritarian, if he was not one of those spider characters would have joined him because they wouldn't trust him?

i'm also not sure he's ever tried to frame himself as the ultimate spiderman, he says he leads an elite strike force which is true? miguel is a man who can be very self assured yes but this is normally in the context of his work, not acting like he actually believes he's the greatest man to ever walk the planet and i don't think he'd ever do that as spiderman either - to have him act like he's the ultimate spiderman is so ooc for how miguel faces being spiderman, he thinks he has to do this because of what happened to him and he still doesn't think doing so makes him a good person let alone better than everyone else who is also has a spiderperson - i don't think he's even framing leading the spider society as his origin i think he just considers that to be all anyone needs to know about him because his origin is so traumatic to him that it's too personal for him to be sharing with gwen (and therefore the audience) right off the bat. he's painfully open about the elements of himself that are relevant for people in the society to know, namely him going to the other universe and its subsequent destruction, and therfore why he believes the things he does about canon events etc. i do agree with you that he's probably keeping his origin completely to himself because it's traumatic, because this way he can be viewed as the person he chooses to be not what other people in his past have made him to be.

honestly i don't think miguel has forgotten the essence of being spiderman and trying to save everyone, he has every reason to believe that letting canon events play out will save more people in the long run by preventing the destruction of entire universes, he is trying to save people, that's his entire goal with the spider society - to preserve the multiverse and prevent complete destruction and the loss of billions and billions of lives - whether the canon theory is 100% accurate we don't know yet but i don't think it's fair or accurate to suggest that miguel isn't trying to save people because he so clearly is, he's just doing it by letting events play out as its projected they're meant to instead of miles' approach which is to believe he can, in his words "do both" when it comes to saving the many or the individual, neither of them are bad or stupid for doing it their particular way - they're both unlimately trying do to the right thing

i absolutely agree that sharing more of who is is outside of spiderman would help reduce that separation he has between spiderman and miguel o'hara, because the spider society is a huge support system for people who understand each other and i think it would help miguel greatly to be open with even just a few of the other spider characters, but like you said we also know that his personal identity and how he sees himself is something he really struggles with in the comics

i do hope btsv does him justice and shows us more of the miguel characteristics from the comics, i like the idea of us getting a solo movie/series that's much more grounded in the 90's run so we actually get to see more of miguel outside the spider society (and the spider society is set in his home dimension but i get the gist of what you're saying)

thank you again for sending this though, it's interesting to see other people's interpretations!

#miguel o'hara #atsv #atsv miguel #spiderman 2099

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liveinfarbe · 2 years

Text

There's no such future, Sauron!

One of Rings of Power’s great achievements is the layered characterisation of Sauron that perfectly fits with Tolkien’s backstory for him. It’s essentially a tragedy and I get the empathetic perspective on Sauron, but I need to understand how he becomes this evil entity in Lord of the Rings.

So, this is how it ends between Galadriel and Halbrand: she tries to stab Sauron twice and Sauron doesn’t really care. He just doesn’t. He’s a Maia.

But he also reveals himself as having a pretty short fuse. He’s irascible, feral, unhinged when things don’t work out according to his clever plans.

You better not tickle his frail ego or he’ll give you a scare for life. If he likes you, it’s only in your mind, and you wake up just in time.

(I love how Galadriel totally would've stabbed him a third time though she just experienced the futilitiy of it.)

Sauron’s proposal was a mess, and it was a perfect introduction to all that isn’t okay with him:

First of all, it was cruel to use her memory of Finrod, which was a special one, and infantilize Galadriel as a means to his ends. He knows exactly what he’s doing in this situation, while she’s just massively confused, like, completely disoriented. In the forge in Númenor Halbrand said he was sorry about her brother, with teary eyes and all, but now he’s not caring about her grieve anymore. Instead he uses it, because all that interests him is that the Rings are forged. He wants the Rings.

He killed Finrod, did he really think this was going to go over well with Galadriel when he impersonates and completely misrepresents him? For all his wisecracking about diplomacy and human nature in Númenor earlier, he’s really naive or just arrogant to think this warms her heart for him, or maybe he just doesn’t care if it does.

Then he switches scenery. They’re on the raft and he makes his proposal. Galadriel’s tempted because he looks like the Halbrand again who saved her and she’s into him, but the situation is still scary. She’s got no agency here, except maybe to say ‘yes’. The power balance has shifted. Or rather, balance has evaporated. She’s at his mercy. He’s using his magic powers on her, she didn’t know he had, because until recently this was just moody human Halbrand who can do sword tricks.

The proposal - well, Galadriel owns an impressive dagger she can’t use against him; Sauron however stabs her with words and thoughts which is ultimately more harmful. All he knows about her vulnerabilities, he now uses to corner her, to coax her, to make her alloy with him. It effectively disarms her.

She rejects him - or in the metaphysics of ring-forging: her light rejects to alloy with him because his intentions aren’t pure enough - and just like that volatile Sauron emerges. He doubles down on the humiliating rhetoric, he gets worked up really fast. There’s a monstrous transformation going on with his voice and eyes, so finally, he also looks like the fucker who killed the people she loved and so many more, so she attacks him. It’s useless, but she can’t help it. So he plunges her under water and lets her sink.

Sauron’s reaction is purely emotional, he’s getting carried away, he’s like an ancient emo-kid acting out. But that’s foreboding. He could’ve acted differently even though she attacked him with the dagger. It was clear she wouldn’t be able to stab him. He was in control. He’s much more powerful than her and this was just unnecessary and sadistic to make her think she’s drowning.

You don’t do that to someone you fancy, do you? Make them helpless and scared for their life. There’s something so demeaning in this.

If this is his reaction because she doesn’t immediately grasp he’s a good guy now, then he’s got a long way to go yet. Just for that drowning experience alone, I would totally switch into vengeful dark Galadriel mode from the PJ movies too, if I met him next time. I really want her to go hard on him and pay him back.

Had he acted differently, would she then have accepted his proposal? He didn’t quite recommend himself as a reliable, genuine fellow, just an imitation of one, so how …?

On the other hand, I think Sauron is infatuated with her and he knows she reciprocated his feelings when he was still Halbrand. He won’t stop trying to bring her to his side and make it as hard for her as possible to be at peace:

Look at me Galadriel! Look at what I’ve done, this is all your fault! I massacre all those people, because you didn’t love me enough.

But it isn’t her fault, it’s his. He’s suspicious for the sole reason that he could’ve gone the way of full rehabilitation. As a Maia in Middle-earth he falls under the jurisidiction of the Valar, but he evades their judgment, and then can’t seem to bear Galadriel’s rejection either - just because she can’t immediately stop being a victim of his past dark doings …

If he’s a gift maker, he reveals himself here as one of those who take their gift back when they aren’t pleased with the recipient. Thus he let’s her drown this time. Nearly. Long way to go for Sauron.

She could become his personal life coach, sure, but there’s a possibility for her and people close to her of getting hurt and/or killed along the way because he’s a fragile toddler inside though being older than sound.

Even if he was a victim himself (of Morgoth), what difference does it make to Galadriel, or Finrod? Heck, even the Orcs he mutilated who were his dependents? Mutilated, traumatized, dead. He’s asking way too much of her in this moment, to forgive and reconcile at the same time, while he himself has dodged the chance to be held accountable and face punishment for the atrocities he’s done, because he fears he’ll be tested for a long time by the gods and it will be a bore.

From the Silmarillion: When Thangorodrim was broken and Morgoth overthrown, Sauron put on his fair hue again and did obeisance to Eönwë, the herald of Manwë, and abjured all his evil deeds. And some hold that this was not at first falsely done, but that Sauron in truth repented, if only out of fear, being dismayed by the fall of Morgoth and the great wrath of the Lords of the West. But it was not within the power of Eönwë to pardon those of his own order, and he commanded Sauron to return to Aman and there receive the judgement of Manwë. Then Sauron was ashamed, and he was unwilling to return in humiliation and to receive from the Valar a sentence, it might be, of long servitude in proof of his good faith; for under Morgoth his power had been great. Therefore when Eönwë departed he hid himself in Middle-earth; and he fell back into evil, for the bonds that Morgoth had laid upon him were very strong.

Sauron will possibly renew his proposal to Galadriel, but the first time made a bad enough impression. His methods of persuasion sucked. I’d love if this was Pride and Prejudice in Middle-earth, but Tolkien’s source material doesn’t leave much room for it. It’s not just that the Dark Lord’s manners are unpleasant and he’s a decent guy underneath. He’s described as being just that - unpleasant:

[…] a re-incarnation of Evil, and a thing lusting for Complete Power – and so consumed ever more fiercely with hate (especially of gods and Elves).

#haladriel #saurondriel #galadriel x sauron #sauron #galadriel #rings of power #the rings of power #lotr trop #lotr rings of power #lord of the rings the rings of power #die ringe der macht #trop meta #repost because I accidently deleted my original blog (?!?!)

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