#maybe he'd meet the freedom fighters at some point?

[totaleclipse573]

If you could have continued Eclipse's story in the archie comics (and staying within the parameters already set in his first two arcs) what would you have done with him next?

Ooh, this is an interesting one, since the redemption arc I gave him in my own little universe goes A BIT off from those parameters (and by a bit I mean he teams up with Mephiles and Infinite of all characters in the beginning, so...not a bit lmao) But if I were to stay within said parameters and make it as "post-reboot archie" as possible? (Apologies for what will probably be a horrible summary bc I've thought more about my current version than this one, this might flop but idc lol)

KINDA LONG POST WARNING!

I think I'd have him stumble into Sonic somehow, since it was heavily implied that he was going to meet Sonic anyways. Of course they'd probably fight at least once in the beginning, because I'd think by then Eclipse is more paranoid and basically on survival mode again. Sonic has no idea WHY this guy just started fighting, but after a good while of it, he's just trying to explain that he only wants to help and isn't going to hurt him, or the wisp thingies it looks like he's trying to protect. Eclipse pauses for a moment, but doesn't let his guard down too much. After a little silence he sourly corrects the blue hedgehog, telling him they're not "wisp thingies," they're Dark Arms. While still suspicious of Sonic, the Dark Arms start "talking" to him (those noises they make,) telling him Sonic doesn't seem to be a bad person. They have a weird ability to sense those kind of people. He may not trust this "Sonic," as he calls himself, but Eclipse DOES trust the Dark Arms. Sonic extends his hand forward to show Eclipse that he wants to help him. Eclipse doesn't grab it, he just sighs and reluctantly agrees. After all, he doesn't SEEM to be like Shadow...Sonic seems to be the exact opposite, actually. Maybe that's a good thing? (Then Sonic asks him his name and all that stuff, but of course he doesn't reply instantly.)

So Sonic would probably take Eclipse to introduce to Tails' first, to which Eclipse is also naturally pretty paranoid about, though he won't voice that openly. Sonic assures Eclipse Tails is a good person too, though. "He's my little buddy and bro! Smartest kid you'll ever meet." (Yes I do see Sonic and Tails as reverse Shadow and Eclipse what of it-)

Tails immediately takes great interest in Eclipse and the Dark Arms. He's amazed by them, what are they? Where did they come from? How come the little creatures look so much like wisp? But different too? And Eclipse doesn't look like any mobian he's ever seen either-

Sonic has to take a second to tell Tails to maybe calm down on the questions after noticing Eclipse looking a bit uncomfortable with the amount of them he was receiving. Tails sheepishly apologizes, instead offering to show Eclipse around his little lab (or wherever it is he is right now, that's a small detail I've forgotten about archie.) They can't do much though before they hear someone outside, someone yelling Sonic's name, saying something about "knowing they have him in there," and how they can't hide him in there forever. Eclipse of course immediately recognizes who it is, due to a certain connection, and starts to panic, looking around for any possible way he and the Dark Arms can escape.

Tails takes notice, alerts Sonic, and they try to figure out what's going on. But before they can, the front door is forced open. Shadow's there, and he looks even worse than usual (as noted by Sonic.)

"So? Is he in there or not?" Eclipse hears another familiar voice, that of one of "Shadow's minions" (I love when he calls them that lmao. Also Omega is here too, I just can't find any clear way to explain that rn.) He knows he should probably just leave with the Dark Arms now, but he can't. He can't move. Why can't he move? Why is he AFRAID of them? He even fought them before and WON.

But that was before. Things were different now and everything was painful and scary.

(I'm so going to regret typing out more dialogue but here I am doing it anyway)

"Yeah, he's there, and these two are protecting him."

"Protecting him? We don't even know what's going on here!" Sonic turns back to Eclipse. "You know Shadow?"

"He's part of the Black Arms. The last one left. And I need to be the one to make sure he can't be around cause the same harm to the planet they did."

"Wait, the Black Arms?" Tails chimes in. "But...I thought you had already destroyed them all, Shadow? We all saw you destroy the Black Comet that day!"

"He did." Eclipse glares at Shadow, and he shoots one back.

"Then how could there be any more?"

Then Shadow goes on to explain the events of Shadow Fall, and to add to it, the events of Total Eclipse to explain more about the things Eclipse has already done to nearly put the planet in jeopardy. (I could imagine Omega is outside boosting all this, he wants vengeance on the small alien who maimed him. But could still defeat. His words.) This of course gets Eclipse pretty angry. He was only trying to restart the species SHADOW destroyed! The one he himself was a part of too! It was absolute betrayal, and yet he still had the audacity to pin it all on his own brother?

So yeah they end up fighting outside until Sonic and Tails manage to break it up. They need to work this out. Shadow and Eclipse are absolutely appalled. They both think the other is in the wrong, why on earth would they ever "work this out?"

I'm going to start summarizing even more now for the rest bc this is getting to be a bit long (Ik it takes place over a long series of events but yeah.) Basically Sonic and Tails want to put Shadow and Eclipse through some Steven Universe ass bonding to get them through their differences, while also being sensitive to what happened to both of them. (I think after a while even Rouge would start to see this would be good for the both of them, even IF Eclipse broke her shoulder. She'd still be kind of bitter about that btw and probably mention it even once. And Omega is naturally Omega.)

Also Shadow and Eclipse go through a bunch of stuff together. And they start bonding? And maybe Shadow was being kind of harsh on him? Maybe he shouldn't be so hard on this kid JUST because he's a Black Arms. Shadow wasn't raised like Eclipse was...maybe that has something to do with his reluctance towards them? They're actually pretty similar to each other in other ways, it seems. Hey, Shadow's actually a pretty decent person once you get to know him. And it turns out Eclipse isn't such a monster after all? He's not like Black Doom at all...that's what Shadow always saw the Black Arms as in general anyways. But Eclipse has a heart. He's pretty annoying, but in a weirdly endearing way? Holy shit, maybe this could ACTUALLY work. Maybe they could be brothers. For real this time.

Not sure what much else I could write, but there's something. I just had to make it a redemption arc for the bros didn't I.

[the-cat-and-the-birdie]

Hobie's 'No More' Moment - Hobie Brown Headcanons

Inspired by this post by @wicked-exe - thanks again!

I had to think on this a bit and honestly I think Hobie's 'No more' moment has to do with something we've already seen but don't talk about:

Hobie Joining the Spider-Society.

Honestly, I think it would be a really hard struggle for him in the beginning.

Imagine you're a brown kid living under fascism and it's your job to fight a totalitarian government and give people an ounce of hope.

Imagine you craft a whole persona around it, wear a mask, and go out and fight everyday with the slight hope that maybe you'll change something and finally be free

Then you finally learn that not only are their other universes and other yous, but they've created a community and society together!

Only to find out that they're totalitarian too.

That even though theres dozens of universes out there, and dozens of Spider-men, there's no freedom anywhere.

It's not just London, it's not just the 70's or your universe, it every universe. It goes all the way to the top.

And even worse, the people at the top are you. Spider-people. Literally versions of you from different dimensions.

All this time you've been fighting 'the man', when in reality, the one controlling the whole timeline is one of you.

That's what Hobie went through, and that probably fucked him up a lot!!!!!!

I feel like learning about the Spider Society would've made him really hopeful - maybe he thought that they were like him - anarchists, or at least freedom fighters.

And then he learns that no - he's different. They all like cops. They all like 'the man'. They all come from free universes, and they all agree with Miguel and what he's doing.

Spider-man probably meant so much to Hobie, and then to meet people like him - only to find out they're the thing he hates most?

It's like they perverted the image for him. It made him sick.

I feel like after he learned what the Spider-Society was actually about, he just couldn't do it.

I imagine it being really really depressing for him, sadly.

The feeling of never escaping fascism, no matter what dimension you're in. Facing the threat of violence whether its the police or people that literally know your life story like the back of their hand.

How can you sleep at night knowing there's versions of you controlling things, everywhere?

It would destroy him.

Going from a freedom fighter to being ordered around by other Spider-men, going into universes and executing their will. That's not what Spider-man is to him.

The watch is the only perk.

He doesn't tell anyone how he feels. He knows better than that.

He stays low at HQ, trying to keep to himself, and take as few missions as he can. Miguel sees potential in him and finds this disappointing, but whatever.

He hates it there, anyway. The only perk Hobie sees is the watch. The watch changes everything for him.

At the very least, Hobie knows that there's other universes that are better than his. Some, WAY more high-tech than his. (Imagine him learning about ipods!)

He'd see this as a chance.

With access to futuristic technology, he can really get serious.

It's around this time he starts making his watch pro-type. He 'breaks' his first one, asking Jess for a second, and he takes the first one apart.

He starts lifting and stealing parts from every dimension he gets sent to.

It takes at most 4 months for him to crack it, but he does.

Hobie seems like the type to go AWOL.

I feel like he'd just stop.

At once point he wouldn't see the point in fighting any more cause it's just suffocating.

He hates the Spider-society, he hates his universe, and he now hates looking at his own suit.

So after he makes his first watch, I feel like he'd say 'No More', and just take off.

Ghosts London, ghosts HQ, picks a dimension and just leaves, totally untraceable.

He only needs a rucksack and his guitar.

He squats in dimensions, never staying too long, picking up momentos from each one. He has to lay real low, and it's rare but lucky when he finds a dimension with an un-enrolled Spider-person.

The search for him at HQ is quiet, but heated. Miguel doesn't want to raise heat. Having a Spider-person quit is one thing.

They've never handled a Spider-man recreating their tech. That's worrying.

The only person who can make him come back is himself.

Part guilt, part nostalgia, part culture shock - eventually Hobie goes home.

He misses London. He dislikes the future. And he hates the feeling of running away.

Eventually he comes back. London has gotten bad, worse. He has his work cut out for him, but he's fine with that.

He'd forgotten that even if he was one out of hundreds at HQ, his universe only had one Spider-man, and he couldn't quit on them.

He lays low and changes up his strategies a bit so not to make too much ruckus

But his comeback is really the surge the resistance needed to gain some huge traction.

Eventually, he remembers why he started in the first place. Things start getting a little better. He starts feeling like himself again.

After a while Jess and Miguel catch wind of his return back home. It's a good while before they reach out again, but it very much to keep an eye on him.

They tell him they 'understand it was hard to process' for him, sweep it under the rug and call it squashed.

But it's not really.

Hobie wasn't suppose to know about Miles, but then he meets Gwen, and when he learns about Miles and what HQ is up to, he starts planning.

Miles was apart of the plan to take down HQ the whole time.

He's the only real reason Hobie stuck around. He's had a plan since he started.

I love Hobie Angst. I love it so much!!!! His universe and the trauma with that I love it!! I feel like just looking at who he as a character - he's really resilient. He was the first one there, by himself, a 16-17 year old coming from a fascist society, learning about the universe and HQ and how fragile it all is. And still choosing to fight!!!! He's so punk!

[meat4meat]

One note was all the Prompting I needed.

HOUSE PLACEMENTS

MEL: 3rd House all the way, but 2nd house born.

The third house is most known for its opulence and as a hot bed for political intrigue. I'm 100% convinced she could necro politik with best of them. And given the tension between the 3rd and 2nd house wre know exist thanks to the 1st book, Ambessa sending Mel as a sort of ambassador sets her apart as an outsider both to her home on the second and her peers on the 3rd.

Given her big reveal as a sorcerer in the finale I think she'd be a lay necromancer, maybe even with ties to the Blood of Eden that she isn't aware of.

Jayce: 6th house

Initially I thought 5th house, but I think given his main ambitions involve using knowledge of magic/science to better other lives, yes I might be drawing a handful of parallels with Palamedese, having him come from the smarty pants house feels natural. Especially because one of his core motivations for his pursuit of knowledge is to help people.

Viktor: 7th house. King of dying and coming back wrong.

His entire shtick has 7th house written all over it. Having him be a necromancer of the 7th feels appropriate because of the tension it would create between his very powerful will to survive and the fule for his abilities being the thing that's killing him. I'm gnawing at the bars of my cage.

Caitlyn: 2nd house born necro, 4th house enlisted.

The second house is more associated with Cohort leadership and bureaucracy while the 4th is the actual infantry. Given how Cait joining the enforceres in cannon is seen as a step down from her station I think her being born into an influential cohort family on the second and chosing to join the 4th would be thematically appropriate, and it gives her a wonderful opertunity to meet-

Vi: POW and vassel of the 4th house, formerly Blood Of Eden.

Vi would be lowest on the rung and enlisted against her will with the promise dangled over her of eventually (never, really. This is the 9 houses) earning her freedom. Her hatred for the institution she's bound to and her grief in being forced to fight people she loves (Boe, other rebles, ect) feels like it aligns with her backstory. I think Cait would seek her out both because she's a skilled fighter and because she's also an outsider, seeing someone impartial to Cohort politicking and a fresh set of eyes. I think she'd pull whatever weight she has to get Vi assigned to her as her Caviler, much like she did getting Vi out of prison in canon. Lots of parallels with Gideon's initial arc in the first book, but other people have pointed out theor similarities already.

Last house placement bc I think it fits.

Singed: the 9th house, necromancer.

It's so easy to see him holed up in the 9th house as one of the 9th house faithful who came to lay his daughter to rest in the ossuary and just never left. Especially with a double motive in being close to the Locked Tomb in order to reaserch its wards, hoping to break them and maybe use whatever is inside to revive his daughter, even if it means dooming the whole world. Also former BOE.

BLOOD OF EDEN MEMEBERS

So because of the nature of the conflict in TLT and Arcane both featuring major aspects of class struggle and war, im assigning most of the Zaun aligned characters to the BOE in some way or another.

Ekko: BOE, most visible rebel to the people.

Definitely a 3 times refuge of the houses. At his core he's a community leader, so I think he'd be most busy building grassroots resistance to the 9 House empire and direct community action. The necessary but unglorious work of things like food distribution, health outreach are all his sphere. His direct work with the BOE always goes towards things like sabotoging Cohort supply lines, equipment sabatoge and the like.

He comes into conflict with other BOE because they open civilians up to too much risk and sacrifice. In his eyes protecting people from the houses takes priority.

Sevika: Silco's former right hand and defacto leader of BOE after his passing. She's inherited all of the irons Silco had in the fire and is struggling to turn them into an offensive against the houses in his absence.

Vander and Silco: BOE, both dead. Their conflict and death lead to a power vacuum and a loss of organization within the BOE. Ekko and Sevika both represent the philosophical split between them in the org.

And ofc,

JINX: AWOL BOE, princess of dying and coming back wrong.

Just like how Singed revived Jinx in s1 in this instance I think Silco would have enlisted him to revive her, despite the BOE opposition to necromancy. Jinx gets to see her sister torn from her by the empire that's made her entire life suffering and refashioned into one of its agents, be saved by the morally bankrupt magic of the empire, and see her family devolve into infighting. I genuinely think she'd be a free agent outside of the BOE.

This is the most ever written in years the finale genuinely has me ill.

Shluld I assign Arcane characters Nine House placements just to feel something? That ending has my mind churning.