#tfw youre pregnant and its not even yours

[fruifruit]

it was only a matter of time until i put my oc in re8,,, meet the unofficial fifth lord and unconscious harborer of eva (not that anyone knows it, including her), kat solokov!!

[randomnameless]

@cherry-blossom-inferno replied to your post “Which are the biggest examples of cowardice from...”:

This is wrong though. We do have Holst's reaction to Claude's ideas. It's in his A support with Claude and Holst is cool with it. He even calls himself Claude's #1 fan.

​Thanks to your comment, I realised I forgot a word in the earlier post lol (tfw you type on mobile)

If the Goneril issue was adressed, we could have had Hilda/Holst/their mom/their second degree cousin say that they are at least treating the Almyran children as human beings (lel) which is already giving them more care than what Almyrans do when they raid and pillage and “rampage” in Fodlan cities - maybe with some sort of Matthias-like example, Almyrans killing a pregnant woman, or, idk to keep in the “grandma from the 1800s tells me what the Orient is like” bias, captured women or what not

But as I typed it under this paragraph, it's only fuel for an AU (I didn't forgot the tag this time!) so yes, canon Holst and Claude support doesn't match this, because this is an AU, or a headcanon if you prefer.

That being said, Holst's reaction to Claude's ideas are sort of what the anon was talking about?

Canon Holst gives this :

And you also wish to establish relations with people from other lands, and those who follow other faiths. Is that accurate? Does this also extend to Fódlan's Throat? Will you throw open its gates and look to establish a friendly relationship with the Almyrans?

Logically, Holst wonders about "people from other lands" and the prospect of establishing friendly relationships with Almyrans.

And what of House Goneril, a family long seen as the enemy of the Almyrans?

Holst makes explicit mention of his house, who has been tasked with protecting the border since, well, idk when. Even if he sorts of reverse the issue for me, as the head of House Goneril, should he call himself someone who is seen as "the enemy of the Almyrans", and not put his people situation's first, saying House Goneril has been protecting Fodlan from Almyra, instead of being its enemy?

Would you send its only daughter to form a marital bond with the Almyran royal family? Is that a possible scenario?

And then all of the plot intricacies disappear in thin air, this is the equivalent of a Fjorming Bond or even worse, a FB being taken over by Ilyana with her "i love to eat" trope - this support might have tackled the year of prejudice Holst (and Hilda, as it is revealed in Houses!) have, arguably because they are protecting their people from Nader's weekly "rampages" or "tourism".

Or, idk, when Holst mentioned wanting to created "friendly relationships with Almyra", Claude might have added "friendly means feeding them everyday if you're taking prisoners, even children".

As the Nopes canon conversation goes, we basically have the equivalent of Caineghis agreeing with whoever was the sick fuck who enslaved Muarim to build "friendly relationships" between Laguz and Beorcs. And instead of talking about Muarim or the enslaved Laguz, we talk about Lyre's future prospects for marriage.

As @megafan1993 pointed out, even if we only have NPCs without a sprite, the Sreng/Faerghus conflict is tackled more seriously and with more gravitas than what was supposed to be Claude's core points (or one of his cores?), the prejudice between Fodlan and Almyra. We have a conflict based on ressources, resentment on both sides, civilians/non-fighters being targeted by both Faerghus/Sreng, extreme prejudice and an idiot who thinks it's time to stop and tries to stop the conflict.

On the other hand, you have an Almyran Prince who doesn't seem to be aware of the weekly raids, who wants to open borders regardless of said weekly raids, the House who defends their land from weekly raids has resentment against Almyrans, to the point of taking their children and "feeding them every 29th of February" - and yet we're supposed to believe the fissure between Fodlan and Almyra is mended in GW/VW off-screen because everyone loves to drink, to the point where Almyrans pillaging and rampaging in cities is nothing more than a joke, and no one ever gives a fuck about the "fed only every 29th of February" children?

We instead have a "joke" about Holst giving his blessings to marrying off his sister to Almyran Royalty ?

If Nopes (and arguably, Houses) didn't want to treat the "bridging the gap between two warring states" seriously and wanted to have a more Awakening-like resolution to conflicts only existing in the BG to provide sobby backstories to characters, then why did they brought more serious writing regarding Faerghus, and arguably, the CoS's writing?

House Goneril saw Almyrans as"rough and unreliable", people who "attack without reason and break treaties and tell lies" or are "brutes".

Holst seemed more open-minded than his sister regarding Almyrans (even if, apparently, you can still be "a prisoner fed once in a blue moon" and respected in Holst's mind?) but, once again, those previous bias are never adressed in Nopes, especially when Shahid apparently "attacks without reason", when nader is "rough" and a "brute" when he wants to bring souvenirs or pillage or rampage in cities the Federation is going to fight in, or even when Claude and his Almyran allies "break treaties" by letting Randolph die.

Tl;Dr : when canon sucks, people come up with transformative works

[cecilyneville]

 the spanish princess ep 7, aka “how to lose friends and alienate people, the catherine of aragon story”

(ok so - i didn’t watch ep 6 but seeing that screencap of that bless this mess or whatever it said embroidery in the more household absolutely sent me, so here i am with a glass of rose ready to get MAD)

honestly, the cognitive dissonance required on emma frost’s part to be like “catherine was raised by her mother to be a warrior queen” and then to have catherine only give mary attention as well as education because she’s the only child she’ll ever have is truly astounding

meg just like ah yes...another garbage man for me to love (i’m assuming that’s methven fighting with james v?)

why is james calling methven a sassenach when he is very much scottish?

(i know he’s not methven yet sorry, i’m as bad as ef)

georgie’s acting is a bit hammy sometimes but at least she’s trying, at least she’s actually displaying emotion

i personally think wolsey is super sexy

it’s back! does this little metaphor have a name?

wow...catherine really does hate meg for no reason

lina’s side-eye...it’s COMING

siri, play “we gotta get outta this place” by the angels

“what a strange thing to ask a cardinal in a church” LOVE HIMMM

wolsey pointing out that catherine has no friends lol

surprised that a word as big as “ecumenical” made it into a tsp script

“do you hate my sister now?” catherine can’t even get a single win and i love it

check out the slightly more accurate hood in the background!! more of an early french hood but still, i take what i can get

you know, i thought it was pretty on-the-nose when the tudors had mary say “i will burn as many heretics as i have to”, but this really takes the cake

“why do you cry?” uhhh maybe bc you’re revelling in the defeat of lina’s own people, catherine, you horrible person

the TALENT and CHARISMA and BEAUTY that stephanie levi-john has, manifesting a successful career for her

“to hell with parchment, i will take what i’m owed in gold. think of it as a border raid” THAT’S MY GIRL

“i cannot fall for another” but you WILL

given they’re running out of time i’m assuming meg & “hal” stewart are going to have a happy ending which...ok

shouldn’t more be a knight by now, not just master more? who knows what year we’re in

is...stafford going to get arrested bc they find him in catherine’s chambers?

“you must tell no one” IS CATHERINE GOING TO TRY & FAKE A PREGNANCY??? DELICIOUS

who are those two ladies with catherine? have they just forgotten the boleyn girls exist?

for a show that loves heavy-handed foreshadowing, it is mindboggling that neither anne nor mary boleyn have been anything other than glorified extras. particularly as they had anne attending mary and saying stuff like “hmmm a RICH KING” back in episode 2!!! it’s like they straight up forgot about her

why did they never call stafford “buckingham”? it was his title from a young age & they seem to have no problem referring to thomas boleyn as “wiltshire” when it would make more sense - if you’re catering to an audience with little knowledge of the era - to refer to him by his surname. like, this show doesn’t even operate on its OWN logic

INSANELY HILARIOUS, the mores are literally the flanderses 

tfw you stumble upon your boyfriend’s sex dungeon

i personally would like to see andrew buchan go full zealot

stephanie outshines literally everyone in this show

wolsey is trying to link yorkists with protestants, that’s definitely how it worked

lina eavesdropping...love u queen

catherine just like “if i keep my hand on my stomach people will think i’m still pregnant”, what a genius

A GABLE HOOD IN THE BACKGROUND!!! (and some french hoods with actual veils, including on maggie!)

“to my dear friend lord stafford...get fucked, love henry xoxo”

it is WILD to me that stafford and also norfolk are so enamoured with catherine when she’s done fuck all for them (also...where is norfolk)

you hate to see him go, but you love to watch him leave

why are these beheadings so gruesome but also so stupid looking - much like the stillbirth catherine suffered after flodden, they leave nothing to the imagination and that’s...not a good thing

WHY would catherine be talking about a potential annulment when everyone thinks she’s still pregnant?

surely all of these scripts were first drafts, the basic plot holes that could be picked up on a reread

ch’s modus operandi is painful villainous smiles and nothing else

[groundramon]

I’m really confused by the Hobby Lobby birth control thing.  Like at first I was like “???? how is birth control against your religious beliefs?? if you’re talking about abstinence until marriage, well then plenty of married couples use birth control, and even then some people, namely girls struggling with blood loss, dont take it for birth control-related reasons??? and furthermore what the fuck does that have to do with a craft store, even if you’re publicly religious??” but then i looked it up and i guess they disagreed to cover (with insurance) birth control, but only some types of it?  Like I think my birth control’d be covered under the ruling.  But they said “these pills contribute to the amount of abortions” and w h a t???  I dont know what the specific pills of what they were talking about but arent birth control pills supposed to DECREASE the amount of abortions?  Are christians really this dumb

[redemptionbaby]

Oh my gosh, that pregnant reader ask was so sweet and soft. Adding on to it, if you like, how would reader being heavily pregnant affect the members of the gang developing feelings for them? Who would be completely turned off by it (@ Micah)? Who wouldn't be daunted? Love your writing!!

tfw when you’re falling in love but the bitch is pregnant :/

So I gave Micah a lot of hell for not thinking of you as a team player, but he wouldn’t really mind being with a pregnant lady. Does he have many sexual needs? Yes. But I raise another, more important point: he is a prideful asshole. And he sees raising another man’s child, taking his spawn and turning it into his progeny, is like the ultimate power move.So you’re gonna have lots of gentle pregnant sex and Micah is gonna turn that kid into a crack shot from the moment it can grasp a slingshot

Arthur, as you may expect, is scared as fuck. Like of course he doesn’t love you any less, but he does assume that you don’t quite love him enough to let a bastard like him raise your child. So it’s weird for him.

John wonders if he has some sort of bad luck, like what is it with him and pregnant women. Pregnant women and their bastards. The implications of helping you raise your baby are a whole super sized can of worms he isn’t ready to open.

Trelawny, similarly, is like oh uh fuck I don’t really want another kid and another lie to keep up

Charles thinks this situation has worked out absolutely perfectly. You and he love each other, and your baby could use a father, and you could use some help. This is the best case scenario.

Hosea is reluctant. He doesn’t want to have a child who has to grow up with daddy more or less dying of old age and illness. Like Hosea knows he’s on his way out, and he doesn’t want to burden this kid with losing two father figures in one lifetime.

Sean will be kinda grumpy about it at first because he’s like what the hell. We just skipped all the fun sex and went straight to the stuffy responsibility stuff, this sucks. But if he really loves you he’s not gonna be able to help but love whatever it is you end up popping out

Dutch is a weenie who hates to experience any lack of control whatsoever. And to him he almost construes this situation as him being a father against his will because of his feelings for you. And he doesn’t like that shit at all.

Swanson would be glad. Not to disparage those who do, but he does not have a pregnancy fetish, so he would be rather happy in his certainty that his love for you is really for you and not at all tainted by temptations of the flesh. Not to mention, he’s such a bastard and a fuckup that he’d not want kids of his own, for fear that any fruit from his loins would end up just as miserable as him. Now he can have a baby and not have to worry about saddling it with his accursed genetic predispositions.

Javier doesn’t mind. He’s gonna raise this baby so fucking good that nobody is even gonna remember he isn’t the father. Javier wants a big family with lots of little ones, and the way he sees it you’ve just given him a head start.

Bill would be worry about being emasculated by it, truth be told. He feels like raising another man’s child is kind of a cuckhold thing to do. In the end he’d be a natural, and would love the thing so much he wouldn’t give a damn what anyone else thought. He loves it, he takes care of it, therefore he is its father. But before then he’s super apprehensive.

Kieran, meanwhile, is so used to feeling like a cuckhold and cleaning up after other people that this just feels like a role he was meant to play, he doesn’t have any hangups about your pregnancy at all.

Lenny’s anxiety is because he’s so young. Like what would his mom and dad think. He’s not ready to be a daddy, the other day he stubbed his toe on a log and almost cried.

[siren-theories]

Repeating the past - Ben and Ryn as modern parallels to Charles Pownall and his mermaid?

When I wrote my previous post about the Pownall Massacre I noticed just how many parallels between the massacre and our trio exist, especially for the characters of Ben and Ryn. In fact, I saw so many parallels that I started writing the following as the last part of my analysis. But I soon realized that this was too large and merited an article of its own. 

If you are unfamiliar with the story of the Pownall Massacre feel free to read my previous article on it (or alternatively you can just accept my conclusions at face value).

Gifs in this post are either taken from the official freeform site, Crayonboxhearts, koortega or sirensource. 

Due to the characters involved in the Charles Pownall story this analysis has to mainly focus on Ben and Ryn. I apologize beforehand if it seems as if I am ignoring Maddie. You will understand why once you get to the last part of this article. 

Hypothesis: The story of Charles H. Pownall and his mermaid might be repeating itself in the form of Ben and Ryn (and to a certain extent Maddie).

(Polymarine fans upon reading the previous sentence)

The looming threat of Ben turning into his ancestor and Ryn into the original mermaid is always present in the show and adds drama and spice to their relationship. A huge part of what makes their relationship worth watching is experiencing how they overcome the past - or not - and how they make different choices than their respective families / societies. This piece will examine how the show creates parallels and in which way they differ from the original characters. 

Part I: The Parallels

There are multiple obvious parallels between the story of Charles and his mermaid and our trio, so many in fact that this is very unlikely to be coincidental. 

1. Charles Pownall was the first of the Bristol Cove community to meet a mermaid and became entranced with her and her song

(ELAINE: “I*m curious, how did you and Ben become friends? RYN: Ben almost hit me with car.”) 

Likewise, Ben is the first person in close to 150 years to meet a mermaid and he too becomes entranced with her song in Episode 101: “The Mermaid Discovery”.

2. Both Charles and Ben were already in a committed relationship when they met the mermaid. 

Charles was married to an unnamed woman (presumably Bens great-great-great-grandmother),  Ben was dating Maddie for several months until Ryn arrived on the scene. 

(Player 3 has entered the game) 

As with Charles, the new presence complicates the existing relationship, to the point that Ben and Maddie break up for a short while in Episode 110 when he (under the influence of the song) consistently put his need to protect Ryn over communicating with Maddie. 

3. Charles and the mermaid lived together on land. 

(”Ryn choose[...] I stay on land with Ben and Maddie”) 

Ryn too lives with Ben and Maddie on land, As of 209, she wants to stay on land permanently even though it might put her in danger. 

4. Charles Pownall suffered from alleged mental illness due to the song.

Likewise, Ben and Maddie experience visions and exhibit poor impulse control after being exposed to it. This ranges from visions of Ryn being in danger to a unique way of telling your prospective inlaws about the nature of your relationship with their son and the “friend from Finland”. 

5. Charles tried alcohol to cope with the effects of the song. 

(Episode 209 “No North Star” and Episode 211 “Mixed Signals”)

Maddie and Ben start drinking alcohol whenever missing Ryn or daydrinking when under the effect of the song.

6. Charles started to act abnormally when his mermaid was gone.

Ben and Maddie also act abnormally whenever Ryn might have left them for good. Ben takes risky trips to sea at night in Episode 105 "Curse of the Starving Class" , both Maddie and Ben self-medicate with the song in Episode 209 "No North Star".

7. As with Charles the song causes brain damage in Ben and Maddie.  

(“My song do this? Make Heads go dark?” - from Episode 211: “Mixed Signals” )

8. It is likely that Charles’ mermaid was the one initiating the sexual part of the relationship. 

"I have a dream. About Ben.[...]Maddie says it is because I want you."

While Ben and Ryn discussed having feelings for each other before, it is Ryn who pursues him in 204 “Oil and Water”. 

Ryn is the first to kiss both Maddie and Ben (mimicking human behaviour in episodes 105 and 106 with first true kisses happening in episode 204). It is Ryn who first states the wish to have sexual relations with the other two.

All subsequent sexual encounters we see depicted on the show happen with Ryn being the one initiating them. 

(Episode 208) 

(Episode 209) 

(Episode 210)

(Episode 213)

9. According to other humans the mermaid was a woman of ill repute, even slandered as a tavern prostitute after her disappearance.

Likewise, Ryn is seen as a drug addict, murder suspect and person-who-holds-wild-orgies-at-the-cabin-with-Ben by elements of the police force. The look on Deputy Marissa Staub's face when Ryn appears besides Ben at the Cabin in Episode 203 “Natural Order” speaks volumes.

(Tfw you discover the local prince is way too intimate with the local druggie, offending conservative sensibilities everywhere.  Oh the humanity.)

Marissa also likely views Ryn as a home-wrecker (considering she knows Maddie is dating Ben and is close to Dale), much the same way other humans would have viewed Charles mermaid.

10. Charles and the Mermaid had a baby

One thing missing at this point in the show is the presence of a hybrid baby but that might (and I think eventually will) change in the following seasons. There were multiple scenes in Episode 213 where both Ben and Ryn clearly exhibited signs of wanting to have children with each other and one scene in particular where they both had to force themselves not to do so within that episode.

[Sidenote: The acting in Episodes 213-216 was on point.] 

Wwhether there will be a baby in the relationship due to Ryn getting her full-blood baby back (although I think it more likely that one - if it survives - will end up with the other sirens in the sea) or a hypothetical future hybrid baby she might have with Ben (something I personally thnk will be the direction the show will eventually take in the penultimate, maybe ultimate season) the massive anvil sized hints the writers dropped in 213 are too huge to ignore.

[Sidenote: Would Ben and Ryn need IVF to conceive? Probably not. As the tests showed in Episode 213 "The Outpost" there was nothing wrong with Ryn. I believe the problem with getting pregnant was firmly on the male side as infertility in apex predators (and humans) is most often a male problem and the procedure they used is typically used to fix low sperm count in male humans. More on that maybe in a later article.]

11. There is persistent symbolism associated with Charles Pownall, Ben and Ryn in Season 1

In Episode 109 “Street Fight” the most tragic event of Season 1 (Donna getting fatally wounded) happens right near the statue of Ben's Ancestor, with the camera panning over to the statue multiple times to make sure the audience gets the hint. 

It also featured a storyline of Ben acting increasingly irrationally (albeit in a very mild manner compared to Charles) while trying to protect Ryn from Katrina. 

 Conclusion: 

So there you have it. The Siren trio is just a retelling of the Charles Pownall story adapted for modern times, destined for the same tragic ending. After all, the parallels are there. Charles = Ben, his mermaid = Ryn. 

(Polymarine representatives gather near the author’s house to register their difference of opinion, 2019, decolorized) 

Maybe not.

Or rather, this is not the same story and the show tells us that they are not reliving the past.

B) Differences

Whereas the story of Charles Pownall was that of a tragedy and eventual separation, the story of our trio is not. In fact, what the writers are going for seems to be the kind of story that shows that people in similar situations might act in a different manner than their ancestors and thus that similar situations might have different, better outcomes.

Let us take a look at the ways the show differentiates the trio from the Pownall story and also the ways the show outright tells us that this is not the same story.

1. Ryn and Ben’s motivations are different than those of their ancestors

Unlike the mermaid which helped Charles find material wealth, Ryn's initial motive is to find her sister, then stop the overfishing, then safeguard her pack, then save her species from extinction. This of course is accompanied by the motive of Ryn to stay with Ben and Maddie, a motive which might even have taken priority if Ryn leaving her pack to stay on land permanently in Episode 209 is any indication. 

The initial motive on the actions of Charles were profit (and maybe fame), which is definitely not the case with Ben who seems to not care much about material wealth as evidenced by Episode 108 where he declines a new car.

ELAINE: "Your car is disgusting." BEN: "I like my car" ELAINE: "We could buy you a new one, you know. One of those electrics....good for the environment."

Ben could easily become famous and have a huge career boost by "discovering" Ryn and publishing his findings but he does not. Instead his main motive seems to protect both humans and Sirens from harming each other - something that Ryn comes to eventually share as well.  

2. The characters act as a bridge between the cultures, not as dividers

The show sometimes attaches imaginery to fit that purpose, as in Episode 203 “Oil and Water”.

(Let's just look each other in the eyes for 30 seconds while the merpack safely sleeps between us and hope that the viewers are not too distracted by the sexual tension to not notice the symbolism) 

The writers further bring up the idea of characters (specifically Ryn) acting as a bridge between the cultures in Epsiode 206.

RYN: “Shapeshifter like me” DALE: Yes. And in those stories, the ones like you often represent the idea of two worlds coming together. [...] But maybe that is your calling, to lead my kind and your kind to a peaceful existence in this new world.” 

In 208 Ben reveals his hope that eventually the two species can live together (again) in harmony (something that Ryn, Maddie and Ben already practice on a smaller scale).

3. When facing a choice between their respective societies/families and their relationship the trio consistently chooses the relationship

After becoming Alpha in Episode 109 "Street fight" Ryn still choses to leave her pack behind to stay on land.

In 207 Ryn decides to volunteer as a military test subject in order to get Ben out of jail. 

This was a very risky choice - she had no reason to trust the military, no reason to believe they would ever let her go and she also risked her entire pack's welfare by placing herself in the hands of the military. Yet she still did it for Ben. 

In episode 208 Ryn leaves her pack to spend the night with Ben and Maddie and in episode 209 she reveals she permanently wants to stay with them no matter the costs or risks attached, even though it might expose her to capture by the military and thus risk her colony. The vehemence with which she defends her choice is telling. 

RYN:"Ryn hurt inside. Need Ben and Maddie" BEN: "We need you too. There is a woman looking for you". MADDIE: "She's with the military. RYN: "Yes. I help her." BEN: "Why?" RYN: "She get Ben out of cage." MADDIE: "You agreed to work with her to get Ben out of jail?" RYN: "Yes." BEN: You shouldn't have done that" RYN: "Ben is love" BEN: "Look you shouldn't have put yourself in danger for me." MADDIE: "We think it's better for you to go back to the water. Just for a while." 

At this suggestion, Ryn gets visibly angry.

RYN: "Ryn choose...Military was bad to sister, but good to Ryn."   MADDIE: "For now. But we don't know what they want to do to you." RYN: "I stay with Ben and Maddie."

Ben likewise rejects his family business and refuses to follow in the footsteps of his ancestors. When presented with a "dark" vision of himself in Episode 214 he rejects it with horror. He consistently lies to his family to keep Ryn safe  and to help her. Most importantly at the end of Episode 215 “Sacrifice” he puts Ryn’s safety above the health of his own mother, who might very well die because of this choice.

Kyle, slimeball extraordinaire and commander of the military facility had previously told Ben that his mother would need another injection of Ryn's stem cells soon in order to continue healing, leading to the following conversation:  

MADDIE: “As soon as he finds out what we did, that'll be the end of our relationship with him.” BEN: “Yeah. This is what matters right now. For Ryn and her species. All the rest we'll just have to figure out.”

Maddie likewise choses to protect Ryn and breaks a solemn vow to her father to do so in Episode 107 “Dead in the water” . While maybe not on the same level of the above-mentioned sacrifices made by Ryn and Ben there is not a single reason to doubt that she too would choose her two mates over anybody else.

4. The human families of the trio are not openly hostile to them being together with Ryn 

Charles Pownall's family was hostile to the mermaid with the Hawkins being permanently ostracized by the Pownells.

The human families reaction to the relationship between Ben, Ryn and Maddie are different from that. Maddie's mother, Susan, is concerned - but not about the nature of the relationship, instead she is concerned about Maddie getting hurt. We do not know what Dale thinks about the relationship or if he even knows about it though I find it hard to believe Maddie would keep it from him. Thus I would argue he at least tolerates it). 

Ben's father seems completely unfazed by his son being in a polyamorous relationship. If anything he seems more amused by the display Maddie made when she announced that she, Ryn and Ben were in such a relationship instead of the fact itself.

HELEN: "That was quite the show" TED *laughs* : "That's one way to put it. I just hope those three figure it out, whatever it is." 

Elaine was shocked but that might have been more due to the nature of the announcement - she certainly did not have any problems with Ryn kissing Ben in Episode 209 despite knowing that Ben was with Maddie. 

There are a few caveats to the above. Nobody except Dale knows Ryn’s true nature. Ted's reaction might very well be different and even hostile in the future considering he is on the verge of finding out about Ryn. Of course the Sirens having something to do with the boat accident that crippled Elaine or that Elaine might suffer more in the future due to Ryn having to withhold stem cells from her might also cause Ted and Elaine to react negatively in the future.  

5.  (Human) society has evolved a bit since the 19th century

Humans in the 19th century would not have reacted kindly to an unmarried woman (the siren) spending time with a married man (Charles) , even if they did not know her true origin,

[Sidenote: If you want to have a “fun” time read up what people did in the 19th and early 20th centuries to sabotage relationships that were considered abnormal. In the infamous example of Virginia Woolf this even involved a plane chase across two countries.] 

When the trio's human friend Xander learns about the relationship, his reaction is one of surprise and shock. (You can watch the scene here). However a discussion between him and Maddie in Episode 212 confirms that this is not due to a rejection of the nature of the relationship but more about Xander's worry that the Siren song is controlling Maddie. After being told this is not the case, he drops that objection and while he certainly does not like the relationship he is not taking active steps to sabotage it unlike 19th century people might have 

In fact it seems as if nobody in Bristol Cove much cares about the relationship the three have. There must by now be a considerable amount of people seeing the trio interact in public like this: 

(Yes officer, this scene right here)

And multiple people in the anchor saw Ryn and Ben dancing together in 204 in a manner that was way too intimate to just be friends.

(Taking bets on the number of gaskets Deputy Marissa will blow when she hears about this happening.) 

Especially in a small town like Bristol Cove where everybody knows each other the gossip mill must already run wild about the trio. However nobody seems to mind. 

This of course is a major difference of today's society to the 19th century society of Charles and his mermaid. Today's society cares much less about things like adhering to strict heterosexual norms and two-person relationships. Unlike in the 19th century where even marrying below your station would be considered a betrayal and seriously threaten your standing in society,  the acceptance of sexuality and relationships as fluid concepts is at an all-time high.

There is only one person who openly is hostile against Ryn spending time with Ben and Maddie in the show and that is Deputy Marissa. However Marissa also believes that Ryn is a drug addict, possible dealer, possible murder suspect and person-who-holds-wild-drug-orgies-at-the-cabin-with-Ben. No wonder she is hostile to Ryn given that it is her duty to protect Bristol Cove from bad influences - which her inaccurate version of Ryn definitely is. 

If anything it seems that the Siren society is less accepting of the relationship than humans are (at least Cami and Katrina are appalled by it). But as long as Ryn is Alpha then what are they going to do about it without risking an immediate beatdown by an enraged Ryn? 

[Sidenote: At this time I feel it is my solemn duty to link you this great video of humans reacting to the trio, edited by Koortega.]

6. The reactions to the Siren Song might be different from those of Charles

This is more speculative than the other parts of this post because we do not know the specific reactions of Charles Pownall to the song. Yet so far - and speaking strictly about the effect of the song on the relationship - whenever the song is used it does not have negative effects with regards to threatening the relationship. 

Ben's visions are not about domineering or being possessive about Ryn, but ultimately about protecting her (Episode 110 “Aftermath” and to a lesser extent Episode 203 “Natural Selection”), realizing he might hurt her through his behaviour and reaffirming how much he loves her (Episode 214 “The last mermaid”).  

Likewise Maddie, despite being exposed to the more harmful defensive variant of the song only wants to tell the world about how much she loves Ryn and Ben. 

[Sidenote: There is also the unlikely possibility that the relationship between Charles and his mermaid was solely based on the song, which in any case is not true for our trio.]

A cure for the brain damage due to the song also exists and the experience of obtaining that cure together brings the throuple closer together. 

(From Episode 212: “Serenity”)  

So there you have it. There are enough differences between the trio and Charles Pownall and his mermaid to not have them go down the same dark path. But in this case the show goes even further. 

C) The events of the last episodes of Season 2

The writers themselves tell us in no uncertain terms in the last four episodes of Season 2 that this is not the same story because Ben and Ryn are not their respective ancestors. 

In Episode 213 and 214 as the Pownall massacre as well as Ryn’s mating drive and her unilateral actions based on that drive put the relationship to its hardest test. 

It is important to note that the writers used multiple contrivances to arrive at this point. For the biggest example, Ryn seems to have suddenly developed complete memory loss with regards to her knowledge about Ben being a Pownall. Which is more than a bit contrived considering Ben and Maddie discuss his father owning Pownall’s two meters away from her while she is clearly listening in Episode 106 “Showdown”. 

This was not something Ryn overheard considering later in the same episode: 

DONNA: I see his face. In that place take our food. RYN: That was not him. That was his father. Writers of Episode 213: FAKE NEWS.

Oh and if there was any doubt left there is also that time Bens father was called Mr. Pownall in front of Ryn in Episode 108. 

(WRITERS: “You saw nothing.”)

In Episode 110 Helen explicitly names the father of the hybrid baby as “Charles Pownall” and also confirms that Ben and her are related through Charles. This is done while Ryn is listening and participating in that conversation (I have transcribed the whole conversation in my previous post about the massacre)

Ryn also seems to have paid no attention at all to her surroundings while living with Ben and Maddie for months (c’mon, does that sound anything like the hyperobservant, inquisitive and highly intelligent mermaid we know?). Anybody who walks around a modern human name would shortly know the name of the homeowner. Given all these factors, her not knowing before Episode 213 makes no sense at all. 

So why the contrivance? 

Of course one possibility is that the writers were too incompetent to remember what they wrote a year ago. But I do not believe this to be the case, especially with how few contradictions there are in the show otherwise and the great attention to detail the writers usually have. Maybe they  wanted to score cheap drama? But there already was enough drama with Ryn trying to save her species from extinction (plus the effect this had on Ben and Maddie) and it seems odd to go to such great lengths just for that. Therefore I would argue that the Pownell revelation was (at least partly) included here to make a specific point.

What point would that be? Let us recap what happens in those episodes, especially 214. 

After “suddenly discovering” (excuse me while I go grind my teeth in the corner) in Episode 213 that Ben’s last name is Pownell Ryn gets very upset and concerned, culminating in the following exchange in Episode 214: 

BEN: "Charles." RYN: "He loved one like me and his love turned bad. It makes him angry. He killed my people. And it starts with love. Like *crying* Like Ben love Ryn."

Ryn is clearly concerned about a repeat of the original Pownall story. And in this episode Ryn (and the audience) is explicitly told by Maddie that Ben is not his ancestor - just as Ryn is not hers either. 

MADDIE: "You know my mother, Susan?" RYN: "Yes" MADDIE: "Remember I told you how she was? The pain she caused me?" RYN: "Yes. She was weak and sad." Maddie: "Am I like her?" RYN: "No. You are strong." MADDIE: "Just because your family thinks or acts a certain way doesn't mean you have to repeat that. Ben's ashamed of what his family did. And many in your colony don't trust humans. They want to fight them. But you came on land, you trusted us, fell in love with us." RYN: "Love can be good or bad." MADDIE: "Yeah. But I trust Ben. I trust you. I trust that our love is good."

(Take ALL the Applause Maddie, you earned it.)

Ryn accepts Maddie's argument. The speed at which she does so as well as her obvious concern for Ben when he disappears during the episode seems to indicate that she was more conflicted about her own feelings than anything else - like Ben himself in that episode one might say. When Ben finally reappears, Ryn is visibly relieved at the sight of him and the following exchange happens: 

RYN: "You are okay?" BEN: "No. Not okay." RYN: "Angry with me?" BEN: "Confused. About myself." RYN: "Ben. I know you would not hurt me. I know you are different from your family. Those who kill. BEN: "I want to believe that." RYN: "I believe. Our love is good." BEN: "You trust me?" RYN: "I don't want you to feel any more pain."

The relationship between her and Ben survives the stress test and trust seems to be fully restored through Ben’s following actions in Episode 215 (some of which have already been mentioned before). 

The relationship seems to have been fully repaired by the end of 215 but if there was any lingering distrust I think Episode 216 would have dispelled that as Ryn is clearly willing to move forward with the relationsip at the end of Episode 216. Letting Ian drown might have been taken by Ryn as a display of trust, especially as she knows that it took a toll on Ben.

This of course is a parallel to another Season 1 episode. In Episode 106 “Showdown” Ben steps in to prevent Ryn from killing another antagonist that was a threat to her (Aldon Decker). Her reaction to Ben refusing to let a human die to keep her safe is one of anger and feeling betrayed.

RYN: "Why you help the bad man?” [Ben refuses to let Ryn kill Decker by placing himself between them] RYN: You choose him. You should choose me."

In Episode 216, Ben does so. He clearly chooses Ryn and her safety over the life of a fellow human.

Even without that choice it was in my opinion already clear from the looks they share at the end of Episode 215 that they will move forward with each other. 

(Protip to a happy life: find yourself a relationship where the persons involved in said relationship can still look at each other like that even after they just finished putting each other through hell for several days). 

Due to all the factors involved in Episodes 213-216 (Ryn unilaterally deciding for much of the storyline and expecting the others to go along without giving them a say, the whole fertility crisis amongst the Sirens and of course the Pownall “revelation”) this probably was the worst stress the relationship could ever be under at that point. 

I therefore posit that if the relationship between Ben and Ryn would be “Charles Pownell 2.0″, this would have been a fracture point instead of a successful stress test.

And the relationship between Ben and Ryn surviving is of course in no small part due to the largest stabilizing element in the relationship, the one element that was missing from the story of Charles and his Siren.

D) The third element

Imagine how different the story of Charles and his mermaid might have happened had they lived with the Haida - people who knew how to deal with human-siren relationships, how to help hybrids and who were most likely used to that kind of relationship happening. 

The present-day relationship the show is depicting has such a large stabilizing element to it. I am talking of course about the one person I have so far criminally neglected in favour of focusing on Ben and Ryn (because they are the parallels to charles and their mermaid and also because this allowed me to give this post a better structure).

Maddie might not be Haida biologically, but she is a Haida in the cultural sense of the word. She was raised by a Haida man and one of the first stories she tells Ryn to calm her down in Episode 102 “The Lure” is a Haida story. Now of course Maddie is not the solution to all the problems the trio faces. She does not have any Haida knowledge on how to deal with hybrids or Sirens.

However, she is by far the largest stabilizing element in the relationship as evidenced by episode 214 and the episodes before. Whenever Ryn and Ben are acting out of character or have communication issues (either between them, others or with Maddie), Maddie appears as the mediator that manages to get through to the other two and makes them see reason. Even when she initially fails (as with Ben in 110 and with her first discussion with Ryn in 214) she still manages to have enough of an impact on them to get them to reconsider their actions, change their behaviour and attempt to fix the situation. 

Her second long dialogue between her and Ryn Episode 214 (which is quoted in the segment C of this post) is the best example of Maddie’s exceptional communication skills. It probably is one of my top 5 Maddie scenes of the show and highlights just how integral Maddie is for the story of the trio. The way Maddie (without recriminations) manages to make Ryn understand that she got the wrong impression of Ben, the way she focuses the communication on the love that is the basis of the trio relationship is unbelievably on point.

Or to put it more bluntly: The story of Siren is not the story of Ben and Ryn alone. It is the story of Ben, Ryn and Maddie. It is a story about the unique love and trust that develops between the three. 

And this is why I firmly believe that we are not seeing a repeat o the CharlesPownell story here. Instead, what we are seeing is how the more enlghtened and more evolved characters of Ryn and Ben and Maddie make different choices than their ancestors. In short, just because History might look similar, it does not - and will not - repeat itself in this case.

Does that mean there will be no challenges to the relationship in the future? Of course not for otherwise there would be a lot less in the show. We already see the groundwork for multiple future stress tests of the relationship being laid  (Ted having footage of Ryn underwater, the Sirens attacking Ted in the water when Elaine had the boating accident, the reaction by some sirens like Cami to the relationship, Ben letting Ian drown, him and Ryn keeping this from Maddie etc.) 

But there is one certainty the show tells us over and over again, even chosing it as the end screen for season 2.

They are love. 

And on that note, we shall end the analysis of the parallels between our throuple and the Pownall Massacre. Thank you for reading and for sticking with this rather long post until the end. I shall endeavour to make the next post a little shorter, I promise. Alternative interpretations, additional info or critique are always welcome.  

[Final sidenote: Anybody wishing for the trio to become a duo (whether it be Ben/Ryn, Maddie/Ryn or Ben/Maddie) is asking for the show to be a lot poorer in terms of character interaction, to be less inclusive and to have fewer opportunities for future storylines.

Could the story work with just Ryn and Maddie or just Ryn and Ben? Yes, the love between each of them might be strong enough to survive without the third.  But such a story would not be Siren, it would be another star-crossed-lovers story that has been done countless times before. 

And this is why it was immediately clear that Episode 216 was a giant fake-out as soon as Maddie was fatally wounded in it.]

[i-aim-to-overanalyze]

In Loco Parentis

tfw you cant come up with a fancy title so you just use that latin phrase you learned from a Series of Unfortunate Events

Hello! This is basically my take on a SW AU where Anakin accidentally time-travels twenty years into the future and runs into Luke. It takes place between ANH and ESB. Featuring an angsty Anakin lol what else is new? and the smol-angry cinnamon roll Luke who is ready to f i g h t for his father’s honor. You know, fun stuff :D

He didn’t know how much he missed the light of another force-sensitive until it hit him. For weeks, he’d been wandering in this hellish nightmare. In an universe with no stars. Only the oppressive darkness that towered over him. There was the Force, but the Force felt…dimmed to him. Perhaps it was because he could no longer sense the lights of the Jedi. Empty dead space occupied where the untarnished, ten-thousand strong Jedi once stood.

The light was almost…blinding. It was rippling with power—power that rivaled the lights of the Jedi masters of the old Republic. Was this what his presence felt to others? Because he could easily see how some believed he was the Chosen One.

As the presence drew near, he could sense the anger that crackled against their force-shields. This presence, though powerful, was a novice. Their shielding was that of a young padawan. Even Ahsoka could shield better than that.

The ground vibrated as angry footsteps headed his way. The sound awaked him from his thoughts—his hand resting on his hilt. The presence wasn’t angry at the storm troopers swarming around the place. Its’ anger was directed at him.

“YOU!” A voice roared as an ignited lightsaber was directed towards his face, “Why are you using the name Anakin Skywalker?!”

Anakin’s mouth ran dry as he stared down into hardened blue eyes of the young man.

He regretted using his real name. He regretted it as soon as he figured out that this nightmare—this force vision not a vision at all. He’d learned after the Republic’s fall, he had become something of a legend in the galaxy. Oh, the Empire tried to keep things hush-hushed. The Jedi had been evil. The Jedi had tried to take over the Senate. Facts that Anakin desperately believed had to be wrong.

But the Empire couldn’t control every mind of the galaxy. There were whispers when the Imperials weren’t around. Whispers of the old days. The days where Jedi upheld peace. It was then people spoke of the heroes of the old Republic. Most notably, The Great Negotiator and the Hero With No Fear.

Anakin wasn’t supposed to be alive. He should be dead. He had failed them. He had failed the Republic, he had failed Obiwan, he had failed Padme. His sweet, sweet Padme. He had let darkness take control of the whole galaxy. He had trusted Palpatine far too easily—let that kriffing charlatan ruin the whole galaxy. If he had been wiser—had seen the warning signs—he could’ve saved the whole galaxy. He supposed, he deserved this. He deserved to see how his ignorance destroyed millions of lives. It was his punishment—to wander without rest.

“Answer me!” The young man yelled.

He force-pushed Anakin into the wall. Anakin had let him—didn’t try to resist him. His backside screamed in pain. But Anakin ignored it. He was used to pain. He instead looked up at the heaving figure.

Anakin couldn’t explain it. There was an uncanny familiarity about the young man. His hair was blond—almost had a sandy quality about it. As his short stature loomed over Anakin’s collapsed figure, he realized something. He reminded him of Padme. There was barely a physical resemblance and yet—

Anakin took a deep breath.

“I use that name because—“ He winced as he pulled himself up, “I am Anakin Skywalker.”

“Lies,” The man trembled, “Anakin Skywalker was killed by Darth Vader’s blade years ago—there’s no way—!”

This was obviously a touchy subject for him—it was personal. Anakin poked around on the edges of his shields. The young man was angry, angry that he had dared to use the name. Anakin’s name held meaning to his life. The fact that a stranger was using it was disrespectful in his eyes.

He dove a little deeper, past the shield’s walls. He was angry, but it was deeper than that. It was…grief. The all-to-familiar emotion enveloped Anakin, choking him. It wouldn’t let go until Anakin retreated to his own mind.

A glowing blue light was swiftly brought at his neck.

“What did you just do?” He hissed.

Anakin found it hard to look the man in the face. He had invaded his mind and the young man had realized it. Anakin felt almost guilty about it. His eyes drifting slowly down to the man’s lightsaber. It was hard to tell when both of his hands were covering the hilt but well…

The kyber-crystal sang to him through the Force. It was his lightsaber, he realized. The only he painstakingly crafted until it was perfection. An exact replica as the one that was attached to his belt. He wanted to feel angered at seeing it in this novice’s hands. But he could sense that this lightsaber had bonded with the young man.

A lightsaber was an extension of the Force—it was tool that helped conduct a Jedi’s power through it. As such, Jedi often crafted their own to suit their own unique strengths and weaknesses. It was uncommon for a Jedi to become attuned with a lightsaber that was not their own.

“Your shielding is weak,” He commented as he leapt into a backflip and ignited his light saber.

“Shielding…?” The young man furrowed his eyebrows, genuinely confused.

“You don’t know what shielding is?” Anakin asked, confounded himself. He had figured he was untrained—but not this untrained.

“Wh—It doesn’t matter!” The young man shook his head, “You still haven’t answered the question!”

“Why does it matter to you?” Anakin asked, “Why does it matter if I use the name of a legend to fight against the Empire? To inspire hope for millions? If my name isn’t truly Anakin Skywalker, that is.”

He could tell that the question threw him off-guard. He was itching for a fight. For a chance to prove himself. The young man knew that he was inexperienced. Knew he was the furthest thing from a Jedi. It reminded Anakin of the day he first arrived at the Jedi Temple. How crushed he was when the Council turned their noses up at him.

“Because,” The young man raised his lightsaber, “I will not let you use the name of my father like that!”

Although he was the master in the room, Anakin barely blocked his first attack. The sudden shock threw him off-balanced. The young man paid no heed, continuing to relentlessly attack with his sloppy jabs.

Padme had died. She had died amid the Republic collapsing—the cause of her death was unclear. Perhaps mudded by the Empire’s intervention.  His angel was so focused on upholding liberty—he wouldn’t doubt if she had been assassinated. He knew her well to know she wouldn’t have kept her voice silent.

He’d found the holo-recording of her funeral. He knew he should’ve not watched it. He tried hard not to. But he couldn’t ignore the temptation. What hurt him the most other than seeing her lifeless body was her obvious rounded belly. His lady had been pregnant when she died. With his child.

But his son was here—fighting in honor of his name. This child had never even met Anakin and yet—he was willing to risk his life defending a dead man’s name. He didn’t know how this was possible. But the Force rang true with his son’s words. He had a son.

However, he had no idea how to convince him of this fact. Time travel, by the Force or other means, had not been proven. There had been many attempts over the years but never any successful ones. He doubted there was any in this time either. He hardly believed it himself.

“You leave too many holes in your defense,” Anakin remarked as his lightsaber glazed his son’s shoulder.

His son flinched from the pain and he grimaced as well. He didn’t want to cause him pain. He had already caused him pain enough. But his son was insistent on fighting him and there was no accessible escape in sight.

His son didn’t respond to his comment, charging him once more. He was not used to lightsaber combat. It was understandable as there wasn’t many force-wielders left in the galaxy. His son was probably self-taught no doubt. But this meant that he was very clumsy and sloppy with a saber. He had an immense power, but was too untrained to harness it.

Anakin blocked his lightsaber and reached a hand outwards. He effectively launched him away with a force-push. His son’s lightsaber clattered to the ground, dis-igniting on impact.

“What,” Anakin heaved, “is your name?”

“My name,” He stared defiantly at him, “Is Luke Skywalker.”

“Luke,” He mused, “That’s a good name.”

Anakin sighed, shaking his head as he shut off his lightsaber.

“I don’t want to fight you—“

A screeching noise interrupted Anakin, echoing through the hallway.

“R2?!” They both called out at the same time, before looking at each other in mutual surprise.

The blue and white droid came urgently sliding down the hallway. He was babbling in binary about some danger at Luke’s ship. Anakin felt relieved to see that the droid had survived the old Republic’s collapse. That at least one of his friends was still present.

“R2, what are you doing here? I asked you to stay behind and watch the ship.” Luke frowned, as he laid a hand on the droid.

“It appears something happened to your ship and he came to alert you about it.” Anakin spoke up, staring at the droid.

At the sound of Anakin’s voice, the astromerch turned to face his former friend. He was silent, quietly analyzing Anakin no doubt. He abruptly slid directly at Anakin, running his foot over with his front leg.

“Ouch!” Anakin clutched his leg, “What was that for?”

R2 let out a low whistle. For leaving me.

There was a lot of people in the galaxy that believed droids had no feelings. But Anakin Skywalker was not one of those people. He had worked with enough droids to know they developed individual thoughts and feelings if you let them. That’s why he never wiped R2D2’s memory on anything. It seemed that the droid had remained that way, too.

“I’m sorry, pal.” Anakin hugged the droid tightly, “I’m sorry for leaving you.”

“How do you know R2?” Luke asked.

His son’s anger had lessened, but he still remained highly suspicious of him. He had realized there something more going on here.  Still, he wasn’t about to trust a twenty-something claiming to be his father just yet.

“He was—he was my wife’s wedding present to me.” His voice cracked.

It felt odd speaking openly about Padme in such a way. For so long he was used keeping it a secret, that it felt wrong to admit it. It was something he imagined that he would freely speak about.

Though he never imagined that anything that happened these past few weeks to be a possibility. Things like holding a conversation with his future son was quickly becoming the new norm.

“Wedding present?” Luke’s eyes widened.

The kid probably never knew the Jedi code—he doubted Luke would defend him if he’d known. However he still flinched when he heard his reaction. It reminded him of how he feared the others would react. How Obiwan—who had been like a father to him—would react. The Jedi knew love. They knew how to be compassionate. It was how he rationalized that his love was justifiable. Still, he knew deep down that the Jedi wouldn’t hold much love for him if they knew the truth.

He opened his mouth. He wanted to explain everything. How he’d fallen in love with Padme. How beautiful their wedding had been—just the two of them and their droids.

R2D2 let out an urgent whistle, shaking from side-to-side. Anakin didn’t need the Force to understand that trouble was heading their way.

“It seems like those Imperials who discovered your ship are heading our way,” Anakin mused as he fingered his blaster.

He didn’t like the bulky thing. It was nothing compared to his trusty lightsaber. However he had learned that a lightsaber attracted a lot more unwanted attention these days. The Storm-Troopers may be a joke compared to the clones, but they still greatly outnumbered him.

“What are you going to do?” Luke asked, as he pulled out a blaster of his own.

He was still guarded around Anakin; unconsciously wrapping what little of his shields tighter around himself.

“Look. I realize you have no reason to trust me. But it’s a bit of a long story and there isn’t enough time right now to explain. I’ll explain as soon as we knock these imps off our tail.”

Luke slowly nodded, “Sounds like a good plan to me.”

He relaxed a little, perhaps sensing the honesty in Anakin’s words. He wasn’t going to try to kill Anakin—for right now at least. Anakin didn’t know the first step in parenting but he believed that a good step towards the right direction.

“Good,” Anakin smirked, “Now, let’s go teach those imps a lesson.”