#look i don't make the rules i just enforce them lol | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

badbatchsprincess · 5 months

Text

Heated ~ pt.8

Pt.1 ~ Pt.2 ~ Pt.3 ~ Pt.4 ~ Pt.5 ~ Pt.6 ~ Pt.7 ~ Pt.8 ~ Pt.9

Masterlist

Summary: This is an ABO Bad batch!Poly x Omega Reader smut with a plot. This takes place as an AU before order 66. Y/N previously served under the 501st before being transferred to Special Forces 99. This is her adventure with these rowdy Alphas in a quickly changing universe.

THIS IS AN ABO AU ABOUT THE BAD BATCH (NO CANON OMEGA!) Due to the unfortunate situation of her name being Omega… Omega the child from the canon series is not going to be apart of this fanfic/porn with a plot. I feel obligated to put this warning in because it makes my skin crawl thinking anyone could make that mistake.

Warnings: Kidnapping, themes of Non!Con! beware, canon type violence, Y/N badassery, murder, Crosshair is turned on by Y/N committing murder, sorry but we know he would be, I don't make the rules I just enforce them.

I don't know why I loved writing this chapter so much it was so fun like imagining and creating a civilization in the star wars vibes. Also having a tiny homage to slave Leia iconic outfit lol don't mind me.

─ ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ──── ♡ ─── ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ──

Still recovering from your heat, this long ride to wherever the Mimbanese were taking you was wearing you down. You shifted uncomfortably, feeling incredibly sore between your thighs, not to mention the pain in the rest of your body. Having four alphas at your disposal for a week had done sinful things to your poor body.

To say you were sore was an understatement.

Now your back was starting to hurt as his rifle bit into your spine with every gallop.

You had planned to lounge around for a few days before expecting to properly get back on your feet, but your plans had been derailed and now you were in the hands of a stranger and a strange people.

You were aware of the fact you were experiencing anxiety, but the last remaining embers of your heart still licked at your hindbrain dulling your senses a bit. All you could think about were your alphas.

They must be so worried.

~~~

The red clay earth rapidly changed, and soon a lush jungle neared you. The other riders sped up, forcing a tight formation as the animals approached an opening in the jungle wall. As you passed through, you noticed the flora and fauna matched the red and oranges of the mud fields too. Over the thundering sound of hooves, you could hear bird species screeching in the trees above and a rustling as the leaves danced in the wind.

You were trying to take everything in knowing this information may serve in your escape.

It didn’t take long for you to reach a clearing.

Upon approach, you watched the jungle reveal a massive stone wall that seemed to go on forever. You gawked as massive gates opened, allowing the war party to pass through before closing behind you with a massive locking mechanism falling into place.

You looked around, noticing villagers everywhere watching you strangely as the clan leader continued on his path to wherever he was taking you. You looked nothing like them; you were positive that's why they were staring so intensely. Then you realized the clan leader was taking you somewhere specific.

Up ahead, there was another tall wall inside the perimeter wall. More guards opened up the double doors, and you gasped.

Inside, there was a massive temple surrounded by gardens and billowing trees taller than those in the jungle outside the city.

All around these grounds were other females clad in crimson fabrics pausing what they were doing to watch you.

The Clan leader trotted to a stop, allowing you to take in the sight in its totality.

You were suddenly lifted from the saddle and settled into the grass below.

You looked around frantically, trying to find a potential escape, but you were greeted by other women… some human… you looked at them confused before they parted, making room for a smaller Mimban elder who scuttled over to you. You sucked in a breath as she approached.

She exchanged some words with the clan leader, who bowed his head in respect to the woman. She pushed forward, analyzing you with a scrutinizing eye. The clan leader then seemed to be explaining his actions while gesturing to you.

You swallowed thickly, feeling your anxiety eclipse whatever numbness you might of had.

She then took your hand into hers and studied the bruises around your wrist. You were certain those belonged to Tech. Then she clicked her tongue as she moved your collar to see Crosshair’s love bites.

She turned to the other women and said something before turning back to the temple. Very quickly, they flocked to you. You squeaked as they gently pushed you to follow the elderly woman, suddenly running their hands over your own in a friendly manner.

"Where are you taking me?" You asked, hoping they might understand basic.

One of the human girls whispered, "Don’t worry, you’ll be okay. It’s safe here."

You just looked at her, studying her face. It was painted with red designs, and her hair was plated back, showing off her dainty neck and collarbones. She donned a flowing red dress with luxurious-looking fabrics showing off her pale skin.

"Where is here?" You asked as the temple entrance approached. "I want to go home. Tell them to take me back to my pack."

"Are you mated?" She asked, taking your hand.

You shook your head no.

"Then you’re better off here," she nodded.

"But my alphas…" You whined, stepping inside the ancient building. The stone walls instantly made the temperature drop ten degrees and you shivered.

"They’ll understand soon," she gave you a sweet smile, taking the lead bringing you to the heart of the temple grounds.

~~~

"We gotta follow them!" Wrecker roared, feeling like his insides were being torn apart.

Like his brothers, he was horrified to watch you be wrenched from them. Taken from the nest with brute force.

"We are, Wrecker!" Tech snarled, looking at his data pad.

"They just took her! They fucking took her!" Crosshair was losing his mind. For the sniper engineered to be patient and still, it seemed his alpha instincts overrode his basic programming. He couldn’t deny the way his skin crawled with worry.

"What do they want with her?" Wrecker winced. "Why would they take Y/N?"

"I don’t even want to think about that," Crosshair hissed as his thoughts went to the absolute worst.

"Do you have their position?" Echo asked, looking to Tech.

"I do." He showed everyone his datapad. During the struggle, when he realized you were being taken from them, he slipped a tracker onto one of the guards. "It seems they took her to a city called Alise."

"How far?" Hunter growled.

"A few hours on foot," Tech replied, doing the math in his head, “We might be able to get there by sun down.”

"Let’s pack up and get moving," Hunter sprung into action.

They geared up and restocked their supplies before following the endless sets of hoof marks in the clay earth. Crosshair and Hunter hadn’t seen anything when they scouted a few days ago. He was hoping Tech’s info was correct.

~~~

"I- Ah!" You screamed as the Mimbanese women plunged you under the warm bathwater. You came back up coughing and sputtering, trying to wipe your eyes to see.

They had brought you to a natural hot spring inside the temple, and without warning, had stripped you down to your birthday suit. You didn’t even have time to feel embarrassed before you were being guided to the water, where they swarmed you with various scrubbing tools and soaps.

You looked up at the girl who had spoken to you moments before, but she just curled up on a fabric draped lounger with her friend while they talked, as if you weren’t being waterboarded by strangers just a few mere feet away.

You looked around, noticing there were only women here. The temple seemed to be a sacred space of sorts, as more of that same fabric was draped around the columns and ceilings. The floors were covered in red carpets, and lounging furniture was littered everywhere.

A warm cloth was brought to your skin as some sort of exfoliating cream was buffed into your flesh. More skilled hands worked some hair cleanser into your scalp. You fought back a sigh. It felt really nice to have someone else clean you.

It’s not like your alphas didn’t care for you, but they’re still men at the end of the day, and their hair washing skills were limited.

The warmed mineral water was doing wonders for your soreness. If anything, that made this a little enjoyable you felt yourself disarm a bit at their touch.

When they were satisfied with the job, they helped you out before cleaning themselves. You were brought over to the girl from before, and she stood up, extending a hand to you. You wrapped the crimson fabric around yourself a little tighter as she led you out to one of the windows. Here, were multiple vanity tables with mirrors and various creams and potions. She sat you down as her friend perched herself on the stool next to you with a kind smile.

"What is your name?" She asked, picking up a wooden comb from the table.

"I’m Y/N," you said quietly.

"Hi Y/N, I’m Taryn," she then gestured to her friend who had golden hair, "That’s Starla.”

"Where am I?" You asked, rubbing the fabric wrapping over your damp face.

"The city is called Alise," Taryn said, moving your hair to your back as she started gently running the comb through your tangled locks, "But this place is called the fortress." She waved the comb around at the temple.

"Why was I taken?" You shivered, fighting back tears. The only thing you wanted was to be in the arms of your alphas in your comforting nest right now.

"Tarook said he found you in the mud fields?" Taryn said, watching you nod in confirmation. "Anywhere outside the fortress isn’t safe for the women. They built this place to keep us safe."

"What’s in the mud fields?" You asked.

"Monsters," Starla said gravely, and you gasped.

Taryn gave her a disapproving look, "The men keep us safe here. They bring us everything we could need. There’s no need to worry."

"Can I leave?" You asked, and Taryn just eyed you through the mirror.

That was a no, you guessed.

"Who are these women?" You looked around.

"The elders, mothers, and the unmated," Starla said, "This place is a sacred site to their religion, but they use it now to protect us from the outside."

"Do the men ever come here?"

"Partners, sure. But not unless they’re mated. This place is just for us."

Taryn finished off a simple braid going down the back of your head and tied off the ends before standing to get Starla’s help finding you something new to wear. When they came back, they held various pieces of crimson fabric, and they got to work wrapping you in it.

You were thankful they covered your private bits, but the rest they let be exposed. The pieces all flowed into a skirt but left large slits on both sides trailing all the way up to your hips. The Mimban breeze blew the fabric softly and teased your legs.

You looked in the mirror, hardly recognizing yourself. You couldn’t remember the last time you had a dress on nonetheless something like this. You felt like one of the pin ups on in five’s bunk.

"So you blend in," Starla smiled and grabbed one of the pots on the vanity. She dunked her fingers in the red paste and brought it over to your face where she drew two thick lines from under your eyes all the way down your cheeks to your neck.

"You have an alpha?" She asked, noticing the love bites decorating your shoulder.

"Four. Actually," you were hit with sudden sadness, hoping you get to see them again.

"Four?" Starla’s eyes widened in shock but slightly impressed.

"Well, actually, there’s a fifth, but he’s platonic," you sighed, fighting back tears.

"Tarook took you from them?" She asked, a little horrified.

You nodded, "They tried to stop him, but there were too many."

Starla looked to Taryn, who looked a little distraught at the idea.

"That would explain these," Taryn picked up your wrist gently.

"I had just gotten through my heat when I was taken from them," you felt a tear slip, "I just want to go home." You gave them your best begging eyes hoping they’d take pity on you.

They sighed, sympathizing but in the end nothing came of it.

"I’m wondering if Tarook thought you had been hurt," she turned over your bruised wrists, "He might be strict, but he does care for us."

"My alphas are warriors. They can be a little rough, but they’d never hurt me," you sighed, pulling your wrists back and holding them close to your heart, "I don’t understand why your leader would do this."

"The fields are close to the Alooke," Taryn said.

"The Alooke?" You hadn’t heard that word before.

"They’re a clan of monsters," Starla whispered, "They’ve been terrorizing Mimban for generations. Alise was built to keep them out. They came from a nearby star system and have been taking the Mimbanese and killing them for sport."

"If you’re taken. You don’t come back," Taryn sighed.

You swallowed thickly, wondering how lucky you had been for the past two weeks.

"They particularly target women and children," Starla said, gesturing to all of the women moving about the temple, "That’s why they built the fortress."

"But you’re prisoners," you whispered.

"It’s better than the alternative, and we’re treated well."

You sighed in frustration. This was archaic, no matter the reasoning. A cage was still a cage regardless of title.

You had to get out of here. Alooke be damned.

"Will you show me around?" You asked, watching some of the elders locking arms and walking through the various corridors. You needed to learn this place and learn it fast if you were going to make an escape.

"Sure," they smiled and did the same. The three of you left the bathhouse to explore the inner city.

It was a lot larger than you had realized.

The inner city had multiple temples and many smaller private living domiciles. They showed you their rooms that they share with a few other human girls on the upper floor of the smaller western temple.

Between these ancient buildings, the gardens flowed along with a river that cut through the center of the city. The inner city was big enough you couldn’t see the walls from the other side. It gave the illusion that you weren’t trapped in a cage. It seemed like two thousand women resided here from what you estimated. They all wore the same color and had similar face paintings.

They seemed to be content. They laughed and gathered playing games you had never seen before in the little grass areas. There was an abundance of fruiting trees and gardens.

It almost seemed… like a utopia? No wonder they had no desire so leave.

Starla and Taryn found an empty bench under a huge tree and plucked a few fruits from a nearby basket handing one to you. It was a perfectly ripe meiloorun.

"Women from outside Mimban usually have an occupation," Taryn said, biting into the juicy fruit, "What do you do?"

“I’m a medic for the Grand Army of the Republic," you bit into the fruit, moaning at how sweet it was. You hadn’t had a fresh meiloorun in years, and the GAR ration packs tasted nothing like this, "I was stationed with the 501st battalion for a few years since the start of the war, then I transferred to my unit now. They’re a small group of commando soldiers. We’re sent on special missions that the other soldiers can’t do."

"Wow," Starla said in wonder, "So you’ve been all over the galaxy?"

You nodded, "I’ve been to many places. Each a little stranger than the next," you laughed quietly.

"Do you enjoy it?" Taryn asked with a hint of skepticism, "It sounds dangerous."

"Sure it’s dangerous," you smiled, remembering all of the adventures you’ve been on, "We’ve encountered pretty much anything you could think of. It is kind of nice not being shot at, I’ll admit. But I love my boys, and they work really hard for the GAR."

"War is hard," Starla sighed.

"It is," you agreed, "How did you both end up here?"

"My family was trying to flee Separatist occupation when I was brought here as a child," Starla explained, "The Alooke took them, and the elders took me in and raised me here."

"Similar story for me too. My family tried to rebuild a new life here when the Separatists showed up to try and start up a mining operation. Republic forces got us out in time. My mother is mated and lives in the outer ring with my father," she gestured to the gates.

“You know the GAR?” you asked.

Taryn nodded. “The clones, right?”

“Yeah,” you smiled.

“Brave warriors,” she nodded.

“I wonder if it was my boys,” you laughed. “What color were their armor?”

“Green,” she reminisced.

“Ahh no, that wasn’t us.”

“How crazy would that have been,” she smiled, taking your hand and resting it in her lap.

As the crimson moon rose, the inner city of Alise was cast into eerie darkness. Torches and lanterns were lit to keep the gardens out of darkness. You were all summoned to dinner with a sound bell ringing from the main temple.

You and your new friends made your way through the gardens before stepping up the temple steps to wash your feet and hands before entering.

Once inside, you smiled seeing how many women of all ages gathered, including children. They played music, danced, and sung while the others ate. It was shocking to see, but nonetheless, it made you happy. There weren’t many places in the universe like this you realized.

Starla grabbed your hand and led you over to where the prepared food was. It consisted of some things you’d never seen before, but she eagerly filled your plate before her own and marched you three over to a pile of stacked pillows to lounge on and watch the festivities.

“Is it always like this?” you asked, digging into the delicious food.

“Yeah,” Taryn smiled. “We have a very close community.”

“I can tell,” you smiled. Okay, fine, maybe Mimban wasn’t so bad. You were slapping yourself for being too judgmental. It must be the hormones.

~~~

"I don't see her," Crosshair remarked, peering down his scope at the massive city below. The rocky hillside they perched on provided a perfect view over the jungle.

"There are two rings," Tech informed, looking at his data pad. "The inner ring has ancient Jedi temples. I think she'd be in the outer ring; that seems to be where the villagers live."

"Jedi?" Wrecker asked, pulling out his scope.

"Yes, that's what I said," Tech replied, grabbing his own to peer down.

"Notice anything strange about this town?" Crosshair drawled clearly noticing something.

"What..." Hunter zoomed in with his lenses.

"There are only men," Crosshair observed, moving his scope to survey the rest of the city.

"Where are the women?" Hunter asked noticing the crowd in the streets is only men.

"What's that?" Wrecker asked, ignoring Hunter's question.

"What's what?" Hunter looked to Wrecker.

"The temples," Wrecker zoomed in. "There are people walking around."

Crosshair honed in on the flickering lanterns of the temple. "The women…”

They all adjusted their macro binoculars to focus on the inner city. That's when they saw all of the women happily skipping towards the main temple grounds, holding hands and dancing to what they assumed was music. They were covered head to toe in crimson, looking joyous and happy.

"She has to be there," Hunter declared.

"Assuming the clan leader isn't holding her hostage himself," Crosshair added, not entirely convinced.

"I don't think he would," Tech interjected, reading through the information about the Mimabnese. "I think Alise was built to protect their women. It says here that they have a long history of battling off a pirate stronghold called the Alooke. The pirates colonized this land and have been enemies of the indigenous for many generations, stealing their women for breeding."

Hunter didn’t like the sound of that one bit…

"So, you think they're keeping her in that temple?" Crosshair asked, looking through the various corridors from the outside. He couldn't really tell the difference between the various females; they were all wearing the same thing.

"Most likely," Tech affirmed.

"Alright, let's get moving before—"

Crosshair cut off Hunter, "We got movement in the north."

On the other side of the city, a dust cloud formed in the distance. Upon closer inspection, they noticed dozens of speeders making their way from the direction of the Marauder.

"You don't think they found our ship, do you?" Echo was getting a little worried now.

"It would be likely," Tech informed. "I'm guessing it's those pirates."

"They didn't bother us for two weeks. I don't think it's reasonable to think they'd start today of all days," Hunter watched them heading full speed for the city.

"What did that guy say to us earlier?" Echo narrowed his eyes through his binoculars before turning to face his squad. "He said that this place was no place for a female. Then he took Y/N…”

"Don't remind me," Hunter said, growing angry.

"No, I think he knew they'd come."

Crosshair crossed his arms. "We were sitting ducks for two weeks. If they were going to raid us and take Y/N, they would have done it already."

"Not if they didn't know she was there," Echo pointed out.

Suddenly, they realized you barely left the ship because of how upset you had been after the crash. The only time you had left was to help push the ship in the earlier days.

Echo pointed to the city again, "You saw their reaction when she popped her head out. They were shocked, and they had been watching us for who knows how long before I noticed."

"You think they saw her go into the city?" Hunter asked.

"She was fresh out of heat. No doubt they're hunting her scent trail," Echo's mechanical heart started beating a little faster, realizing you had probably unintentionally led them right to the hidden city.

"Why would they attack the city? It's massively fortified," Crosshair noted, observing all of the sentries patrolling the upper rim of the walls and the guard towers looking outwards. There were only two gates, one on the north end and one on the south. The place was like the citadel. "They'll sustain massive casualties."

Echo shrugged. "Maybe for an omega, they would risk it?"

"Then we need to go," Hunter stood up, grabbing his pack. “Now."

~~~

You smiled, holding hands with the little girl who led you around the dance floor. You didn’t know why the little Twi'lek girl picked you, but you couldn’t deny her. Her mother seemed content letting her play with you, so you just smiled and followed her lead.

Starla and Taryn clapped along with the music, giggling as they watched you enjoy yourself.

When the song was over, it seemed that everyone was eager to retire to bed.

The girls walked with you back to where you’d be staying with them until the this whole thing can be resolved.

Once inside the large converted bedroom, they helped you build a pallet of pillows and blankets like their own by the breezy airway.

You washed up before bed in one of the metal basins, and Starla helped you take the pins out of your hair, freeing your now dry and clean locks.

With a quiet goodnight, you curled up on the pallet and pulled the woven blanket up over you.

You sighed, feeling a bit of anxiety over the whole situation. Dinner was a good distraction, but now that you were left to listen to the river down below and the call of the night birds, you were left with your own thoughts.

Were your alphas coming for you? Were they already here? Or were they injured in the struggle?

What if they needed you to heal them and you weren’t there? You were starting to feel the tears again as the pull of your heart pained in your chest. You knew they were coming.

They always came for you.

You tried your hardest to find a comfortable spot that would allow you to close your eyes and try to forget the situation you were in, but you couldn’t help but hear some kind of commotion outside.

It was like there was a shift in energy, and it forced you up into a seated position. You looked around at the other girls, but they seemed to be comfortably asleep, not hearing what you were.

Something made the hair stand up on the back of your neck as you tried your hardest to listen. You wished you had Hunter’s hearing, but whatever was making your body alert, you knew it wasn’t good.

Standing up, you wrapped the blanket around yourself and stepped out from under the cover of the marble columns onto the exposed patio. Your hair whipped around in the breeze as you looked out over the inner city.

The torches and lanterns danced in the breeze, casting orange light everywhere. That's when you noticed something moving in the distance: the wall just off to the right had guards jogging back and forth, guns in hand.

You narrowed your eyes, making sure you were seeing the right thing, when you felt Starla near, rubbing her eyes and approaching you. “Are you okay?” she whispered.

“Something’s wrong,” you replied, pointing to the wall guards.

She squinted her eyes, trying to see in the dark. When she realized the guards were not in their normal watch positions, she gasped and skittered back into the room, waking Taryn.

Was it your alphas? You wondered, feeling a bit of hope fill your chest. They were coming to rescue you from this gilded cage.

Taryn awoke a little grumbly, but her attitude changed when she finally saw what was happening.

“There’s been a breach,” her eyes widened like saucers. “Go warn the others,” she turned to Starla, who sprinted out of the room.

“What do we do?” you asked, stepping back from the patio and back into the bedroom.

“We hide,” she said, leading the way to a red carpet hanging on the wall.

“Do you have weapons?” you asked.

She just gave you a look.

“This place is so ass-backwards,” you shook your head and followed her as she lifted back the tapestry, revealing a narrow passageway.

From beyond the stone walls, you heard a loud warning siren go off, letting you know Starla was successful. The blonde came running back shortly after, squeezing into the passageway with the two of you.

Just beyond the narrow pass was a small room with a candle and matches, which Taryn lit to light up the room.

From inside, you could see the ancient carvings from a time long ago. It seemed like a meditation room if you were correct. There were star maps of the entire galaxy and ancient primordial beings that seemed to be carefully depicting the beginning of the Jedi.

You’d seen this particular mural before on Coruscant… This place was a Jedi temple?

Your thoughts were cut short by the sound of blaster fire.

The two girls yelped upon hearing it, but you were just trying to figure out how many guns were firing. It was way more than five, you deduced. It wasn’t your boys; that was for certain.

This was something else entirely.

“We need weapons,” you whispered.

“We’ll be fine,” Taryn held Starla close, trying to console the girl. “They’ve never made it to the inner city before.”

“We don’t even know how to use blasters,” Starla trembled.

“Well, I do. We won’t last long without them if whoever that is out there is as bad as you say they are,” you were listening to the gunfire and the screaming.

These were all sounds you were used to, and something was telling you this was no normal siege. It was starting to sound like the front lines of Felucia.

“They won’t find us here,” Taryn’s tone was confident despite her panicked features.

You just sighed and leaned against the wall, waiting for the blasters to silence.

~~~

Hunter was panting heavily by the time they made it to the outer wall. “The pirates have drawn their fire. Let’s get up there before they come back,” he said.

Crosshair loaded a repelling cable into firepuncher and pulled the trigger, watching it latch onto the rim of the upper wall.

Quickly, the five soldiers scaled the wall like they had hundreds of times before. Hunter hauled himself up first, checking if the coast was clear. When it was, he motioned for the others to swing over the edge, grouping up into formation as they jogged in the opposite direction of the action.

Just as Crosshair had said, there were only men in the outer ring, and they all seemed keen on grabbing their weapons to join the fight.

From what they could see from the wall, the pirates managed to make it past the blockades with some kind of repurposed Separatist battering ram. It must have been left over from a previous battle.

“Over here!” Echo called out, finding a stone stairway that led down into the city below. They began quickly running down the large flight of stairs. That was until the battering ram sounded again.

“They’ve breached the inner city,” Tech said, using his infrared to see how many pirates were trying to rush the guards into the temple grounds. Luckily, most of them were being held back by the Mimbanese, and only a small handful slipped through.

“We need to hurry,” Echo urged.

~~~

The noises suddenly changed when you heard a massive pounding. It sounded like metal on metal, and you knew they were going for the massive doors protecting the inner city.

“They’re coming,” you said, slipping out of the shelter to confirm your suspicion. Taryn tried to grab you, but you were too fast. Nudging past the tapestry, you jogged over to the balcony, peeking out slightly just to see the gate had been basically disintegrated, and the guards were openly firing against a horde of what you could tell were pirates—the Alooke.

Running back to the safe place, you very carefully arranged the tapestry back to normal as you slipped back inside.

“They’re inside,” you whispered, blowing out the candle, leaving you in total darkness.

Starla started whimpering like a scared pup. You put your hand on her shoulder, trying to quiet her, but it wasn’t helping much.

You flinched when you heard women’s screams echo throughout the hall and knew they had infiltrated the temple and they were close.

It wasn’t long before they’d kick down your door. You just prayed they would move on and not notice your hiding spot.

You closed your eyes, saying a silent prayer to the Maker, hoping they’d take mercy on you.

You jumped when you heard the wood of your bedroom door smash open into the stone wall with a bone chilling bang.

Taryn covered Starla's mouth with her hand, keeping her silent. You took a deep breath, trying to still the racing adrenaline in your body so you could hear over the pounding in your ears.

You heard the man tear apart the room, throwing everything around, growling as he yanked apart the bed pallets frustrated.

“I can smell you… Omega,” he rumbled, making your stomach drop. “I know you’re in here. I know you’re close…”

He continued destroying the room, knocking over the furniture and smashing the pottery of flowers, and you cursed yourself for not thinking about the fact you were totally unmedicated and nothing was suppressing your scent. You were positive it was pungent.

“I smell alpha on you too,” he chuckled, “too bad he’s not here to save you,” he threatened.

You heard his boots getting closer to the tapestry as he rooted around in the box of body jewelry next to your hiding spot.

You looked to the two cowering girls. You knew what you had to do. You knew it was a matter of time before he discovered you. At least if you acted now, you’d have the element of surprise.

Leaning forward, you grabbed the metal candlestick and flipped it upside down before returning to the narrow passageway.

Taryn tried to plead with you, but you just shook your head, trying to convey that you had a plan… kind of… you knew Hunter was absolutely going to chew you a new one if he ever found out you were this dumb.

Nudging the tapestry aside, you saw the ugly creature prowling around the center of the room, admiring all the gold shiny jewelry he had found.

Adjusting your grip slightly on the candle holder, you crept forwards silently, leaving the safety of your hiding spot and approached him in practiced silence.

Rearing back, you went to make the swing and brought down your makeshift club hard, connecting with his wrinkly head. He let out a bark and doubled over, feeling his blood start to rush from the injury.

You raised your arm again to finish the job. He was quick enough to spin around and grab your wrist, holding the weapon. You yelped as he squeezed, forcing you to drop it.

“There you are!” he spat, “Nice of you to come out. You’ll do well. Onka will be pleased to have a new toy.” His free hand shot out to grab at your throat, and something in that moment changed, and suddenly your weeks of combat training kicked in like instinct.

With a growl, you dodged his hand and used your knee to hit him in the gut. He grunted and tried to wrangle you again, but this time you spun around and used your weight to roll him over your back onto the wooden lounging table. He let go of your wrist as he collided with the hard surface, forcing his back into a painful arch with a pop.

You backed up and arched your leg into a high kick, bringing down your heel to his sternum. You heard a crack and knew you hit your target. The man wailed in agony, gripping at his chest as it was no doubt broken.

It was loud enough. Another man entered the room curiously to find you standing over his comrade. You only had a second to react before he rushed you. Grabbing a large metal dish Starla used to hold her combs, you reared that thing back before whipping it across the pursuer's face.

He snapped to the side, spinning around, trying to recover from the strike.

His cheek was bleeding, and you were panting. Thankful for the freedom of movement this makeshift dress offered, you got back into a fighting stance, waiting for his move.

“An omega that can fight,” he sneered, raising his fists, “That’s new.”

“You have no idea,” you adjusted your grip on the plate.

He narrowed his eyes, studying you before he flinched. You decided he was taking too long to make a move and flung the plate at him like a frisbee, watching it connect with his neck. He stumbled back, shocked and struggling to breathe, when you launched yourself at him like a wild tooka.

Just like Hunter had showed you, you leaped up onto him, wrapping your bare legs around his shoulder and chest before twisting yourself down, taking him with you.

Hunter always told you that because you’re smaller, you have to bring the fight down to the ground if you want a chance at winning. You knew you had to keep this man on the ground or else he could over power you.

You rolled, throwing him into a spin on the ground. He grunted and reached out, grabbing your bare ankle, yanking you down with him. He tried crawling over you, but you kicked him in the side of the face, hearing his jaw snap viciously.

You crawled away, grabbing one of Taryn’s hair forks, holding it like a shiv.

When he tried to grab you again, you spun on him, driving the fork into his arm and twisted, hearing him scream in agony.

Just as you thought you were making some headway, the one from before got up, grabbed you by the hair, dragging you out onto the balcony and away from his friend. You screamed, feeling the burning pain as he yanked on your locks mercilessly.

“You’re one hell of a problem, aren’t you, sweetheart!” he grabbed your neck, squeezing it harshly. You scrambled and clawed at him feeling the oxygen start to leave you.

You spat at him, watching it land on his face and drip down his scaly cheek.

“Feisty,” his friend laughed, pulling the fork from his arm and letting it fall with a clatter.

The other let go of your hair to wipe his face off.

“I’m fucking her first before we give her to Onka.” He snarled, “fucking payback for the struggle.”

You bared your teeth and he just laughed spinning you around forcing you over the balcony railing at the hip. You kicked back connecting with this shin making him howl. He grabbed your hair again, smashing your face into the stone roughly.

“Damn bitch!” He started running his hand over your hip before reaching the high slit in your dress.

Just as you thought it was all over, you heard the sound of a single blaster shot and the tell tale sound of a body hitting the ground.

You couldn’t see what was happening but you nearly cried when you heard a familiar voice.

“Fucking drop her.” Crosshair’s menacing voice cut through the air like a vibroblade.

You were suddenly yanked up and whipped around, being used as a human shield. In front of you, you sighed in relief upon seeing Crosshair’s mask and firepuncher aimed right at your attacker. He slowly approached, stepping over the dead pirate.

You felt dull metal being pressed to your head, and you knew it was a blaster. “Don’t come any closer,” the pirate warned.

Crosshair stopped his advance and stood scarily still.

“Is this the alpha I could smell on you earlier, sweetheart?” He leaned down to whisper in your ear, “What a pretty little thing you are, so many men fighting to have you.”

Normally, you would have been frightened to be in a situation like this, but looking at Crosshair now, you knew no harm would befall you. You knew he would do what needed to be done. You had full trust in the sniper.

Your tense shoulders fell, and you became eerily relaxed feeling the calm wash over you.

“Hand her over, and I’ll let you live,” Crosshair spoke through his vocoder.

“No chance,” the pirate laughed before coughing due to his fractured sternum, “Put down your gun, and I won’t shoot her.”

Crosshair waited a moment, calculating the risk before deciding to slowly set firepuncher down on the ground, deciding your life was the top priority.

“Kick it to me,” the pirate ordered.

Crosshair begrudgingly kicked his beloved rifle into the center of the room. The pirate huffed, satisfied.

You were then violently shoved down onto your knees with a cry as the pirate pushed you over to have a go at Crosshair. You felt his steel-toe boot bite into your side as he kicked you.

The Pirate wasn’t ready; Crosshair was too fast, too trained. Before his boot had ever left your side, Crosshair lunged at him, knocking the blaster from his grip. The two men fell into a nasty brawl.

Gaining your senses back, you watched your beloved alpha fend off the pirate to the best of his ability.

The ugly fucker grabbed a knife from his belt and swung it at Cross. You watched in horror as Crosshair dodged him masterfully, but your adrenaline was on overdrive.

Without much thinking, you crawled over the debris of the room and grabbed firepuncher. You held up the rifle, tucking it into your shoulder and raising yourself to your knees, bringing one foot forward to plant confidently on the floor.

Raising the gun up into the air, you felt your heart calm and your breathing still.

In that brief moment of clarity, you aimed the weapon, putting the god-ugly pirate into the crosshairs of the scope before pulling the trigger.

You watched that blue plasma bolt pierce right through the back of the pirate’s skull as he collapsed on the ground mid-swing.

Crosshair stood there in awe as the smoke from the blast still lingered in the air. He felt like the air had been punched from his gut seeing you kneeling there holding his gun with that determined look in your eyes. He felt the blood rush south realizing you had just saved him... with his gun. He wanted to throw you down on these cushioned floors and ravash you. Shaking himself back to his senses, he took a deep calming breath in.

You took a deep breath too, setting the gun down as Crosshair leaped across the room to kneel down on the floor and embrace you.

You tightly wrung yourself around him, finally feeling the adrenaline wear off and the tears start to flow.

“Cross!” You sobbed, squeezing him.

“Mesh’la,” he took his helmet off, setting it down to the side, and shoved his face into your neck, holding your head like you were the most precious thing to ever live.

“Are you hurt?” He suddenly drew back to get a real look at you. He finally had a second to take in what you were wearing. If the situation wasn’t so dire, he’d probably have a boner right now.

Your bare legs knelt on the ground, and your nearly naked torso shone in the moonlight, and that damn red on you. It was making his blood warm seeing his little omega on display like this.

“I’m okay,” you replied, grabbing his face and bringing his mouth to yours in a heated kiss. He leaned over you, supporting your back with one hand and holding the two of you up with the other, he squeezed you tightly to his chest plate.

“Y/N?”

Crosshair grabbed his gun in a flash between your bodies, placing the end on his shoulder rifle rest for stabilization. You were still dazed from the kiss when you noticed the others had come out from hiding.

Taryn and Starla squeaked with the gun being pointed at them clutching onto one another.

“It’s okay,” you said, placing a hand on the rifle, “They’re friends.”

Crosshair slowly lowered the gun and looked back at you, “We need to go.”

“Where are the others?” You asked, letting Crosshair help you stand up. He put his helmet back on with a hiss.

“They’re fighting off the pirates. Echo spotted you from the balcony. I ran up here as fast as possible, but we have to go while we still can.”

“What about them?” You asked, looking to your frightened friends.

“We don’t have time,” he ushered you out towards the balcony.

You looked over your shoulder, pointing to the discarded pirate blasters, “Use those!” You pointed to the weapons. Taryn scrambled to grab them as Crosshair wrapped a strong arm around your back, bringing you to his front.

“Hold on adi’ka,” he said, aiming another repelling cable towards the floor above. You wrapped your arms around Crosshair as he engaged the lift, bringing the two of you off the ground. Once you were up, you noticed Echo squatting on the roof, firing at the wall filled with invaders.

“Echo!” You smiled, still holding onto Crosshair.

“Hey, Tiny!” He nodded at you, continuing to squeeze off more rounds, “Glad to see you… what the hell are you wearing?”

You looked down, forgetting about the strange revealing attire.

“Later!” Crosshair growled.

He grabbed a zip cable grip, placing it onto the zipline from the top of the temple over to the wall across the way.

“Don’t let go!” He said, grabbing you again.

“What?” You asked before squealing as he whisked you off your feet, letting the grip slide across the cable carrying you over the war zone towards the wall deck. He dropped the grip, landing the two of you safely on the wall. Your bare feet hit the stone with a stumble as you shook with renewed adrenaline.

“I got her,” Crosshair radioed in as Echo zip-lined across the gardens to the wall, “meet us at the rendezvous point.”

You felt Echo put a gloved hand on your shoulder before falling into formation, leading the way. Crosshair held your hand as he dragged you through the chaos. Fire and plasma blasts flew everywhere. The entire city was under siege. You watched in horror as the Mimbanese fought with everything they had.

They were fierce warriors; you could give them that credit despite their strange customs.

Your feet were definitely getting cut up from running over the debris, but you couldn’t feel much over the adrenaline. Before long, you were nearing the outer wall as Crosshair and Echo ducked behind a vendor cart, pressing you between them.

“Now what?” You asked, holding onto Echo’s flesh arm.

“We wait for Hunter,” Crosshair said, throwing one of his reflector pads on the wall to keep an eye on the action behind them.

A particularly loud explosion had you clenching onto Echo.

“I don’t know how you guys do this every day!” You flinched as more debris rained over the vendor cart.

“Part of the job, Cyra’ika,” Crosshair checked the locator on his vembrance, “They’re close.” He got up, holding his rifle ready to fire but lowered it seeing Hunter, Tech, and Wrecker arriving on stolen speeders.

When they pulled up, Crosshair led you to them. You went to throw yourself at Hunter, but Crosshair shoved you onto the back of his speeder instead, “Reunions later! Let’s get the fuck out of here.”

You snuggled up to Hunter’s back, clinging onto his armor as Crosshair slid in behind you. The Sargent gave your leg a little pad letting you know he was happy to see you.

Echo jumped onto Tech’s bike while Wrecker’s had two massive engine parts strapped to the back. Presumably stolen you deduced.

In a flash, Hunter whipped the speeder around, taking off, leaving the war zone behind.

You sped through the smoke as you neared the city gates. Crosshair kept a firm hand on your head, shoving your head down when a stray bullet whizzed by.

You gasped, seeing it explode into a basket of fruits to your left.

“Careful,” he growled.

You reached an arm back, putting it on his thigh plate, giving it a squeeze as a thank you.

Once you passed through the gates, you finally could release a big exhale. You watched the city of Alise disappearing into the background as Tech navigated you all back to the Marauder.

You knew it would be a long journey, but you finally felt free. You leaned back into Crosshair, letting your head lull against his shoulder.

He wrapped a hand around your waist, keeping you close. You were finally back with your pack, back with your alphas. Everything was right again…

You felt the way Crosshairs gloved fingers slipped onto the slit in the pathetic excuse for a dress you were wearing.

You could tell he disapproved as his fingers slid inwards realizing you had no panties on. But the other part of your grumpy alpha was turned on beyond belief.

Having you in his grasp again was making his heart race and his codpiece incredibly tight. He couldn’t help himself but to drag his hands away from you core and explore higher, he ran his hands over your exposed sides and back then up your chest to where Taryn had tied a flimsy piece over your breasts. Then he thumbed the piece that wrapped around your neck holding everything together.

You squirmed feeling yourself get wet the more Crosshair touched you. It didn’t help having the humming speeder between your legs as he returned back to massaging your exposed thighs.

Hunter felt you squirming around and tilted his helmet to the side to make sure you were okay. What he didn’t expect to see was you tucking your head into Crosshair’s neck under his helmet as he groped you shamelessly.

He shook his head going back to focusing on getting everyone back to the ship. He’d deal with Crosshair’s horny ass later.

~~~

What felt like an eternity later, the Marauder was finally in sight. When Hunter slowed down the bike to investigate the damage, it was apparent that a large group of raiders had been there.

There were footprints all around the ship, including inside. From what you could see, nothing seemed to be taken except for a few items of clothes strewn about outside, no doubt used to confirm your identity and scent.

“Stay here,” Hunter instructed as he got off the bike with the others to ensure the ship was indeed empty.

You stayed on the bike with Crosshair as he got up to take his helmet off and kiss you properly. You sighed into the kiss, feeling his firm grasp on your chin. His strong hands ran down your sides squeezing your exposed hips he stood between your spread thighs. You whimpered feeling a jolt electrify your entire being.

“Thank you,” you whispered, pressing a small kiss to his lips. “For finding me…”

“You put up a hell of a fight, Adi’ka,” he smiled, kissing you again, this time with more force, making you whine with need as he ground his hips into your throbbing core.

“Alright, quit making out,” Echo interjected, walking back towards the speeders.

You pulled away, blushing, letting Crosshair scowl at the ARC trooper for inturpting. You had heard about the post battle need to blow off steam. Some troopers went to 79’s to drink, some found hookers, and others well.. you weren’t entire sure. But you knew it was real, the adrenaline was making you want to jump Crosshair’s bones.

“What happened?” Echo asked, putting his hand on his hip. The others quickly returned, wanting to know as well. “Where are your shoes?” The arc trooper raised a brow.

“They took them,” you replied, looking down at your wrecked and bloody feet.

“Okay, start from the beginning,” Hunter said, kneeling down in front of you to look at your injuries, pulling a shard from the ball of your foot gently giving your ankle a little rub.

“That crazy man took me. His name was T-Tarook or Tanrock or something like that.” You waved you hand dismissively, “Then we were riding for hours on that stupid horse before we got to the city. Then they brought me to an old lady who took my clothes and forced me into a bathspring.

They dressed me, painted my face, then let me go into that garden prison. I met two human girls who had been victims of the war who ended up there with their families.

Nothing else really happened. They fed me and brought me into their community. There were so many I couldn’t believe it. Then they converted these old Jedi Temples into living spaces and that’s when Crosshair found me.

Well, actually the pirates found us first and I tried my best to fight them off, but in the end, Crosshair saved me. Echo and him got me out and now we're here… I still don’t know where my shoes are though,” you sighed, feeling exhausted; it had been a wild 48 hours.

“An old lady took your clothes?” Echo repeated amused.

You shook your head. “It was so strange.” You were trying to understand the whole ordeal.

“Does that explain that?” He gestured to your barely there attire. You nodded again crossing your arms over your hardened nipples.

“Looks like something the Hutts would like,” Hunter commented, crossing his arms.

“I’ve seen more clothes on a stripper at 79’s,” Crosshair joked. You slapped him.

“I didn’t exactly have a choice if you didn’t notice,” you scowled at him. “Now, will one of you carry me inside so I can change?”

“Sorry to break it to you, Mesh’la, but… they took most of your clothes,” Hunter nodded in the direction of the ship.

“Fucking perverts.” You growled, “They better not have taken my favorite civvies!” You slid off the speeder and into the mud feeling it squelch under your toes no longer caring about getting dirty. You were already covered in plasma powder and maker knows what.

"Hey, I'm just glad you're okay, Pip!" Wrecked exclaimed, pulling you into a massive bear hug and rubbing his chin on the crown of your head scenting you. You relaxed into his embrace, allowing him to set you down gently.

Tech then gave you a quick embrace, followed by Hunter, who tilted your chin up to get a look

at the blooming bruises around your neck. He gave a disapproving huff, but you just smiled and placed a reassuring hand on his chest. He let you go and watched as you made your way back to the ship, your long legs shuffling through the clay, fussing with the fabrics flowing from your waist.

They all watched you trot to the ship eagerly, a little mesmerized by the outfit. Hunter then snapped out of it and pointed to the stolen engine parts, "Alright, let's get these parts installed and get the hell out of dodge," Hunter said snapping the others out of their stares.

Wrecker got to work quickly, knowing there was limited time before the locals or the pirates showed up to poke around and Tech grabbed his welding kit.

~~~

"Are we good to go?" Echo asked Tech, who began the launch sequence. The ship groaned slightly as it pulled away from the surface of Mimban. You sat in your jump seat, feet cleaned and bandaged, wrapped in a blanket, and preparing for the cold of space.

"We’re clear," Tech said, angling the nose of the ship towards the blackness of space.

"Thank the maker!" you cheered, thrilled to get the hell off this rock. “Fuck Mimban!”

You heard Wrecker laugh.

"Launching to hyperspace," Tech announced, pushing the throttle forward to prime the hyperdrive. Within seconds, you were all zooming through space with bright blue and white lights.

You could cry, honest to the maker. The relief of never having to go back to Mimban ever again was like a weight off your chest.

Hunter chuckled at your enthusiasm, watching you happy dance from your seat.

"We’re at cruising speed," Echo said, unbuckling and turning to face you directly.

You perked up. "What is it, Echo?"

He crossed his arms and smirked.

"What?" You started to feel anxious under his playful stare.

"Oh, nothing…" His smirk only grew. "I just didn’t know you had such…voracious tastes."

Your eyes widened like saucers, reminiscent of the one you chucked at that pirate earlier.

"Oh, don’t play shy now," he pointed an accusatory finger at you. "I had to listen to how not shy you were for the past week!"

You wanted to vanish into the floor. You felt your entire body flush, and you knew they could see it because half of it was on damn display.

"You can’t blame me!" You crossed your arms, trying to defend yourself.

"Actually, I think I can," he laughed. "I thought omegas only picked one…"

"You said you’ve shared before!" You narrowed your eyes at him.

"She wasn’t in heat," Echo smiled.

"Is this what you two talk about when we’re on missions?" Hunter leaned against the galley doorway crossing his arms.

"Well, excuse me, you all smell remarkably similar. It’s a little difficult when you’re all different versions of the same person!"

Echo chuckled. "We all know that’s not how that works, sweetheart."

You couldn’t help but leave your mouth agape. "Can’t you just be happy I’m not dead? Must you tease me before we even get back to Coruscant?”

"I just didn’t know this about you," he stood up, shrugging and keeping his playful tone. "I never would have guessed our Tiny…Little sweet Tiny, would roll like this." He laughed.

You threw the blanket you had at him, making him laugh and bat it away.

"Alright, enough, quit playing with her," Hunter gathered you up, keeping you from playfully smacking Echo.

"She likes it," Echo flicked you on the forehead, making you yip as he sat back down in his copilot seat. "I want all of them," he mimicked your whiny voice with a snicker.

"Ahh!" You screamed, covering your face. "Shut up, Echo!"

"Help me, Alpha!" He smiled and laughed, watching you flail around in Hunter's arms, trying to kick him.

"Are you not wearing panties?" Echo gasped pointing a finger at you. The others whipped their heads around.

"Echo!" You screamed.

"Alright, someone has to be the responsible one and get you cleaned up," Hunter spun you around and walked you to the fresher, “Shower. Then we should probably talk before we get to Coruscant," Hunter said, running a gentle hand over your head affectionately.

"Can I borrow some civvies?" You asked, gesturing down to your dress.

Hunter scratched the back of his head. "They took ours too… sorry, pip." He felt bad. You sighed and nodded, letting him close the door, giving you some privacy.

You sighed. You’d be lying if you weren’t a little anxious about having the talk. The second you hit lucidity again after being in heat, you knew it was coming, but the way Crosshair kissed you at least gave you a little hope they weren’t going to just kick you to the side and pretend like it didn’t happen.

At least not the sniper; the others? You weren’t as confident.

Stepping into the fresher, you took a deep breath, letting the hot water wash away the past 48 hours.

It was going to be an uncomfortable journey back home.

─ ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ──── ♡ ─── ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ──

So I usually HATE when someone puts images of clothes they had visualized for a fic, but because I struggled so much describing the image, I'm attaching my inpso images here (ahh I'm sorry I'm a hypocrite) and also Pip's iconic tray toss (just like daddy Crosshair)

Taglist: @substantial-exposure

@rains-on-kamino

@minimissmoo

@z-and-the-batboys

@aynavaano

@9902sgirl

@sideofhorny

#The bad batch #tbb #star wars #ABO #alpha #beta #omega #heat #hunter #crosshair #tech #wrecker #echo #clone #clonewars #fanfic

73 notes · View notes

caitlynxviolet · 4 months

Text

"She's an enforcer to stop Jinx"

She's an enforcer to get to Jinx, and stop Sevika or literally anything else that has gone to shit.

Because a few of you said I didn't know the LoL lore, I'm going to talk about the lore. I read all of it. I know about it, probably more than you do, honestly. I've been playing the damn game since 2018.

Vi in LoL is just a cop. She grew up in Zaun as an orphan, became really good at fighting and was given an opportunity to work as an enforcer. Being an enforcer is her job, essentially, and the job looks like your typical cop job because it is. Was she hired to stop Jinx? No. She has to stop many bad guys and villains alongside Caitlyn. Jinx is just kinda there to mess with them. She frequently blows stuff up and is just a menace in general. Now, I don't know if they never arrest her because she's too smart for them and she escapes them, or if they just let her be. It's been a while since I read the lore, so I'm not sure about the details and it's also incomplete and from years ago (it's like 10+ years old). Vi doesn't remember her childhood because she was taken to an orphanage too young. If she knows Jinx is her sister, it's surface level information and it doesn't really affect their dynamic.

Basically, there's no depth in the LoL lore. The oppressive system of enforcers isn't addressed at all. Jinx being a nuisance is just a silly thing outside of Vi needing to do her job with Caitlyn. It's silly. It's goofy. We love it for that. Let it be that.

Arcane brings complex issues to a similar, albeit completely different, premise. From the literal start of the show, we see what enforcers are. They're there to enforce the rules. They kill people in front of children. Vi grows up with enforcers terrorizing Zaun. She has every reason not to trust them (she says so in the show) and not to become one of them. Outside of her existing views on enforcers, she knows her sister. She grew up with her. She was separated from her, when she was old enough to remember of course, and it haunts her. She loves her sister. She wants her back. Jinx is not just a silly troublemaker like in the LoL lore. She's traumatized. All she knows is violence. She's been brainwashed by Silco, someone who didn't exist at all in the lore, but he'd be like a big mafia type villain.

You can't look at her being an "enforcer" in Arcane and be like: "yup, she's an enforcer! it makes sense because she chose to be an enforcer in the lore". It makes no sense for her to choose to be an enforcer in Arcane with the way things are.

It'd make more sense if Caitlyn and Vi tried to abolish the enforcement system as it is by creating something new. A new defense force. Isn't that what we want? Someone still needs to fight off the Shimmer mutants and address the evil in both Zaun and Piltover. That's the solution they find out of necessity. Cait and Vi aren't rule makers, so I still think this part will be done by Jayce, Viktor and Mel if they're still alive, but that certainly changes everything.

Finding Jinx is a side quest in the grand scheme of things, but it's Vi's main quest. Always has been, always will be. It will be her main quest throughout season two, even if she's distracted by other things. So choosing to become an "enforcer" facilitates her way to Jinx and allows her to fight the bad guys. That's all.

#league of legends #arcane #calling me an arcane fan when I'm a LoL hoe is such an insult #im also an arcane fan but you know what i mean #enforcer!vi #s2 #speculation #discussion #meta

40 notes · View notes

urdreamgirls-dreamgirl · 2 years

Note

have any fic recommendations?

yesssssssss.

I just read Intricate Rituals by zade (AO3)/@racetrackthehiggins because it was recently rec'd to me (E, Complete, 11/11). I asked the people for something very sad but with a happy ending and the people delivered. I ate this up and read it basically in a single sitting if you don't include the time I took to go do my job for two hours lol. This hit every single spot in terms of very heartbreaking relationship dynamic that I was looking for. I love earnest but confused Steve who's just in love but scared to tell it until he literally can't keep it in anymore and a scared Eddie who lashes out and hurts Steve when he's honest and then deeply regrets it. That's what I care abt... morning, noon, and night, I care about her. She is who I want, that is where my loyalties lie. Definitely mind the tags on this one though!

I love love love Trouble Looks Good on You by indelicate (AO3)/@steddielations. (E, WIP, 2/4) I love the dynamic between Eddie and Steve here and I absolutely adore the way they flirt here. 10/10 flirting !! Also, if you love this then definitely check out Melt Me on Your Tongue (E, Complete, 1/1). Steve taking care of Eddie and both of them loving it. Both of these make me go 😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫

I really love you looking at me, looking at you by emryses (AO3)/@emryses (M, Complete, 10/10). Very much in the same vein as Intricate Rituals, with a heartbreaking FWB-type relationship where Steve is clearly falling in love and Eddie breaks his heart because he's scared. So good.

Anything by Adure (AO3)/@toburnup, but particularly is your light on? (E, WIP, 12/16) which spans years of Eddie and Steve's relationship and is in progress right now (recently updated!). Another heartbreaking slowburn FWB situation for the boys (are we sensing a theme here yet??). Lots of internalized homophobia/self-policing in this one, so mind that, but so worth the read and so insanely well-written, it makes me jealous to read it. I also really particularly love throw me one (E, Complete, 5/5)!

Looks like we're in for nasty weather (E, Complete, 10/10) by prufrocks (AO3)/@geddyqueer is so so so so so so so so so s ooo cute. So cute!!!! Modern!AU where Steve is training to be a park ranger, Eddie can talk to ghosts, Robin hosts a monster podcast, and there's something spooky in the woods. :) :) :) :) Very fun and did I mention cute?

The Sad Steddie Scenario by @steddierthings. Steve and Eddie suffer a misunderstanding and Eddie is... harsh. I am (very very very) patiently! waiting for more more more of this. I love this. It's so good.

wonderin' where i am, lost without you by @outpastthebrakers was rec'd to me when I asked for something sad but with a happy ending. Definitely hit the spot! Eddie forgets Steve's birthday and has to deal with the consequences. Very sad and then very sweet <3

I loooooooove reputation by theamazingbard (AO3)/@theamazingbard (E, Complete, 2/2). Steve learns that Eddie is perhaps even more promiscuous than himself and doesn't know what to do with that information. I love me some idiots-to-lovers. That is my all-time favorite trope. They can have each other but they're just so stupid. It's very fun.

Please read off the beaten path by pukner (AO3)/@pukner (E, Complete, 6/6). You have to. I don't make the rules, I just enforce them (acab tho). Steve is aware of and secure with his sexuality and recognizes that Eddie is flagging. However!!!!!! Eddie is flagging accidentally. He is not aware of his sexuality!!! And then he is scared and accidentally hurts Steve. Which, as we've established, is my favorite dynamic. And I love the fandom reversal of "Steve is aware, it's Eddie who isn't!!!!!" Sooo good, soooo cute. Steve is just so adorable in this and I love him and cherish him deeply.

I asked for sad fic recs last week and was rec'd Stevie's Time Loop by stevesbipanic (AO3)/@stevesbipanic (M, Complete, 2/2), which I have not had the chance to read yet, but I am confident I'll really enjoy it!!!!

I was also rec'd The Man That I Could Be by ohstars (AO3) (ohstars autocorrected to oysters, stop it I am SCREAMING lol)/@oh-stars (E, Complete, 26/26), which I'm currently reading right now and really enjoying. I'm on chapter 5!!! We could read it together. Book club.

Also, you should read sorry about the blood in your mouth (I wish it was mine) 🙃

#wow I learned a lot about myself tonight #there are so many amazing amazing amazing fics out there #steddie #steddie fic recs #steddie fic rec

353 notes · View notes

majimasleftasscheek · 9 months

Note

Here’s a brain scratcher aniki, besides Kiryu and Kazuma-San what kind of parent would each of the main cast be. (Just the major players from the games IE protags and antags. You can include Ichiban’s party to!)

let's see...

Majima: good! but irresponsible parent. would spoil immensely, compensates for things he can't do or messes up. very open to whatever the kid wants/thinks but can be unintentionally harsh when scolding. promotes living to the fullest but will worry to the expense of his health when he can't be around to take care of things. will be overbearing with good intentions but suffocating.

Saejima: very nurturing and attentive but tough, a bit overbearing on the life lessons and shit like that. would leave a child to their own devices often to encourage individual growth and accepts failures well, very patient. would be hard to get a read on though normally, leaving a kid to guessing how he's feeling/doing, making his parenting feel a bit lonesome.

Nishiki: great with kids in a cool uncle sort of way. would be friends with his kids vs being their actual parent as he worries a lil too much about what they think of him. spoils them a lot, especially if it makes him look pretty great in front of others. doesn't handle problems very well and has only the basics of advice for a struggling child - would have to ask others what to do.

Ichiban: good parent but bumbling. would try his best to be a good dad but realistically good vibes and idealism isn't always enough. would rely on others for help with kids, especially if it's something he can't provide himself. would teach them to be kind and open minded, careful to not be too strict. would prolly relate the most to kids, being a child at heart himself though his personality would make it seem like he's not taking things seriously.

Ryuji: would raise a kid to be just like himself, brutish and confident. the type to be like, let's go to the junkyard and smash car windows for fun. values traits that align with his own like strength and a strong will - would be disappointed in anything he'd deem too whimsical. would think it's funny if his kid rebelled against them and teach them the hard way that it wouldn't fly but also encourage them to keep trying to be their own person anyway.

Daigo: would be a good parent to the best of his ability, compensating for his own experiences (Dojima lol). very patient and a good listener, excels at consoling to where his kid would feel very comfy telling him anything. can be a bit too soft and unintentionally ignorant to underlying problems a child might have. a child might feel guilty towards him for his kindness and oppositely *not* want to dump their worries on him. sometimes plays too much a teacher than a parent.

Mine: no lmao actual answer: he'd suck ass. he'd be a tiger parent, strict and cold. growing up is about accomplishment and being self sufficient. if a kid wants his time, better schedule an appointment. would teach a kid the harsh realities of life whilst ignoring the good stuff to temper expectations. punishments are often harsh. doesn't really relate to his kid other than they both breathe and blink.

Akiyama: do I even gotta say it ksdlagjlds he would be *squint* alright at parenting in the same way it's alright to drink bleach. he's there and he exists but is irresponsible. can't be counted on to make important dates on time or remember things a kid needs. frequently has to ask for help (Hana). will 100% give a child secondhand smoke and be skeazy about the types of life lessons he'd not necessarily teach outright but would imply with his behavior.

Tanimura: I don't got much of a read on him tbh but being that he's got a gambling problem, I feel like that would have some play in childcare lol, that being he's prolly a bit inattentive until it comes to money. he's a bit skeavy so he would prolly turn a blind eye to his kid doing something wrong and enforces rules poorly. would at least instill good teachings to help others, tho how, would be sketchy.

Shinada: he'd do pretty well I think if he had a stable living situation. he's very passionate about his interests and would share that with his kid, and if the kid wants to do their own thing, he'd encourage following that too. being goofy, he'd be a fun dad. I'm prolly the only motherfucker on earth who ships him with Milky-chan so I think they'd do really well as parents who come from rough lives trying to make a better one for their kid.

Sagawa: including him cuz he's my fav villain. he defo seems the type to have a kid somewhere with an estranged partner who left him first. he's caring, in a sinister type of way, one that makes you feel like you're being manipulated but not sure enough to say. "he knows what's best" and would for sure turn a child against his partner. in an alternate sense, he could also lead a double life, being an actual decent person to his family but a dickhead on the side. very psychopathic.

#I don't uhhhh remember a lot of the antags lol so I won't mention em cuz I wouldn't get a good enough read on them tbh #but hope these thoughts are entertaining to someone #my hcs #yakuza #ryu ga gotoku #I don't wanna tag all the names kdslgkjlgds

71 notes · View notes

egg-emperor · 8 months

Note

Eggman is pretty much fascism and unchecked capitalism in human form. He is a repersantion of it they way Sonic is the representation of freedom.

In the games we get to see glimpses of the world under Eggy's rule and it is not pretty. Even in the first game, Eggman's scrap brain zone is a polluted dystopian hellhole, smog and poison everywhere. Meanwhile green hill zone is a lush paradise full of greenery.

In Sonic CD, we can see even his own robots suffer in the bad futures. They looks broken , neglected and musty. He doesn't even care about his bots. So much for a robot kingdom 🤖👑

Don't get me started on Forces where he fully takes over the earth and turns it into a bleak, broken hellhole and spews propaganda everywhere. Everyone is miserable. He even made a propaganda vid where he encourages people to accept his robotomy treatment and become his robot slaves to make life bearable.(Robots don't need food , water or clean air to breathe. They don't even think)

Benevolent dictatorship it is not. I don't know where people get that from.

Exactly, for it being such a prominent theme in the series, I wish more people would get the message and not dismiss it/miss the point and try to say "Eggman is good, actually". It's much more interesting to look at it for what it is, it's what makes Sonic vs Eggman and Eggman's goals compelling to me to analyze. Eggman is a great representation of the terrible and harmful things humanity can be capable of but without completely blaming the entire human race.

He portrays the dangers of fascism, damage of the environment, and the dangerous destructive lengths one can go to in greed for power and control. There's been many examples of him attempting to captilize on harmful things, carelessly tearing the planet/other planets apart in selfish endeavors, and how dystopian the world would be if he succeeded in enforcing his order. They've explored propaganda, manipulation, war, and invasion with him.

Ignoring the message of Eggman's character also downplays, softens the impact of, and dismisses the meaning of Sonic's character. He's all about freedom and the only thing he hates is oppression, Eggman is the oppressor of the story and Sonic wants to stop him, that way people can live in peace and freedom without Eggman stripping that away from them and forcing them to be and do exactly and only what he wants in the world he wants it to be alone.

It's cool because Eggman is also like an example of if you take your own personal freedom and desires too far with greed and a lust for power and control. To the point that you value it and yourself so much above all else, you want to force everyone else to comply by your rules and fulfill your desires, no matter how much they don't want it and it damages them and the world around you. Meanwhile, Sonic's just happens to benefit the world and people around him.

And in a world where Sonic wins, it stays beautiful, bright, lively and free with nature, wildlife, man, and technology coexisting in harmony and peace. In a world where Eggman wins you get the opposite where it's ugly, dark, dead, and controlled with nature and wildlife suffocated until it's dead- replaced by technology and reshaped in Eggman's selfish image and twisted idea of what a "perfect" world is, one where only he decides what it's like.

It shows through their characteristics, actions and outlook, and their impact on the world and people around them and that's so fucking neat. I don't know why people act like that stopped being a theme when, as long as it's Sonic vs Eggman, it's definitely always present. But I feel that a part of it is absolutely the way that people try to make it seem like Eggman isn't so bad and suggest the idea that maybe he's actually really progressive and wants to do good.

It's very clear that he doesn't lol. Such is obvious by the lengths he's willing to go to get what he wants, knowingly and carelessly hurting many people and even finding sadistic enjoyment in it at other times, all the while acknowledging that he's evil and saying it himself and owning it. He knows he has to create propaganda, lie, and manipulate others into getting what he wants and further his plans which also proves full awareness that what he's doing isn't innocent.

And of course the most obvious is how the world under his control is most often depicted as a dark industrial dead and polluted dystopian hellhole where all suffer, even his own creations, and he doesn't care because he's in control and gets to rule over it and turn it into everything he wants. And their suffering is just part of the idea, which he makes clear with his own words with Eggmanland in Unleashed and the Interstellar Park in Colors, in that he wants people to suffer.

There are times this isn't shown visually in a places of his creation and under his control, such as the Interstellar Park and Ego City. But guess what? There's still tons of danger and death due to attractions in the Interstellar park that he acknowledged and intended as features, and the PAs in Ego City with the propaganda and lies about the intention and "benefits" of animals in robots and the hint that he doesn't actually take criticism- all prove his real sinister intent in it.

It shows that Eggman can also pretty things up and sugarcoat them with visually beautiful creations, sweet words and promises of great things through lies and propaganda. That's scary because it can lure people in, only for them to be subjected to great horrors once they arrive, even if nobody and maybe not even themselves can see and realize it's all a lie and the cost that is their suffering at first, until it's too late and they face it in the most terrible and painful of ways.

And the truth would show visually eventually anyway, evident in Eggmanland's darker polluted setting. Even to the point of further destruction and decay, like CD bad future where even his own creations are broken down and abandoned. He'll destroy the world to build his new one yet even that will rot due to his carelessness as long as it doesn't get in the way of his own enjoyment, he'll use things up and abandon them when they no longer serve him.

In Forces he wants to burn the world so it will be "nothing but ashes, from which a glorious Eggman Empire will rise," willing to cause great damage to get it. That's why he happily blew up Sunset Heights, let Green Hill be dehydrated and die, had forests carpet bombed, and was willing to drop the sun on people. Hell, in the Join the Eggman Empire propaganda video, he promotes further ruination and pollution of the world after he's taken over as a good appealing thing.

And the real reason why is because it will push anyone that's still unwilling after all his attempted lies and propaganda to give in and accept the robotomy treatment, so they don't have to suffer in it anymore because they won't have a choice because it'll be that or die. But with it they'll also have to give up all their freedom and never be able to eat, sleep, or think ever again and Eggman will tell them "that's what we call "living the good life!"

And again, him saying that loving it is mandatory in the video proves he doesn't care how much it hurts people and how much they'll really hate it. He knows full well but doesn't care because it's not about what they want, it's all about him and what he wants and they have no choice or say, they literally have to comply or die. And fuuuck it's so good and messed up. That perfectly represents how terrible and dangerous and harmful his dictatorship is.

Besides the whole "what if he actually cared and genuinely wanted to help people and the world though" which this all clearly disproves, I also see people say they'd like to become robots so they don't think it's so bad. And it's like well fascist dictatorship doesn't suddenly become a good thing just because some of it personally aligns with your desires lol. Authoritarianism doesn't suddenly become good just because it's enforcing your personal morals and values.

I highly doubt anyone would still be saying this if they it really happened and they realized how much they'd sacrifice in it and what they'd have to go through as Eggman clearly doesn't treat his creations well, whether it's through abusing them or just leaving them to decay like those seen in CD bad future. And let's say even if was good for you personally in some way, it wouldn't be for everyone and most people would still suffer because they don't want it.

And let's say your biggest dream came true through it. It's still being enforced through Eggman's fascism and oppression and many will suffer from it and have to abide by it against their will. It's like how Eggman tried to bribe Sonic in the great Super Sonic and Super Eggman Sonic Channel story by saying he could give him a world of chili dogs, no paradise is one that is forced, no matter how pretty and appealing one tries to make it seem.

And in Eggman's case it's not just that but the fact his "paradise" is everyone else's hell, his enjoyment is everyone else's pain, his desires are the antithesis of freedom. Because he's deeply selfish and intends and revels in much of the damage and suffering he causes. It's inherently sinister, harmful, and only his twisted definition of a perfect paradise that serves only himself with his selfishness and self-centeredness that he can't and doesn't care to see past.

He's one fucked up bastard and that makes him so interesting and threatening, he's the main villain of the series for a reason. 💜 It's really interesting to think about the themes he represents and the many different ways they've been portrayed and explored throughout the series and the message it sends just as much as Sonic's, I wish to see more acknowledgement and discussion of it so I try my best to bring light to it with my own contributions like this!

#I looove analysis like this I looove the themes. man #dr eggman #eggman #dr robotnik #dr. eggman #asks #analysis #my post

29 notes · View notes

away-ward · 4 months

Note

I am so sorry to bother you and I have no idea If you’ve answered this before, I tried looking but couldn’t find it, but whats like the run down on what actually happens during devils night in the book? Like what do the four horsemen do? I’ve yet to read the books as I’m already reading a different series but I can literally not find any info on what they do on the night. Feel free to ignore this lol

Yeah, no worries! You're not a bother at all. I've never done a complete run down of what happens. I can't tell if you're asking for like a general idea or a complete break down of the series. Message back if you're looking for something more detailed.

The general idea of Devil's Night, which is not something that originated with this series, is that on the night before Halloween, these kids go out and preform, for the most part, harmless but extreme pranks.

To give a full run down of the events in all four books, keeping in mind that the last one is 650+ pages, would be too much for any one person to do in a single post. I don't even remember all the major plot points or order of evens from Hideaway and Kill Switch.

If you have specific questions that would be considered spoilers, feel free to ask. I have no problem spoiling things.

All four books have the same basic tropes: second chance romance w/ enemies-to-lovers (depending on your definition of enemies), where the mml is seeking revenge for a perceived wrong.

The books:

should be read in series order, as each book builds on what happened in the previous book, with new characters introduced.

are dual povs, and told in a past and present format, with an the chapters from past and present timeline overlapping each other; All events in the books takes place in the month of October, with the climax of events taking place on Devil's Night or around then.

feature sharing/multiple partner scenes, but end with the main couple together (the HEA is up for debate in the fandom, but it's intended to be HEA).

Overview:

The Horsemen are four friends from Thunder Bay, a small affluent town in the Northeastern part of the US. They attended Thunder Bay Prep, and where known for being the best players on the school's basketball team. Some time during their school years, they started the tradition of Devil's Night, where they and their schoolmates spend the night partying and playing pranks. In the series, the Horsemen take the lead in planning and arranging the pranks and events, usually by themselves, letting others join later for the party. They're generally supported by others in the community, barely chastised by law enforcement. Rule of thumb seems to be, as long as they don't kill someone, it's mostly just a fun night that ends in a revelry and sex for those who join in the festivities.

Summary: In Corrupt, the series starts when three of the four Horsemen are released after spending 2.5 years in prison. They were sentenced after pleading guilty when evidence of some of their "pranks" (read as: actual crimes) was released online. They first seek revenge from Rika, former schoolmate and family friend, who they believe to be the source of the leak. But as an intense attraction between the leader of the Horsemen, Michael, and Rika is reignited, new information comes to light that makes them question everything they've been told. From there a new enemy emerges.

In Hideaway, Kai, is he is trying to rebuild his life. At the same time, he is trying to track down their new enemy, who knows some disturbing secrets about him. His efforts reunite him with, Banks, a girl he knew for only one night in his senior year of high school, but with whom he had an extraordinary connection. Banks has a questionable connection to his enemy, and Kai finds it in his best interest to keep her close while looking for more information. During this time, their feelings for each other resurface and in the end they're faced with choosing who they'll prioritize.

In Kill Switch, Damon returns to the spotlight in Thunder Bay when he marries the corrupted former mayor's daughter - just not the one he was sent to prison for sexually assaulting and who has been the object of his obsession since he was eleven, Winter. Damon and Winter met each other as children, when an accident left her blind. She returns to Thunder Bay years later for high school, where Damon takes advantage of her blindness to insert himself into her life. He quickly becomes her confidant and rock. Despite not knowing the identity of her new friend, Winter falls in love. Until she's told the truth. Winter knows that everything that happened between them was consensual, and that the sexual assault charge was because she was underage when he recorded one of their times together. However, she couldn't bring herself to admit it then, and she'll be damned if she gives in him now. However, Damon is a threat, but he's a threat she's never been able to fully resist.

In the final installment, Nightfall, Emory Scott, former classmate of the horsemen and Will's crush, is abducted from her life in San Francisco, and wakes up in a secluded house with five men. Will has been missing from Thunder Bay for over a year. He's in a place few know; a place meant for rich young men who are embarrassments to their public families. While his friend's were growing up, becoming parents and business owners, Will lost himself in drugs, booze, and sex. Locked in a house with men she knows nothing about, except that they're criminals of some kind, Emory looks to Will to be an ally. Only Will wants nothing to do with her, and it's all because lies she told, and how he blames her for the years he spent in prison.

However, nothing with this series is as it seems. There are mysteries and surprise reveals, plot twists galore - some good, some. . . not so good. It's not a perfect series; most readers don't love all of the characters, but say that there was something addicting about the series nonetheless. It's interesting world, and a fun ride to turn your brain off while reading.

Hope this helped. Thank you.

#asked and answered #asked and answer 318 #devil's night series #series discussion #series break down #horsemen of devil's night #women of devil's night

9 notes · View notes

mrhowells · 1 year

Text

Smallville 4x22

Can't say I feel sorry for Genevieve bc that woman was nasty but Lana just got another thing added to the huge pile of trauma she already had😬

oh hey Lex, so what happened here was-

bunnyyyyy💕

"I had this one last week, really scary. This... guy wearing a red cape." "Wow, that sounds horrible Lois."

I can't do this they're so?????

STOP HAVING EYE SEX IN FRONT OF THE PARENTS FOR THE LOVE OF GOD

I'mskSJkslKSL Jonathan's face kills me

Mr. and Mrs. Kent, I just wanted to say thanks for everything. You guys are like the Mom and Dad I've always wanted to have.

Lois bby🥺😭😭

"Lois, we want you to know that you are welcome back here any time."

"Actually-" "We'll all miss you, Lois."

SHUSH Clark, we're having a moment here😭

blushing kicking my feet

"Oh, come on Clark, your future is laid out right in front of you. You're gonna go to community college, major in agriculture, probably minor in law enforcement. And then you and Lana are gonna have a nice little church wedding."

I can't😭

He's such a menace around her it's EVERYTHING

"Even if I could spell, the last thing I'd wanna do is spend my time in a newsroom. With my luck, I'd probably end up across the desk from the most bumbling reporter on the masthead."

OMFGSAHSAJDKHA

so much eye contact I'm going insane

If you hear faint screaming in the distance, that's me I'm losing it

CLARK YOU CAN'T LOOK AT HER LIKE THAT AND EXPECT ME TO BE NORMAL ABOUT IT I'M FIGHTING FOR MY LIFE HERE

i already know I'm going to hit the media upload limit and have to delete stuff, ugh😭

this episode is feeding me so well

my beautiful family😭😭😭 they raised me actually, true story

"Because you have a way of getting things in half the time a normal person gets things done." "And I'm not normal?"

Chloe really didn't do this one on purpose but OUCH😬

Lois with her "the general said/ taught me..."🥹

now tell me why this interaction fills me with so much joy😭

I love them so much it makes me look stupid

CLARK WILL U STOP BLAMING YOURSELF JESUS STOOOOP

✨and then I paused the episode and didn't continue until over a month later, my brain is wired like that I fear✨

Jor El is so unserious I'm sorry, if he wasn't so vague and cryptic all the time a lot of messes could've been avoided🤡

I just imagine the actual Jor El watching this go down in the afterlife and facepalming so hard

Clark is sad = I'm sad, it's the law

Lana giving Clark the stone without even removing the blood first lol

I feel so bad for her😭 I swear whoever made the plot decisions on this show got off on Lana being in pain and I'm getting more and more angry on her behalf.

and that's on good instincts

(I've seen people say that Lana going to Lex instead of Clark after killing Genevieve is further proof that she doesn't trust Clark at all and it's like... how tf was Clark going to help her in this situation???😭 I agree that Lana and Clark have trust issues ad infinitum but in this case she just did the logical thing, come on now)

I have to respect this man for the level of unhinged he's reached, truly

Lois is so cool😩 Once again I am free on Saturday-

"Before you leave this earth I want you to know... you did create the son you always wanted."

Lionel when I get my hands on you

NUH UH JASON YOU TOUCH MARTHA ALL BETS ARE OFF

I need Lex to chill and stop manhandling Lana & Chloe please and thank you💀 He's joining the unhinged club

Martha & Jonathan against Jason?? Yes please I love fights between people without powers or martial arts training

🎶somebody save meeeeeee🎶

the way Chloe pushed Lex against the cave wall was hilarious I'm sorry

Fortress bestie we're almost hereee🥳

:(((((

Lois is sad = I'm sad, again, those are the rules

seeing the only place she ever considered a permanent home getting completely destroyed, IT'S A LOT. This whole episode was a lot.

And let's not even get started on Lana JESUS CHRIST. Smallville writers I think we need to sit down and have a conversation about her because WTF?

I don't even care that the witch plot was wacky and Jason's character arc was really badly executed, this season was so much fun.

#ellie's smallville thoughts #smallville #4x22 #clark kent #lois lane #jonathan kent #martha kent #clois #lex luthor #lana lang #chloe sullivan #jason teague

41 notes · View notes

ladyluscinia · 1 year

Note

In an ideal world, DJenks could build on Lucius’s poly ideas in “we don’t own each other.” and Stede and Izzy’s (super limited) abilities to compromise with each other (via hostages) and they could both be with Ed and everyone in the love triangle is happy, but that seems super delusional at this point, even if it’d be so cool. So, what do you think a realistic happy ending for Izzy would look like?

I think I pulled up a link I wanted to include to answer this like a day or two after it was sent, and then I promptly got distracted and didn't actually type anything. Oops.

Anyway... happy endings.

So here's a post where I kinda speculated on this before that's worth reading. It brings up some tropes that I think are in the mix of possibilities and how I personally feel about them.

For an answer to your question... The way I kind of see the "compromise" situation coming out of S1 is that all the characters are falling on a sliding scale between two not-ideal extremes of piracy philosophy. One end has Izzy firmly planted as the extreme of Edward's default approach - iron fist, emotionally closed off, total focus on skill and discipline, ruling things through a balance of fear and awe that makes them really good at piracy but emotionally and interpersonally a disaster. The other end is probably Lucius as the extreme of Stede's approach - all focus on interpersonal relationships and emotional fulfillment, wanting to have fun and do no work, flaunting hierarchy, and generally failing piracy in favor of self expression.

(Note it's important that Edward and Stede can't truly hit their extremes - Edward is too seeking of attachment and frivolity even as he bristles at vulnerability, and Stede is too emotionally locked up like a clam to practice what he preaches and now has no money to fund a permanent enforced vacation. They don't really want what they perceive as their culture goal, which is good because both their goals kind of suck in different ways. The Kraken is doomed to collapse because it's further out than Izzy.)

The whole crew, Izzy included, needs to make their way toward the midpoint (which, given this is a romcom, is probably not a true middle but skewed a bit toward Stede and silly hijinks) in order to be successful AND emotionally fulfilled. And I think they can do it!

Like Stede's whole vacation boat and enforcing his own unskilled, atypical piracy in the early eps has already caused friction with his crew. They want to be badasses, face challenges, complete raids, etc. The fact they've grown to like him doesn't mean they've decided Stede's hobbies are better than theirs now, it just means they are more open to doing something silly with him and enjoying it than they were in 1x01. I don't think the show is going to end with "retirement" because I don't think any of the characters really want to retire (including bored-as-hell Edward). And if they are still being pirates - in fact, trying to be good pirates - then it's not unrealistic to think Izzy can chill out a bit via character development and get in on the fun.

This is a guy who met Stede and sliced his shirt up as a hello, and then did literally everything he did in 1x06. He's not an inherent buzzkill of a person lol. He's just stressed.

Izzy and Edward working out their shit is probably going to be a extended part of Edward's general character arc, but once they get through that I feel like Izzy's happy ending will be just moving from lurking on the stairs to being in the circle. Give the man a friend, a knife game, probably a boyfriend for the middle aged love parallels... and throw in a real, much scarier antagonist for S3 just to cement him on the Revenge side (*crossing fingers* please be Hornigold).

He'll do just fine.

#our flag means death #izzy hands ofmd #i'm basically thinking his arc is going to look like villain decay except he's not starting out as enough of a villain for it #like none of them are viewing him as a threat to start with so they don't have to shuffle him into the 'not a threat' category #as soon as he resolves his shit with edward though then his reasons for conflict with the rest of them kinda go away #and i think it's kinda ridiculous when people act like the crew is gonna have a major grudge against *izzy* for mostly edward's actions #ask #ladyluscinia

36 notes · View notes

captainclickycat · 1 month

Text

I think I've hit upon one of the reasons I hate the "eldest daughter syndrome" thing so much is because so many of the characteristics people talk about apply to my own mother (who was the youngest girl in her family) so much more than they do to me.

For various reasons my mum grew up feeling like it was her job to take care of other people and was pressured to overachieve and put everyone before herself, her parents played favourites in a weird way, and then had a kid relatively young and wound up spending almost her entire adult life raising children almost singlehandedly which by the sound of it exacerbated that whole thing.

She talks a lot now about growing up feeling like a people-pleaser and having trouble setting boundaries, which definitely comes across and which honestly has caused a lot of strain and frustration when you're on the other side feeling like "it's fine if you can't do the thing but just tell me, stop being all vague and delicate about it and making me feel like I have to psychically divine what's going on" and "I'm not trying to force you into a corner by asking directly for something, you can say no and it's not fair to act like I'm pressuring you just by asking" and blah blah blah. Teach your kids that they can have boundaries, folks. Otherwise it's a whole thing.

Anyway, as a result of that she wound up pretty determined not to put the same kind of pressure or pigeonholing on her own kids. Whilst that kind of terminology might not have factored in, looking back there were a lot of measures put into place to ensure that I was at minimal risk of developing "eldest daughter syndrome". Which I'm inclined to say largely worked.

I don't feel like it's my job to look after other people. I tend to assume other people can look after themselves and they'll ask for my help if they need it. I have an instinctive "lol not my job" response to the idea of impromptu-babysitting other people's kids without being asked. I never felt under any particular pressure to overachieve that my siblings weren't (and the general vibe was "we'd like you to do your best but if you're happy that's the main thing"). I wasn't pressured to put other people before myself any more than the standard "everyone has to do that sometimes".

I won't say I've never struggled to uphold boundaries or felt bad about disappointing people, but it's not a major issue for me in the way it is for some people. If I know I don't have the capacity to do someone a favour I'm pretty comfortable saying "won't be able to fit that in, sorry!" and I don't mind people sometimes finding me a bit rude or standoffish because I don't let them touch me or go along with everything they want. Generally speaking, any personal insecurities and struggles I have tend to come down to some other factor (capitalism, being neurodivergent, not wanting to do things the traditional socially-accepted way, and what have you) than to having grown up as the eldest girl.

But the people who get prescriptive about "eldest daughter syndrome" would basically project my mum's characteristics onto me and then act like it was some indelible rule of nature because I was the eldest and she wasn't. And I feel like it's sort of... failing to give her credit, honestly. Parentifying their kids (eldest daughters or otherwise) is something parents do, not something that "just happens" as a natural occurrence, any more than enforced traditional gender roles "just happen".

I used to feel weird about complaining, because if the bad thing didn't apply to me shouldn't I just count myself lucky and go on my merry way? But idk I think I'm onto something here. The way this gets framed often ends up projecting baggage and personality traits onto people who don't have them, and ignoring those same traits in people who do have them just because they don't fit the template people have in their heads. You have to ask yourself sometimes when you're talking about wider social trends, are you actually critiquing them in a meaningful way, or are you crossing over into reinforcing them?

3 notes · View notes

sagecoloureddaydreams · 1 year

Text

Next up on the listener OCs that get actual design sheets (drumroll please): Baaabe!

This is Alessi (soon-to-be) Talbot (They/Them). Some little fun facts below the cut if you're interested lol:

Alessi is an Italian person that originally moved to America for work purposes (although I haven't decided what they do lol) and decided to stay after meeting an absolute dork in an elevator

They care not for the confines of gender and just do what they want (unlabelled essentially)

Eldest of three (contrasting to Asher, in my mind, being the youngest). Love their siblings to the moon and back (parents not so much)

All of the girls you loved before is Asher's song and Alessi has assigned it to him I don't make the rules I just enforce them.

Speaking of, they are a mega swiftie (because of Ash I don't make the rules)

Their favourite song is Bejeweled (And it's obvious why LOOK AT THEM) but Paper Rings makes them think of Asher

Could easily (and willingly) become Asher's sugar parent (they still live in an apartment because they are apartment people shhhh)

Is very good at eyeliner and does Asher's eyeliner because he doesn't know how to but still wants to look cool

Also matches outfit colours with Ash whenever they get the chance.

Very much the princess (in this case Royal) x loser couple and I love them for it

#art #oc #redacted headcanons #redacted asmr #redacted audio #redacted asmr asher #redacted audio asher #redacted asher talbot #redacted asmr baabe #redacted audio baabe #redacted baabe #babe talbot #character reference sheet #character art #oc art #listener art

26 notes · View notes

coagulatedink · 2 months

Text

Thoughts on my 1st* Art Fight!

Thought it might be helpful to write up what my (*mostly) first experience with Art Fight was like! Those who have participated in multiple years of AF may not find this helpful and thats ok! This will be going over my Goals, my Final Stats, why I tried AF and why you might enjoy it, who might not enjoy it, and any other final thoughts. If you're looking for more insight into the art I created (and everything related to that) you'll want to check out a future post that will be linked here! Now! Onto the words!

My Goals for AF 2024

As someone who very often takes projects and runs with them once I get momentum, I knew it was important to try to enforce (keyword try) some sort of limitations with AF. The hope was if I kept to these "rules" or limits, I wouldn't end up biting off more than I could chew and avoid burnout n bad feelings! My goals/limits ended up being;

Choose characters that seem fun

Don't start art without a concept

Some aspect must be experimental

Attempt to finish art in under 3 hours!!

No re-dos! Go with the flow!

Try to submit a total of 30 attacks

Attempt at least 1 revenge

Dang! That sure is a whole lot to keep in mind and work towards!! My logic behind "fun characters" and "no concept no art" was this; if I can't enjoy myself while drawing the character there isn't a good reason to be drawing them. This doesn't mean the character design is poor or boring- it just means that based on my restrictions already listed I needed to make sure I also was having a good time! Having a concept, even if it was just an idea, also guaranteed that I'd draw something vs nothin! Overall these goals/limits felt manageable and I'm glad I went with them. Now! How did it all go?

- - - - - -

My 2024 AF Outcome!

Here are my final stats as of August 3rd 2024 when AF closed its submissions (I'll update this post with any changes in the future);

Points: 1008.5 -- Attacks: 14 -- Friendly Fire: 2 -- Defenses: 7

As you can see; I didn't reach my goal of 30 attacks. 😔 I know, I too..think that was too high of a number LOL! When I wrote it down I think I thought I'd be doing simpler, smaller, less time consuming submissions! I also thought I'd be doing a lot of single character illustrations with minimal bgs, so composition and consideration of flow for a larger cast didn't enter my mind (at the time). Aaannndd then I came up with multiple concepts for art that had many many characters and that plan went out the window haha!! Even though I didn't submit 30 attacks, I did end up;

Fully rendering art of 27(28?) characters that weren't my own!

Drawing my new sona Guy twice!

Designed a whole new sona during AF!!!

Came up with roughly 20 concepts all together (5 did not get finished in time)!

Getting some AMAZING defenses/revenges from some lovely artists!!

Had all 5 of my characters drawn!!!

Spoke to/found a love of amazing artists I wouldn't have met/seen otherwise!!

Stayed true to the majority of my goals/limits!

Again, I'll go into the art side of everything in another post (with pictures) but I will say I love everything I made for AF. Its a very nice feeling to set goal and surpass them- esp after a very long period of art block/fatigue! I went in expecting 0 revenges or attacks/defenses and was delighted at what I ended up reviving. To those of you who drew me something- thank you! If I get your permission I would love to show off your art here as additional thanks!! So, after all that- was it worth it? - - - - - -

Was Art Fight "Worth it" to me?

Yes. LOL! Art Fight was def "worth it" to me. Sorry to jump to the end of it haha- let me go into it a little more like I said I would!

I joined Art Fight the second week of July- partly bc I wasn't sure if I really wanted to take part. As I mentioned, I had attempted to take part in Art Fight in the past! The first time I completed 2 attacks, but never ended up posting ether (if memory serves) or writing down the artists name (so I dont even know who they belong to). A couple of years ago I tried again, but those attacks were aimed at my partner at the time and mostly just an excuse to draw something for them-- it wasn't really made in the "spirit of Art Fight". In both cases I wasn't very familiar with the interface, the point system, the submission system- you get the idea. So when I started fresh and began the process of uploading characters, and later attacks, I was pleasantly surprised! Everything was simple enough and the things I was unsure about (mainly how to rate my works) had articles or answers on the official Art Fight Tumblr that helped a ton! These factors + the encouragement from friends who had already taken part gave me the push to set my goals/limits and give it a try!

At first I was a little discouraged- I didn't think anyone would like my characters or my artwork. I worried I was creating for no one but myself, which isn't bad!!! HOWEVER! This can feel isolating when you're submitting it to a place they're literally a hive of active artists, and as someone who hasn't posted a whole lot of art publicly in the last two-three years I was nervous to put myself out there!! Thankfully I got a lot of love and kind comments from friends, mutuals' and even complete strangers! It was immensely gratifying!!! My submissions were a little sporadic the rest of AF- if I felt up to working on something I'd work on it. If I didn't..I didn't! That did mean there was a lot of last minute attacks haha, especially after going over the top with a sona-centric illustration. Still! In 22 days I managed to make 16 fully rendered works- each one unique in its own way! Thats great!!

My reasoning for taking part in Art Fight is pretty simple; I enjoy drawing other folks characters and I love to experiment with my artwork. When I was younger I spent a lot of time on Deviant Art, specifically in clubs/groups. It was always fun to flip through groups and see all the different character designs, all the different styles and settings, and soak it all in. Now-a-days art based RP groups aren't really a thing, and finding places where you can easily flip through a varying range of artists and hobbiests works isn't as easy as it used to be. AF brings back a touch of nostalgia and a lot of good vibes from me! Its nice to feel like you're not only being acknowledged, but seen as an artists, esp online where its so easy to get lost in the massive sea of creators. To me AF didn't feel like I was going against anyone, but working alongside a ton of creatives- and that is an amazing feeling!! Its the same feeling I got from those old DA groups, from working on zines and even the fabled OCTs. Collaboration is beautiful and amazing and I hope other folks left Art Fight feeling as good as I did!

- - - - - -

Should YOU try Art Fight?

Are you older? Younger? New at art? Been doing art for a while? Tall? Short? An alien? Well! Art Fight may just be for you! No but seriously, AF isn't just for teens or people in their early 20s- its for everyone at every skill level. When I looked for characters I wasn't thinking "oh how talented is this artist" I was thinking "would this character be fun to draw". If you can approach AF like that you will most likely have a lot of fun! Well that and making sure you set yourself up for success. For those who have never taken part, or took part but feel like you had too much slack/creative freedom I suggest the following (in no particular order);

Use the tag system and find types of characters you KNOW you will enjoy drawing. If you love clowns look for clowns! If you would prefer object heads look for object heads! The tagging system is new, and I encourage everyone to use it, so it won't have EVERYONE but it will have options! This can help narrow down your choices vs just looking at the newly submitted or random characters.

See if any artists you admire/are friends with/are mutuals with are taking part! Sometimes the total unknown can be daunting! It can be easier to draw art for a friend, or someone you admire- and it gives you an excuse to do so.

Give yourself a limitation of materials you will use! Maybe you'll only use color pencils, or GIMP, or everything can only be down with blue ink- limitations like that can help establish a through-line through your submissions that can add a little stability.

Pick a theme for your attacks- maybe the first week everyone is drawn as Spooky Monsters, and the next week everyone is painted like they're from a Picasso painting. Just make sure to respect any character rules listed on character profiles!!

Stick to characters who have rules and suggestions! Personally I found these characters to be much more appealing (or unappealing) bc it automatically told me what I could or couldn't do from the start. If it felt too restrictive I'd say "no thanks" and keep looking! And if they had prompts I was more likely to use them bc it gave me a jumping off point.

Set a time limit. This can be the amount of time you will allow yourself to work on an attack, or it could be how much of Art Fight you're willing to take part in! Its ok if you say "I'm only going to work on weekends in July" or "I'm only going to attack the second week and thats it" ect! You do not need to take part every day! Do what works well for you!! Its your time and you should be having fun!

Art Fight should be FUN and if its not fun for you I'd suggest stepping away and doing something else that will bring you joy. My biggest suggestion for anyone who wants to try it out is to go in with low expectations and do what feeling good to you. If you have a hard time with any sort of competitive atmosphere, major anxiety about time restrictions, or just don't enjoy showing you art publicly, you most likely won't enjoy Art Fight. This doesn't mean you can't try!!! You can!! It just might not end up being your cup of tea.

- - - - - -

Final Thoughts (I promise I'm almost done)

Art Fight is, to me, what you make it. Setting limits, creating prompts, "gamifying" the event; that made taking part manageable even with everything else I need to juggle on a day-to-day schedule in my personal and work life. I think not taking too much of it too personally also helped- and I did struggle with this at the start! But then I saw I could draw a literal sock and was like "I think maybe I should just have fun" LOL! And I super did!! Drawing that sock was fun! Drawing a lot of what I made for AF was fun- I'm sad I didn't get to finish everything but I'm glad I was able to share my art with new people and get some cute stuff in return. I feel like I keep repeating myself with my positive comments, and I probs am, but I can't help it! The internet gave me a cool thing! And it ended well! Thats the total opposite of what I've experienced online LOL!!! To see people come together, see them create and gush and just be full of mirth n joy is very VERY nice during these not so nice times. I'm not sure if I'll be able to take part in next years AF, if I can though I totally will! Thanks for taking the time to read my lengthy write up! Did you take part in Art Fight? If so, what did you think? Would setting limits for yourself help you out, or would you prefer going loose-goosey? If you haven't tried might you attempt next year? Lemme know! I'm curious!!

Till next year-- Happy Art Fight yall!!!

#art fight 2024 #artfight #untitled grave #text post #had some thoughts #this isn't tea this is cold refreshing water #I really want to join an OCT #this isn't even all my thoughts I just didn't want to ramble for 30 more pages about the beauty of collaboration #ty for bringing back my art drive AF #time to sleep for 10 years tho jfc #team stardust #wonder who will win? :0

3 notes · View notes

therealvinelle · 2 years

Note

do you have any tips on writing Aro? I love the way you write him, and i want to do a better job than i am. he only has a small part in this fic but i feel he could easily just take over when Carlisle shows up lol

Oh that's hard to answer.

There's no official process to it when I decide how to characterize someone, it all just happens rather automatically, which makes it tough to explain to others.

Though, with Aro it's actually simpler than it is with a lot of other characters, since there are so many thing that make him unique.

The man is over three thousand years old, and he has a gift that means every time he touches a person he knows every single thought that person has ever had. His vampire brain makes it impossible for him to forget a second of his own life or even of the minds he has touched. He has ruled the vampire world with for over a thousand years, enforcing a law he came up with where breaking it means your death, no second chances and no alternative punishments (not counting those who are made to join his guard). Rather than brute numerical force, Aro decided to conquer the world with gifts and strategy. He killed all those who would stand against him, refused to yield, or who in other ways were an inconvenience to him. He killed his own sister even though he loved her, and when he thought his friend Carlisle had harboured an immortal child he was ready to kill him as well.

So, even before my interpretation of the character enters the stage, there are a few things we know about him.

He's intelligent

Too often I see Aro dumbed down to the point where it's unfeasible this guy could ever have conquered anything, nevermind the world. He's made into a comic book villain and easily outmaneuvered, usually by the Cullens even though the Cullens have zero military experience (save for Jasper, but Jasper's field of expertise is newborn armies. He knows how to use brute strength and quantity strategically, when outsmarting that entire school of military philosophy is exactly how Aro got to the top in the first place. Jasper's out of luck).

Of course, Aro had Caius and Marcus with him, taking over the world wasn't a solo mission, but if one of those three had been a weak link, the Volturi would not have succeeded. They each contribute, and more, Aro is the one who realised what talents were needed and held the group together.

You're looking at a man who understands people and sees their strengths and weaknesses, sees opportunities where others don't, who understands how best to utilise the tools and advantages he has. He is calculating, analytical, and can inspire others.

He's highly intelligent and a force to be reckoned with. If you want your characters to get the better of him you'll have to sell me on it. Either they outsmart him, or he makes a mistake, or both - the important thing is you can't sell him short.

Here's a post @thecarnivorousmuffinmeta wrote on writing intelligent characters I believe would be useful. And while the second part is about writing Tom Riddle, it's generic enough that you could apply it to Aro as well.

His gift colours his relationship with everybody

If he can read every single thought a person has ever had, then he knows them more intimately than anybody else ever will. The person you are when you are with friends, when you are at work, when you are with family, when it's just you, and all the things you won't show to anyone, Aro sees it all. He sees the best and the worst of you.

More to the point, his every relationship has an innate power imbalance where he knows everyone he meets better than they know themselves from the start, while they know only what he chooses to show them. That is, in turn, extremely isolating since most people aren't going to put up with that.

I think Aro likely allows those close to him a set of boundaries. If someone doesn't wishes to have their mind read and he disrespects that, he's signalling that there is nothing they can do to shield their mind and, in turn, themselves from him. A very effective way of establishing dominance against criminals, to be sure, and the members of his guard can't very well refuse their leader to know what they know, but when it comes to personal acquaintances such as Carlisle or the wives, he would be shattering the trust between them by forcing his gift upon them.

Aro is living in a strange world of his own where he knows everyone around him so much better than anybody else does, but that very gift is isolating and means he can't ever have a normal interaction.

His gift also gives him a unique vulnerability. Unlike Edward, he can't be blocked, which is great when you want as much information as possible, but it also means he can't be blocked. He's getting every goddamn thought. If he touches Rosalie, he'll see her rape from her point of view, and know exactly what was going through her mind at the time, and he will see her decades of grief and bitter regret at all she will never get to have. I know we all joke about Aro having canonically read Midnight Sun, but he really has seen all the years of Edward knocking his head against a wall muttering, "Angst. Angst. Angst." to himself, just as he has seen the inside of countless of other mentally ill or traumatized people.

The man has to have incredible strength to live with a gift like that. More, a gift like this will shape who is as a person.

And here you can headcanon, as I do, that he is at times reluctant to read a mind he knows won't be pleasant, or that Marcus will use his gift to filter out minds Aro really, really, shouldn't read (such as if a prospective recruit is having funny thoughts about Jane).

I also headcanon that reading a mind can be overwhelming, especially if it's his first time reading someone's mind, and that Aro has to figure out how he's going to navigate this particular person's mind before he can get anything worthwhile out of it.

He's immortal

More often than not, within Twilight or in other fandoms (pour one out for Master of Death!Harry), ancient characters will be portrayed in a way that feels mundane and narrow in scope.

You will get a lot of mocking the mayfly humans who so foolishly believe their blink of an eye time on Earth matters, or that their short-lived empires impress anybody. The immortal character will be too worldly to function, and think very highly of himself simply because he is old. He may or may not have a god complex.

It's a valid interpretation, the world has no shortage of people who are too worldly to function in their teens, and who would get a thousand times more insufferable if they lived to be three thousand years old. The fact that vampires don't mature physically is another factor working against them.

(... and I think I just made myself realise that the way Aro is frequently characterised is in fact what Edward would become, if he got to be that old. Edward talks as if he's much older than he is and considers himself to be very worldly when we meet him, give the guy another three thousand years and you'll be looking at fanon Aro.)

I personally choose to characterise Aro as one who has seen history repeat itself too often to think he's an exception. All the world's most brilliant thinkers, the most well intentioned laws and conscientiously executed governments, it has all fallen, one way or another. It is the nature of things. Aro is not the first man to become an emperor, and while his empire may be the first of its kind, his rule will one day meet its end, and while he can do everything in his power to thwart those who would be his usurpers, he would be a fool to believe it won't happen eventually.

I'll admit that @theoriginalcarnivorousmuffin and I have a very specific type when it comes to how we want our immortal characters. We're both fascinated by the perspective you would get on the human race when you get to watch it for long enough, and how little trifles that seem so important to the contemporary mind would cease to matter.

I think Aro views immortals as no bigger than mortals, and that being ancient has been humbling, rather than the opposite.

I like to think I have proof of my interpretation of Aro in his love for human culture and arts. If we were ants to him, he wouldn't see the point in commissioning Solimena- why bother, when he could simply touch the man to learn how he performs his craft, and then teach himself to mimic it? Why be an academic, when our philosophies and scientific findings are the products of lesser minds?

By all accounts the man appears to be perfectly sane

Why I think Aro is sane is covered in this post.

Essentially, while all parties agree that the man is eccentric, I frequently see him characterised as insane (usually a nebulous insane where he's either a childish and infantile man, or he's a neurotic mess, or he's just... Insane™ (think Joker)).

Your fic, your decision, but... I'll just be blunt. I've yet to see insane!Aro done well. I'm sure it could be, I'm a firm believer in "anything can be pulled off if the author is good enough", but I've yet to see it.

I see him as someone easily perceived as mad, and not particularly bothered by that fact. If he was, he wouldn't be so openly himself. If anything, he seems to intentionally cultivate that perception.

A note on writing Dark™ characters

Frankly, this is worth a post of its own, just as the "How to write intelligent characters" bit, but I'll give it a shot.

For lack of a better way to explain this, I shall confess that when I was 13 I was one of those edgy kids who liked dark characters because they're so much cooler than the boring good guys. They hurt innocent people because they're edgy like that. God help me, I shipped Bellamort.

Why do I bring this up, you may wonder, and it's because a lot of the time when I'm reading Aro fic he acts like something 13-year-old me would have found very impressive. Sadly, this means we're now back to Aro being a comic book villain, because in order to have your Dark Aro™ you have to dumb him down and make him edgy (I don't want to give examples of this publicly since it's a small fandom and the examples that come to mind would be from specific and easily identified fics, so you'll have to forgive my being vague. I hope it's clear what kind of characterisation I'm describing, though). He becomes a flat and uninteresting character.

With a character like Aro, who murdered his sister for power, you can't ignore the man has a dark side, but don't write a Dark™ character.

Aro is ruthless, there is no denying that. He can kill anybody, no matter how much he loves them or how much it will destroy him, if he perceives it to be necessary. He killed god knows how many vampires on his way to power, and continues to rule not as a king, but as a judge and an executioner. He has made sure the vampire world knows he will spare no one if they break his law or try to rise up against him, and that is the kind of lesson you can't teach without making examples of countless of covens (And yes, I know Caius exists, but again, if Aro was a weak link here then the Volturi would be known as "those guys who can kill you, but won't").

In spite of this, we see he is capable of being both generous and fair to his subjects. There's a distinct lack of bloodlust, and his admiration for Carlisle points to a sincere appreciation for goodness and morality that you're not going to get from Darky McDarkety Dark.

I view him as a man with demons. He has done unforgivable things, he has to live with the eternal reminder of what he did to his sister in the form of Marcus, and I interpret his choice to present his warm and sincere side to those around him as one made because he is deeply private in his own way, and this seeming openness is a good way to keep the parts of himself he doesn't want to broadcast close to the chest.

Lastly, I'm a nerd

There's no denying my interpretation of Aro is largely inspired by several fictional characters I adore. Examples being:

Emiya Kiritsugu from Fate/Zero, a man who will destroy anyone and anything in pursuit of a cause he has devoted himself to entirely. He kills the only mother he has ever known because saving her would have meant the deaths of hundreds, and he marries the woman he loves even though they both know he will have to kill her to save the world. In the end, when he learns that his cause would only lead to greater destruction, he abandons it even though this means his wife died for nothing and his daughter will die as well. Does he hate himself for these things, yes, does that stop him, no, because he's living a life where it keeps being him who has to make these awful decisions, and every time he tries to choose the one that will save as many people as possible- or kill as few as possible.

Livia from I, Claudius, who is incredibly intelligent, ruthless, will kill her loved ones off, her biggest problems are dealing with fools, and who's ultimately recognised by Claudius as a stabilizing force after she's dead. She is hated by those who recognise her for what she is, save for by Claudius who, though he fears her, grows to understand her.

Claudius from I, Claudius, who doesn't wish to be Emperor, but he remains on the throne to Rome because he knows that the world will fall apart without him.

TL;DR: Write Aro as an intelligent man whose outlook on the world around him is shaped by his gift, one who has attentively watched human history unfold in front of him and learned from this. Make him ruthless because he has to be.

Good luck, I hope this was remotely helpful.

#yeetbean #writing #aro #twilight #twilight renaissance #twilight meta

109 notes · View notes