[Essay]: Meer and Lacus.
Lacus told me to write an essay about Meer on Lacus (unfortunately, not that way), and Lacus tops the universe, so.
Canon, in brief: Meer Campbell is a young girl who sounds just like political icon and pop idol Lacus Clyne. Flashbacks infer that she was in some sort of scouting competition (?), at which point the guy who would become her manager noted that she sounded just like Lacus. Canon is sketchy here, but Mr. Manager connects somehow with Chairman Dullindal and she undergoes plastic surgery (not for her chest. Flashbacks also show that it was already big) to look just like Lacus. Then, when Chairman Dullindal needs to shore up political support for his administration, she goes on television and says “Wassup? I’m Lacus and I think you should listen to these people. Have a pretty song.” From there, Meer-as-Lacus garners support for Dullindal’s policies and administration by closely allying herself with its efforts - going on concert tours of military bases, etc. When Dullindal denounces LOGOS she, again, gives an “outsider” support to his decisions. Somewhere in this… she gets caught up in the persona of Lacus, and the thrill of being helpful and useful and needed. When Athrun deserts, he tells Meer to come with him - that she’s Dullindal’s puppet and he’ll kill her when she’s not useful. She doesn’t care; she stays. When the real Lacus comes out again, Meer is pretty much an emotional wreck, and is coerced into trying to kill Lacus. Meer is Lacus-topped and ends up taking an assassin’s bullet for Lacus.
In short… Meer starts off the series as a Lacus fangirl, then gets really into it and stops caring so much about Lacus as staying in a position where she’s needed, then dies for Lacus - definitely more admiration than that “but I’m Lacus!” at the end of things. I’m playing Meer, when it comes to Lacus, mostly as the fangirl she seems to be at the beginning of the series. A clip of conversation from Meer’s first long onscreen appearance:
- The truth is, I’ve always been a great fan of Lacus. I used to love singing her songs all the time. That’s when people started telling me that my voice sounded like hers. And then, one day, the chairman called for me.
- And that’s how you started doing this?
- Yes! Chairman Dullindal told me he needed my strengths, for the sake of the PLANTs. And presto!
- He doesn’t need your strengths. He needs Lacus’s.
- I know that, but for now… no, it’s not just for now. Miss Lacus’s strengths are always going to be needed. By everyone. She’s strong, beautiful, and kind. I’m just Meer. Nobody really needs me. But I don’t mind if it’s just for now! I’m game! I know Miss Lacus isn’t here, so I’m just glad to do whatever it takes to help the chairman and everybody else on her behalf! And I’m really happy that I found you, Athrun. I would imagine you probably know a ton of stuff about Miss Lacus. Could you tell me what she’s like? I’d love to hear about her!
And from Meer’s diary:
When I looked at the mirror, there really was a reflection of Lacus Clyne’s face in the mirror! It’s amazing… amazing! Because this face is Lacus Clyne’s no matter how you look at it! I, a big fan of hers, am saying that! […]
I wonder if she’s as beautiful as when she gives a speech. […]
To start off with, Lacus’s job first is… to sing. No, that’s not it! To do various activities for PLANT and the world’s peace.
If you got the impression that Meer has a girlcrush through the first episodes of Destiny, you’re dead on. (The rest of that diary is here, edited slightly to make sense.)
But, um. It’s not quite like that anymore, because can you really pretend to be someone for months and then just go back to exactly the way things used to be?
Meer and Lacus.
Meer hero-worships Lacus. The sentiment expressed at first -- She’s strong, beautiful, and kind -- is the overriding tone of things. However… Meer’s a little uneasy around Lacus. Part of it is just nerves from being around the most dynamic lady in the history of the PLANTs (no offense to your mom, Yzak), but part of it is a big helping of guilt. Meer stole Lacus’s identity for an undefined period - three months? Half a year? - and did things she figures Lacus probably didn’t approve of (it’s not even the “waking up in bed with Athrun.” It’s the “supporting the chairman taking over the world”). And then she pulled a gun on Lacus. Admittedly, she never got around to firing said gun, but she still feels awful about it. And -- and what does Lacus think? That Meer is/was completely psychotic?
And so… she’s not entirely comfortable. She really will do her best to impress Lacus, but she doesn’t know how.
… And Other Worries.
Placing Lacus so high up necessitates that Meer, well, place herself below Lacus. Whatever Meer can do, Lacus can probably do better, and more people will love her. Nobody really needs me and so forth. And so… Meer is a little scared of people preferring Lacus to her (I mean, Meer prefers Lacus to herself; she can’t blame them) and losing out on time with people she likes.
The problem is most acute with Kira, who Meer feeeeeels that she’s sort of been a Lacus substitute with. It didn’t bother her much, because she really cares about Kira, but she’s not going to be able to shake the feeling that she’s going to be significantly less important to Kira now that the real deal is here for him.
Meer is also having a shipping war with herself about whether AsuLacus or KiRakusu (rofl retard shipper name) is OTP. This is the best kind of shipping war, because she gets to flame herself.
It also really grates on Meer to have people mistake her for Lacus now, partly because it reminds her of That Really Stupid Thing She Did Back In The Real World, but mostly also because her biggest development - over a long period of time at camp, or in a few panicked minutes at home - was in recreating herself as Meer, not Lacus. So it’s very much “Argh, I went through all the crap to stop being Lacus and now you’re calling me Lacus again? Bitch plz.”
…
Okay, I’m done!