ghostlyboys

[ghostlyboys]

Writing a background canon character - filling the gaps

Now, obviously, we know very little about Scar from the canon material - he only has two lines ("Hey," and "Firelights!') and has less than 3 minutes of screen time. As far as canon characters go, he's a pretty blank slate.

(Very cool design though. Definite blorbo material.)

Writing characters like this can be challenging, but it can also be fun, because it gives you significantly more creative license. Especially when you take into account all the little details from the show you can build off of. So, here's a list of a few little headcanons I've developed for my portrayal of Scar from Arcane.

Headcanon #1: Scar is an ex-addict

The basis for this is, essentially, that I got a little bug in my brain about when Ekko says to Vi:

"Everyone here was either an addict or a victim - they needed somewhere safe to start again."

Because when he says that line, the camera pans to Scar.

We see what Shimmer does to people in the show. We see how it can destroy them - whether it makes them monstrous supersoldiers for Silco, or deformed, desperate shells of their former selves. But we also see people using it casually in The Last Drop. We see strong, cunning warriors like Sevika using it as a combat enhancer. We see even it used as a medicine ingredient, when Caitlyn trades in her gun for a Shimmer-infused potion to save Vi's life.

So the effects of Shimmer use is clearly on a spectrum. We know the extreme end of Shimmer addiction looks like this:

This is what Silco has done to The Lanes. This is what Ekko is trying to stop - to save people from.

So, what about addicts who've managed to break their deadly Shimmer habit before it was too late, who managed to get clean? Well, technically, we've seen them too. Because by Ekko's own admission, there are ex-addicts in the Firelights. Ekko is doing more than just destroying Shimmer shipments; he is taking in addicts off the street, and helping them clean their act up, giving them a chance to start over anew.

Now, addiction is a very dangerous condition with a very high relapse/failure rate. Having a strong support system to help you is integral to maintaining sobriety - but so is seeing other people who have gone through the same struggle with relapsing as you, fought that battle, and won. And what better example to inspire people and show that it's possible, than the Firelights' own second in command?

Willpower and self-discipline is key to successful addiction recovery, and many recovered addicts have turned their lives around through making healthier lifestyle changes. We see Scar is physically very active and in amazing shape; he clearly works out regularly and at a high intensity. Also, we see him get back up to fight time and time again after taking a beating. That takes tremendous willpower and discipline.

As well as making healthier lifestyle changes, recovered addicts also commonly immerse themselves in community outreach to try and support fellow addicts, to provide support and awareness and help others in their recovery. As a Firelight, Scar is clearly actively invested in helping other Fissurefolk who've been harmed by Silco's operations, and in getting Shimmer off the streets by destroying shipments.

When sabotaging Silco's shimmer shipment, Ekko and Eve both have speaking lines, but Scar is silent as he surveys all the barrels of Shimmer. He also notably keeps his distance - sending other Firelights down into the hold to destroy any Shimmer below, taking up a vantage point in the rafters to cover his comrades while they deal with preparing to burn the barrels. He also chooses to attack Jinx head on without hesitation, in an effort to buy the other Firelights more time to do this. (Coincidence? Probably lmao. But it also works for my headcanon, as it could be interpreted that Scar is wary of handling Shimmer himself/still occasionally experiences temptation)

Ekko and Scar are tight. They are bros. There is a clear bond of mutual trust and respect there. We see them both save each other's life; we see Scar set Ekko's leg with care. What was it that garnered Scar's loyalty and established such a strong working relationship? We don't know. Could it be that Ekko saved Scar's life by helping him get clean and giving him a cause to fight for, to live for? Well, that's what I'm rolling with for my portrayal, since no one can tell me otherwise ¯\ _(ツ)_/¯

NOTE: I write my version of Scar as someone who's in advanced stage of recovery during the events of Act II/Act III in canon - meaning, he has been clean for years, and while he still occasionally experiences temptation, he is stable and has well-established coping mechanisms in place to avoid relapsing.

Headcanon #2: Scar is not his birth name

I personally reckon that "Scar" is a nickname that stemmed from the distinctive scar across his lip

I'm rolling with the idea that he prefers to go by Scar because:

a) It's a cool-sounding nickname, that I imagine he earned as an accolade after he split his lip open in a particularly nasty fight to protect his younger street kid friends

b) He carried shame about the person he used to be, and taking on this new name was one of the changes he chose to make in his effort to become someone better - someone stronger, who could fight and take hits to keep others safe, owning the fact that he had survived horrible things and not been broken by them (this also makes him an interesting narrative foil to contrast with someone like Jinx, who took on her moniker to embrace the worst parts of herself)

For my own personal reference I'm gonna jot down here that I headcanon his birth name to be Valkos (this may or may not ever come up)

Headcanon #3: Scar has a family

Okay, obviously it has been confirmed that he has a baby daughter

For the sake of my portrayal, his daughter is gonna be called Ahri

His daughter is very young, and I don’t see him being a single dad given that he very actively goes out on jobs with his fellow Firelights, putting himself on the frontline, and is likely kept busy with the duties that come with being Ekko's second in command - that's the behaviour of someone set on securing a safer world for his family even if it costs his life, not someone who is solo parent of a baby who needs caring for around the clock. I believe he has a living partner (who is probably also Vastaya/has Vastayan heritage, given just how much his daughter takes after him)

For the sake of my portrayal, I'll be calling that partner Zihnah (or "Zee")

Headcanon #4: Scar, Eve and Ekko were the Founding Members of the Firelights

This really just comes down to my observation of how the three of them operated as a tightly knit unit during the hit on Silco's shipment, implying that they've been working together for a long time and interacting as equals. They were clearly the ringleaders of the operation, while the other four Firelights simply stood by, awaiting orders:

(Look at them. They look like they're about to drop their latest album I love them)

Eve also gets a place of honour up on the memorial wall, right with Vander, Benzo, Powder, Vi etc - her portrait is just as large and detailed as those core faces, which speaks volumes about how important she was to the Firelights (and to Ekko.) I 100% buy that she and Scar were two of the core Firelight members, who helped Ekko build the community into what we see in the show

This also explains why Scar is not just Ekko's second in command, but why they have a significantly stronger bond than just a superior and his lieutenant - why they can communicate so easily without words, why they look out for each other so closely, and why Ekko trusts Scar to set his leg without batting an eyelid (likely because they have patched each other up before and are comfortable being vulnerable around each other)

(I'll probably add more headcanons to this thread as I think of them, but these are the core ones I'm starting out with, to give some more depth + context to how I write the character.)

[ghostlyboys]

The scene where Vi and Caitlyn get kidnapped by the Firelights is, in retrospect, very funny to me because it's basically just

Vi, immediately forgetting she's technically still in a fight and going 😨🥺 at seeing her sweet baby sis going feral:

Scar, driven by sheer spite, getting back up again after about 13 consecutive punches to the face:

[ghostlyboys]

Do you think we’re soulmates in another universe?

[ghostlyboys]

[ghostlyboys]

"so this is how liberty dies... with thunderous applause"

Padme would be so disappointed in us.

[ghostlyboys]

force-sensitive clones might not be able to serve openly, but the order has a place and a home for them nonetheless

[ghostlyboys]

Finnick Odair, who won his game at 14, who fell in love with a mad girl from district 4 and loved her with all his heart. Who was sold by the capital for his body.

finnick Odair, who excelled in water combat, who made sure everyone was safe.

Finnick Odair, who died in the water without his friends, by mutts made by the capital. Calling out for his friends. Who's body was left unrecognizable.

Finnick Odair, who never knew he was a father, and never got to live his life with the women he loved.

[ghostlyboys]

queer themes in x-men my beloved. Angel binding his wings. Bobby’s parents asking if he’s tried just not being a mutant. Nightcrawler and catholic guilt. The existence of cherik. Everything with Scott/Jean/Logan. Mystique and Destiny.

[ghostlyboys]

In X-Men origins: wolverine Scott and Logan meet very briefly, where Logan technically saved Scott and several other mutants lives.

Do you think Scott knows they had met before Logan came to Xavier's? He was blind that whole time, do you think he remembered Logan's from the sound of his claws?

Logan wouldn't remember meeting Scott, but maybe a piece of him knew that "cyclops" was the blind kid he once saved?

Can the loss of a memory really keep people apart?

[ghostlyboys]

I'm going to write an essay about the queer themes in the X-Men and no one can stop me. :D

[ghostlyboys]

My contribution to the collective brainrot 😔

[ghostlyboys]

Cajun Dan is right. Give this man a gator or two.

[ghostlyboys]

I will always listen to Mr Dafoe

mr dafoe says dont kys.. bc that shit kills you 👍

[ghostlyboys]

Just so everyone knows, if Channing Tatum as Gambit has no supporters be sure that I am dead

[ghostlyboys]

lamb to the slaughter

[ghostlyboys]

oh so I’ll have to watch mollymauk die again? this time in animation? oh yeah I’m sure I’ll handle that just fine

[ghostlyboys]

Would have loved to see more furyjack moments in the movie, but drawing them will have to do 🫠