#i just don't care for anything star wars related

[llycaons]

not wangxian though. it's one of the 10% which are actually good

[the-pigeon-queen]

Obsessed with your ghost takes. Give me more headcanons I beg. I’m on my knees. Let us see but a fraction of the beauty in your mind.

Truly I am honored and I'm happy to provide :]

Sorry for the delay, I had to cook these up

Again, per usual, these are just personal head cannons :0 And I got 10 for each papa and for ghouls!

Copia:

Grew up doing acrobatics and ballet to be more like his Auntie, Marika. He chose to focus on ballet pretty early on.

Referred to Markia as Auntie but Mr. Psaltarian as Mr. Psaltarian.

Has a complicated relationship with his emotionally distant father figure, Mr. Psaltarian, but an even more complicated one with his actual father, Nihil

Marika babied him - grew up a little spoiled

The 666 mark on his chest is a birthmark lol not a tattoo

Has a lot of mobile games on his phone, and he has used the company card to make microtransactions for them

Picked up boxing because he was a little insecure about his arms and to stay 'fit' as he says

Executive dysfunction - eventually the stress of doing a task trumps his procrastination. When he does work, he does it well - he did get 2nd best employee of the month, after all

Prefers sci-fi to fantasy, with Star Wars being his favorite. He has models of all the different space ships in Star Wars. And a lightsaber (canonically)

Has pet rats (this is cannon to me across all AU's, I can't help it)

Perpetua:

Raised as an orphan in the catholic church after being kidnapped as a baby (will it be cannon? 👀 we'll see)

They were convinced he was possessed by the devil, and they performed multiple exorcisms on him there. Each one was traumatic, for obvious reasons.

One common punishment was having his knuckles/hands smacked - that's why he wears gloves/metal gauntlets, it makes him feel safer.

The mask, too, is worn because its comforting to hide behind it. He only takes it off when he has to.

He's trans. He goes by he/him but still doesn't confirm to any gender roles, especially not when it comes to fashion. He wears anything he wants. This includes the claws.

Whereas Copia has issues maintaining eye contact, Perpetua is the opposite. He stares. A lot. It is unnerving after a while.

His natural smile just happens to be very toothy and very wide.

Genuinely desires familial connections, and desperately wants to meet and befriend his twin, who he looks up to.

Has not confronted how he feels about the Ministry only seeking him out when he was needed for something. Right now, he's just happy to be wanted.

Has a pet bat :) no, it doesn't have rabies. Probably.

Primo:

Hates Nihil the most out of any of the siblings. He really brings a 'kill your dad' energy to the function (or a kill your older brother energy, take your pick)

Collects ancient occult or 'cursed' books. He has a copy of the Necronomicon. One of his most precious treasures is a copy of the Codex Gigas. He is currently hunting down a copy of the 'King and Yellow' because it's not a cognito hazard, people just don't get it like he does.

His mother was a witch - it's where he picked up a flair for gardening and tea. And bones. And magic.

He's an alchemist. Self-taught, and good at it.

Definitely had a homunculus at some point

Made a deal with an undisclosed demonic entity to keep his hair into his advanced age (I just like long hair Primo,,,)

Also hates the executives that run the Ministry. He has a strict idea of how the cult should be run and is endlessly frustrated that he doesn't have more say in its activities.

The executives in the Ministry fear him - no one knows what is keeping him in line, because it's obvious he would and probably could unleash some real harm to them.

Loves Secondo and Terzo dearly. He cared for them as if they were his own children when they were younger and loves them still. Game night started at his request.

As soon as he met Copia and Perpetua, he knew they were related, and he does his best to make the two feel welcome.

For more Primo headcanons, check out a previous post: {Unhinged Primo}

Secondo:

Can and does make pasta from scratch. He bought an extruder and everything.

He's actually a good cook - the only one in the family

People think he's a big, scary dog guy, when he's actually a purse dog guy. (I was making a comic about this but) He adopted a small, fluffy dog, and it wears a spiked collar and a pink bow. He walks it with one of those big, fake chains. Her name is Psycho Killer and he's training her to attack Terzo's ankles.

He recognized the Ministry suffered from same corruption he criticized in the catholic church - but is unable to do anything about it.

Only grew bitter when he realized how powerless he actually was within the Clergy.

He partied so hard as Papa as a way to sort of get back at the Clergy - but it was also a coping mechanism.

Considers himself a fine connoisseur of whiskey, and he is. He's got fancy tasting glasses and everything.

Same with cigars.

He also enjoys a good cocktail, too, though, and can mix a good drink. He's a good bartender.

Actually pretty good at pool/Billiards and darts. He's terrible at UNO, though - absolutely terrible.

Terzo:

Actually an introvert.

After parties, he has to have quiet alone time (this alone time can include Omega)

Enjoys reading - everything from dense books about ethics to trashy romance novels.

Absolute cinephile. He will host viewings of historic/rare/obscure films, and he will provide a slideshow presentation before the viewing. There is a mandatory discussion after.

He's a very talented visual artist - prefers black and white charcoal and graphite work.

Genuinely wanted to take over the world with the Clergy and turn it into his idea of a utopia. Unfortunately, the Clergy didn't like his vision, didn't like how comfortable he was getting with them, and didn't like how ambitious he was.

Once removed from Papacy, he realized how powerless he actually was within the Clergy, and grew even more reclusive, for a time.

Was insecure about his height when he was younger, but came to accept it, and is now perfectly fine with being a "short king."

Thoroughly enjoys messing with Secondo. The two bicker and tease each other all the time.

Keeps in contact with his Polish mother :)

Ghouls:

A ghoul's mask is a physical representation of their contract, but it also helps them maintain a humanoid form.

They can remove the mask, but only for brief periods of time.

If they remove their mask for too long, their magic will begin to destabilize, and they will inevitably revert back into a feral, demonic monster.

They do not have to eat or sleep, nor do they reproduce sexually

However, their physical bodies are 'equipped' to experience all the pleasures of the mortal realm (food, sleep, pleasure) It's a perk of the job.

The physical upkeep of their corporeal forms is dependent on emotional/mental state (can only be injured when emotionally compromised, only show scars if there are negative memories associated with it, ect.)

Musical ability is directly linked to their magic, so it's linked to their element, so it's linked to their emotional state.

This incentivizes the ministry to keep them happy.

They are forbidden from sharing any knowledge of heaven/hell/life after death with humans.

Unlike demons, they don't have true 'names.' It's up to the summoner to give them one.

[scourgeofmyownbrain]

Now, I just want to start by saying I love BabBee and Dadimus. I do, 10/10 would enjoy again, but I think Y'all are neglecting the comedic and story potential of Bumblebee and Optimus meeting as ✨Adults✨ and still becoming a family.

Imagine with me, if you will, Cybertron ravaged by war. Things have fallen to shit. Megatron has been dragging these divorce proceedings out for years. Bumblebee was born around the beginning, give or take a few years, I don't care about specifics. His parents were sadly killed early on in his life due to something war related and Bumblebee has grown up alone. He manages to survive to adulthood, and he joins the Autobots. Bumblebee has been drowning in the consequences of this war since day 1 and he wants to help fix it. If Megatron won't sign the divorce papers then Bumblebee will. Yada Yada Yada Sad Backstory This is so sad, Alexa play The Less I Know The Sexy Back.

Anyhoo, Bumblebee is very good at his job as a scout. Top of the line shit, best of the best, 5 stars would eat here again. He's so good he gets promoted to work directly under Optimus Prime himself. Look at our boy go, we're so proud of him, you get that bag sister. Overtime, Bumblebee manages to become friends with Optimus (and the rest of Team Prime but we're focusing on Optimus rn) and they get pretty close. They're work besties, Bumblebee will make a joke over comms and Optimus will smile and say "I N D E E D, B U M B L E B E E.". Fucking insufferable, the both of them, it's so cute. You know how you can become friends with people twice/half your age when you're working at a hard job? That's what happened here, they've been through the (actual) trenches together, they've bonded.

So at some point, Bumblebee gets seriously injured while under Optimus's command, like some life threatening shit. Whether or not it's voicebox related is universe dependent , so we're not going to specify what happens, but it's serious. Bumblebee survives, obviously, but Optimus feels SO bad about it. Oh the Guilt is strong. When he's visiting Bee, some of this leaks out and Bumblebee tells him that he should not blame himself, Bee is choosing to fight, if he dies while fighting for the good of Cybertron, so be it. Better him than some innocent spark in the future. Plus, Bee only got hurt because of a stupid mistake he made, not anything Optimus did.

Bumblebee says this to try and reassure his friend/superior, but now Optimus feels WORSE. Bumblebee is like half Optimus's age (Bee and Optimus are whatever the Cybertronian equivalent of 20 and 40 are, respectively) and had nothing to do with the start of the war, and he's just as ready to die as Optimus is? And he's blaming himself for his injury? That he only got because Optimus told him to do something? Optimus is NOT going to let that slide, no he's not! Over his dead body! He is not crying in the club rn, what are you talking about.

Optimus has decided Bumblebee can not die now. He has declared, as the 13th Prime, that Bumblebee dying has become illegal and he will do everything in his power to enforce this new Law of The Universe That Should Never Be Broken Ever. Now, whenever the two are on a mission, Optimus tries to protect Bumblebee as best he can. He doesn't want to coddle him, Bumblebee is an adult and Optimus respects that but he'll be damned if he lets Bumblebee get seriously hurt when he could have prevented it. He also starts checking up on him when they're not fighting, asking how his day is going, how a mission went, making sure he see's a medic if he's hurt, making sure he's eating his energon, all that good stuff. Bumblebee is his friend, he's going to make sure he's okay, this is perfectly normal friend behavior. The rest of team prime is doing a similar thing, they all want to make sure Bumblebee is doing okay. Optimus isn't being parental in the slightest, he is being very normal. (Author's note: Optimus and Team Prime are being very Not normal about their emotions. All of them have some level of abandonment issues/lost-a-loved-one-itis and can no longer be normal about people they care about.)

Bumblebee recognizes what Optimus (and the rest of Team Prime) is doing. He knows that Optimus cares for him; he cares for him right back. Bee's not stupid, he knows that he's been getting some special treatment in the form of vaguely parental affection. And you know what? He likes it, a lot. He didn't get any growing up and now he's getting it from a guy he really looks up to, why would he pass this up. Bumblebee tries to return this affection he's being given in any way he can. He makes sure Optimus isn't overworking himself by visiting him while he's working, he makes sure Optimus is eating by inviting him to eat with him, he drags Optimus into the med-bay with him so he see's a medic every once in a while, he tries to make Optimus smile with his dumb jokes and antics, the whole kit and caboodle. Bee sees Optimus as some kind of parental figure, and he's going to make sure his newly acquired pop-pop is okay, just like he's doing for Bee. The Pop-Pop thing was a joke (Kind of). Why is he looking for cybertronian legal papers? That is none of your business, Bee just wants to see them for fun. No he's not drunk, the container of high grade started empty.

Life continues, Optimus (and Team Prime) continues to take care of Bee in his unknowingly parental way and Bumblebee is vibing with his newly acquired dad. It takes a while for anyone to acknowledge the new dynamic, Bumblebee just doesn't explicitly bring it up and Optimus hasn't pulled his head out of his suppressed emotion ass long enough to realize it. And keep in mind that Bumblebee is still an Adult and they are still technically coworkers, they still have a job to do, a war to win. Eventually though, maybe after the Autobots have left Cybertron, Optimus finally processes his emotions and realizes he see's Bee as family.

Optimus: Bumblebee, I care for you deeply, and I've come to see you as family.

Bumblebee: Aw, thank you! I consider you family as well. *Hands OP a data pad* In fact, you adopted me months ago.

Optimus (who did not sign any adoption papers at any time): I did what?

Bumblebee: I forged your signature.

At some point in the future, some guy is being a dick to Optimus, i don't really know what could happen, but Bumblebee steps in to defend Optimus with "That's my dad, you bitch!" and fucking slams the guy and Optimus is just standing there buffering, bc he's still getting used to showing and taking obvious affection and he approches Bee later to ask if he really considers Optimus as his dad. And Bee just kind of stares at him then points at the bumper sticker on OP's chest and says "yes, you idiot, I gave you that sticker for a reason" bc the sticker says "Worlds Best Dad" and it matches the "Worlds Best Son" sticker Bee got for himself and I'm rambling, I'll shut up now.

I made more

i did it again

[angelltheninth]

How would star wars character relax their S/O?

A Star Wars request, lets go! Miss writing for this fandom.

Pairing: Anakin Skywalker, Luke Skywalker, Ben "Kylo Ren" Solo, Rey, Leia Organa, Han Solo, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Din Djarin, Sabine Wren, Shin Hati x Reader

Tags: fluff, established relationship, relaxation, cuddles, kissing, literal sleeping together

Ko-Fi | Rules | Fandoms and Characters | Commissions

A/N: Feel particularly sleepy today. The weather sucks. I need cuddles from my favorite characters.

ANAKIN

Pulls you into bed with him and doesn't let you do anything work related for the rest of the day. Don't even think about anything work related when you're spending time with him, he is your beacon for a stress-free zone. He kisses your forehead while you cuddle, his hands pressing into your tense muscles. Considers it a great achievement when you fall asleep in his arms like that.

LUKE

Invites you to a meditation session with him. Might sounds silly but it really helps relax both the mind and the body, clear your thoughts, let go off all the stressful things of the day. His hands reach for yours, constantly rubbing his thumbs over the back of your hands to help you relax further. If you can't relax he will talk you through it, giving you his words of affection to focus on.

BEN

Oh he is not the best at relaxing, in fact he might be one of the worst people in the galaxy for that. But if there's anything he can be proud of is that he really does try to help you de-stress. It's a little aggressive still, he wants to be close to you, give you a few little kisses but passion soon takes over. And while that can help you relax in certain ways you'd much prefer a simple cuddle session.

REY

You tell her she should take care of herself as much as she's taking care of you. This confuses how her. How will this help you relax? Well, if she isn't freaking out about you all the time and how much she has to work to give you the things you want then you would both be able to relax together, which would also mean more quality time spent together.

LEIA

Tells you to get as comfortable as you can be because she's gonna give you the best massage you've ever had in your life. She hadn't given many but she did get a lot of massages growing up. It's the perks of being royalty and she's confident she can help you relax the same way. She goes a little too hard on the knots in your shoulders but eventually she does hear you sigh in relief.

HAN

Will take your mind off anything stressful by telling about the latest heist offer he got. Yeah, the job is pretty reckless, but it sounds fun. He won't really go on this specific heist mind you, the pay is too low for someone of his caliber, but he's telling you how it could go, making you laugh by doing so. Making you laugh is all the reward he needs at the end of the day.

OBI-WAN

Has a whole relaxing evening planned out perfectly by the time you get home, no detail will escape him. It's almost too perfectly planned, so much so that he puts all that pressure on himself but hopes his charming smile is enough to distract from that. Won't put that pressure on you, he only wants you to relax and let him do things for you for a change. You deserve to relax after a long day of work.

DIN

The man is a great listener and cuddler and he will use both of those skill sets to help you unwind. Whatever you need to say to get things off your chest you can say it to him, and he will do his best to take care of the problem. Not necessary by going in and taking care of the problem personally, but just offering advice. But if his personal intervention is necessary he will go in and clean up the mess.

SABINE

Latches onto you whenever she can. She acts like she's a sponge that will absorb all of your stress, she will soak it up and help it melt away. Every time she notices you're feeling stressed, or pent up or sad there's a hug waiting for you, big or small it hardly matters to her how long you want her to hug you. It's important that you know she's there for you whenever you need her.

SHIN

Isn't good at giving advice or dealing with stress. She's not someone who considers herself a stressed person so the feeling is unfamiliar to her, she doesn't know how to help you. That being said she will at least listen, really listen to what you have to say and the reasons why you're stressed. At the end all she can offer you is her closeness, her presence there, but even that is enough.

[the-moon-files]

Finding male/masculine reader x lu is rare, so I really appreciate your writings! :) They're very silly and fun /pos

Can I request you do a list of headcanons for a transmasc reader who doesn't pass very well and struggles with dysphoria?? Maybe the reader didn't say anything about it till one of the Link's overheard one of the readers' ramblings to themselves or a conversation?

Take your time, and there is no need if you don't want to. It is a little personal, but it would mean the WORLD to me if you ever could. I'd be interested to see how Wild would take it, as he's probably the most androgynous out of all of them, or how the old man Time would take it, as he'd probably be such a 'dad trying his best' :')

sorry again this ask got dusty!! i am slow 😞

(dont even have to explain why i choose this gif, the girls that get it, get it, and the ones that dont, dont. /ref)

Moon: Trans Masc! Male! Reader (he/him, you/your)

Orbit: who knows atp, headcanons? scenario? sure

Stars: mention of all Links, specifically Wild (BOTW Link), (and Wars a little?? sorry idk where he came out of??)

Comets & Meteors: CWs: trans dysphoria, body image, insecurity, general angst related to being trans, & TWs: gender dysphoria (ftm), graphic description and comments on "your" anxiety, insecurity, low self esteem surrounding transness.

Please take care of yourselves, do not read if these are potential triggers for you. There will always be other trans masc reader posts later! :)

Please comment if I missed any. /gen

☆

You didnt say anything about it when you met the heroes of the legend of Zelda in person

you had sort of danced around each other as you both fell thru portals into the same Hyrules over and over until Legend finally accused you of being a spy and then you had a nervous blowout of how you kinda knew them but also not

needless to say youve been kidnapped (”We are Not kidnapping him if he doesn’t want to come with us, we’re trying to keep him safe!” - Wars “…yeah. By kidnapping him.” - Four LMAO) jk but there was some interest in you by the shadow (and hylia to some degre with the portals) so they wanted you to tag along just in case

But even after weeks of taking turns helping Wild prep and cook, sharpen weapons, sew holes, and scout potential sleep areas, cracking jokes around the campfire, you never talked about your pronouns, or being trans, only an offhand nod at a merchants clarifying “yes.. ma’am? sir? yes sir!” that luckily spread amongst the group after the Link with you started referring to you with he/him

(you were too scared, what would they think? you normally wouldve told anyone else to fuck off, moved on, but you really cared about these stupid blondes... they were so very: the epitome of a “hero”, traditionally masculine, physically strong, swords and shields and brotherly comradery, each a leader in their own right and now an unstoppable team of power, the sheer amount of fanart back in your own world you used to admire had nothing on these real men… and you? you weren’t even a real boy. clearly too round in places they were angled, too feminine even on your best days, and everyone knew it. you knew it. sometimes, you wondered if the he/him pronouns from them were out of pity, even when you knew they weren’t like that. your mind went to such awful places laying and feeling too much of your body in your bedroll in the night…)

you kept your newly bought traveling cloak on constantly, insisted on baggy ill-fitting pants and tunics, even when Wars or Time would frown in gentle confusion, offering to buy you more and better fitting clothes, you’d always politely decline.

most of them never noticed you cringe and clench your jaw when a waiter would say something like “yes sirs, oh sorry, and lady!”

itd set you back for days, clinging to the back of the group, hood up even in warmer areas, until Wind would insist on staying back with you and cheering you up [ even if he could never get out of you why you would get so defeated looking :( ]

the way you would wait until there was no one around so you could either go into the mens restroom without worrying about possible protests or wide eyed looks (or into the womens on a bad day..)

it struck them as odd, most of the heroes weren’t so oblivious they couldn’t see you laughing and jovially joining in with their antics then hunching in on yourself after a dinner at an inn or a restroom break or even outright pulling away with this hastily concealed heartbroken look on your face when Wars was acting more “gentlemenly” towards you

(unbeknownst to you, he was only doing it to you because he knew you weren’t a “link/hero” and wanted you to feel more cared for, looked out for, but not because of gender at all)

(the small cultural differences between hylian and humans at it again,, sigh rip wars making his first boy crush sad lol)

it was always a persistent and strange mystery to the boys, something that worried them more and more as they began to get to know you more and more,

this sadness and defeat that would seemingly randomly take you down, unable to really get up from it, only push it to the side after too many of Twi’s poor jokes and Wind’s dramatic groaning,

the poor heroes unable to stop it before it happened again (Legend thought it was some kind of PTSD triggers they couldnt spot at one point)

It wasnt until Wild finally, luckily overheard a conversation he wasnt meant to hear, that the pieces clicked together

youd seemingly run into a hylian man who had just been on stage as a dancer for some festival that was going on in this town, and for the first time in weeks, he saw your shoulders drop in relief, not defeat this time

he,,, may have been guilty of stealth crouching his way to a bundle of bushes closer to better hear the conversation (definitely not because he was desperate to help you, to see how the hell some random guy managed to get you to relax and look so relieved when he and the others had been trying for nearly 3 months now)

youd laughed like a weight was finally off your chest as the two of you talking about something about binding? and actually enjoying some feminine things but too afraid to do some of them for fear of... not being seen as a man even more?? what were you-?? oh. Oh.

Oh, Princey.

(a cute, originally kinda mocking, nickname Legend had started about you when u complained abt trying to sleep raw on the forest floor in just an unpadded bedroll, one that Wild would now be employing exclusively where he would’ve just said your name before)

Wild’s heart ached, the understanding so quickly digging such a deep hole in his beating heart he couldn’t think about anything else but you the rest of the day

Say goodbye to the back of the group position you’ve been holding onto, and hello to an entire wardrobe stored in Wild’s tablet because he’s buying every last stylish menswear tunic, pants, boots, belts, hats, ties, fucking cufflinks (you didnt even know any Hyrule had cufflinks?? well now you do babyyy 👉 👉 - Wild, at some point)

mf even gets matching fits, he see smth he would wear? he’s buying you the same thing or the same thing but in your favorite color

longhaired androgenous blonde elf doesnt say shit abt him overhearing ur convo with the first trans masc hylian youd met, only champions (unintentional pun tbh) the crusade of making sure you feel included as another guy in the group with the other links

(secretly tells Wars to clarify his want to just look out for you care for you, knowingly as one man to another, not gay at all rather than as a knight to specifically a lady or something dumb)

the way you suspected smth had changed but only rlly caught on when you all got invited to some big fancy ball in Wars hyrule, scrambling in the castle for a few days to find an outfit (wild insisted on some sort of fancy medival but distinctly hylian suit which u were reluctant but eventually gave into)

(Kinda like this but ur favorite colors that u think look good on you)

and when the Zelda announced it was time for them to choose their partner and be the first to dance, Wild immediately walked past all the giggling and excited whispers of the ladies around them and tugged at your hand with a bright smile until you sputterd and stumbled your way to the center of the ballroom, the slightly stunned looks of the women and even men falling away as you feel your face get hot,

no dress swings out behind either of you, only the sway of the elegant coats you’re both wearing draped over your shoulders, taking turns leading each other, no click of heels only the slight taps of both of your loafers, violins swelling until you end up in the center of room, the audience erupting into applause as all you can do it stare into Wild’s bright blue eyes in shock, his grin boyish and wide with happiness

You stay taking turns dancing with each of the links as the entire ballroom now officially dances into the night, pulling Wild into your first full hug you’ve given any of them the entire time you’ve been with them as you all are sleepily filing back to your given fancy rooms in the castle

(if Wild brags about it in the morning to jealous sleepy glares of the others in the morning, well thats between the other versions of him and himself, no need to tell Princey about it)

☆

thought abt adding “you avoid hugs, or only do side hugs to avoid chest touching, much to the desperation of every single Link in the camp, esp as they can be as sloppy with physical touch as a male sports team lol”

but didnt wanna find a point to fit it in anywhere bc it was kinda flowing so here it goes instead,

AH- also!! sorry i forgot abt Time in here :( if it helps, i honestly cant think of anything other than him clapping you way too hard on the shoulder as he says gender is a construct of hylians and the trees dont care about that sort of thing or smth fucking cryptic as shit, bc if u look it up he’s actually kinda gender ambiguous i think in the manga when he was a kid in the forest himself i think? youll have to see if theres a tumblr post abt it somewhere, i swear there was.. so even if hes that sort of brand of nonbinary nonunderstanding, hes very supportive and would be a very shiny and hard (whoops he forgot abt the armor sorry) shoulder to cry on if you ever need it (or for him to scare the hell out of someone who didnt get the pronouns right)

hope yall enjoyed!! shellyshoo sorry again but letting ur wonderful ask get dusty! lmk if i did a half decent job

(god i hope so bc i cant be doing my people dirty like this lol)\

Peace out,

🌙 📁

[maidenvault]

Okay so, Crosshair’s hand.

Has anyone pointed this out? When Crosshair kills Nolan, he doesn't use his shooting hand.

He uses his left. Just as he very significantly has to in the series finale.

I don't know if the writers knew as far back as "The Outpost" that Crosshair was going to lose the use of his shooting hand and by extension everything he believed made him strong, a "superior" clone, and safe from being discarded when he was kind of fascism-pilled. But it feels extra significant in retrospect that his first action taken against the Empire is not done with the hand associated with the terrible things he did as an Imperial sniper. And it's after he just got a difficult lesson about how his own personal strength and skills aren't enough to protect him - he was saved twice by Mayday, then possibly only survived through the night because he wouldn't leave him behind and could share his body heat. He may be using his left hand when he shoots Nolan because his other arm is tired from supporting Mayday all the way back, which only adds to the symbolic touch I love that Mayday is using his rifle as a crutch to help him walk as well (and of course, he's at close range so quite meaningfully Crosshair doesn't use the rifle to shoot here either). It all supports the idea of this as the first huge moment of transformation for Crosshair when he's finally turning his fire on the real enemy out of a desire to protect others, however futile and too late it is in this particular situation.

Going back and noticing this really reinforced for me that Crosshair's hand injury probably isn't just meant as a manifestation of his trauma related to Tantiss. It would make sense considering it's his shooting hand that it also has something to do with his inner conflict regarding his changed relationship with violence and killing.

The Batch were introduced as these stereotypically macho soldier characters, an impression that's softened a little as early as the pilot of TBB but still distinguishes them a little from other clones. In a kind of funny way you can look at the whole series as being about these guys who were only brought up to fight gradually discovering and finding peace with their more traditionally feminine sides - literally because of Omega, a female version of themselves who shows them the possibilities of being a family and living for others instead of for violence.

For Crosshair this journey is much more difficult and like a painful rebirth than it is for anyone else because being a soldier was so much of his identity. He's always been the one to most pointedly distinguish his squad from regs because of their "superior" traits that he thinks will make the Empire value them, and he clearly internalized the way the Kaminoans only care about clones as weapons to be used in war. And it all betrays how little value Crosshair actually believes he has deep down. It was easy to go into S3 being especially worried about his fate because he's believed so long that he's not good for anything but fighting and he's the character it was the hardest to imagine adjusting to a different life.

But in retrospect, it was stupid to think they'd let him off that easy and of course the whole point is that it takes a lot to get him there. What exactly he went through on Tantiss beyond the electroshock torture we've seen is never delved into but personally, I think being a soldier is something that's poisoned for Crosshair after he becomes a victim of the Empire himself and subject to their attempts at reconditioning. He's not psychologically able to be that person anymore, but for a long time is still trying to largely rely on himself and his own strength. He tries to sacrifice himself for others because he's still holding onto that part of himself in a way.

But for once in Star Wars we've gotten a fully realized redemption arc showing that sometimes what's harder than giving your life in a redemptive way is to actually have to figure out how to live with the bad things you've done and be better. Some of the people Crosshair hurt were his family, and he has to learn he can only make things better by being there for them. He has to learn that he actually can survive and figure out a way forward from his life as a soldier if he lets himself rely on them, just like he only survived Barton IV with help from Mayday. As @moonstrider9904 explains so well in this post, that is what's so important about Crosshair losing the hand and making that final shot to save Omega with Hunter's support. Symbolically he's had that toxic part of himself actually cut off and it's the final, most painful part of his rebirth. But because of that he's forced to find that he can live on without it, that he's surrounded by people who love and believe in him anyway, and that having superhuman skills as a killer was never what gave him worth.

No, having his shooting hand cut off doesn't "fix" anything or mean that Crosshair is healed. He's probably only begun to recover from everything he's been through. But all we really need to see is that he's firmly found his place as part of a family instead of a squad, and he's not going to be alone as he deals with all of that.

[inspirationallybored]

New Introductory Post + Get to know me!

Hi everyone!

An updated intro post, because I promised, and stuff has changed.

First of all, I am still not a robot. I am, as a matter of fact, still definitely a human.

You can call me Starfish, or Ash! Starfish is my nickname/drawing name, and Ash is the pseudonym I usually use, including for writing stuff.

Thats my writer-sona!

About me:

I am 16 years old and a cis female (she/her pronouns). Also, I'm an August Virgo!

I am an asexual, and very romantic, but not am in (or looking for) a relationship. (Also closeted irl, but brushing past that).

Currently studying in high school, and preparing for med school.

I am from, and live in India. I am also a spiritual Hindu, and love and respect all religious beliefs (including atheism and agnostic people).

My true love lies in history, mythology, and literature. Like interested to the point of obsession with them.

Probably have some sort of undiagnosed neuro divergence (but that's unimportant. maybe).

I have been writing poetry and short stories since elementary school (under my real name), and reading for as long as I can remember.

Some of my favourites:

Book series: Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Shadow and Bone (and Six of Crows), The Hunger Games

Stand-alone books: The Song of Achilles, The Little Prince, The Book Thief, Ela (it's by Sampurna Chatterjee, really underrated), The Girl who Drank the Moon, The Bell Jar, 1984

Movie: The Fault in our Stars, Into the Spider-Verse (also ASTV)

Shows/series: Brooklyn 99, Modern Family, The Good Doctor, Carmen Sandiego, Alien Stage (Ik it's not technically on tv, but ao3 lists it as such and I need to put it somewhere so)

Anime: The Apothecary Diaries, Bungou Stray Dogs, Death Note, Spy x Family, Banana Fish, Oshi No Ko

****

I am a writer, and have two main WIPs. You can see the master posts by clicking on the titles:

1. Stranger Friends- Two people become friends by sharing their deepest thoughts with each other, but never their identities.

Status- Writing (First Draft)

2. Beyond the Ripple Tides- A new recruit in an elite magical enforcement service is tasked to find out about the stirring rebellion, but with the gap in everyone's minds, nothing's what it seems.

Status- Writing (Zeroth Draft)

I have posted my original stuff (one poem and short story) under #my writing <3 (I know, very original).

My AO3 account (I recently made it, and have yet to update it): Ash_Writes_Stuff

I also like to draw, and am an amateur self- taught artist. Drawing blog is @rustic-brushes

*****

Things you'll find on my blog:

Stuff about writing, procrastinating writing, writing struggles, the likes.

I also post about my wips, dialogue prompts and other stuff. Comments are much appreciated, it's nice to get feedback.

Moots wips too!

A lot of random stuff, about life and other things. I also have a side blog for venting, lmk if you want to know about it (it's depressing, so beware)

tag games, rb games, ask games, and such (I crave interaction lol)

I WILL advocate about political and social issues, it's a part of writing, and it's a part of me.

*****

Things I am perfectly fine with:

Almost everything! Opinion-related, or about interests, or WIPs (mine or others'), or stuff I don't know about, and more. Tumblr is a free space for discussion, right? So anything and everything is a-okay. It doesn't matter if it's from the other side of the world, it's ok.

I am perfectly fine with discussing about stuff that might be sensitive to some, like mental health, politics, war, etc.

Though I am a liberal politically, all opinions and differences are welcome, just be respectful and logical.

I am open to comments, reblogs, asks (including anon asks), and DMs. Just don't be a weirdo.

Some things to be careful about (just in case anyone needs it):

No bigotry or discrimination allowed, including homo/transphobia and racism. Having opinions is ok, having prejudice is not.

No judging on difference of opinions, be respectful (again, unless someone is being a horrible person, then desecration is fine).

No NSFW stuff please, I am a minor (you get what I mean).

Avoid stuff related to financial transactions like asking money (again, I'm a minor, I don't have a bank account, and this is the internet so almost no one shares stuff like that).

Note: I love and appreciate all interactions, but I can be late in responding or not respond sometimes (life you know). I will try my very best to respond every time, but even if I don't, know I loved that you interacted.

****

My official/writing tag-list: @afantasyoffiction @inknrivers @everflowingriver @write-with-will @seastarblue @carb0n-m0n0xide @sunflowerrosy @the-ellia-west @corinneglass @ivorysmokecloud

To be added to/removed from the tag-list, you can interact with this post, or send an ask.

Feel free to ask questions or give feedback. Nice to meet you all!

[greatrunner]

Nostalgia and the Modern Way of (Not) Letting Go

I've been thinking a lot about Nostalgia and how it plays into our current (fascist) events, or even the past, concerning Entertainment. Namely, regression in the name of short-lived pleasure.

Walk with me, I'm problematizing.

So, it goes without saying that the way major corporations have spied on/data scraped Americans and their conversations about what they enjoyed as kids or young adults. Said spying has created a feckless media landscape that runs on empty callbacks and surface analysis of what makes something "iconic".

The trophic cascade of the world under capitalism and nostalgia plays a big part in the decline of watchability and the general malice that feeds slop YouTubers who created Gamergate and reactionary channels that thrive on no-nuance takes on the subject itself.

Disney is currently weaponizing the Nostalgia for Snow White (and the Seven Dwarves) to attack the lead actor (Rachel Zegler) in the same way they used the Nostalgia for the original trilogy to undermine their younger actors in the Star Wars sequel trilogy (specifically, John Boyega).

They're about to launch their rendition of The Fantastic Four, a property that leans heavily on 50/60s White Americana Nostalgia, ah-la Tomorrowland or The Incredibles. Before the F4 trailer was even an idea, they announced Robert Downey Jr. would be playing Doctor Doom and that the Russos would be directing the film he appears in (Avengers: Doomsday), a replacement for the Avengers film that would've featured Kang the Conquerer, scrapped because recasting Jonathan Majors was too big a task (following the fallout regarding his abuse trial).

Following Kang's dismissal as the antagonist, several MCU projects with Black or Brown leads were either ill-received (YMMV for why), scrapped, or shelved. The MCU's play this time isn't a story, but (white centered) Nostalgia is pure and simple.

So, on top of casting Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom (<_<), the MCU also decided this would be the film they were reintroducing the other cast members from the Singer X-Men films (minus a good chunk of the cast), juuust in case the RDJ stunt casting doesn't do all the heavy lifting.

I've said before that I believe that the MCU has effectively become a content farm, churning out things that "have potential" but never commit to the bit.

Disney uses its massive monopoly over the film and the comic book industry to stoke nostalgia-esque wishlists for fans who still yearn to see certain actors or moments, regardless of the lack of substance in the end result.

A long time ago, I would've been wild over the idea of seeing James Marsden as Scott Summers/Cyclops again. And, like, I'm not immune to propaganda. I still got a little thrill at reading the headline about him returning for "more Cyclops" following the casting announcements for Avengers: Doomsday.

But it's like, "To what end?" It's first and foremost a vanity project for RDJ and the Russo Bros, and an excuse for Disney to flex their use of the X-Men IP.

It's not an X-Men film that could probably use the aged cast of the original X-Men films well, and more to the point, I think it's time for folks to move on (dot) org.

I still think Marsden was done dirty, yes. But, I also think the opportunity to do anything substantive with his particular take on the Cyclops character is a ship passing in the night. 2014 was the last chance, and they chose not to do it. That is an explicit consequence of Hollywood's obession with making Wolverine/Hugh Jackman (and to a lesser degree, Xavier/Magneto) the center/heart of every X-Men related film.

We've had twenty-plus years of Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, which has been a detriment to whatever else they could've done with the character with a different actor. It's wild that we keep bringing Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart back when we could just use the First Class method and cast somebody else.

I mean, they don't care bc they're getting paid, but like? When do actors take responsibility and not capitulate to studios farming for nostalgia and reductionist/reactionary media?

...they gon do everybody in that film dirty, anyway...

[bitterkarella]

Midnight Pals: Poltergeist

Steven Spielberg: submitted for the approval of the midnight society, I call this the tale of the poltergeist Spielberg: now unfortunately, i'm kinda committed to tell a different story over at space coven tonight Spielberg: so my good friend tobe hooper is gonna tell this one for me Tobe Hooper: it's actually pronounced toe-bee Spielberg: Spielberg: what

Tobe Hooper: so this is a story about an average suburban family who suddenly finds a ghost in their TV Spielberg: hey can i add something Hooper: steve you said i could tell it Spielberg: oh yeah yeah definitely Spielberg: i just have Spielberg: just a little suggestion

Spielberg: hey tobe Tobe Hooper: actually it's pronounced Toe-bee Spielberg: Spielberg: what Hooper: it's pronounced- Hooper: you know what, never mind, what's on your mind steve

Spielberg: can we put in some jokes Hooper: jokes? yeah sure i guess Spielberg: like, maybe a guy could fall off a bicycle Spielberg: ha ha ha Spielberg: or maybe Spielberg: ha ha ha Spielberg: spill beer on himself Spielberg: hoo hoo ha ha ha!

Hooper: so this family includes coach from coach Hooper: and a sexy mom in short shorts Edward Lee: nice Hooper: and a dog Dean Koontz: nice

Hooper: ok so imagine there's this really creepy sequence where the dog wanders through the sleeping house, the world silent but for the static from the television Spielberg: spooky! Spielberg: ok ok my turn Spielberg: next some kids use RC cars to make a fat guy fall off a bike Spielberg: ha ha ha ha ha! Spielberg: ha ha ha ha ha! Hooper:

Spielberg: c'mon, tobe! laugh! It's funny! Spielberg: look, tobe, we don't want this story to be TOO scary Hooper: but Spielberg: in fact, i think it would be really good if, anytime something scary happened, then something goofy could happen to immediately deflate the tension Spielberg: i think that would be great!

Tobe Hooper: steve i think our story could really delve into the discomfort around the growing omnipresence of the television in our lives Spielberg: what? who are we, david cronenberg? Spielberg: just wait a year, let videodrome deal with that shit Hooper: but Spielberg: look trust me people are gonna love this RC car gag

Hooper: so this family has a ghost in their house Spielberg: hey tobe can i interject just a little thing Hooper: uh Spielberg: this family also has a crap ton of star wars toys Spielberg: like, all the kids toys are star wars related Hooper: Hooper yeah ok whatever

Hooper: so the family hires these psychics to help get the ghosts Hooper: and they bring in this expert psychic Hooper: no introduction or nothing, she's just there King: what's her name? Hooper: no time for that!

Hooper: so now the ghost attacks the sexy mom Hooper: while she's wearing her oversized football jersey as a night shirt Piers Anthony: can we um Anthony: can we see her Anthony: can we see her um Anthony: you know Hooper: oh yeah Anthony: [pumping fist] YES!!!!

Hooper: so the house, in fact, was not clean Spielberg: hey tobe what if the beast looked like a big giant skull Spielberg: just huge Hooper: that's a little on the nose steve Spielberg: maybe like one of those giant Spirit superstore inflatable yard decorations

Hooper: i'm trying to build a scary atmosphere here steve! Hooper: and you're just goofing it up! Spielberg: i'm just trying to help Hooper: well, you're not helping! Hooper: if it was up to you, we'd just have skeletons blasting out of the ground all over the place like goddamn gophers! King: ooh that would rule! Poe: yeah interesting idea Koontz: i want to see that! Hooper: Hooper: you've got to be fucking kidding me

Hooper: you know what Hooper: who cares Hooper: who cares about anything Hooper: skeletons just start popping out of everything Hooper: you guys like that??? King: yeah that's great! Poe: it's good stuff Barker: nice Koontz: i like when the skeletons are there Lovecraft: its pretty scary! Hooper: Hooper: i'm done with you guys Hooper: DONE

[frownyalfred]

20 Questions for Writers

I was tagged by @lurkinglurkerwholurks

1. How many works do you have on AO3? 146! It would be a larger number if I hadn't deleted all of my Supernatural fics back in the day. There were at least 30 of those, maybe more...

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

913,163 - I'm hoping to hit a million soon!

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Batman, Superman, Justice League, Star Wars, Marvel

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos? Take Care of Business Everybody Wants You It Was Always You a sky of honey Anything Like Me

5. Do you respond to comments?

Not anymore :/ I have a really hard time keeping up with writing if I'm responding to comments. I hope my readers understand.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Hmm. Probably lonely town? Dick is getting de-fibbed in the alley by Bruce, and it's not clear if he's going to survive or not.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

here as I am is hilarious if you're into jealous!Clark. otherwise the weight (salmon ladder fic) always gets me.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Yep. Mostly on borderline, but on other fics too. I love how, as I've gotten better at writing, it's changed from "wow this sucks, your writing is awful" to "you suck because you chose to have [character] do this." Luckily I think most of the hate filters over here to Tumblr, where I can happily block and forget. These days, I mostly get people commenting about how I'm wrong about something. Wrong about something I researched and triple checked before posting...

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Yep! All of them, I think? At least, I haven't balked at much yet. I'm not really into the excrement related ones, so I think that would be one of my no-go's.

10. Do you write crossovers?

Yep! bloodletting (Mandalorian/Star Wars and DC Crossover) and a few Marvel/DC crossovers.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Yep, a few times. What I'm more pissed about is all of my textposts being monetized over on TikTok and IG. I could be making bank off of those, considering the reach. And several of them are basically mini-fics.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes! Tons. Check them out here. There's also some podfics and related works there.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Not really. I've made attempts but I'm really bad at it. I tend to write spur of the moment and follow my gut on where the conversation/action goes. Planning out a fic with a partner would do them a disservice, I think.

14. What's your all-time favorite ship?

I really love Superbat, but Codywan is right up there with it. Something about Cody being a loyal BAMF soldier and long-suffering big brother gets me.

15. What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you will?

My vampire AU. Not because I don't want to continue but I cannot decipher my notes as to what should happen next.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I'm very quick, I can type up a full draft in a few hours. I like natural, snappy dialogue and I think I'm good at it. I don't shy away from weird or uncomfortable situations. I'm comfortable with writing a lot of sex/etc.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

I write too quickly, sometimes I get ahead of my plot. My dialogue and descriptions can sometimes be a little too bare, or I overcorrect and become too flowery. My fics take on the tone of whatever I'm thinking about at that time.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

If you're confident in your language abilities, go for it. If you're just plugging it into google translate, consider why you're doing that first. Is the addition of this new language actually something someone would say in that moment? Or are we just using it to signal to the audience that they speak another language? Is there a way to show this without telling? That being said, I love using Mando'a in my Star Wars fic, and I've studied it for a while now to be able to do so.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Supernatural

20. Favourite fic you've written?

Probably borderline or a sky of honey. Both took a ton out of me and I'm proud they're whole and standing on their own right now.

---

I'll tag anyone who wants to play! Go wild.

[midnight1nk]

So, this week's episode...

[spoilers below cut]

no sonic 3? FUCK there goes more of my money and rizz soda 😔 please don't form a gambling addiction. don't be like me. it's over for me. /ref

... *record scratch* NOW HEY HOLD UP we had "SMG4:" in the title of last week's episode and now it's gone again. huh.

um let's not jump to conclusions right now and get on with the episode, shall we?

(the following is my live reaction:)

OH it's a 3 & 4 video ft. mario, that makes sense now. strange that the Team didn't name it as "SMG4 and SMG3 surviving MARIO'S DEATHRUN" or smth. *shrug*

but either way, we got the star trio in gmod let's gooooooo!!! (i bet that the mar34 shippers are gonna enjoy this. yes including me.) ig fair warning that it might be a short review after all

no need to be jealous of your boyfriend, 4. 3 has two hands :) problem solved 🎉

AY LOOK AT THEM. it brings back good memories

peach's castle... *war flashbacks* i'm fine, i'm fine. and you know what? i'm totally fine :)

(ink was not fine and was sent to a mental asylum)

SMG4: "Are you... are you okay?" SMG3: "no."

me and mario: the more you know💫 😀👍

oh look at my boys 🥹📸 you're trying your best

love how 4 was like "no cheating" and then went "so anyway let's cover mario's view as a distraction :)"

the boys do be scheming

I'M GOING TO KILL YOU.... AND THEN KILL YOU AGAIN (y'know what? this makes up for my sonic 3 loss for this week. thanks Team)

the small "take you with me" from 4 🥹💙

HE MISSED?!?! *WHEEZE* OMG

how did they get a picture of me? wtf /silly

"You might take me down, but I'll take you down along with me!" ← 3 probably

callback to 3 and bowser's past friendship? 👀 idk

adding this to my wholesome board... well except for THE ULTIMATE BETRAYAL

4 learned from the best

and now you too could have matching smg34 don't care didn't ask dance gifs! get yours today!!

me and SMG4: "I'm gonna go die now" *shitty green screen explosion*

Congrats to L1v1ngwawa43 for your art being featured at the end credits🎉 love to see Karen art as always

.・-: ✧ :--: ✧ :-・.

I realized how much I missed this type of episode omg! just having a gmod sandbox video with the usual star trio chaos, i loved this so much, chat. Literally the whole time, I had a smile on my face bc how silly they were.

and no we're not going to talk about peach's castle appearing in this improv video. for my mental sanity.

and before anyone says anything, no, this video was not related to what's happening with the Steam username mystery. last time this type of thing happened, changes happened almost immediately and it's been hours after the release. so we're cool.... Team, you better not change anything while I'm not looking

Anyway thanks Team for this awesome episode and here's a little message from Shadow :)

you guys did great! i couldn't even imagine how that was like for editing, jesus. so for this video, here's my stamp of approval 👍

we got some mar34 crumbs and some Karen fanart!! soon we'll get fanart of the door in one episode trust. well guys, it's all i have to say, I'll see you next time. and remember: numbers go first :))

[reigraceee]

WIP Whenever

(I was going to do wip Wednesday, but then I think it would imply that you should do it on that specific day, and I really don't care about that lol. If you want to join in, you can do so at any point!)

I thought it would be cool to see what everyone has going on in their hyper fixation worlds, so consider this an opportunity to share anything you've been working on! You can reblog this post or tag me in your own post (maybe tag others and we can turn this into a tag game?) and talk about any headcanons, wip writing, wip sketches, or just use this as an opportunity to ramble about your hyper fixations!

...I also just wanted to share the fics I've been writing/planning because I wanted to get it all out haha. I'm the kind of person who spontaneously starts a bunch of different projects and bounces between them- I get burnt out if I only focus on one thing!

Here are the different series I'm planning/have been writing:

-Ancient Call (post kotor 2; Freyja x Atton)

Named after the EP by SYML, Ancient Call reflects on Atton's relationship with the Exile as they rebuild what they can in the galaxy after the events of kotor 2. It's definitely more somber, but it revolves around themes of grief, loss, and finding stability through love. I've already started writing the first work, and I'm so sorry but it's going to be depressing lol. It will get more hopeful eventually, though!

-Time After Time (Aresyl x Theron)

Named after the couple's theme song by Cyndi Lauper, Time After Time explores snapshots across Aresyl and Theron's relationship and how the stars crossed to bring them together. I've already written a few fics, but I want to draw something to go along with the first part before I post it.

I thought Time After Time was the perfect song for them because the first verse reminds me of the dream Theron describes having, and because they showed up for each other time after time.

-Alykaa x Hrafen (I'm still working on the title lol)

I've written the first work, but I haven't posted because I want to draw something to pair with it- I feel like otherwise no one will really be able to connect to it. I mean, it's a fic between OCs, it doesn't really have the pull a fic with already established and loved canon character would.

Anyways, I want to explore their relationship from with an interest in what gives someone morality and the nature vs nurture of what makes a person. I don't know if that makes it sound too deep, but I'm always really interested in how people develop their different beliefs and morality and how other people and situations affect it all. That interest is a big part of why I prefer Imperial characters in swtor, why Andor is my favorite Star Wars show, why kotor 2 is my favorite Star Wars video game, and why Better Call Saul (not related to Star Wars, but still) is my favorite show of all time.

-Valerie Shepard x Kaidan

I've been pondering on (not a lot of writing so far) a series about the events after ME3 and how Valerie and Kaidan find each other again. I also want to write a lot of little one-shot/slice of life fics to give their relationship more context.

-Cassia Dragonborn

I haven't posted anything Skyrim yet, but I have a vision. I want to write about my Dragonborn oc and her journey from being a petty thief to being a noble defender of the people. It would also explore faith and how that shaped her.

[miss-musings]

"You Should Be More Careful With Your Shooting Hand": Was There a Better Way to Address Crosshair's Hand Tremors?

In the weeks since The Bad Batch series finale, I've seen a lot of discussion about how the show handled Crosshair's PTSD, hand tremors and losing his hand to CX-2. I've seen some positive and some negative, and a lot of mixed thoughts.

So, I wanted to share my thoughts on it purely from a writing perspective. There are a lot of aspects of TBB Season 3 that could've been executed better -- *cough* CX-2 *cough* -- but I just want to focus on these ideas on paper.

Before we start: I want to state for the record that I do not have PTSD, nor am I any kind of authority on mental health conditions. I am commenting on this only from a writing perspective. If I happen to come across as insensitive, I apologize because that's not my intention.

So, let's set up the general scenario and look at a few options for tackling it, analyzing the pros and cons of each option.

An Overview of Crosshair's Hand Tremors in S3

From his very first appearance in Season 3, we see that Crosshair has a tremor in his right hand. It is implied to be a symptom of PTSD — or something akin to it in the Star Wars universe — related to being imprisoned and tortured on Tantiss.

His hand tremors impact his sharpshooting abilities during the Tantiss escape in 3.03, during the Lau shootout in 3.04 and during the confrontation with the Ice Wyrm in 3.05. However, he and his allies end up "winning the day" in all three episodes.

(His hand tremors don't seem to be a factor during the Bad Batch's showdown with Asajj Ventress in 3.09. Even if Crosshair had been at 100% against her, I doubt he would've done anything.)

It isn't until 3.07 that Crosshair's hand tremors have lasting negative consequences. As a result of not killing CX-2 during their first shootout in the spire, his group is endangered, Nemec dies and Crosshair nearly dies too.

However, the group manages to escape Teth, and I'd argue that everything in 3.11 probably would've played out the same regardless because Hemlock would’ve sent a different CX operative to Pabu instead. (Although I realize the characters don't know that.)

Crosshair's hand tremors persist through the rest of the series, seemingly getting worse as CF99 prepare to infiltrate Tantiss, until CX-2 cuts it off during the hangar fight in 3.15.

Now, let's analyze a few options for how this could've played out. Again, we're just looking at each one on paper, not in execution.

Option A: The Version We Got

Let's call the canon version Option A.

In this version, Crosshair has tremors in his right hand throughout Season 3, and the only real negative consequence is that CX-2 is alive post-3.07.

In 3.11, Crosshair misses the shot to track Omega to Tantiss. However, it's not because of his hand tremors. It's because of the timing. He was about to shoot when stormtroopers found him on the Sea Wall, and by the time he took the shot — which, why was he running anyway? — it was too late. The ship pulled away at the last second and the tracker fell in the water.

Skipping ahead to 3.15, Crosshair and his brothers are infiltrating Tantiss to rescue Omega and the other prisoners.

There's a mounting sense of dread in the hangar fight: the CX operatives show up; Hunter is knocked unconscious; and Wrecker is attacked. As the dark climax/conclusion for the hangar fight and as the payoff to their one-sided rivalry, CX-2 decides to cut off Crosshair's shooting hand.

The entire hangar fight, but especially this moment of CX-2 attacking Crosshair and preparing to cut off his hand, is probably the darkest moment in the entire finale. This is underscored by the next two scenes: In a moment of morbid humor/dramatic irony, Omega notes that the blaster fire is over and leads the other kids to the hangar; and then Echo sees his defeated brothers being carted away to Hemlock's lab.

Crosshair's amputation then adds tension to the final confrontation with Hemlock, as now he's down a hand in general and his dominant hand at that.

So, let's look at the pros and cons of Option A (the version we got):

PROS: Payoff to the one-sided rivalry with CX-2; a dark conclusion to the hangar fight; additional tension in the final confrontation with Hemlock; playing into Star Wars tropes and drawing parallels between Crosshair and other characters who've lost hands/limbs, namely Anakin Skywalker

(EDIT: This ScreenRant article also argues that Crosshair losing his hand severs his connection to Tantiss and "marks a turning point toward redemption and a brighter future." So, make of that what you will.)

CONS: Admittedly this is being reductive, but Option A could feel like the amputation essentially "solves" Crosshair's hand tremors and/or PTSD, which is definitely not how it works. It could also be a very careless way to tackle such a heavy subject matter, especially for those who suffer from PTSD and see themselves in Crosshair. (As I'll talk about more in a second, this is something YouTuber SheevTalks discussed in his TBB Season 3 review.)

Option B: Crosshair Keeps His Hand in the Finale

This is the version that I saw YouTuber SheevTalks and some other folks on social media champion. (Note: feel free to watch his TBB Season 3 review, but just know that I DO NOT agree with all of his takes about the season or the show in general.)

Essentially, everything with Crosshair's hand tremors plays out the same way up until 3.11. In this version, he misses the shot to track Omega's ship because of the hand tremors, not because of the timing.

This would add greater tension in the episodes leading up to the finale, because failing to track CX-2's ship would be an immediate and direct consequence of his hand tremors. With the exception of CX-2 surviving 3.07, we haven't had anything like this in Season 3.

It would also directly contribute to Crosshair feeling that he failed Omega (and his brothers) because of his hand tremors and add to his insecurity that he's not the capable sharpshooter he used to be anymore.

This version would have him keep his hand through the finale. That way, in the final confrontation with Hemlock, he has to battle against his hand tremors and self-doubt to save Omega. But, unlike in 3.11, this time he would be doing it with his family's physical and emotional support.

As SheevTalks argues, there are a lot of positives to this version:

PROS: a greater narrative through line and payoff for Crosshair's PTSD/hand tremors throughout Season 3; a greater emphasis on the importance of family, love and community in addressing mental health needs; Crosshair gets to keep his hand!

However, under Option B, there would also be some drawbacks and several things that would need to be addressed:

CONS: Without CX-2 cutting off Crosshair's hand in the hangar fight, we'd need some equally high-stakes conclusion AND have some kind of payoff for CX-2's rivalry with Crosshair.

Crosshair needs to sustain some kind of injury in the fight. It'd need to be 1) survivable 2) as severe and dark as losing his dominant hand and 3) add to the tension during the final confrontation with Hemlock.

CX-2 couldn't just knock Crosshair out, because then Crosshair would essentially be in the same physical state post-hangar fight as he would be pre-hangar fight. Yes, there would be additional tension in the confrontation with Hemlock because he'd have to overcome his hand tremors, but we still need some other way to conclude the hangar fight.

I've wracked my brain trying to think of ideas, and I can't come up with anything that would be as dark but survivable as getting his hand cut off — as terrible as that sounds.

I mean Wrecker gets shot in the leg later in the finale and Echo gets stabbed in the back/shoulder, and neither wound is ever addressed again. So, we'd need something much worse than either of those, but still survivable.

Plus, as I've discussed before, CX-2 is a petty bitch who definitely had a grudge against Crosshair. Cutting off his shooting hand kind of makes sense in a dark and twisted way.

One more con I'll mention is that, being reductive again, people could argue that Crosshair overcoming his PTSD/hand tremors through "the power of love" or "the power of friendship" might be cliché. But, as I'll talk about more in a bit, I don't really have a problem with that.

*****

Now, looking at Options A and B, neither is perfect. Both of them have problems, even just on paper.

So, I wonder: is there a way we can combine the two so we have the best of both worlds?

Allow me to introduce:

Option C: Crosshair Has Tremors in Both Hands

In this version, we'd set up very early in Season 3 that Crosshair has tremors in BOTH hands. Maybe his tremors are more severe in his right hand, because he uses it more; or maybe because it's his dominant hand, it's more noticeable. It doesn't really matter.

Pretty much everything in Season 3 would happen the same way, up until 3.11, when — just like Option B — Crosshair misses the shot on Pabu because of his hand tremors not because of the timing.

Then, in the 3.15 hangar fight, CX-2 still cuts off his right hand so we have payoff for their one-sided rivalry and have our dark, high-stakes conclusion to the hangar fight.

So, by the time we get to the final confrontation with Hemlock, we have double the tension because Crosshair is missing his dominant hand AND he has tremors in his left hand too.

(Side note: Because S3 canon makes it clear that Crosshair's tremors are ONLY in his right hand, I wondered why he didn't start shooting his pistol leftie as a way to compensate. As we see in 3.15, his aim was fine, and we know he can shoot leftie pretty well from S1-2.)

Option C would also make it clear to the audience that Crosshair's PTSD/hand tremors are not "solved" simply because he got his hand cut off, which would be a problem with Option A.

So, under this scenario, we combine most of the pros for both Options A and B:

PROS: Payoff to the one-sided rivalry with CX-2; a dark climax for the hangar fight; additional tension to the final confrontation with Hemlock; playing into Star Wars tropes and drawing parallels between Crosshair and other characters who've lost hands/limbs, namely Anakin Skywalker; a greater narrative through line and payoff for Crosshair's PTSD/hand tremors throughout Season 3; a greater emphasis on the importance of family, love and community in addressing mental health needs

CONS:

Under Option C, I really can't think of any new downsides.

The only one I can see is people complaining that Crosshair overcoming his PTSD/hand tremors through the "power of love" is cliche. But, as I said, I don't have a problem with that.

If we're going to be reductive about PTSD and its symptoms — with hand tremors being only one of many possible symptoms — I would much rather be reductive in a positive way. He's able to briefly overcome his hand tremors in a moment of need because he has his family's physical and emotional support. That's a far cry from "His PTSD/hand tremors are now solved!"

(EDIT: You can make the case that this also happened in the canon version. While I agree that Crosshair only made that shot in 3.15 bc he had his family’s support, I still don’t think the resolution to his PTSD/hand tremors plot line was well-executed.)

As I said I'm not an authority in mental health, but what I do know is that feeling mentally and emotionally supported, having a group of family and/or friends you can trust and confide in, and generally just having a sense of community are major factors to improving one's mental health.

Throughout Season 3, we see Crosshair wanting to deal with his hand tremors (and likely his PTSD in general) by himself. But, his family help him address it and begin the healing process.

Hunter to Omega in 3.08: See if you can convince (Crosshair) to get his hand looked at. Ignoring it won't make the problem go away. Omega to Crosshair in 3.08: Just because there's nothing AZI can do, doesn't mean your hand can't get better. Maybe you're the one who has to fix it. Omega later in 3.08: It's meditation. It'll help you heal. Not just your hand, but your mind too.

So, yeah, if we're going to be reductive about something as heavy and complex as PTSD and mental health in general, I would much rather emphasize "the power of love/friendship/family" than whatever the alternative is. Even if it's cliché.

Honestly, I think Option C would've been the best option of the three I've discussed. There are a few other possibilities I've considered — like what if CX-2 knew about Crosshair's hand tremors from their time together on Tantiss and CX-2 cut off his left hand in the hangar fight??? — but I think we'd ultimately end up covering a lot of the same ground.

However, these are all my opinions. I'm interested to hear everyone's take on this. Feel free to comment/reblog with your thoughts.

[jesncin]

I wouldn't mind one day knowing what you think of MAWS S2's take on Krypton the planet, in terms of its architecture, becuz I think that its design in that department is possibly the best looking across all mediums, imo. The design of the buildings and landscape I believe were visualised by Paul Reinwand, I follow him on instagram where he has more concept pieces of Krypton & they're all beautiful. :>

When it comes to designing Krypton, there isn't exactly wrong answers because it's a fictional alien place so this is all going to go down to a matter of personal taste. I'd rather not lose sleep over MAWS S2 any time soon but- not to be a negative nancy- I really doubt I'll like it. I haven't vibed with the visual direction of MAWS in regards to anything Krypton related in S1. And from looking through Reinwand's instagram, my feelings are the same. No shade on any of the artists working on MAWS since I'm a fan of plenty of their works outside of this show but:

(to my knowledge this is Kandor) it's not separating itself from Star Wars First Order generic sci fi energy. The key word here really was "bevel everything" and "white is futuristic". It's giving My First Attempts At Google Sketch Up (this is a self roast). I feel nothing for these images, if anything I'm bored. The purple vegetation on the first image is a little interesting but that's it (and I don't care for its placement either). I dunno, I look over to STAS:

and it's just so much more fun! It's beautiful, it's breathtaking! It's not afraid to play with curves and impossible architecture. It's like night and day looking at the artistic direction of both these shows. On vibes alone, I'm still giving this to STAS for visuals.

[anghraine]

Best friend update:

While waiting for a movie to start, he and I made some kind of murder joke for some reason I no longer recall. A younger friend of ours was having a long day and went O_O, so I just added, "I mean, murdering me might cause problems, my corpse wouldn't fit in the trunk…" and J (my bff) immediately got it and replied, "Not with that attitude!" She broke down laughing, and J and I were like, "our 25-year friendship is founded on being totally cool and normal people."

On a different occasion, while reassuring her that identifying with angry marginalized villains rather than Good Representation(TM) is entirely common and normal and in fact an ancient venerable tradition, J used himself as an example: the most relatable Shakespeare character for him is Shylock and as a former theatre kid, there's no one he would rather perform on the stage. She didn't know who Shylock is, which was kind of great because J got to breathlessly explain how Shylock did nothing wrong and dramatically perform the "If you prick us, do we not bleed?" speech in the middle of a crowded diner.

(Note: J follows in the other ancient and venerable tradition of Jewish atheism.)

Speaking of J's atheism, he often jokes that his strongest religious devotion is to Star Trek (he basically relates to it the same way I do to P&P). We've been watching TOS together, which I had virtually no memory of outside the films, and mostly having a huge blast with it. We were recently discussing the romantic inclinations of all the captains we care about, and my fandom osmosis understanding of Janeway/Chakotay (Janeway was his hero as a child), and he admitted that he liked it a lot as a kid, but the Star Trek ship he really truly loves the most is .......... Sisko/Jadzia Dax. As he was very earnestly explaining the greatness of his ship, I was charmed anew, lol—the first time I went over to his house when we were 13, I was deeply impressed by his geek creds via the Enterprise blueprints he had on his wall, and some things don't much change.

(He's not in online fandom at all because he hates social media, but if he wrote fanfic for anything, it would be ST.)

But he's also the person who properly introduced me to Star Wars when we were in high school and got me into it back then, and we've happily spent hours dissecting things we both love and/or are frustrated by. Though I prefer SW and he prefers ST, ours is a household of Star Peace <3

[atopfourthwall]

Tbh you lament what people say about you and bemoan "harrassment and bullying". Yet you told RLM to "eat a bag of dicks" unprompted. You said Oneyplays "Are assholes, fuck them!". You'll constantly lecture your own fans, angrily yelling at them for asking when new Power Rangers are out, or for giving you simple, solid advice like below. You say youve calmed down in reviews yet still yell at the comic creators over minor stuff. The comments you complain about getting seem tame in comparison.

Okay, first of all I did not tell RLM to "eat a big of dicks" unprompted. What I said was "Eat a dick, jackass" while talking about the Plinkett Reviews in regards to how parts of them have not aged well, in particular the line that I felt was a bit racist - "Black people don't like Star Wars" (to be clear - I don't think anyone at RLM is racist [AFAIK]. The remark itself feels like it is, though, but that's also emblematic of edgier, wince-inducing internet humor from the time - we're all guilty of awful jokes like this to some degree, myself included). Now I ended up removing this line from the Star Wars Prequel reviews compilation because I realized it was needlessly inflammatory towards them and some perceived it as me attempting to star a beef with them… when of course I don't want to start a beef with ANYONE, much less someone much, MUCH more popular than me.

And no, I did not say Oneyplays "Are assholes, fuck them" (unless I said this on Twitter a long while ago). I'm assuming this is in reference to a part of the Fallout: New Vegas streams. Someone in the superchats asked a question relating to them and my other guests didn't know who they are. I proceeded to spend all of 40 seconds calmly explaining (though admittedly with a bit of light irritation) "They're other streamers, one of whom apparently does a GREAT impression of me. They're also responsible for popularizing calling me Lightbringer, soooo… screw 'em." That was it. But apparently "screw 'em" was TOO MUCH for a lot of people, because I got flooded with hate from that - videos made about how I was "TRIGGERED!" and "HAD A MELTDOWN!" Because that was one of the first public times I ever talked about how I wasn't okay with the nickname. We'll circle back around to this in a minute.

"You'll constantly lecture your own fans, angrily yelling at them for asking when new Power Rangers are out-" Aaand right there you prove that you don't actually watch my stuff. You're just repeating the same garbage from people who ALSO don't watch my stuff, but assume I have not changed at all, that I am the same person forever whose opinions don't change, whose attitude doesn't change, never gets better, etc.

Because I haven't been angry at people asking when the next History of Power Rangers is out in ALMOST TEN YEARS.

And the reason I know that number in particular is because I started my Patreon in 2014. The question annoyed me so much because I didn't have an answer for them and it seemed like they didn't care about anything else I did. But then I started my Patreon and one of the Milestone goals was actual release dates for HOPR. And thus since then I've been able to answer when new ones are coming out.

You want to know how NOT angry I am about the question I am now? I put it on t-shirts.

You can buy them at https://atop-the-fourth-wall.creator-spring.com/listing/when-is-hopr?product=2 and https://atop-the-fourth-wall.creator-spring.com/listing/when-is-hopr-03?product=2 (I was going to post pictures of them but Tumblr keeps breaking when I try). There's a third one, but I don't think I put that one back up because it was intended for Shark Robot where colors are limited and it didn't do very well.

But this is a thing that's brought up by people who hate me - my irritation at the question as if it was still something that bothered me because, again, they cannot conceive that maybe I've changed. No, I am cringe forever and there is nothing I can say or do that will satisfy them.

But no, I "lecture people constantly" evidently. People say I'm obsessed about this topic, about the bullying, that I just talk about it soooo much and I can't move on from it and it haunts my every waking moment and that such "simple, solid advice" like "Be okay with being bullied" is met with unreasonable hostility and my mind fixated on it constantly.

Unless of course you actually look at what I post, what I reblog, what I tweet about and then you discover "Oh, he actually only talks about it when people bring it up to him. He only made that thread because he said the harassment is starting to rise up again and that was days and days ago and hasn't said anything about it since. In fact, on this very Tumblr he's only bringing it up again because somebody ELSE is bringing it up, allowing him a chance to further break down why asshole behavior is still asshole behavior.

So let's bring this back to the "screw 'em" thing. You'll notice that in none of these longer rambling statements I've made have I brought them up. Sure, in that 40 seconds during the stream I did… but that was in the middle of the first wave of it where it really WAS affecting me psychologically hard… and I have not talked about them on stream since then. I don't talk about them in these threads. I don't tell my fans to harass them. I don't make up some nickname for them or mock them or do anything other than maybe some frustration at them during the thread a few years ago (and I am explicitly telling my fans not do so - if you want to be an asshole to them, you can fuck off from my fans). Because I don't WANT to talk about them. They can do whatever the hell they want on their streams. They can call me Lightbringer there, make weird memes about me. It's THEIR space to do with as they please.

The problem is entirely that their fans come to MY space to be assholes. To repeat those memes, to bully me and call me the name. Some do it innocently, thinking I'm okay with it (which, again - is who that thread was directed towards)… but there are others who are being assholes about it. And I'm going to call them assholes about it and block them. And I'm still not going to talk about Oney because I don't want to - they're not the ones who are spamming Lightbringer in my chat or comments or trying to find some way of sneaking it into the comments past my comment filters to try to get a gotcha on me. Hell, I've gotten some people who have said they discovered me and love my stuff now BECAUSE Oney talked about me.

And I'd really like to know which recent review you saw where I was specifically attacking creators in the manner you seem to think I did. Because being angry at a plot point or a narrative decision is not the same thing as attacking a creator. I'll freely tell you about the ones I HAVE specifically called out for shittiness - the racist, the homophobic, the sexual harassers, the transphobic, the one that spread misinformation, or just the greedy assholes. But just looking at the list of the last 50+ episodes I've done that maybe… once or twice? And even despite ALL those horrible things, I STILL tell my fans to leave them alone - to not start fights with them, to not send my videos to them, etc. Because I don't want my fans to be bullies, either.

I will end this with one final thing: "The comments you complain about getting seem tame in comparison." Yeah, well, that's because you're you and I'm me. Something that seems innocuous to one person may be deeply triggering for someone else. Something that seems like an innocent joke might actually be really fucking with someone mentally, as it was for me. And that's why I've tried to tell people "Hey, please don't do that." Maybe I do it aggressively. But sometimes that's the only way people will listen. If people are still doing it even after I've expressed how much it harms me - telling me that I should just "get over it" or "let them do it and respond with a laugh" even though I keep saying it DOES affect me, then those people are assholes and I don't see why I should give them the time of day.

Hopefully this lengthy response (I really am a windbag) helps people understand or it clears up some bullshit. And if it's still not good enough for you, then nothing less than complete capitulation to being called Lightbringer is the only thing that will satisfy you… well, fuck off.