#in the emotions and attitudes of the characters

[duendepika]

There are a lot of rumors going around now ever since 420 that it's "not AFO" anymore, but these theories all seem to assume that the AFO we know is a regular human. The reality is that Horikoshi has never given us any indication that he is or was, and he has indeed done much to tell us that AFO is NOT human.

This post is primarily a character study of AFO (Part 1) with two theories added onto the end.

AFO is a unique entity in that he IS his quirk and always has been.

AFO and Yoichi are two halves of a whole, the human and the physical manifestation of the first quirk.

AFO-OFA are the same, and the singularity event already occurred. This theory is 3-fold, though I'd say the second and third parts are tangential and messier. I don't include panels for every single section, but I reference which chapters to check! I am use official translations and the Japanese originals ONLY. I know there are some issues with the official translations, but I cross-check with the Japanese. I have found far more errors in the fan translation.

Part One - Character Study

Many wonder how much quirks "control" or drive a person versus how much a person's personality and character at birth drives their quirk. The discussion is especially common with villains, but when it comes to AFO, it's largely irrelevant. He is more quirk than human to begin with.

AFO as a person has very limited emotional depth and personality (311). He consciously built his personality around a fictional character. He requires other vessels because he doesn't have enough emotion or strong will (305, 408). He only exhibits any emotion after we know he had been "contaminated" by his connection with Shigaraki. Before even getting into the theory proper, I want to point out that lacking a strong will is NOT merely a sign of being a villain. We have seen plenty of villains with extremely strong wills and feelings that have been acknowledged by the main characters. Giving villains a strong will and emotions are how Horikoshi humanizes them. AFO is unique in that he lacks these for the most part. From very early on, Horikoshi has very intentionally presented AFO as apart not just from the heroes but from any other significant villain with depth.

AFO does frequently present himself as something other than human, and while this could be wishful thinking or him trying too hard to be that "Demon Lord", there are plenty of instances in the story where it seems that he genuinely is not quite human. 1) This is even reflected in his appearance (entirely white and washed-out with blank, matte eyes without irises, etc) and his mannerisms. He isn't depicted with facial expressions or any semblance of emotions until he decides to be All For One, the Demon Lord as a teenager (407, 408). In fact, he seems to become MORE human once he decides to become the Demon Lord.

2) His choices and attitudes are completely arbitrary (365, 407). All we have is "he was born with nothing and decided everything therefore belonged to him". There doesn't seem to be any deeper logic, some originating hurt, behind his behavior. He picked a goal and an identity that seemed entertaining and just went with it.

3) Total inability to engage with fiction in a meaningful way, and given how much of this narrative centers around "stories", this is noteworthy. He latches onto one particular element of Captain Hero as opposed to engaging with the story as a whole and getting any meaning out of it (193, 333, 407).

4) He lacks the most basic human emotions. Hawks' and Endeavor's commentary on how something missing in him were not merely "o he's a villain" comments, but a reflection on the character as Horikoshi writes him. He is fundamentally incapable of experiencing his own emotions (beyond limited ones) and therefore relies on others. We see him clearly excited in 333 when he is finally starting to feel something due to his connection with Shigaraki.

Despite the fact that he can objectively manipulate people, he has a very limited understanding of human relationships. This is seen not only in his constant surprise/confusion over totally normal human behavior by others, most notably by Machia (382/383), but in his very language. When he says he loves Yoichi (193), the Japanese he uses is abnormal: 愛する is VERY rarely used despite it being the most widely-known form of the word; it's like he just used whatever word he heard first without understanding the meaning behind it. The same goes for how freely he uses the word friend (193, 333).

5) He's been acting for most of his life, not just as the "Demon Lord", but as a human at all. There are suggestions that he tries to act like other people (116) and offhand comments about human behavior as if he has to study it (234). Granted, these could be interpreted as generic villain-esque statements, but they hold much more meaning given what we know of his backstory. While his brother made an attempt to be a normal member of society, AFO made zero effort there for quite some time. He acted like a wild animal, and given that his brother was raised in the exact same environment, it can't be said it's just because of their situation. The term "people suit" very much applies to him.

6) Moving on to physical elements, he's already been brought back to life once. We are initially led to believe that he somehow survived/escaped (57, 59), but we later learn that he did actually die and was clearly dead for hours if not longer (408). If Kyudai Garaki really could resurrect the dead as a general rule, I think that would be a bigger plot point, so this is clearly something with AFO, not with the doctor.

7) He can live without his body as long as the quirk passes on, which is so powerful that he can just hijack other bodies. It's not like other quirks which, when stolen or passed on, allow people to live on as helpless ghosts in someone else's mind when their bodies die.

8) He has an abnormal ability to withstand extreme mental situations. Even though characters in this series have absurd physical limits, mentally nobody is depicted as really super-human besides AFO. Most people could not control their thoughts to the extent he does (116). He also must control what is likely hundreds of quirk vestiges at all times when awake, given that when he sleeps, they take over his nightmares (287) and when he's weakened (356/57, 409), they can rebel. (Worth noting that chapter 287 explicitly explains how it is not guilt or anything of the sort). I'd argue that this mental power level is inhuman even within the context of the manga because it requires such detachment from what is considered fundamentally human.

9) Furthermore, he was wholly sentient and aware from birth (407). AFO as a newborn infant thought and acted like a 2-year-old, and throughout his entire childhood he acted much older than he was. It's possible Horikoshi simply did this to make him more "creepy", but it's so utterly bizarre that I think there's more behind it.

10) AFO's backstory is unique among all characters in that he is presented more like a monster, for lack of a better word, than a human. Unlike all other villains given a backstory, there is no attempt made to "humanize" him. Considering the fact that even other "unforgiveable" villains like Overhaul were still presented as slightly tragic characters who had potential to be good and/or had some redeeming qualities, this is unusual. While the circumstances of his birth could be considered tragic and it's even stated that his own brother doesn't have any faith in him any longer (407), AFO was never portrayed as a victim, never presented as someone readers could be sympathetic towards or relate to.

That said, the base nature of his quirk is "emptiness". He has virtually nothing other than what he takes from others. Therefore, the argument can be made that he is "controlled" by his quirk and that he can't help it because his quirk compels him, but I believe he is a unique entity in that he and his quirk are one and the same. There's no internal conflict there.

I'm not claiming that he is wholly inhuman, as he does have some very basic human tendencies (needing attention, though arguably from him, it's rooted in an infant need to survival and not the kind of attention-seeking kids and adults want) I suspect that simply by living in the world, he does have some semblance of humanity, either from his connection to his brother or because he has been acting long enough.

AFO, as of right now, still does not have a name. 407 /408 made it very clear that "Shigaraki" was something he invented later in life (very likely with Dr. Garaki's influence given the similarities). He was the one to name his brother, Yoichi. I suspect that either: (a) he genuinely has no name other than AFO because I can definitely see Yoichi just not naming him back OR (b) Yoichi gave him a name in return, one he alone knows, and Yoichi using this name will be part of AFO's downfall. If he has a name, and Yoichi uses it, AFO will be called back to whatever slight sliver of humanness he has.

Part Two (Theory)

There is a possibility that AFO and Yoichi are literally two halves of a whole, the human and the human manifestation of the first quirk. OFA is the ghostly remnant of AFO, and neither is complete without the other. Perhaps as the original quirk, it truly was meant to be "kind" as Yoichi said, but it needed a human element to function as such. Because they diverged in the womb, we ended up with AFO the person/quirk.

1) The terms "One for All" and "All for One" are generally said together as a single phrase outside of the manga, and this seems to be the case within the Captain Hero comic that AFO got the names from.

2) AFO is perhaps so obsessed with "owning" Yoichi because he feels incomplete without him. He might not know why, but he knows he needs to be with him, that without his brother, he's not "whole". The current known narrative is that he wants him back simply because Yoichi was the first thing he ever had or "owned" and therefore, he needs him back. I think we can all agree that he goes a tad too far there though (277, 408), given that he seems to be having an ongoing narration to Yoichi in his head (333). As with other things, it could just be to up his creep factor, but it seems like there is possible something more going on.

3) AFO makes a comment about needing Yoichi in 409, though in the Japanese he explicitly says, "I can't do it without you" (my copy of Volume 40 is in the mail, so you'll just have to trust my memory on this until I get it and can update this post with an image). This could simply mean, "I can't go on without you", but it could just as easily mean that he needs Yoichi to be truly complete. This is further exacerbated by his comment in 419: without his brother, there's no point to his final goal at all.

4) Their umbilical cords are connected to one another, not to the mother. This could simply be to demonstrate how connected by fate they are, but it could just as easily have a deeper meaning re: their individual identities.

5) The hand that grew over AFO's mouth in his new body is very likely Yoichi's (419). The 40th volume release included a note about how AFO kept Yoichi's hand for decades and carried it around. If this is the case, then Yoichi's hand grew from his own flesh. Yes, it seems like he chose to have his hand grow there, but if he can alter his appearance at will, then he would surely fix other issues with the body. This suggests, again, some deeper connection between him and Yoichi.

6) AFO's preferred vessels such as Nine and Tenko look very similar to his brother. He wants to inhabit a body that looks like Yoichi's, which is. Something. Sure, he did make an offhand comment suggesting he would have inhabited Hana's body if he got to her earlier, but narratively, the only definite examples we have are Yoichi clones. (just showing hrksh's Nine art here...we all know Shiggy)

Part Three (Very speculative theory)

NOW finally tying all of this back to the Singularity concept.

In chapter 193, Yoichi says we've already passed the singularity (特異点はとうに…過ぎてる), which is odd given that so many characters and readers seem to think we are moving towards that. This is well before Shigaraki's transformation, so unless he's referring to some yet-to-be-revealed secret about Deku himself, this is almost certainly referring to AFO, who Yoichi continues to have some weird mental connection with to some extent. If the singularity already happened with AFO, this probably happened either a) when he was brought back from the dead, or b) simply when he was born at all. Any understanding of the singularity has been misguided from the start.

Perhaps AFO is the real OFA, but because the quirk was too powerful for the "hardware" right from the beginning, the OFA user and AFO diverged in the womb. The whole story has been about them coming together, which also explains why AFO is so obsessed with finding and inhabiting vessels that look identical to his brother.

Notes: There are a couple of minor things I considered going into, but I hesitated to due to lack of evidence in the manga. However, I will quickly mention them here in case anyone is curious: (1) Quirks vs. Human Personalities: AFO-the-body-with-the-copy and AFO-the-original-quirk seem to think, act, and speak exactly the same. Unfortunately, because we only have one other example of a quirk outside the body (Hawks/Fierce Wings) exhibiting sentience and it was only for a couple of panels, I can't say if this is simply "normal" or not. (2) Quirk copies: Again, not enough in the manga to really say one way or another, but I suspect that his copies are unique in that he is just duplicating HIMSELF.

#all for one #afo #mha theory #bnha theory #yoichi #character study

[dearmrshudson]

The post of saddest(?) supernatural moment gave me the idea to maka a list of my own... You know, an honest list which will not push any agenda or exclude one of the main character completely to forcefully feed to a romantic pair which does not even exist.

so here it goes-

10. Dean's reaction after Sam's death in 13x21 :

This one is so nominal and insignificant to be in this list and not one of top moments for a lot, but this scene ripped my heart open when I saw it for the first time. It manages to show us how Dean's whole world will literally fall apart and make him an empty vessel if Sam is gone and he can do nothing about it - and Jensen manages to portray it with just a walk, two blank eyes and then one drop of tear. Kudos.

9. Church Scene in 'Sacrifice' (8x23):

Anyone who has not cried in this scene? Perfeftly shows the core of the show, the deep love between two brothers- despite all the reasons, all the idiological differences, all the mature discussion and all- Sam is the baby brother of Dean; at the end he needs Dean to be there as a big bro, to tell him to let it go, to clutch him in his chest. Ultimately they will always choose each other and nothing else will come between them.

8. Dean's death in 9x23:

One of the saddest death of Dean, and perhaps it comes to this list because of the build-up and drama follows this. Both had their own reasons for the tension they had this whole season, but when the tragedy comes it hits so hard that all those logics fell apart. It scares to peep in Sam's headspace at this time of dean's dying- imagine you discarding the person you love the most as you are reasonably angry with him, and in a few days he is dying in your arms when you have hardly talked out your differences.

7. Why don’t you believe in us too (14x12) :

Probably should come much later in this list, but this scene stood out in my eyes because it was such a fresh air in the terrible plotless mimicry that SPN had become in later seasons. The scene after ages which sums up Sam and Dean, the codependent brothers whom we had forgotten. Such a long time after we see Sam the little brother, witness the emotional turmoil he was going through silently and how it exploded. The only scene which makes season 14 worth remembering. Also Jared just nailed this scene!

6.) Dead or Alive (3x16):

This scene breaks my heart in pieces. Dean bravely going for the last fight before the horrible death he will be facing. And he trying to cheer up baby bro, he wants the last memory with his brother to be in this car- singing along together... How his face slowly glooms at the end and his eyes full of fear... Early seasons really were gems!

5. Sam in Mystery spot (3x11) :

Undoubtedly one of the best SPN episode with perfect blend of mystery, fun, laughter, tragedy and emotion... The funny vibe of the episode ends in a moment when we see Sam is not waking up from the nightmare loop. Then we see a robot- a scary robot who only wants to get his brother back at any cost. This episode is yet another example of how Sam loves Dean just as fiercely as Dean does, and he is not any less codependent.

4. Barn scene and alone Sam (15x20) :

God! What can I say about this!

Just want to add, Sam wandering alone in the bunker after creamating Dean hurts me equally.

3. John's death (2x01):

Cannot forget this one. This episode happens to be another favourite of mine, and the way John sacrifices himself for his son proves that a father can go to any extent for his children. The farewell scene of John - where he asks for forgiveness and goodbye to dean without him understanding brings tears to my eyes. Such a beautiful acting by JDM and so realistic portrayal of a flawed, helpless and loving father.

2. End of Season 5 (5x22)

The ground was set, the battle was about to begin, the ultimate faceoff between Lucifer and Michael was going to start- then what happens? A stubborn idiot boy with a muscle car and hellbent attitude comes in between- knowing that he cannot survive this- just because one of these celestial entities have captured his brother as a vessel and he won’t leave his brother alone. Till his last drop of blood he keeps on trying- trying to reach his brother who is trapped under something much bigger- keeps on telling that It's okay, he is not alone, his big brother is here. And guess what, he succeed. His brother broke free the bind of one of the strongest entity of universe and fought. The climax scene gives me goosebump always followed by a bunch of grief and saddness the ending carries. Had season 5 been the last season of SPN, and this be the exact way the series ended, I would absolutely have no regret!

1. Sammy's first Death (2x21):

No matter how many sad scenes are perfectly executed in SPN, nothing can exceed the emotion of this one. Jensen will also not be able to exceed the level of performance be set in this particular scene. Period.

So this is it... I must have excluded many. And turns out my list is full of Sam and Dean only and I am also not unbiased 🤣🤣 Well, there are sad scenes that do not involve only the brothers and I still like them, but not my top 10. Maybe have to make list of top 11 to 20 in order to include them. 😁

Please share your favourite saddest top 10 as well.

#supernatural #sam winchester #dean winchester #sam and dean #john winchester #spn #jensen ackles #j2 #anti destiel #top 10 list #jared padalecki #best episode

[starstriix]

can we talk about just how effective jock would’ve been in pushing a jo character arc. It’s not just the fact that Brick acts as a good moral compass, but it’s also how he encompasses EVERYTHING jo tries to avoid (he’s open with his femininity, emotional, sensitive, clumsy etc) and jo…still likes and respects him??

Like, she views him as an equal to the point of overestimating him (you and I both know that mf was trying his hardest in the thumb wrestling scene and jo was all “oh he hardly tried!! what a gentleman!!☺️” GIRL YOU NEARLY BROKE HIS THUMB). You can tell she genuinely enjoys competing with Brick, and she’s never bored whenever they interact. She’s often the one to go up and talk to him, despite beating him time and time again. Jo views him as a worthy competitor even after witnessing him being the most embarrassing man alive (who the fuck tries to dislocate their hip to impress a girl) and pissing himself.

The point is, Jo clearly holds Brick in somewhat of a higher regard despite him showing weakness so often. And that’s important because Jo’s main driving force is not wanting to appear weak.

You can see little moments of her showing care or concern before immediately switching back to her cutthroat attitude. Caring is a “”weakness”” that prevents you from winning (demonstrated by Brick in episode 7). When Jo volunteers to have makeup put on her, she immediately covers it up with a facade of toughness and says she’s “only [doing it] for the good of the team” (Compare this to Brick’s “Yeah, you heard me.” after announcing his dream of going to fashion school). She’s definitely struggling with internalised misogyny and associating femininity with weakness, but that’s an essay for another day.

Brick shows so much “weakness” and yet she still somewhat respects and even cares for him more than the other contestants. And I find that SO interesting.

Especially because he's her rival??? Their relationship is the embodiment of competition. Overcompetitiveness (or toxic competitiveness) is one of Jo's most glaring flaws, so to have her actually care about the one she should be against the MOST? It's a really good way of showing her overcoming her own toxic competitiveness.

Also, the parallels between Jo basically kick-starting Brick's character arc about prioritising the wellbeing of others...and then having Brick be a focal point in a Jo arc about prioritising the wellbeing of others...chef's kiss

I'd also like to add a little detail in relation to Jo's contestant biography. Specifically on her weird dream about letting a guy win because she thought he was "attractive." Yes this was hinting at Brick idc it was way too specific and odd compared to the other dreams, and Brick is the only guy we know who constantly competed against her (and lost). And I'm definitely reading into this too much, but it's actually quite interesting how her subconscious attraction to the guy overpowered her very, VERY intense need to win. Guess that's why it was a weird dream, but it still makes me think about the potential of Jo sacrificing her win for someone she grew to care for. Also I want representation of masc women in relationships that aren’t just played off as a joke

I can go on about this all night (I wish I could) but yeah. I really wish they'd give Jo a proper character arc because she really deserved one. She deserves to be able to grow and develop because she's a great fucking character, and Brick was literally the key to all of that. Peace out

#jock rant number 2736e72827 #total drama #jockjockjock #td jo #td brick #td jock #tdroti #ps shout out to maggot in rat’s clothing for being what i’ve always wanted in a jo character arc. and also being excellently written

[md-confessions]

Trigger Warning for abuse since I am going to be talking about it a lot.

My honest reaction to TSM anon's confessions/posts trying to justify J's treatment of N. (They're so ass)

Ok so uhh... Anyway I'll try to debunk some of the points:

First of all: yes the fuck she is abusive! Search the damn definition on Google or the dictionary, it's exactly what she's doing, like beat for beat.

Let's start with two examples: one from the manor and another from copper-9.

J kicking N in the manor flashback: for context N and V had literally just bumped into each other, made a spark and both were trying to clean up the mess they made, then comes in Ms. Tenth letter of the alphabet with a kick to N's face for like no fucking reason whatsoever.

J stepping on N's chest while he clearly struggles: In the pilot during the scene that introduces the Alphabet squad during J's introduction she has her foot on his chest while saying he's useless, terrible and if she could, she'd kill him herself and N is very clearly struggling to even breath.

Those two very clearly ARE abuse, the second one even has a tinge of verbal abuse!

Ok so TSM tried to justify both these actions by us not knowing the full context.

The context of the kick is that: there is none, that kick was completely unprovoked, so J had absolutely no reason for kicking N aside from him being in her way from the "move it moron" line, and she changes up her attitude completely at Tessa being there, her visor showing those hollow eyes that drones show when worried or scared.

But even if you say "oh but N was in J's way so she kicked him out" but she could have just, you know, MOVED A LITTLE BIT TO THE RIGHT?!?!? And also that does not excuse kicking a person in the face.

Context of the second scene is: THERE IS NONE, ONE AGAIN! The reason that scene exists is to show that A. J is abusive towards N, and B. J is a hypocrite! Let me explain, A is very self explanatory, stepping on someone's chest and verbally abusing them is very clearly well... Abuse and B is to show that even though she calls N useless, N has shown throughout the rest of the series he is a very competent fighter, arguably better than his fellow DDs and also that even though J was pretty much insulting N for being weak, she got killed by a Angsty bisexual 18-year-old with a pen and a Railgun made out of like, scrap.

I don't know how you can genuinely look at those scenes and go "J isn't an abuser" even though yes she fucking is.

Also I dead ass forgot that second post aside from the "why would Cyn put N in the squad if his abuser?" Part, which has a very simple explanation: it wasn't Cyn, it was Mr. Solver of the absolute fabric itself! It used Cyn as a host, Cyn wasn't in control, she prob has been dead for a long ass time.

The solver is sadistic and it likes fucking with the alphabet squad, take V as an example: it allowed V to keep her memories, just to make V's trauma even worse.

The solver thinks it's funny to traumatize people so why wouldn't it think putting a person in the same team as their abuser wouldn't be?

Anyways I've been typing this since 5:30 AM, and now it's 6:50 and I got school so I'll stop here, if you got anything else to add put it in the reblogs ig...

Final note: I haven't been abused myself (not that I remember) so I can't really fully grasp the concept, but still, J's treatment of N is like, the dictionary definition of Abuse, I'm very bad at understanding other people and their emotions and I'm not super great at analysing characters but this shit is so obviously abuse seeing TSM over here trying to say otherwise is giving me a brain aneurysm.

Anyways have a good day/evening/night or whatever time of day it is :D

.

#md confessions #murder drones #abuse cw #serial designation j #serial designation n #serial designation v #md cyn #the absolute solver

[dulcelem]

Part 3

So, with both of them back in Anakt Garden, what else to do if not keep following him? It is important to remember that they are children, acting immaturely and having childish attitudes. There is little point in analyzing any alnst character with our vision of society. They hardly have any social or emotional awareness, they act on instinct, and Ivan's instinct is to want Till to look at him. In flashbacks and official artwork, Ivan does everything in his power to trick Till into paying attention to him. The fight over the flower crown is a great example.

Till was giving him the attention he wanted, and Ivan was more than happy about it, because he couldn't tell the difference between bad attention and good attention. Nobody taught him this and he had difficulty understanding others. But, although I understand that the fights are more noticeable, it irritates me that that's all that is focused on by the majority. Yes, he deliberately instigated fights. Right. But he would also silently sit next to Till to watch him draw. He dedicated himself to freeing him every time he could. He would steal his things only to return them later to interact with him. He lay next to Till after he was beaten and locked up. He would lie down next to Till to admire the sky (looking at Till, of course) with him. He was the one playing with Till, not Mizi. Anything and everything to stay by his side—with him. No matter how you look at it, one irreducible fact is that Ivan was always, always there. One way or another, for better or worse: it was always him. He was the one next to Till. All this child wanted was to be close to Till.

The difference...

That is, until he realized the type of relationship MiziSua had. He was consumed by envy, because he and Till did not and would never have that; and loneliness, because Sua was different from him.

Suddenly, being close wasn't close enough. He wanted to be noticed and he wanted to be loved. Till is the person Ivan is intrigued by the most. He loves and admires him and he longed for an unlikely reciprocity of these feelings. Although he desperately wanted it, Ivan seemed hyperaware that not only was he unloved, he wasn't even looked at. Till not so much as deigned to look at him, oblivious to the pain, oblivious to the feelings, oblivious to how much he meant to Ivan. And Ivan hated that.

But, as time passed, it seems that this became something he learned to live with despite all the bitterness he must have felt. As is evident in Round6, their interactions diminished over time. Maybe that's the reason, maybe not. Ivan, stubbornly(like a dog following its true owner), remained close to him but, now, only when he needed it. Marjorietarily when he was unconscious, when he was on a collar. Even though the interactions were fewer, Ivan couldn't stay away from Till. Close, on his own twisted way. He didn't even show his gentleness. He didn't want to show his affection, only his agressive side and that's a key part of their relationship: Till never knew his kindness, and Ivan also didn't even show him.

Something that breaks my heart is the message he leaves Till before they part. I'll just leave it here, I don't need to say anything else.

Part 2

#alnst #alien stage #ivantill #alnst ivan #alnst till #ivan alien stage

[archetypesanalysis]

Crosshair's Anima

This is the third part of the character analysis for Crosshair. You can read part 1 and part 2 here. I will be referring to “Goddesses in Everywoman” by Jean Shinoda Bolen for this analysis.

Crosshair’s anima consists of multiple archetypes, but the most prominent ones are Artemis and Hera. Artemis, or Diana as the Romans called her, is the Goddess of the Hunt and the Moon. She is the first-born twin sister of Apollo, the God of the Sun. As the Goddess of the Hunt, she wields a silver bow and carries a quiver of arrows on her back. She roams the wilderness of forest, mountain, meadow and glade with her band of nymphs and hunting dogs. As the Goddess of the Moon, she acts as a light-bearer, carrying torches in her hands or with the moon and stars surrounding her head. She is also the Goddess of Wildlife and she is associated with many undomesticated animals like the stag, doe, hare, quail, lioness, boar, bear and horse.

Artemis is a virgin goddess and she is the personification of an independent feminine spirit. She feels whole without a partner, and she has the “I can take care of myself” attitude. This archetype enables one to pursue interests and work that matters to them without needing other people’s approval. Their identity and sense of worth are based on who they are and what they do, rather than their relationships with others. Although Crosshair is part of the Bad Batch, he is capable of doing his own work while separated from them. In “The Bad Batch”, when the Bad Batch, Rex and Jesse infiltrate the Cyber Center, Crosshair positions himself from a distance, and he goes to secure a speeder craft as their getaway vehicle. In “A Distant Echo”, when Anakin tells the Bad Batch and Rex to split up so they can find Echo easier, Crosshair chooses to separate from his team and follow Anakin. With the rise of the Empire, Crosshair remains capable of carrying out the orders given to him even though the Bad Batch refuses to do so. He strongly identifies himself as a soldier of the Empire, claiming that this is who he is in “Return to Kamino”. He is certain of his identity even without the influence of the inhibitor chip and without the approval of the Bad Batch.

As the Goddess of the Hunt, Artemis is an archer that has the ability to aim for any target and know that her arrows will reach its marks. This archetype gives one the ability to concentrate intensely on whatever it is important to them, and to be undistracted from their course, which is called “focused consciousness”. The needs of others or competition would not deter them. In fact, competition only heightens the excitement of “the chase”. Not even obstacles or the difficulty in achieving the goal can hinder their perseverance. Since Artemis is more aligned to her instincts, her arrows are charged up with emotions. Hence, when a person channels their passion and intense emotions into pursuing a goal, their focus can be so intense that it becomes incredibly precise or destructive. Crosshair channels his intense emotions through his sharpshooting skills. His focus is so intense that every shot he makes is a precise killshot. However, in “Aftermath”, the shot Crosshair makes towards Wrecker only injures him. This may be a sign that he is fighting the effects of the inhibitor chip, and that he never intends to kill his brothers despite they have been branded as traitors to the Empire.

Artemis is seen as the archetype of the women’s movement because she is competent and independent, and she is protective of women and children. Since Artemis goes hunting and exploring the wilderness with her band of nymphs and minor deities associated with mountains, woods and streams, Artemis is also seen as the “big sister” archetype who emphasizes the “sisterhood” of women. In the myths, Artemis helped her mother Leto during her prolonged childbirth, and saved her from the giant Tityus who tried to overtake her. Artemis also came to other women’s aid, for example, she rescued the woodland nymph Arethusa from the pursuit of a river deity. Artemis is also known for her mercilessness, which is evident when she punished the hunter Actaeon who accidentally saw the goddess and her nymphs bathing in a hidden pool.

Crosshair is very protective of his brothers. In the Hyperspace Stories #10, when Dr. Krail appears as a hologram to greet the Bad Batch and state that he has been anticipating their arrival, Crosshair stands in front of Wrecker to protect him. In the episode “On the Wings of Keeradaks”, Crosshair protects the Poletecs by taking down the battle droids from afar. He also cares about Echo’s wellbeing as he is seen placing a hand on Echo’s shoulder after they fight off the battle droids. There are many headcanons and fanfictions that depict Crosshair protecting the vulnerable such as rescuing a person from another’s unwanted advances, which sometimes leads to a physical altercation. If Crosshair is not affected by the inhibitor chip, he will be impressed by Omega’s bravery for standing up for the Bad Batch in “Aftermath”.

People who feel true to themselves being with nature is connected to Artemis because she is associated with the wilderness and undomesticated nature. They may feel like they are in a spiritual communion with nature – be it surrounded by forests, mountains, or under the starry night. As the Goddess of the Moon and the Hunt, Artemis grants “moonlight vision”, which helps a person to look inward (like going into the wilderness, which contains our dreams, experiences and connection with nature) and be more reflective. There are headcanons that depict Crosshair as an animal lover, especially towards baby animals, which is an Artemis trait. In “Kamino Lost”, Crosshair is shown to have “moonlight vision” when he successfully takes the shot to save Omega despite the dark surroundings and the murky waters below. In “The Outpost”, Crosshair makes a spiritual connection with the Ice Vulture, which helps him to look inward and reflect on his decisions, leading him to turn against the Empire.

In Greek mythology, three goddesses make up the moon trinity – Selene who rules over the sky, Artemis on earth, and Hecate in the Underworld. This moon trinity can be represented by Riyo Chuchi, Crosshair and Echo in terms of their fight against the Empire: Riyo Chuchi is Selene because she is a senator and her high status means she is at the sky domain (the Galactic Senate); Crosshair is Artemis because his rebellion starts in the wilderness of Barton IV; Echo is Hecate (who is a constant companion to Persephone, Echo’s anima) because he fights in the darkness and at the crossroads where he rescues Howzer and two of his men.

Zeus and Leto are parents to Artemis, who are both loving and approving of her course of life. Parental support is needed to cultivate the Artemis archetype from a young age. Opposition and disapproval from parents (mostly from the father) may damage the self-esteem and self-confidence of an Artemis person. They may continue to put on a defiant attitude, but deep down, they feel inadequate despite all the successes they have, and they have a tendency to self-sabotage. Conflict usually arises between the mother and the daughter, especially if the mother is a Demeter archetype. A Demeter mother prefers a compliant good girl like Persephone, who will follow her, ask for her help, and accept that “mother knows best”. However, Artemis is the opposite to Persephone for she is independent and stubborn, which can lead to disappointment and feelings of rejection within the Demeter mother.

The conflict between Demeter and Artemis can be seen between Hunter and Crosshair. Hunter has the Zeus and Demeter archetypes. As Zeus, Hunter recognizes Crosshair’s talent and encourages him to develop it further. Though, his Demeter anima likely causes Hunter to limit Crosshair and stop him from doing certain things. Nevertheless, Crosshair’s stubbornness will get in the way, leading to arguments between the two. In “Aftermath”, Crosshair keeps shooting at Caleb Dume despite Hunter repeatedly telling him to stand down. They later have an argument about following orders. In “Return to Kamino”, Hunter refuses to accept that Crosshair willingly chooses to join the Empire, and decides to forcibly take him away after stunning him. In “Kamino Lost”, Hunter keeps trying to reason with Crosshair about the Empire’s atrocities but to no avail. Crosshair feels that Hunter is trying to control and limit him, deciding what is best for him because Hunter has the mindset that “he knows best”. The more Hunter tries to control Crosshair, the more Crosshair will rebel. This is why he stands his ground and refuses to rejoin the Bad Batch.

Another problem faced by the Demeter mother-Artemis daughter involves a weak, passive mother. The mother may be depressed, an alcoholic, trapped in a bad marriage, or immature, which causes the daughter to take on the parent role. The daughter is disappointed that she does not have a strong mother, and that she is not strong enough to change her mother’s life (unlike the goddess Artemis who was able to help her mother Leto). Determined not to resemble her mother, the Artemis daughter refuses to show her vulnerability and dependency, and she usually rejects what are traditionally feminine like softness, gentleness and receptivity. Crosshair faces this issue when he sees Hunter has failed in his leadership skills or has let his feelings getting in the way. In “Aftermath”, when Hunter refuses to execute Saw Gerrera and his people, Crosshair begins to see Hunter as unfit to lead the squad, and he wants to take over. Crosshair even demands Hunter to explain when he has become soft as he disobeys orders to save Omega, which indicates Crosshair’s contempt for softness and vulnerability. In “Kamino Lost”, Crosshair accuses Hunter that his failed leadership is going to lead them to their deaths, and he expresses his disapproval to let Omega calling the shots because she is a child.

Like Artemis, Crosshair is a natural competitor who is willing to push himself to the limit to achieve his goals. He likes to be challenged, which is seen in the Hyperspace Stories #10. In this comic, the Bad Batch is sent to Hylanth for a mission to investigate battle droids. Crosshair thinks that this mission can be carried out by the regular clone troopers, and the apparent lack of challenge frustrates him. After Tech explains that these battle droids have been modified, Crosshair says that “maybe there is hope for this mission yet” as he feels motivated to take on the challenge. Even if the goal does not guarantee success or it can cause him to become distant from others, Crosshair still chooses to continue his pursuit because he finds personal fulfilment with it. Since Crosshair finds his role as a soldier personally fulfilling, he chooses to stay with the Empire despite facing disapproval from the Bad Batch. Many Artemis people take up sports, especially in marathons and skiing which require a combination of goal focus, will, intensity and competitiveness. They move forward without any hesitation, undeterred by any challenges ahead. We have seen Crosshair expertly slides across floors or down snow slopes in “A Distant Echo” and “Aftermath”, which is a trait of his Artemis anima.

Most Artemis people, especially in their early adulthood, are engrossed in their work or causes. Marriage and childbearing are often far from their minds, or they outright reject them. Though, they like children and are extremely protective of children, like a mother bear who ferociously protects her young. They also prefer to foster independence in children. There are headcanons that Crosshair is not interested in getting married and having children, or he is alright with marriage but chooses to be childfree. These are traits of his Artemis anima. Moreover, Crosshair is not much of a parental figure in the beginning possibly because he views Omega as a dependent, passive child, which is not ideal for an Artemis person. However, as Omega becomes more independent, active and assertive, it is possible for Crosshair to become protective of her while encouraging her to be independent.

A relationship with an Artemis person, be it platonic or romantic, usually resembles the sibling relationship, friendly rivals or the Artemis-Apollo twinship. Their desire to maintain independence in a relationship means they are not drawn to dominating partners and they are not interested in playing the parental role. Their partner is usually their equal with shared or complementary interests, or is the one who nurtures them like teaching them to be more considerate and sensitive. If the Artemis person and their partner are both competitive, they must be careful not to let their competitive nature kill off their relationship, which parallels the myth of Artemis and Orion, where Orion was killed due to Artemis being goaded to take on Apollo’s challenge. Some people do view Crosshair as a person who will treat his partner as his equal instead of dominating them (which is associated with his Poseidon archetype), and his partner is usually as competitive as him, or a nurturing person who opens him up. Crosshair has a strong connection with the Bad Batch, and he is shown to share a friendly competition with Wrecker during the Clone Wars. I interpret Crosshair and Tech having the Artemis-Apollo twinship due to both of them being similar yet different from each other. Crosshair mostly has a brother-sister dynamic with Omega, who usually helps him to be more considerate and sensitive to his feelings.

In the myths, Artemis never suffered but she did bring harm to those who offended her. Similarly, people who identify themselves strongly as Artemis usually cause others to suffer rather than hurting themselves. If an Artemis person is raised to look down on traditionally feminine values, she may develop a contempt for vulnerability and dependency. Her relationships with others are marked with emotional distance and the usual physical unavailability. She may lose interest once her partner wants to get close to her emotionally, or becomes dependent on her, which are seen as “weaknesses” to her. She may even be cruel to her loved ones, treating them as unwanted intruders. Hence, it is important for an Artemis person to realize the importance of love and trust of a special person.

In “Aftermath”, Crosshair expresses his contempt for vulnerability upon seeing Hunter disobeying orders to save Omega. He also dislikes Omega trying to get close to him. It is likely that his inhibitor chip has affected him – possibly strengthening his Artemis anima to the point of becoming cold and cruel. However, he still retains the same contempt for vulnerability even without the influence of the inhibitor chip. In “Return to Kamino”, Crosshair tries to take Omega away from the Bad Batch and he tells Hunter to stop pretending to be a father figure to her because “that is not who he is”. In “Kamino Lost”, Omega tries to connect with Crosshair but he pushes her away again. Fortunately, Crosshair overcomes his contempt for vulnerability after receiving the love and trust from Commander Mayday in “The Outpost”.

Artemis has been called “the Far-Distant Artemis”, and this archetype is marked with emotional distance. This means Artemis people can become so focused on their own goals that they fail to notice the feelings of other people and can get offended by those who interrupt their focus. Their lack of attentiveness can make people who care about them feel insignificant and excluded. To grow beyond this archetype, Artemis people must learn to pay attention to others and be a good listener. They must also remain in touch and accessible to those who care about them.

When Order 66 happens, Crosshair’s inhibitor chip is somewhat activated. He becomes adamant of following orders, which leads to conflict between him and the rest of the Bad Batch (especially Hunter). He does not understand why they choose to disobey orders, and he even sighs in frustration when Hunter tells him to stand down in “Aftermath” as if Hunter is interrupting his focus to carry out the order. When Crosshair joins the Empire, he becomes “inaccessible” to the Bad Batch. In “Return to Kamino” and “Kamino Lost”, Crosshair reveals that he already has his inhibitor chip removed and that he willingly joins the Empire. This realization hurts the Bad Batch because it means that Crosshair chooses not to come back in his own volition because he prioritizes his role as a soldier of the Empire. Although Crosshair remains mostly closed-off from other clones, Commander Cody’s advice does affect him in “The Solitary Clone”. Later, in “The Outpost”, Commander Mayday helps Crosshair to open up and become more accessible to him.

Artemis is known to be merciless. In one myth, the hunter Actaeon accidentally saw Artemis and her nymphs bathing in a hidden pool. The goddess turned him into a stag and he was later torn to pieces by his own hounds. In another myth, Niobe insulted Leto by bragging that she had many sons and daughters, unlike Leto who only had two. Leto called on Artemis and Apollo to avenge her without mercy. With their bows and arrows, Apollo killed Niobe’s six sons while Artemis killed Niobe’s six daughters, and Niobe was turned into a weeping pillar of stone.

People who strongly identify as Artemis are extremely loyal to others, tend to get angry at injustice, unafraid to express their point of view, and have a tendency to take action. These are positive traits of Artemis, but there is also a tendency to mercilessly judge the actions of others in an absolute black and white. From this perspective, not just an action is either entirely bad or entirely good, but the person who does the action is also either all bad or all good. With that, an Artemis person feels justified to retaliate or punish the person.

Crosshair is extremely loyal to the Bad Batch. However, when they leave him behind on Kamino, he feels betrayed and view them as bad people. In “Reunion”, Crosshair is determined to hunt the Bad Batch down as they have been branded as traitors to the Empire. In “Return to Kamino”, Crosshair offers the Bad Batch to join the Empire, but they refuse, which from his perspective, makes them all bad people. That is why he tells them not to make the same mistake twice and not to become his enemy. In “Kamino Lost”, Crosshair views Hunter as a bad leader because he has caused the Bad Batch to disobey orders, run away from the Empire and now they are trapped under Tipoca City that is sinking to the ocean floor. In “The Solitary Clone”, Crosshair calls the clones who are questioning orders as traitors like the Jedi because from his perspective, a good soldier follows orders without question, and even a slight tendency to question orders is considered an entirely bad thing, and it makes the soldier a completely bad person.

It is important for an Artemis person to develop compassion and empathy, which may come with maturity and experience. Many Artemis people enter adulthood feeling self-confident and invulnerable. However, after going through suffering, being misjudged or failing at something, they may grow to become more compassionate. They will learn to be more merciful as they learn what it is like to be vulnerable and become more understanding, they realize that people are more complex than they think, and they learn to forgive themselves and others for making mistakes.

Crosshair has always felt confident and invulnerable. He does not believe that he would be replaced by the Empire because of his superiority. He turns a blind eye at the regular clone troopers, who are feeling the plight of being forced into “retirement”. However, that all changes when Crosshair goes through suffering in “The Outpost”. He learns how to be vulnerable to Mayday, which makes him more understanding and compassionate towards the regular clone trooper. This helps Crosshair to become more mature, and realize that the Empire does not care about the clones, including him. Hopefully, Crosshair can learn to forgive himself for making the mistake of joining the Empire and disappointing the Bad Batch.

The goddess Artemis is known for her destructive aspect that is symbolized by the wild boar, one of the animals sacred to her. In Greek mythology, Artemis sent the Calydonian Boar to terrorize the countryside of Calydon because King Oeneus had failed to honour her in his rites to the gods. The Calydonian Boar was described to have burning, bloodshot eyes, thick bristles that stood like sharp spikes, hide tougher than armour, and tusks similar to those of Indian elephants. It trampled vineyards and crops, drove away flocks and herds of animals, and killed many heroes who had tried to bring it down. This rampaging destruction serves as a metaphor for an Artemis person on a warpath.

The rage of Artemis is surpassed only by that of Hera. Although both goddesses appear to share the same intense feelings, the provocation and the direction of the anger are different. A Hera person directs their rage at “the other woman”, while an Artemis person directs their rage at people (mostly men) for depreciating them or for disrespecting something they value. The rage of Artemis can be observed in people reacting to injustice with intense hostility that is often out of proportion to the particular provocation, which leads to a rampage similar to the Calydonian Boar, hurting themselves and many like-minded people along the way.

After the Bad Batch leaves Crosshair behind, he is greatly offended by their betrayal and for throwing away their legacy. He hunts them down as if he is like Artemis on a warpath. His rampage causes injuries to himself and his troops. In “The Outpost”, Crosshair is furious that Lieutenant Nolan refuses to provide medical aid to Mayday because “they should not waste the Empire’s resources on a clone”, resulting in his death. Crosshair reacts to the injustice with intense hostility and he shoots Lieutenant Nolan, instantly killing him. However, Crosshair’s action causes him to end up on Mount Tantiss, where he gets experimented and tortured by Dr. Hemlock.

In the myth of the Calydonian Boar, the huntress Atalanta faced the charging boar with a bow and an arrow, or in some versions, a spear. She waited until the boar was almost on her, took careful aim, and then shot the arrow or threw the spear through an eye, which was its only vulnerable spot. Her action successfully wounded the boar. According to Jean Shinoda Bolen, the destructive rage of an Artemis person can only be stopped by what Atalanta did in this myth. The Artemis person must take courage to confront their own destructiveness directly. They must see it as an aspect of themselves that must be stopped before it consumes them and devastates their relationships. They can no longer feel righteous and powerful when they realize how much damage they have done to themselves and others. Humility is what returns their humanity as they become aware that they are flawed humans, not an avenging goddess.

When Crosshair gets angry, he reacts by taking action. However, his actions sometimes hurt himself and others. For example, his decision to hunt the Bad Batch down because he feels betrayed by them worsens the rift between them. By killing Lieutenant Nolan to avenge Mayday’s death, Crosshair ends up being imprisoned on Mount Tantiss and is subjected to experimentation and torture. It is important for Crosshair to realize how destructive his rage is, and how it hurts him and others. He must learn not to let his rage consumes him, and instead become aware that he too is a flawed person.

The myth of Iphigenia depicted the crucial choice an Artemis person would make in their lives. In this story of the Trojan War, the Greek ships had been assembled to set sail for Troy, but no winds arose to fill the sails and carry the fleet to war. Agamemnon, the leader of the Greeks, believed that it was the doing of a god, so he consulted the expedition’s seer. The seer explained that Agamemnon had offended the goddess Artemis on his way to the Trojan War by hunting and killing one of her sacred stags, and she punished him by withholding the winds. The seer stated that the goddess could only be appeased by the sacrifice of Agamemnon’s daughter Iphigenia. At first, Agamemnon resisted, but as pressure from his troops mounted, he tricked his wife Clytemnestra into sending Iphigenia to him, on the pretext that she was to be married to the Greek hero Achilles. Instead, she was prepared for the human sacrifice in exchange for the winds. There were two types of endings for this myth. One version stated that the death of Iphigenia was carried out as demanded by Artemis. In the alternate version, Artemis interceded just at the point of sacrifice, substituting a stag in her place, and carried her off to Tauris, where she became one of Artemis’s priestesses.

Jean Shinoda Bolen interprets these two endings as the possible effects of the Artemis archetype. She believes that every Artemis person likely has certain traits of Iphigenia — young, trusting, vulnerable, receptive, nurturing, the ability to relate to others, the ability to be intimate with others, dependent on others, and the willingness to make sacrifices for the sake of others. On one hand, the Artemis archetype rescues these traditionally feminine values from the devaluation and oppression of the patriarchy, like Artemis rescuing Iphigenia. On the other hand, the Artemis archetype makes a person so intensely focused on their goals that they sacrifice and devalue these traditionally feminine values, like Iphigenia was sacrificed to appease Artemis so the winds could bring the Greek fleet to war.

With that, an Artemis person is faced with a crucial choice: Will they rescue and protect this Iphigenia part of themselves so that it can grow even as they continue with their life and pursue their goals? Or will they be required to kill this Iphigenia part of themselves in order to be as focused, hard and clear as possible?

The myth of Iphigenia is depicted in “Kamino Lost”. Omega represents Iphigenia for she is young, receptive, vulnerable and dependent on others. Hunter also represents some traits of Iphigenia for he is nurturing and he cares deeply for Omega. These values are deemed as traditionally feminine. In this episode, Omega is unwilling to lose AZI so she swims after the droid. Hunter wants to enter the water to save Omega because she is about to drown. At this moment, Crosshair pulls out his rifle and it seems like he is aiming at Hunter, which is why Wrecker, Tech and Echo point their blasters at him. This scene seems to depict the possibility of Crosshair choosing to “sacrifice Iphigenia”, which is “to eliminate Hunter and let Omega drown”. After all, the episode has shown that Crosshair still has conflicts with Hunter and he continues to push Omega away, which can be interpreted as Crosshair devaluing these traditionally feminine values in favour of the Empire and his soldier’s duty.

When it seems that Hunter is in danger and Omega is about to drown, Crosshair is actually aiming at the water and he shoots a grapple that latches onto AZI, allowing him to pull Omega and the droid to the surface. Crosshair’s action to save Omega’s life represents his Artemis anima choosing to “save Iphigenia”, which can be interpreted as Crosshair rescuing and protecting these traditionally feminine values. His action indicates that there is still good in him, and that he can be vulnerable, receptive and nurturing. 

To grow beyond the Artemis archetype, one must learn to become vulnerable, to love and care deeply about another person. This usually happens after the Artemis person has “run down”, after they have achieved or failed their goals, or after the pursuit has gone stale. The people who care about the Artemis person may have to wait, or they can get some help from Aphrodite.

The Atalanta myth serves a metaphor for the psychological growth that an Artemis person may go through. Atalanta was a huntress and runner whose courage and capabilities were equal to any man’s. She was left on a mountaintop to die by her father soon she was born. She was then saved by a bear and raised by hunters. She grew up to be a beautiful woman and she devoted herself to the goddess Artemis. A famous hunter named Meleager became her lover and companion. They played an important part in the Calydonian boar hunt where Atalanta successfully wounded the boar and Meleager finished it off. Since Atalanta had drawn first blood, Meleager offered the boar skin to her as a prize. However, Meleager’s uncles, who had been hunting with them, thought it was disgraceful that a woman should get the trophy where men were involved. They tried to take the skin for themselves and claimed the credit for killing the boar. Meleager was outraged by this and he killed them, which then resulted in his mother killing him shortly thereafter.

Atalanta then left the wilderness, and was eventually reunited with her father. Her father recognized her as heir to his throne, and insisted that she should get married, which was something she was not interested of. Many suitors came to win her hand, and she rejected them all. As her suitors became more persistent, she came up with a challenge for them: she would marry the man who could beat her at a footrace, but he would lose his life if he lost the race. Race after race, Atalanta was always in the lead. Finally, the unathletic Hippomenes, who truly loved her, entered the race. He prayed to Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love and Beauty, for help at the night before the race, and she gave him three golden apples to use in the race. During the race, Hippomenes threw the three golden apples in Atalanta’s path three times, which managed to distract her long enough for him to cross the finish line first and take her as his wife.

The Atalanta myth, or more specifically the deadly footrace, is played out in “The Outpost”, and it helps Crosshair to grow beyond his one-sided Artemis anima and achieve wholeness. There are no official explanations as to why Atalanta is distracted by the three golden apples, but Jean Shinoda Bolen provides her own interpretations for the three golden apples, which surprisingly match Crosshair’s character arc in “The Outpost”.

When Hippomenes threw the first golden apple and Atalanta went to take it, she saw her own face distorted by the curves of the apple. The first golden apple is interpreted to have given her the awareness of time passing. Many Artemis people are unaware of time passing until their desire to take up challenges or to reach their goals dwindle. They may become aware that they are not going to be eternally youthful and start reflecting about their course of life. At the beginning of “The Outpost”, Crosshair observes three clone troopers protesting their “forced retirement” due to the Defense Recruitment Bill has been passed by the Senate. Upon arriving at the outpost, Crosshair meets Commander Mayday, who has been guarding the cargo held in the outpost for a year, and has been expecting reinforcements 36 rotations ago. By witnessing the clones being forced into retirement and realizing that a year has passed since the formation of the Empire, Crosshair becomes aware of time passing, and that soon enough, he would be replaced by Stormtroopers, as it is the fate of all clones.

When Hippomenes threw the second golden apple, Atalanta went to retrieve it, and memories of her dead lover Meleager took over her. The second golden apple is interpreted to raise awareness of the importance of love. As yearnings for physical and emotional closeness are stirred by Aphrodite, an Artemis person may become more receptive to love and intimacy, and this feeling is strengthened by the awareness of time passing.

As Commander Mayday gives Crosshair a tour of the depot and its surroundings, he explains that they have been attacked by raiders who have caught them off guard in the last few raids. Mayday believes that the polar conditions have degraded the sensors, which may explain how the raiders get past them. To make matters worse, he is not receiving any replacements from the Empire. At this moment, Crosshair probably starts to recall memories of Hunter and Tech. Hunter would have been able to detect the raiders quickly thanks to his enhanced senses, and Tech would have upgraded the sensors to make it difficult for raiders to get past.

When Crosshair steps on a pressure mine, Mayday goes ahead to disarm it despite he is not an explosive expert and that he does not have the proper equipment to do so. However, he is able to improvise with the tools he has. At this moment, Crosshair probably starts to recall memories of Wrecker. Wrecker is an explosive expert, and he would have the proper equipment to disarm the pressure mine with ease. While Mayday disarms the mine, he asks Crosshair about his unit. This prompts Crosshair to mention that he was part of Clone Force 99, but they are gone. As he recalls the memories of his former squad, he probably begins to yearn for their presence and support. He probably starts to yearn for physical and emotional closeness, which is why he becomes closer to Mayday.

As Atalanta was about to pass Hippomenes and win the race, he dropped the third golden apple. For a split second, she hesitated: should she cross the finish line and win the race, or take the apple and lose? She chose to reach for the apple just as Hippomenes crossed the finish line, winning the race and her for his wife. The third golden apple represents procreative instincts and creativity, which are associated with Aphrodite. In life, there may come a time where achievements become less important to the Artemis person. They may shift their focus to other things like settling down and having a family, or transforming their experiences into some form of personal expression. They start to follow their heart more.

Crosshair and Mayday are sent to retrieve the cargo stolen by raiders. They are successful but they get caught in an avalanche. Crosshair digs himself out of the snow and finds Mayday injured. Mayday tells Crosshair to go because he is not going to make it. Crosshair now must make a choice: should he complete the mission and leave Mayday to die, just like he has said earlier, “no point of carrying deadweight”? Or should he abandon the mission and save Mayday’s life? Just like Atalanta gives up winning for Hippomenes, Crosshair gives up the mission for Mayday. Crosshair is well-aware that he will be reprimanded for not completing the mission, and his icy-cold reputation will certainly be tarnished. However, as he starts following his own heart, his brotherly love for Mayday wins over his ego and his tendency to follow orders.

Jean Shinoda Bolen believes that the knowledge of Aphrodite can be brought through the love of another person, which can help an Artemis person to move beyond the one-sidedness of this archetype and achieve wholeness. The Artemis person can turn inward to reflect on what is important to them, and be inner-directed as well as outer-focused. They may realize their needs for intimacy as well as for independence. Once they embrace love, they will have moments to decide for themselves what is most important.

In “The Solitary Clone”, Crosshair begins to turn inward to reflect on what is important to him after Commander Cody tells him that they make their own decisions and choices, and they have to live with them too. Crosshair’s brotherly love for Mayday is what pushes him further to turn inward for reflection. From here, he decides that his loyalty to his brothers (and his sister Omega) and his protectiveness towards them mean the most to him. With the Empire not seeing eye to eye with him, Crosshair finally turns against the Empire.

Besides Artemis, Hera is another prominent archetype in Crosshair’s anima. Hera, or Juno as the Romans called her, is the Goddess of Marriage. She is the wife of Zeus (or Jupiter by the Romans), the chief god of the Olympians, who rules over the heavens and earth in Greek mythology. Her name is thought to mean “Great Lady”, which is the feminine form of the Greek word “hero”. Her symbols are the cow, the cuckoo, the Milky Way, the lily, and the peacock (and its iridescent tailfeather “eyes” that symbolized Hera’s watchfulness). Hera has two contrasting aspects: she is greatly revered and worshipped in rituals as a powerful goddess of marriage, and she is depicted as a vindictive, quarrelsome, jealous shrew due to Zeus’s infidelity.

In her rituals, Hera had three epithets and three corresponding sanctuaries where she was worshipped during the year. In the spring, she was Hera Parthenos (Hera the Maiden or the Virgin). She was celebrated as Hera Teleia in the summer and autumn (Hera the Perfected One or the Fulfilled One), and became Hera Chera (Hera the Widow) in the winter. These three aspects of Hera represented the three states of a married person’s life (or more specifically, a woman’s life in Ancient Greece): in spring, they were single; in summer, they felt completed through a wedding; in winter, they grieved at the end of their marriage due to separation or death of their partner.

Hera is the wife archetype that prompts a person to get involved in a committed relationship and to get married. People who identify strongly as Hera view marriage as a way to gain prestige, respect and honour. They want to be recognized as “someone important”, and they seek out outer acknowledgement by having a large wedding ceremony. They find joy, fulfilment and completeness in marriage, in which they see it as sacred. Just like Hera is married to Zeus, people who identify with the Hera archetype are attracted to competent, successful people like rulers, businessmen or politicians. They are usually not into artists, scholars or humanitarians. Their choice in partners comes from their view of marriage as something that provides comfort and security to their lives. Besides that, some Hera people may view marriage as a way out of a bad situation, especially if their parents resemble Hera’s parents Cronos and Rhea – a patriarchal, dominating father and a powerless mother.

There are many headcanons that Crosshair enjoys security and comfort in his life, which are granted by the Republic’s support. The Republic provides necessities to all the clone troopers such as food, shelter, payment, weapons, training and transport. With that, Crosshair may feel ease to do other things. Many fans agree that Crosshair is the most fashionable of the Bad Batch, and he likes to wear jewellery. He may indulge in the best fabrics for comfort like wearing a pair of sleepwear and/or eye mask that are made of silk. He likely cares about his appearance greatly, which leads to a headcanon that he uses a loofah (suggested by a fan) or a pumice stone (suggested by the person running the Star Wars twitter account) during showers for he cares about his skin. These headcanons evoke the imagery of the Hera archetype in Crosshair – pompous, feelings of superiority and likes attention. He probably gets jealous at Omega because she captures all the attention of the Bad Batch in “Aftermath”.

There are also headcanons that Crosshair likes to indulge the Bad Batch like bringing them to the best restaurants on a planet, buying things they like, or crafting things for them. The writers have come up with a headcanon that Crosshair is the one who creates Lula for Wrecker. I also have a headcanon that Crosshair creates Lula after the Hyperspace Stories #10 because Wrecker has lost the stuffed toy and Crosshair wants to cheer him up. I can imagine Crosshair buying something delicious for Wrecker to eat, getting the best equipment for Tech, and choosing the most comfortable fabric for Hunter to wear as a casual outfit. In “Aftermath”, Crosshair is shown to desire orderliness and cleanliness as he complains about the smell getting worse in the squad’s barracks, and that his bed is spotless and tidy (even his blacks are folded neatly). I have this headcanon that Crosshair is mainly responsible for the orderliness and cleanliness of the Marauder, and that Echo’s arrival has helped to ease most of his burdens. For example, Crosshair makes sure the floors of the Marauder are clean of dirt, dust, mud and food crumbs. He makes sure the lights and ventilation are working properly. He washes their blacks regularly and keeps a tab on their toiletries. He does all of these for everyone’s comfort, including himself.

I have seen people shipping Crosshair with a character that is of a higher status than him like a Jedi, a senator, or a politician, which kind of evokes the imagery of Hera and Zeus. There are many romantic headcanons for Crosshair that evoke the Hera archetype, for example, he buys something that his partner yearns to have regardless of the price, or he creates something for his partner to show his love and devotion. People who identify as Hera tend to share the same friend group and interests with their partner, even when they initially do not like them. It is a general headcanon that Crosshair will reluctantly do an activity with his partner because he prioritizes his partner’s needs and wants over his, which is a Hera trait. I have seen one headcanon that Crosshair is willing to give his partner children if his partner wants them, which is also a trait of the Hera archetype.

People who identify strongly as Hera find fulfilment in playing the role of a housewife or a househusband. They can take care of everything in the house while their partner is away for work. Since Crosshair has some traits of the Hera archetype, it is possible for him to play the role of a househusband well. Imagine yourself coming back home from a long, tiring day of work, and you find that Crosshair has cleaned the entire house, done the laundry, cooked your favourite meal, prepared a bubble bath for you, and planned to give you a body massage to help you relax before you go to sleep. Basically, Crosshair can be a devoted partner that pampers and spoils you, making you feel that you are the most important person in his universe.

The Hera archetype grants a person the capacity for commitment. They are loyal and faithful to their partner, and they are willing to endure and go through difficulties with their partner. They are the ones who stay “for better or worse”, and they are willing to drop everything for their partner. Loyalty means everything to the clones, and Crosshair takes it very seriously. Crosshair is extremely loyal to the Bad Batch, and he will do anything for them. In “The Bad Batch”, when Rex takes charge of the mission after Cody is injured, Crosshair sees it as Rex challenging Clone Force 99 for authority, or more specifically, challenging Hunter’s leadership role. This causes Crosshair to defend Hunter and Clone Force 99 by pointing out that Cody has called them in to help Rex, so Rex has no right to challenge their authority. This scene evokes an image of a Hera person fiercely defending their partner. I can imagine Crosshair leaving the last ration bar for Wrecker, placing a warm blanket on Tech when he has fallen asleep on his desk, and giving Hunter a hug upon seeing how work has overwhelmed him. Crosshair always gives his best to his loved ones, and puts their needs above his.

In Greek mythology, Zeus got close to Hera by turning himself into a shivering little bird. Hera took pity of the bird and brought it close to her body to warm it up. Then, Zeus revealed himself as the chief god and made a promise to marry her, in which she accepted. People who identify strongly as Hera may find themselves attracted to powerful and successful people that are also emotionally immature like Zeus. This emotional immaturity is what makes a Hera person to view them as “a poor little creature in need of Hera’s warmth and protection”. This caring trait of Hera can be seen in Crosshair. Although Crosshair can get annoyed at Wrecker’s antics (even telling him to “grow up”), his complaints are never taken seriously by anyone. In “The Bad Batch”, when Jesse defends Rex from Crosshair, Wrecker grabs and lifts him by the throat. Crosshair then defends Wrecker by warning Kix to stay out of it and fights him. This shows that Crosshair is not just protective of Wrecker, he is also enabling Wrecker’s impulsiveness. In “Aftermath”, Crosshair complains about the smell in their barracks and he does not like their laziness on cleaning up the mess. Yet, his complaints are treated as passing comments, and he does not try to change the Bad Batch. He probably grumbles while cleaning up the mess they have created, as if he is just tolerating their bad habits. The Bad Batch probably even sees it as a hobby for Crosshair that is not sharpshooting. Just like how Hera views Zeus in his poor little bird form, it is possible that Crosshair views Hunter, Tech and Wrecker as “poor little boys” in need of his warmth and protection. He feels the need to fiercely defend them from criticisms and insults, and he does not feel the need to change them at all, even if their antics do annoy him.

When the goddess Hera was worshipped in Greek temples and the marriage of Zeus and Hera was ritually enacted, Zeus was called Zeus Teleios, which meant “Zeus, Bringer to Fulfilment”. With that, a Hera person unconsciously places an archetypal expectation of fulfilment on their partner, with the assumption that they will be transformed by marriage. This tendency to project an image of an idealized partner onto a person can usually lead to disappointment, criticism and anger from the Hera person, causing them to urge their partner to change.

To a Hera person, a happy marriage means that their partner is devoted to them, placing their marriage first, and appreciating them as their wife or husband. However, a Hera person is usually drawn to people like Zeus, who are devoted to their careers. A Zeus person usually uses marriage to boost their social image by marrying someone from the same class or higher than his, and they can appear side by side in public. This type of marriage is a personal disaster for a Hera person due to their partner’s lack of involvement and concern of her. Yet, no matter how dissatisfied the Hera person feels about the marriage, they are the least likely to seek divorce and instead, they choose to bury their feelings by putting on the image of a perfect couple.

People who identify strongly as Hera have a tendency to place their relationship with their partner above everything else. They believe in marital promises of eternal devotion and they are willing to make sacrifices for their partner. They can give up their education to be a full-time wife or husband for their partner, get a job to support their partner, or relocate to another town or country if their partner wants to move. Hera people usually do not maintain family ties and friendships made before marriage. They are usually not close with their own children since they tend to prioritize their partner over their children. They also do not maintain their own interests prior to marriage. They instead make themselves conform to their partner’s life, interests and friends. These constraints can lead to problems for a Hera person, and they are made worse if their partners do not give them support to grow beyond the Hera archetype.

The Hera archetype can be such an overwhelming force that it oppresses people, and it turns people into oppressors. This archetype may make an unmarried person feel incomplete and they may end up in a bad marriage. This archetype may also cause a married person to stay in a bad marriage no matter how damaging it is to them. They may constantly nag at their partner for failing to live up to the image of Zeus who fulfils, or they may become enraged and jealous if their partner is unfaithful – be it in a factual or an imaginary scenario.

Whenever Zeus cheats on Hera, the goddess does not channel her rage towards her husband. Instead, she channels her destructive and vindictive rage at the other women (e.g. Callisto, Io, Leto, Aegina), at children conceived by Zeus with other women (e.g. Heracles, Dionysus), or at innocent bystanders (e.g. Echo). Just like the goddess, Hera people tend to judge and punish other people by excluding or ostracizing them and their children, all because they do not meet Hera’s standards. Hera people are judgemental towards people who are unmarried, sensual, or divorced because they are seen as “a threat” that can attract their married partner. Hera people are also judgemental towards people who are not personally threatening like unmarried mothers on welfare.

These disappointed expectations, constraints and judgmental attitude from the Hera archetype can be seen in Crosshair. In “Aftermath”, Crosshair does not see the difference between the Republic and the Empire because their roles as soldiers are being maintained. He expects the Bad Batch to stay as soldiers because that is what they are made for, and that is the only acceptable role for them. Besides that, Crosshair looks down on the regular clone troopers and does not like to work alongside with them because he sees himself and the Bad Batch as more superior than them. Of course, his decision to ostracize the regular clone troopers is also due to him and the Bad Batch are constantly bullied by the regs. When Omega approaches the Bad Batch and sits with them, Crosshair is not welcoming towards her. He sees her as a child, and that she should not hang out with soldiers like them.

Crosshair becomes extremely disappointed at Hunter when he chooses to disobey orders and he starts to prioritize Omega’s safety. To him, good soldiers should follow orders, and Hunter is breaking it. Crosshair’s bitterness towards the Bad Batch grows when they leave him on Kamino and they have taken Omega with them, giving the feeling that he has been replaced. Although he is furious at the Bad Batch, he does not channel his destructive rage towards them, even though the Bad Batch thinks that he is trying to kill them. Instead, he channels his destructive rage towards other people. In “Replacements”, Crosshair executes ES-01 for insubordination and he orders the rest of the Elite Squad Troopers to execute innocent civilians, in which the Bad Batch has failed to do so earlier. In “Reunion”, Crosshair dismisses the Bad Batch for scavenging like rats since they no longer have a stable financial support after deserting the Empire. For Crosshair, being a soldier is the only truly acceptable role for a clone trooper. The life of a mercenary or a bounty hunter is a definite “no” for him and for any clone trooper.

In “Return to Kamino”, Crosshair kills his own Elite Squad Troopers for refusing to stand down as he has ordered. He offers the Bad Batch to join the Empire to have a purpose again. Moreover, he tries to take Omega away from the Bad Batch, even telling Hunter to stop pretending to be a father figure to her, which in Crosshair’s eyes, is something Hunter is not. When the Bad Batch refuses Crosshair’s offer, he gets angry at them, warning them not to make the same mistakes twice and not to become his enemy. Despite witnessing and surviving the destruction of Tipoca City caused by the Empire, Crosshair still chooses to stay loyal to the Empire, and not even Hunter’s advice can get to him.

In “The Solitary Clone”, Crosshair is seen to be eating his meal alone as other regular clone troopers move away from him. It is true that regular clone troopers usually have issues with “defective” clones like Crosshair, but Crosshair’s tendency to limit himself to only the Bad Batch also now becomes a side effect as he is no longer with his former squad. He has nobody close to him in the Empire. Although Commander Cody is a close friend of Crosshair, his eventual desertion wounds Crosshair, causing him to further shut himself off. Furthermore, Crosshair still chooses to return to the Empire despite being stranded on Kamino for 32 rotations, claiming that he is a soldier of the Empire. Even though Crosshair later becomes aware that the Empire is not treating the clones well, he finds himself unable to desert the Empire and his role as a soldier, just like a Hera person finds themselves unable to leave an abusive relationship or marriage.

The Medea syndrome, which originates from the Greek mythology character Medea, describes the spurned woman, which is the negative Hera pattern. The Medea myth is a metaphor that describes the Hera woman’s capacity to put her commitment to a man ahead of everything else, and her capacity for revenge when she finds that her commitment counts for nothing in his eyes.

In the myth, Medea was the priestess and daughter of King Aeëtes of Colchis. The Golden Fleece belonged to the king, and Jason and the Argonauts sought it. Jason needed help to obtain the Golden Fleece as it was well-guarded, and that he needed to complete three seemingly impossible tasks given by the king in a single day. His patron goddesses, Hera and Athena, managed to persuade Aphrodite to make Medea fall in love with him and help him steal the Golden Fleece. Jason begged Medea to help him and promised that he would marry her. So, out of her love and loyalty to Jason, Medea helped him steal the fleece. By doing so, she betrayed her father and her country, and brought about her brother’s death. She fled with Jason, and they eventually settled in Corinth. They got married and had two young sons.

Since Medea was a foreigner, her position was similar to that of a common-law wife. Jason wanted a better life, so he decided to marry Glauce (or Creusa), the daughter of King Creon of Corinth. As a condition for the marriage, Jason agreed that Medea and their children would be exiled. Medea was enraged with Jason for breaking his vows, and she felt humiliated that all her sacrifices and crimes committed for him meant nothing to him. With that, she plotted and carried out her revenge.

First, Medea sent Glauce a gown and a golden coronet that were covered with poison as wedding gifts. Once Glauce put them on, she was burned to death. Her father tried to save her, but he was also burned to death. Then, Medea was in conflict between her love for her children and her desire for revenge. Ultimately, her desire for revenge won, and she murdered her children. When Jason learned of her vengeful plot, Medea fled to Athens in a golden chariot driven by dragons sent by her grandfather, the god of the sun Helios. Despite all the crimes Medea had done, she retained the favours of the gods. As for Jason, since he broke his oath to love Medea forever, he lost favour with Hera and he died alone and unhappy. His story ended with a rotting prow of the Argo breaking off and crushing him in his sleep.

Literal reenactments of the Medea myth are rare, but they are quite common on a metaphoric level. When a person is influenced by Hera and Aphrodite like what happened to Medea, their instinct to mate and their passion for their loved one may cause them to put that relationship above everything. They may leave their family and friends, betray their own values, and cut off any ties if necessary. They will not have any help or support if their partner behaves like Jason.

The Medea person may imagine or attempt to harm their partner’s lover. For example, “Medea” may spread lies to damage the reputation of the other woman or man. Moreover, the Medea person may attempt to destroy their children’s relationship to their partner. They may take the children away, or make efforts to drive their partner away from the children. They may even make their children hate their other parent. It is worth noting that Medea did not murder Jason in the myth. Similarly, the hostile, spurned Hera often harms other people more than the partner who left them.

Crosshair shows his Hera’s destructive rage and the Medea syndrome in “Return to Kamino” and “Kamino Lost”. When Hunter says that they are loyal to each other and not the Empire, Crosshair counters that Hunter is not loyal to him and he has not forgotten that time the Bad Batch left him behind on Kamino. Crosshair is also bitter that the Bad Batch has thrown away their legacy. I have seen headcanons that Crosshair is willing to make tremendous sacrifices for his squad, which aligns with Hera’s capacity for commitment. When the Bad Batch leaves him behind, Crosshair must have felt that all of his devotion and sacrifices mean nothing to his squad. This incident leads him to take on the hostile, spurned Hera archetype.

Furthermore, Crosshair tries to take Omega away from Hunter and send her on a shuttle off-world. Hunter pleads with Crosshair not to do it because Omega belongs with the Bad Batch. However, Crosshair says that Omega is in constant danger from living among fugitives like the Bad Batch, and he is doing this for her own good and for the Bad Batch too. Crosshair even tells Hunter to let go of Omega and stop pretending to be something that he is not – a father figure to the child. This argument evokes the metaphoric reenactment of Medea and Jason, where Crosshair is the “Medea” that threatens to take the child Omega away from Hunter the “Jason”. True to Hera’s destructive rage, Crosshair has no intention of killing the Bad Batch despite their alleged treason and their disloyalty towards him. Instead, he kills his Elite Squad Troopers for refusing to stand down.

To grow beyond the Hera archetype, one must recognize Hera’s influence and understand the susceptibilities of this archetype. It is crucial for a Hera person to expand beyond the Hera archetype. They must realize that this archetype at best limits them, and at worst is destructive to them. They must consciously develop other archetypes, which can enrich their life and marriage, and give them the ability to adapt if death or divorce brings the marriage to an end.

Besides that, a Hera person should view marriage as a growth experience instead of an expectation of fulfilment. An insecure Hera person is highly susceptible to jealousy, and they can easily suspect infidelity or feel humiliated by their partner’s inattention. They may alienate their partner with accusations or make their partner be more aware of the effects of their indifferences. Their partner may learn to respond to the Hera person’s needs with compassion. The Hera person must repeatedly decide whom to trust – the suspicious Hera within or their partner. To grow, they must resist Hera and give their partner credit for support and fidelity.

In the myths, Hera has two sons – Ares, the God of War, and Hephaestus, the God of the Forge. Hera favoured Ares, and “like mother, like son”, Ares’s uncontrollable fury on the battlefield mirrored Hera’s uncontrollable vindictiveness. When a Hera person struggles with their vindictiveness and rage, they can transform their rage and pain into creative work by following the example of Hephaestus, whose wife Aphrodite was repeatedly unfaithful to him. Any kind of work, be it mental or manual, can help the Hera person to channel their rage in a healthy manner instead of being consumed and destroyed by it. Crosshair is close to Wrecker, who has a strong Ares archetype. Like Hera and Ares, they both express their rage directly, which is evident in “The Bad Batch” where Wrecker and Crosshair get into a fight with Jesse and Kix. Since Echo has a strong Hephaestus archetype, Crosshair can learn from Echo to channel his rage in a healthy manner.

It is normal for any person to grasp the loss once their partner has left them. For a Hera person, they are likely to believe that their partner will miss them and come back, just like that myth about Zeus and Hera’s reconciliation. In this myth, after a quarrel with Zeus, Hera left him and retreated to the island of Euboea, and there was nothing Zeus could say to change her mind. King Cithaeron then advised Zeus to stir her jealousy by announcing that he was about to marry Plataea, the daughter of Asopus. Then, Zeus arranged a mock wedding ceremony with a wooden statue of a woman that was wrapped up in a dress. Once Hera heard the news, she stormed into the wedding and tore away the dress from the figure, only to discover that it was a lifeless statue. Hera was amused by this prank, and she and Zeus reconciled and returned to Mount Olympus.

This myth provides several psychological elements for a possible reconciliation to occur. Firstly, Hera let go of more than her husband Zeus. She also let go of her hopes that he would change, and let go of the role of victimized, vindictive Hera. After Hera left, Zeus discovered that she was truly important to him. Zeus set up the mock wedding ceremony with a wooden statue to convey the message that each of his affairs had been a symbol to him (like the statue) rather than an important relationship. Hera was amused by it because she finally recognized that no other woman really had mattered to him all along, leading to a reconciliation. Life sometimes follows this mythic happy ending, but most of the time, it does not. A Hera person may see that separation has not changed her partner’s heart. Then, they must accept reality, grieve and move on with their life.

Despite feeling betrayed by the Bad Batch leaving him on Kamino, Crosshair still clings onto the hope that they can be brothers again. He proves his loyalty towards them by killing his Elite Squad Troopers. Then, he offers them to join the Empire as their chance of reconciliation. However, they refuse his offer, forcing Crosshair to face the reality that the separation has not changed their hearts. When Hunter offers Crosshair a chance to rejoin the Bad Batch, Crosshair refuses, claiming that he has made his decision. At this moment, Crosshair lets go of more than the Bad Batch. He also lets go of his hopes that they will change, and lets go of the role of victimized, vindictive Hera. By accepting this reality, Crosshair is able to grieve and move on with his life without the Bad Batch. He stops chasing after them and he lets go of any desire for revenge. Of course, Crosshair is still loyal to the Bad Batch, and this is proven when he lies in his report that they have perished in the bombardment of Tipoca City. He still wants to protect them, even going so far as to send Plan 88 to warn them to hide.

In “The Crossing”, Tech admits to Omega that he does miss Crosshair. When Tech reveals that Crosshair is now under the hands of Dr. Hemlock, Wrecker is surprised that Crosshair has turned against the Empire. Based on his voice, Wrecker is hopeful that Crosshair will come back to them. Tech then pushes the mission to rescue Crosshair because he is their brother, and they do not leave their own behind. Omega, Wrecker and Echo are supportive of the mission, which leads Hunter to give the approval. Their attempt to rescue Crosshair conveys the message that Crosshair is truly important to them.

Since the worship for the goddess Hera was done in a yearly cycle (Hera the Maiden in spring, Hera the Fulfilled One in summer and autumn, and Hera the Widow in winter), there is an archetypal possibility for a Hera person to complete the cycle and begin anew. A Hera person can emotionally “widow” themselves by leaving a relationship or marriage that is empty, abusive or smeared with infidelity. They can then start anew and choose wisely this time. Their drive to be a committed partner can once again be fulfilled in a positive manner as they find themselves in a new relationship or marriage.

Crosshair takes on the archetypal Hera the Widow when conflict arises between him and Hunter, and it gets worse when the Bad Batch leaves him on Kamino. In “Kamino Lost”, Crosshair chooses to emotionally “widow” himself by not returning to the Bad Batch that clearly does not trust him anymore. This is evident when Wrecker, Tech and Echo point their blasters at Crosshair because they think that he is going to shoot Hunter, when in fact, he is going to shoot a grapple to save Omega. Although Crosshair has made a horrible decision to stay with the Empire, he does come to his senses after meeting Commander Mayday. When Mayday is devastated to realize that the Empire disposes the clones despite their loyalty and sacrifices, Crosshair finally understands that loyalty goes two ways. Since this loyalty between the clones and the Empire is only one-sided, Crosshair turns against the Empire. I am sure that once Crosshair is back with the Bad Batch, he can start anew with them and make wiser decisions this time – like he “recycles” himself and takes on the archetypal Hera the Maiden.

Crosshair’s archetype combination is Poseidon, Apollo, Artemis and Hera. These archetypes are opposites to each other: Poseidon is emotional while Apollo is logical; Artemis is independent while Hera is dependent on others. This combination gives Crosshair a lot of complexity: he is both logical and emotional, is an independent spirit but also deeply cares for his loved ones. In Greek mythology, Apollo and Artemis are twins, and they are both archers, capable of aiming their goals from afar. Apollo is associated with civilizations while Artemis is associated with the wilderness. The Apollo-Artemis combination helps Crosshair to accomplish his goals with ease. He works well with social institutions and he has a love for the wilderness. Besides that, the Poseidon-Hera combination is also possible for it reflects the relationship between Poseidon and his wife Amphitrite. Since a Poseidon person is more in touch with their emotions, they may place high importance on their loved ones, especially if they take on the mature Poseidon that embrace their emotionality in a positive manner. With that, a loving Poseidon can satisfy their Hera partner greatly. The Poseidon-Hera combination makes Crosshair an extremely loyal and committed person. He takes great care of his loved ones and he is fiercely protective of them.

It is worth noting that there is one myth where Poseidon, Apollo, Hera and Athena tried to overthrow Zeus, but they failed. They were punished except for Athena because she was the favourite child of Zeus. This myth gives an insight to the relationship between Hunter (Zeus), Tech (Athena) and Crosshair (Poseidon, Apollo and Hera). When Tech decides not to follow Hunter’s orders, Hunter gets annoyed by it but he lets Tech do his own thing. This is evident in “Cut and Run” when Tech decides to get their ship impounded by the Imperials because this is the simplest solution to get the chain codes. Hunter is angry that Tech goes against his plan, but he trusts that Tech has everything under control. He only warns Tech that Omega is on the ship. On the other hand, when Crosshair decides not to follow Hunter’s orders, Hunter immediately shuts him down. This is evident in “Aftermath” when Crosshair keeps shooting at Caleb Dume despite Hunter repeatedly orders him to stand down. Hunter even questions Crosshair about his actions, wondering what is wrong with him. Moreover, in the Hyperspace Stories #10, Hunter probably senses Crosshair’s frustration with the mission they are given, and he mistakes it as Crosshair questioning orders, which is why he reminds Crosshair that they have their orders. All of these seems to indicate that Tech is Hunter’s favourite, and Crosshair is treated like “the middle child” of the Bad Batch. It is also worth noting that Poseidon, Artemis and Hera are all known for their destructive rage that does not spare innocents, and this reflects on Crosshair’s wrath. If you want to live, do not ever get on his bad side.

Despite all four of his archetypes being opposites of each other, they all prioritize on loyalty and commitment, which are Crosshair’s main values. Crosshair is extremely committed to his duty as a soldier, but he is also committed to his loved ones (probably more than his duty as a soldier). He is fiercely loyal to his loved ones, and will do anything to protect them from harm. If you can see through his cold façade, you will find a man who is willing to make tremendous sacrifices to keep you warm and safe. You just need to be patient with him and be kind to him. As long as you are on his good side, rest assured that you will have a valuable friend and partner in Crosshair.

#star wars #star wars the bad batch #the bad batch #tbb #sw the bad batch #sw tbb #the bad batch analysis #tbb analysis #the bad batch meta #tbb meta #star wars clone wars #star wars the clone wars #sw the clone wars #sw clone wars #the clone wars #clone wars #star wars tcw #sw tcw #the bad batch crosshair #tbb crosshair #crosshair bad batch #crosshair tbb #crosshair the bad batch #bad batch crosshair #clone force 99 #archetypal psychology #archetypes #goddesses in everywoman

[cupofteainme]

I've been so happy with queer representation in Young Royals. I also have notes. Here are some musings about season three.

We didn't get to see many ripple effects of Wille coming out in the show, but trust me, the world changed the moment he held that speech at the end of season two.

Nils and Stedrica

Nils found the courage to come out to his best friends. We don't know how much he was directly affected by Wilhelm. The common struggle with restrictions and the the graduation seemed to tighten the bond between August, Vincent and Nils. Honesty was a strong thread of the season. Wille's confession inspired students to come forward about iniations, later even August yelled at people to stop arguing and to just be sad about Hillerska closing—to be honest about their feelings.

We can make a mental leap and say that Nils was affected by these events and found his courage to be more honest. He also complimented Wille on his bravery and asked the prince if he regretted coming out and Wille answered with a firm no.

I liked how Nils said that he 'sleeps with guys'. You could see how hard it was for him to tell him friends. In season two Nils uses the word 'gay' about himself to Wille. I like how YR shows how people can use different definitions of themselves in different situations or choose to be unlabeled. I got a feeling that this was a huge first step on Nils' journey to accept that part of himself.

Stella and Fredrika are minor characters so they didn't get much screentime regarding their romance. Them ending up together was motivated by something the show explored in season two with Simon, Marcus and Wilhelm—jealousy. While I enjoyed Rosh being frustrated with her gaydar, Stedrica's arc left me wanting. In season two, Stella told Sara that she hesitates to make a move on Fredrica in fear of losing her beast friend if they break up later and things get awkward.

In season three we weren't shown what made Stella feel like she and Fredrica have a good enough chance to succeed in their relationship to put their friendship on the line. It's a shame. I would have loved to see some character development.

The audience is introduced to the sexual side of Stedrica straight after the white party when emotions ran high, Rosh was there to hit more on Stella and the teens were drinking and partying their hearts out. At the time of Stedrica's hook-up Wilmon were broken up, demonstrating exactly what Stella was afraid of—losing the other person completely. We can say that Wilmon didn't set up an encouraging example for them.

Even though Frederica's face looks blissful with Stella, I'm left wondering, am I supposed to read their kissing as a passing fancy that they can play down as part of their friendship again. ("every girl makes out with her best friend while drunk")

I was hoping for some connection to the main story with their arc. It could have been something with honesty, one remark from Stella to Madison for example: "I can't keep lying to my best friend."

Choosing the foundation

Queer matters were lifted to the table and discussed in the scene where Wille needs to pick his charity. Good for Simon for encouraging Wille to use his platform. I especially loved hearing that Wille knows how his love for Simon is changing the world. Not bad for a sixteen year old who's been out of the closet for five seconds.

Let me say this clearly: Queer people don't have to represent a group they identify with, not even Crown Prince Wilhelm. A young person's identity is rarely so strong yet, that they have the strength to carry the public's negative reactions. We saw how much online hate hurt Simon. He and Wille both have the right to protect their identities and relationship. Simon deserved better help with his social media.

Wille told Simon in season one that he doesn't want to say anything (referring to the sex video). At the end of season two, Wille took it back in his speech, but his attitude didn't change. It was a part Wille wanted to keep as private as he could. Over time, Wille could talk about both his mental health and his queerness more openly and in a way that would affect change. He has time to do so when he grows up.

I thought that the pressure for Wille to use his queer identity for good press would have come from the monarchy. It was mentioned once when Farima talked about new royalists and then dropped altogether.

I don't know why YR wanted to differ from the real Swedish monarchy in this instant and rule out LGBTQIA topics as political, when in real life the Crown Princess has taken a stand for them. (Plot reasons, duh, but it's irritating. I was under the impression that for example the amount of LGBTQIA rights and the discrimination LGBTQIA people face are on the same level in real life Sweden and in the YR universe. When one detail doesn't match, it makes the whole foundation wobbly).

That said, LGBTQIA rights don't exist in a vacuum. Sport and health foundation is a brilliant and super topical place to advance non-discrimination and inclusion in sport. Wille could advance LGBTQIA rights without drawing attention to himself when he's underage, perhaps still figuring out his identity and in his first relationship with a boy.

I can't stress enough how impactful it would be to have a queer Crown Prince (or King!) patronage a sport foundation. We can see that the pictures in the launch event of the foundation are taken with diversity in mind. Even if this is a PR strategy on the Court's part, people far removed from the court are going to work in those charities every day. And what do people think about when they see Wille's name and title associated with the foundation? The answer is not a straight boy playing football.

I hoped that YR would have shown in more concrete way that Wille understood the positive impact his queerness brings to people. We got a moment like that with Simon on the First of May when he was asked to take a picture. He got to feel like a role model. Wille could have had a similar encounter at his birthday or even at Hillerska. I feel like the show very carefully avoided to give Wille any good experiences related to the monarchy.

Is there homophobia at Hillerska?

There is a disconnect in how much hate we see Simon get, how Wille is not allowed to support queer rights versus how casual and obvious being queer is to Hillerska students. We saw girls at Hillerska openly kissing next to August in season two. Nobody batted an eye. The students of Hillerska knew it was Wille in the video and there was gossip but no negative reactions.

Young Royals seemingly treats queerness as a neutral or positive thing—even the biggest bully Vincent is not a homophobe and supports Nils when he comes out. Simon's parents are cool with their son being gay. Wille gets personally no backlash after his speech (or at least we don't see him be affected by it as Simon is).

Season three paints a very gloomy picture in contrast. 1. Simon gets mostly negative comments online. These comments hit to where it hurts, into the intersection of Simon's identities (latino lover) and his aspirations with music (chacing clout). 2. Queen Kristina falls sick straight after her son comes out. 3. Erik took part in homophobic hazings that were a tradition at Hillerska.

We don't get to see instances of this homophobia in the school or in the interactions between students except in s2e4 in 'Wille to the table' scene when the Forest Ridge boys celebrate Wille kissing Felice (and conforming to the heteronormativity). It tells us that being straight is the preferred option.

Young Royals claims that homophobia is in the walls, it lives in traditions and institutions. I partly agree. Homophobia needs also people to survive and everyone at Hillerska was shocked and appalled by the hazings. That made it kinda feel like YR put homophobia on-call for plot reasons.

Where is my big scandal about homophobic monarchy?

The journalist in Sweden might have had a keen interest about the disappearance of their Queen from active duties especially when it coincided with Wilhelm's historical coming out speech. Any accusation about the Queen's homophobia would have been devastating for the Monarchy in a country where support for same sex marriages is over ninety percent. (Go Sweden!)

Media would also have a field day about the hazings and their connection to Erik. It's very recent history. The media would wonder if Erik was a victim and/or the perpetrator. No way there would be radio silence. The burning question would be if the freshly out-of-the-closet Crown Prince suffered from homophobic hazing as well.

In season one, Wilhelm had to give a statement about a video he denied being in. In season three Wille has just come out and it turns out that his school has messed up homophobic traditions, the Queen is unable to perform her duties and it's confirmed that somebody filmed the Crown Prince with another boy and uploaded the video. There is nothing 👀

Queer up!

Wille's character is not only queer for loving Simon but queer in the broader (queer theory) meaning of questioning the prevailing conditions by bringing in new ideas, like in season one: 'What if I just want to be with him and not say anything?'

Wille never had the tools to question his position morally or academicly. At the same time he always knew what he wanted at the emotional level. Simon helped Wille with these questions. They had talks about the monarchy and Wille said he was learning from Simon.

Simon was the catalyst for Wille to find his voice and to figure out what he wants his life to look like. More than that, Simon's character allowed the viewers to look into the life of the rich and powerful through queer theory's lens: questioning, revealing, challenging status quo.

Whatever direction their ways ago after the ending, Wille's and Simon's love will continue to make a difference.

#also gay sex is holy #long post #young royals analysis #young royals #young royals does queerness so well #stedrica #nils young royals

[astearisms]

fionna and cake drawings before and after watching the episodes so far. it’s nostalgic and somehow cathartic and poignant and relatable and—it just started

#i’m part of the demographic where i was a kid when adventure time started and now watching fionna and cake as an adult makes me emotional #because did they keep us in mind when writing fionna and her attitude towards life #the dissatisfaction #the hoping for something more #something more magical than this dreary life filled with working to live and living to work #it’s so reflective of how life feels for me and perhaps many of us #and also Simon’s episode was so sad but so well thought out #exploring his feelings after the events of the adventure time finale is something I’m glad we get to see #there were already so many layers to his character in AT but now it feels like we get to dive deeper #I also felt emotional hearing Rebecca Sugar singing and writing a song that encapsulates his feelings so well #😭 it’s been awhile seeing her work exist alongside these characters #and all of these emotions get stronger because I remember AT being the one to inspire me to be a storyboard artist #when I was younger I used to follow many of the board artists here in tumblr and would get so inspired by them #to create simple but powerful boards that can capture the feelings of characters so well #Rebecca Sugar’s songs for the AT characters inspired me so much too #I’m sorry this is long I’m just feeling so many things experiencing all of this again as an adult #my art #fanart #adventure time #fionna and cake #fionna the human #cake the cat #simon petrikov

[lazycranberrydoodles]

its prosecutor jiang wanyin!!!! oh fuck!!! / gifs + au rambling below the cut / follow for more mdzs x aa crossover stuff :3

all the gifs i made (poses traced off franziska):

hes so similar to franziska when you think about it. theyre both deeply insecure tsundere adoptive younger sibling of successful main characters. who carry whips. something something edgeworth choosing death and wwx actually dying also

his share code is HWFEFF if you wanna use him in a trial! you can't share backgrounds but heres the scenery from the donghua i used.

the easiest way to put custom stuff into objection.lol is to send it in discord and then use the link from opening it in your browser :)

a whole lot of AU stuff

the art im making is for if mdzs was an ace attorney game, playing from WWX's POV to solve various mysteries/cases over the course of the plot. so this scene would be from turnabout goddess, which would loosely cover the dafan mountain mystery.

cases include:

Turnabout Revenge (Mo Manor, quick introductory first case)

Turnabout Goddess (Dafan mountain, the good times flashback)

Turnabout Saber (the man-eating castle (omg hiii nhs))

The Blind Turnabout (Yi City arc)

Turnabout Deviation (the Koi Tower conference, Empathy on NMJ ala turnabout memories or beginnings. opening cutscene is his qi deviation)

The Blood-Soaked Turnabout (second Burial Mounds siege, flashbacks: Xuanwu, Sunshot, YLLZ, Nightless City massacre)

Turnabout Lotus Seeds (testimony about JGY, tree scene, golden core reveal, bathtub scene. opening cutscene could be JGS' death but that would make it canon rather than ambiguous)

Turnabout Confession (Guanyin temple)

the problem with splitting novel!mdzs into turnabouts is that flashbacks are a huge chunk of the book but they don't have mysteries/ cases to solve so they've gotta be lumped together with present day stuff. imo? many of the flashbacks would likely have to be abridged so they could be retold ala DL-6, SL-9, or the fourth grade incident, where characters talk about it over some pieces of art. this is really difficult when theres a metric ton of unspoken, complex, and signifcant history between every character lmao

there's not as much of a problem with the cql timeline but i have not finished it. so.

the opening cutscenes in ace attorney always show the murder and/or the murderer plotting. the first cutscene of the game would be MXY summoning WWX, muttering about getting revenge on his family (it would also be good for him to mention the yllz being dead because that's how the novel starts.) cut to WWX's POV as he wakes up covered in blood and the investigation segment begins.

for investigations of monsters (goddess, saber, etc) the cutscene would be a scene of some poor throwaway cultivator getting their shit wrecked.

it would be cool to make a breakdown for JGY but again I need to review that scene cause I don't know who I'd base him on. maybe Vasquez or Dahlia.

tell me your thoughts!! i'm working off of a mdzs summary/ skimming the novel because i don't remember it too well so if i get anything wrong please yell at me

Jin Ling's sprites & Nie Huaisang's sprites / masterpost

#PLEAAAASE send it to me if you do actually use my animations in a case🥺 #here im adapting mdzs to aa gameplay rather than making a mdzs AU where they are lawyers #so jiang cheng is not a prosecutor in this hes just angry. and on the right side of the screen #that man has not graduated law school but then again no one in ace attorney has either #the names are based off of how ace attorney cases are either named after a distinctive item/location (bigtop bridge samurai etc) #or the main emotional/character type thing that happens (goodbyes reminiscence farewell) #the mdzs/aa au where the stories get blended (ie my tags on the nhs post) is very interesting but i would have to think about it very hard #and i dont want to . i would rather think about what the court record would look like (its full of severed limbs) #MDZS' EXPLORATIONS OF MORALITY MAKE ME CHEW ON ROCKS #urrgh i got carried away writing this post & wrote a couple hundred words comparing aa and mdzs' attitudes towards morality & public opinio #i could write an essay on this topic tbh. #can i call this an au? its the same story in the same universe just in a different format. hmm #mdzs #aa #art #mo dao zu shi #ace attorney #grandmaster of demonic cultivation #cql #the untamed #jiang cheng #jin ling #objection.lol #flashing image tw #pixel art #animation #my art #franziska von karma #i guess?? #mdzs aa au

[hella1975]

assigning a character the highest honour like *adds go home by julien baker to their playlist*

#and by honour i mean pointing at them like TRAUMATISED! TRAUMATISED! TRAUMATISED! #like yeah relating to this song is a red flag actually. yeah it's one of the most personal songs in the world to me #and i actively am not allowed to listen to it some days bc it makes me significantly worse #even if im in a GOOD mood because of the layers upon layers of emotions ive associated with it #yeah i literally wont even blorbo post to this song even if it's accurate to a character because it's so personal #so they have to be REALLY FUCKING SPECIAL AND FUCKED IN THE HEAD to get this honour. enter touya #i made him a playlist im going crazy like yeah actually of course i was always gonna be weird about him #like he's got fire themes. he's got body horror. he just wanted to be good. he's ethel cain coded. he's georgia coded #he's got mommy AND daddy AND sibling issues. he's the only other character ive let even come close to mary on a cross #he's a waiting room girlie. he's an archer girlie. im tearing my hair the fuck out of my scalp #why does the first character ive latched onto this hard since CHUUYA have to be from mha of all things #like that's embarassing for me im embarassed to be here. and yet #touya todoroki #the thing that makes me sick about touya is yes the abuse he went through via his quirk and his dad etc etc #but also bc sekota peak happened when he was 13 right? and he's 24 now? that's 11 years unaccounted for #like ik it's confirmed his burns put him in a coma for 3 years and all for one and the dr guy just stapled his stubborn self together #which is something else i will YELL MY HEAD OFF ABOUT WHAT THE FUCKKKKK HE WAS A CHILD STOP IT STOP IT STOP IT #but im pretty sure it's confirmed that after 3 years he goes off again on his own? which still leaves him as a teenager? #like he straight up burns himself alive at 13 wakes up at 16 and reappears at 24 with dyed hair and piercings and a bad attitude #and im not supposed to wonder? or get upset? like i absolutely am leaning into the 'he was on the streets' angle bc i hate myself #and that's devastating and also what alternative is there logically like he has NOTHING #no home no money no name that he can feasibly use not even an appearance that will warrant anything but more cruelty #so youve got this child on the streets with injuries that absolutely cause insane amounts of pain daily he's literally STAPLED together #and he's completely alone and the only thing getting him through is this growing hatred and rage #like id set all my plans around killing the guy that put me there too actually just to fucking get me out of bed in the morning #I CANNOT STOP THINKING ABOUT HIM. WHERE WAS HE FOR THE PAST DECADE. HORIKOSHI PLEASE #I WANNA GO HOME IM SICK THERES MORE WHISKEY THAN BLOOD IN MY VEINS MORE TAR THAN AIR IN MY LUNGS #PIERCE MY SKIN NEEDLES TO WORN OUT RAGS THE FOLDS IN MY ARMS THE SICKENING BLACK AND I HAVENT BEEN TAKING MY MEDS #I KNOW MY BODY IS JUST DIRTY CLOTHES IM TIRED OF WASHING MY HANDS GOD I WANT TO GO HOME

[aziraphale-protection-squad]

right. so. i'm taking the angel and i'm wrapping him in a soft blanket and i'm telling him that NO ONE has the right to touch him without his consent.

no matter how well they know each other and got along previously.

or how angsty the person feels about possibly never seeing him again.

or how much Aziraphale might even possibly WANT to be intimate with that person on some level, someday, when they're okay again.

there are no ways around this:

if he's not READY for it, or if he's not in the MOOD for a kiss, then NO ONE SHOULD BE KISSING HIM. PERIOD.

#pretty sure this is not a controversial statement but the things i've seen some folks say today has been. um. #disheartening to say the least and alarming at worst. #please fucking tell me i'm not the only one who knows assault when they see it even if they find both characters attractive. #like. holy fuck. i love(d) crowley too but what the fuck. #how is THIS being overlooked while Aziraphale is taking all the blame for how shit went down in the finale. #~ooh they finally kissed!!!!!~ ugh but STUPID ANGLE!!! >:( doesn't he know how sexy and emotional crowley is??? he should ENJOY this!!!! #<- some of y'all's apparent attitude and it Concerns me deeply. #call it what it fucking is even if it sucks. it was a violation. period. it's 2023 we don't tolerate Blurred Lines bullshit here. #goddamnit this was my safe fandom and now i'm like. y'all scare me tbh. #i hate fandom drama but the way the majority have elected to ignore a literal assault so they can UWU Sad Demon Puppy their blorbo is just. #what is this? spn??? #he was my blorbo too but holy fuck i have lines. i have boundaries. and he crossed them when he crossed Aziraphale's. #if u think u know who this is no u don't #i am conflict avoidant leaf me alone lol #i just need to know that i'm not the only person here who um. respects boundaries and consent and all that. because y'all got me Concerned. #like. i wanna rant about this in my fandom friend groups but they're all UWU CROWLEY DESERVED BETTER so um. i no longer feel safe there tbh #good omens spoilers #go2 spoilers #go spoilers #good omens 2 spoilers

[microfeelings]

I just had a rant (with myself) about the character of Mama Jones in 2003 and how she was reduced to "haha, she babies her son and is basically looking for a babysitter for him lol" and how much I HATED that! She lost her husband to a very violent attack (implied), Casey was involved in this (also implied but for the life of me I cant get the timeline straight), the store her husband had got burned. This woman should have heeps of trauma that she most likely buried deep because SHE HAD TO RAISE CASEY ON HER OWN (I guess its implied theres an uncle or auntie bc of cousin sid, but theres no mention of them so I can only imagined they fucked right off), and she got reduced to that?? Come on 2003 you can do better. I KNOW you can do better

(Extra info on the notes bc its mostly ranting and it wouldnt make sense on the main post)

#tmnt #tmnt 2003 #teenage mutant ninja turtles #tmnt 2003 casey jones #tmnt 2k3 #i hope this reaches the right audience #sometimes you have to leech onto an incredibly background character and say 'I can do better than them' #if theres one thing about me is I WONT LET A WOMAN LET ALONE A MOTHER GET DISRESPECTED LIKE THAT #add to that the possibility that casey has a traumatic brain injury? her attitude makes way more sense #shes incredibly overprotective of her bc hes the last thing she has #i mean casey probably got his ass kicked to next tuesday that day too #great now I need Splinter to have an extensive talk with her about the fact her overprotectiveness is just hurting his son #bc hes not the child that lost a father and probably had to spend time in the hospital (and everything that comes with a brain injury) #hes an adult thats actually doing pretty good independently and she needs to see that and let go to start healing her own trauma #man im emotional over this woman Ive fabricated in my mind LMAO #i would say i might write this but that would require me knowing how to do that so 👍 #oh man i make some pronouns mistakes in the tags lmao (he/him she/her casey and mama jones for the win i guess)

[marietheran]

.

#Went to Confession (again) #am still at my most miserable and confused #look I am aware I cannot ask of the priest to tell me <<oh that was only a venial sin you needn't mind>> #but it's also just really freaking hard when you just cannot tell a venial sin from a mortal one #and I know - I know - if you looked at it my attitude towards life is pretty dumb #to write a scathing report: i view life as a path of least resistance. I'm governed either by whims or by fear #which means I have no middle perspective. It's either what's easier now or being afraid of hell #I hardly pay any attention to matters like health or whatever. if I wasn't afraid of sin I wouldn't care about how things impact my mind #If I wasn't afraid of sin I'd have read Game of Thrones or whatever. and of course I would feel unimaginably dirty afterwards. but at least #I'd have read something interesting right? /s #oh and also I'm literally Emma Bovary minus the adultery but that's a different issue #mostly. some of it is probably more connected than obvious at first glance #I'm miserable and it's not even the sort of misery you can make poetry about. #only scathing character portraits. if i was a character from a novel you would hate me #(i would find the novel boring. mundane. there's nothing romantic in this) #(i wouldn't *prefer* to deal with wars - death of everyone you've known - unbreakable badly worded vows or whatever. #but it makes for better stories) #but again you would hate me in mine #// #therese rambles #therese is in an emotional hole #possibly more than emotional but that's the tag

[archived-and-moving]

See having specific abilities be a genetic trait is fine. But what if it was instead a reflection of the experiences that someone goes through in childhood when unlocking their ability? While scientifically speaking this probably doesn't make as much sense but on a basic level this would be such a cool basis for how someone develops abilities and make Sophie's genetic mutation case even more messed up.

Say what if a kid grows up in a prestigious nobility family, that just so happens to be like celebrities in the elvin world and they have to uphold this fake image to be what the public wants them to be. What if they have to uphold this idea of themselves in front of almost everyone, sometimes even within the space of their own home?

You know what I would value the most in people close to me?

Transparency and trust.

And BOOM what do you know a family of Vanishers and Telepaths, unintentionally made through not one but two generations of trauma, where not only the children right now (Biana, Fitz, and Alvar) but along with Alden and Della have a deep understanding of what it means to be honest and only put your faith into the people you love and hold the closest to you.

Okay so let's try another one.

What would happen if two children happen to have overbearing parents who expect things that they cannot give to their legacy. What if they are pushed and pushed and pushed and punished just for being born? Well, what if one of them tries to be exactly what they want? Stuffing away all of that judgement, that shame, and the anger of that shame down until it all bubbles up and the dam bursts?

Or hey what would happen if a kid instead chose to ignore what they were saying, and find comfort in something that was outcast from society like them? What would happen to the kid who lay in bed and make shadow puppets with his hands at night, dreaming of a world in which he could use the creatures from his imaginings and turn them on the monsters of the real world?

"Well I don't know Tobi what would they value?"

Accepting and embracing the flaws that come with a person!!!!

"How does that have to do with Hydrokinetics and Shades?

Because both of them are only seen as useful when they can offer someone else something they want, and are otherwise stigmatized and seen as unstable and dangerous!

(you could also draw conclusions as to stigmatized mental illnesses that people see as other, especially those which have a negative taboo around them and are thrown around as common words quite regularly. I won't dig into this further than here since i do not have experiences with such, but you can extend this and other factors into the examination of other abilities.)

I just think that it would be such a cool prospect that growing up, elvin abilities take shape through the deepest experiences and wants at the core of someone's personality, and reflecting that through manifestation!

That's also another reason to compare Sophie's situation to the elvin world, and kind of add how fucked up it is. They deprived her a right of developing her abilities naturally by planting her in a specific environment and setting her up to have specific abilities, experiences, and personality traits.

Anyway just kind of a concept i've been thinking on for a bit.

#kotlc #long post #tobi talks too much #but just like! just think about it!!! #pyrokinetics have a burning (ha) curiosity from circumstances in their life and dig for a deeper truth #(such as marella and the mystery behind her mother's injury) #(and of fintan and his inventive nature to use his power for greatness--and disregard of ethics to do so) #flashers tend to value empathy (as seen through the deep emotional connections drawn in their experiences with others) #(wylie's experience with grief and loss at a young age) #(elwin's inclination toward helping others by seeking a healing career) #fuck! empaths' need for a little bit of control in their surroundings!! #(oralie's mission to make it to the council. her will to bend the laws for her benefit.) #(stina's attitude toward other people in order to protect herself from the rumors of her parents) #(keefe's need to cause trouble to get back at his abusive parents!) #(cassius' whole character) #i could keep going!!!!!

[zincbot]

i like mako's character best when he's not taken 100% seriously

#lok #i'll elaborate #i like mako a lot i promise #okay so he and bolin have this tragic backstory. (the same one mind you) where they grew up on the streets after their parents were killed #their personalities diverge strongly because of how they grew up. mako was the oldest so he had to become super serious and prove that he #was in control of everything and could make sure that his little brother was as safe as he could be #and bolin grew up aware of this and developed a strong sunshiney attitude in order to combat the leeching force of homelessness and poverty #and trauma. he put himself in charge of his brother's emotional state while mako looked after the physical #so how this ties back to me enjoying mako being joked at? #it's about healing #see he's learned this uber-serious no-fun brooding attitude. a step to healing and a bit of character development for him is just... #learning how to relax a little more. learning how to let himself be seen as fallible by people he trusts not to remove opportunity from him #mako rarely admits to being wrong because he was never allowed to be. being wrong meant consequences. for him and for bolin #i think it's good for him to slowly learn that he can have moments to be as clumsy and stupid as anyone else out there #and to have the ability to shrug it off and laugh abt it is a powerful one #anyway tldr he's the kind of guy i want to see pulling a push door

[idiaa-shroxd]

YOUR WRITING IS SO PRETTY I COULD EAT IT. YOU CHARACTERIZE THE CHARACTERS SO WELL TOO!!!

thank you so much!! ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ happy you think my writing is very pretty!! and also makes me happy you think my characterization was correct.

when writing for characters always take a bit of extra time to ensure they sound good? thinking about having an actual conversation with them for a minute and what they’d do! ♧ personally a big fan of viginettes since that reveals a lot of a character more than mainstory.

Σ('◉⌓◉’) mini (huge) rant within the tags of the way of my process to understand a character!!

#i’ve been trying to work on characterization with trey for example because in the main story he is relatively nice #but within his viginettes he’s a bit more than that like a slightly smug teaser than boy next door. #the characters tend to have complexity rather than one dimension traits people tend to stick by #which isn’t a bad thing but to start writing it could help kick you off but majority of the time your characters do have many emotions to #aspirations- such as vil being mean BUT that coming with subtle charm of care- he does not derive pleasure from purposefully degrading other #he firmly believes he can see the beauty in everyone if they try and he attempts to get others to apply themselves so they can be pretty #he does not go around like ew you’re ugly go away unless you have a negative attitude like leona who purposefully does not put any effort #but sometimes his pursuit for beauty can go out of hand like with epel or neige but his dorm ssr perfectly illustrates he knows what he does #he does not always explain himself with having epel do heavy lifting which only helps epel improve but he would not tell him this directly #there are other characters i can rant about the way i write. such as sebek being a malleus fanboy #but that was not a central part of his personality to warrant every fic just mentioning malleus each sentence #the best way to learn how to write for him would be looking at his viginette or his event story without tsunotarou!! he is quite a wonderful #-ly designed character but gets overlooked due to his ‘louder’ part of his personality. but he genuinely has captivated me as a character #the best examples for eng players would be during harveston- when he was extremely passionate about what he did with a soft side for his #plush!! he’s a big softie. he’s just very confused because his grandfather openly hates humans. he acknowledges marja and complimented her #he’s not hating humans for no reason but because it was taught to him. he’s trying his best to be what he is but you can tell he is not too #prideful that he would refuse to acknowledge marja just for being a human. in fact in his viginette he HELPS humans with their lumber #though that is technically due to him being confident he can do so compared to a human thanks to being a guard for Malleus but he is quite #happy to be complimented!!-. he is a character with more depth: ceremony viginette next #he tells yuu to just let him handle things since he’s stronger which shows he’s also blunt and says things without thinking about others at #times. but people are MISSING out on fics with sebek yuu and tea bonding over tsunotarou because he has no hostility to those who like #tsunotarou. he is happy to teach!! his other viginette think pe??: lilia tricks him into eating steak with yogurt iirc and he does honestly #it’s disgusting but he trusts lilia and 100% believe the old fae. THE POTENTIAL. authors need to use that?? just lilia messing with him or #how he can sometimes be so gullible you can get him to trust you mixed together with how attached he was to squirrel plush #he’s actually such a cute character. #there’s also Kalim who KNOWS there are bad people. he is not innocent as he knows there are bad people that want him gone #his least favorite food is curry because Jamil got sick for a week after taste testing his food. #Kalim just chooses. he wants to believe the kindness of the world not due to purity but due to the fact he does not want to live in constant #fear. which in itself already makes him more than one dimension. he may seem carefree but there’s room to play with when describing him??… #questions of styx.