#shadow replies

If you were in the Star Wars universe, what would you do for a living??

And if you were a jedi, what color would your lightsaber be??

~@chopper-base

I actually have written a self-insert for who I “would be” in the SW universe…!

Her name is Runa ( @under-the-skydome ) and she’s a “New Mandalorian” botanist and horticulturist living on Coruscant during the clone wars. Ever since she first set foot onto the scorched surface of Mandalore outside of Keldabe, she has wanted to find a way to terraform the planet’s surface and make it livable again. (Don’t tell her what the Empire does to it later on… 😞) She runs her own shop called “Under the Skydome”, which is full of luscious, exotic plants that she has cultivated with her horticulture experience, and she also mentors farmers in the Agricultural district dome gardens.

🥹 This is the first nice anon I’ve gotten in a while… thank you sweetie!!

1. Snuggling with my cats- this is 100% guaranteed to turn my mood around, every time, without fail. I love my babies sooo so so so much, they are my world!!

2. Gardening / caring for my indoor plants has a way of grounding me faster than anything (aside from my cats, that is), and I always end up feeling so much better after spending time caring for the world around me.

3. I have a huuuuge sweet tooth, so sweet treats like Bubble tea, Cakes, Candy, Ice cream… are instant boosts to my mood.

4. Obvious, but… hearing from people who genuinely love my fics and my art. Like, I cannot even begin to describe how happy even the smallest reactions can make me, I get so overwhelmed I turn into a bashful disaster.

To me, it is sometimes quite frustrating to see people force relationships between characters, as then it almost always feel inorganic - as you stated - or, worse to me, some people believe the only way to have a 'fulfilled life' is to have a romantic partner. So often media does not explore the platonic bonds people can have with others (be they family or friends), even though I believe this is absolutely the form of relationship that needs more exploration/exposure because of that fact. So many people I've talked to do not understand me when I say that I do not want a partner, so I am glad that someone else shares in the idea of Tech being aro/ace, since I believe people can have a fulfilled life with just their family or friends.

"I would like to see that normalized in fiction." Yes, I fully, fully agree with this. Sorry for rambling, I just so rarely see anyone else headcanon Tech as aro/ace, let alone state that they believe that platonic/non-romantic/non-sexual relationships need to be explore more often, so I rambled ahh. And Tech deserves to have a close, emotional connection with someone who understands him and allows him to ramble and feel like his knowledge/self are valued.

As someone who has had several Queerplatonic Partners in their lifetime (in addition to romantic and sexual ones)... this sentiment is really close to my heart.

Don't get me wrong... I am a HOPELESS romantic, I am such a sucker for a good romance, but that's the thing- so many romances are just not well done and often shoehorned for the sake of filling a universally perceived need for romance as part of the human condition.

Platonic love has been so undervalued and heteronormativity so ingrained, most people can't even understand the difference between romantic, sexual, and platonic love when they see two people of the opposite sex interacting (and what's worse, but a little bit of a tangent- they can't even tell when two people of the same sex are romantically attracted to each other). It's compulsive, and it's downright damaging to the hearts of those who do not share that sentiment.

We as writers need to challenge that narrative and put those characters and their stories front-and-center, full stop. Media is the biggest source of influence in our world today, and it is our responsibility to help shape the world that we want to see through our stories. The easiest way to help people better understand perspectives they wouldn't otherwise stop to consider is by showing them.

What's also really important to show though, is how aro and/or ace spec people can still have healthily functioning relationships with people who are not aro or ace. As long as they care for and are willing to take the time to understand and cater to each other's needs through compromise (which is what I'm going for with Tech and Reina), happiness and balance are always within reach.

It hurts my heart that everyone around Tech is always cutting him off or coming down on him for being the way he is, even if it doesn't really get to him. He seems to be getting that much-needed understanding from Omega in canon, which is wonderful! But familial love is different from and supplementary to other forms, so I am happy to be able to provide him that with Reina.

Ooh I like how you characterized 5.0.5 and Demencia, I can totally see her owning bearded dragons!  You’ve managed to make me curious about how the story will develop ;) Are there perhaps any drawings about this au?”

@matildatheresek

Cayde ain’t ready to die, quite the opposite actually. He was always a risk-taker, a treasure-seeker, and an adventure-junkie, even in his human life. That’s why he couldn’t stop gambling on the jobs he took. He kept telling himself “this will be the last” but in the end he just couldn’t stop himself from trying, he was too overconfident (as he is now) which is how he ended up so indebted to Clovis Bray.

I believe Cayde wants to remember his family as they were and cares deeply for the “family” he has now in the Vanguard, the Guardians, and the citizens of the last City and the EDZ. The reason he was so willing to throw his life away wasn’t because he was so upset about what he’d lost during the collapse, but because he was so upset about what they’d lost to the Red Legion, so much so that he was ready to throw himself into harm’s way without regard for what might happen. Ikora and Zavala were the same way, “I am more than my light, I should have tried” is one line that will haunt me forever because it just defines what it means to be the Vanguard, and Cayde is no exception in spite of being nonchalant. He’s been around a long time and he’s given a lot to ensure the survival of humanity, he wants them to succeed just as much as everyone else, and he knows their chances are better if he’s around to see it through because he’s smart and he’s resourceful and they need a hunter like him.