before the exile, how did Atton feel about family?
Atton’s expression soured at the mention of one of his least favorite topics.
“As a general concept? Lemme put it this way: how many people have you met who’ve had the happy, shiny upbringing they try to sell as normal? Me, I’ve met exactly…” He held up his fingers and wiggled them before forming a zero shape. “I mean, sure there’s lucky ones like in any game. There’d have to be, right? But the rest are walking proof that the lofty ideals of family are a little bit overrated.”
He wasn’t sure what this person’s angle was yet, so though he appeared relatively relaxed, he was acutely aware of the stranger’s every movement. Just in case.
(OOC reply under the cut)
My Randcanon is that pre-game era Atton doesn’t put a lot of thought into the idea of family. It’s a very sore subject, so he avoids it the way only a master of compartmentalization can. His family life was pretty awful, and the one family member he bonded with (his sister) died young.
With the baggage of his past, and considering the ethically/morally ambiguous way he lives post-Sith, I don’t think the idea of falling in love and possibly starting a family of his own (in that one happy AU, lol) was anywhere at all on his radar. Not remotely. Then whoops, an angel in underwear happened and his destiny took a sharp left turn.
Physique: lean (but not skinny) muscle, because of his martial arts training. Dexterity is forever my fav stat for him.
Eyes: There’s been some debate over his eye color in the fandom over the years, but for me it’s grey.
Hair: I picture him with dark, almost black hair. No magic Space Gel slicking it back. Something that has popped up a lot in my writing is him raking it back with his fingers because it tends to fall into his eyes. When his emotions threaten to get away from him he’ll tug or outright pull it, too. It was longer when he was a Sith. His superiors mostly let it go unless there was a major inspection coming up. It sort of became his habit to put off haircuts for as long as possible. Sometimes he gets the back and sides trimmed but leaves the top a slightly wavy, longish mess.
Hands: I’ve had to consciously stop myself from using the phrase “long fingers” in my writing because it got super repetitive but yes, those. He’s very tactile, which I feel plays into the dexterity thing. He can cut and fold a deck of cards with one hand, without really thinking about it. If his Pazaak deck isn’t handy for some reason, he’ll often find something else to occupy his hands, especially if there’s awkward conversation happening.
2. Pazaak as a metaphor for life is something I headcanon Atton trying his best to take to heart. Aside from its obvious use, his Pazaak deck is also a concentration aid and worry doll. The act of shuffling and cutting the cards is reassuring. After he learned to use the Force, there was one time where smack dab in the middle of a game and through no effort of his own he was hit with a flurry of knowledge revealing his opponent’s cards. It surprised him so much that it ruined his concentration and he forfeited the game, even though it was a sure thing. He was in a foul mood over it for days. To him, it was an example of how having Force sensitivity made it seem like nothing he’d accomplished with his skill was really his. With practice and advice from the Exile, he figured out how to keep it from happening again.
3. He had few possessions immediately after he left the Sith. I imagine he took a small duffel and whatever would fit in his pockets. Two things that stayed with him were his Pazaak deck and his boot knife. He also had his much loved long black coat, but realized it was too conspicuous so he got rid of it pretty quick. If he goes Dark Side, I usually give it back to him. The reason he liked that coat is not only the weapon resistant weave, but it had tons of pockets. He later modded his brown jacket to hold as many pockets as he could manage, because he carries a lot of things.
4. It pains my heart, but the predominant headcanon for me is that Atton did not accompany the Exile when she left to find Revan. He stayed behind because she asked him to. That said, the very first fanfic I wrote was Atton teaming up with Carth to go after them.
5. Random silly thing: While he likes spicy food, he has a temperature sensitive tongue and frequently complains about the setting on the caf machine being too hot, even though he’s the one that usually makes the fresh pot.
Previously on “I have thought way too much about this fictional videogame character”...
mun.... if u dontmind... I've read the headcanons page u have for this quality man. would u mind sharing some more? I love them!!
OOC: I will absolutely share some Randcanons! Not sure which era/flavor you were looking for, but here’s a few random ones:
1. I hate the retcon they made that said he was born on Alderaan. It didn’t seem to fit him at all. I’d always imagined him growing up somewhere like Coruscant. Somewhere with a dirty underbelly where a scrappy kid could be tumbling through disaster after disaster since he was five and just barely make it by on his own. Him having a little sister is obvs purely my headcanon. Anyway, I’ve reconciled the new canon by imagining he was born on Alderaan but the family moved when he was a baby.
2. He originally joined the military because he was out of options and had pissed off one too many of the wrong people (the Exchange and the Black Sun). Once he’d joined and was relatively safe, he had the space to learn about and reflect on what was actually happening in the galaxy. He’d never trusted the Jedi much anyway, but their inaction began to seriously irk him.
3. As a Sith he was a member of an elite unit of agents called Alpha Division, and impressed his superiors with his skill. It afforded him a degree of freedom that some of his peers were envious of so he was pretty much always watching his back.
4. I usually have Jaq (sometimes Atton) refer to his employer as “Sith, Inc.” because while he does toe the hell out of the line, I imagine that it becomes a way for him to cope to think of what he does as just a job he happens to be very good at.
5. Regarding that, Jaq/Atton has an incredible ability to compartmentalize. It helps him survive both physical and mental stress and makes him very good at conning people. I have an AU where this ability backfires on him and he starts having psychotic blackouts.Another thing that helped him preserve a sliver of humanity when he was with the Sith was his sense of humor.
6. Despite being really good with blasters, sniper rifles, and eventually with lightsabers, thanks to his training Atton’s actually most confident in hand to hand combat. He’s very partial to his trusty boot knife, too. He’s also proficient in the use of poisons and explosives, again courtesy of the Sith training.
7. He uses people’s tendency to underestimate his skill to his (great) advantage.
8. After he left the Sith, Atton sometimes worked as a cargo pilot. Because of what happened to him and his sister, he refused to transport slaves.
9. Yes, Atton was at Peragus to transport Coorta’s cargo. When he found out the cargo was a Jedi he immediately tried to back out, but wound up in the force cage instead. He’s very surprised to find out that the borrowed ship he flew in had been stolen, too. I have this loopy-loose headcanon that the owner of that ship was pals with the Twi’lek who divulges that he’s not who he says he is to the Exile. ;P
10. One more to round things out: Atton sings in the shower. Sometimes he makes up silly lyrics.
