#thank you for asking about the mandalorian!!!!!!!

[bolithesenate]

Hi! For some reason it wont let me ask from the blog I want it to, which is why the random name, but I really love your stuff! Quick question - what do you think would he Dooku/Sifo Dyas/Jocasta/Jaster’s main rule(s) for Padawans/foundling-child-thingy?

Sorry if this is boring or smthing its just Ive decided your word on these things is law!

Thank you!!! Xxxxxxx

eyyy!! never apologize for blessing my inbox with asks! especially not about the blorbos!!

Now, I'm not entirely sure on what you mean with 'what their main rules on children' are.... but that just means my answer gets to be more elaborate.

Sifo-Dyas:

In my head he is the most child loving of the bunch. He would THRIVE on taking a Padawan and honestly I could even see him have a biological child most out of all four of them. But he bars himself from either because of his visions – since there's no telling on how they would interact with a Master/Padawan bond or smt similar he isn't willing to risk a child's wellbeing for his own desires.

That being said, he lives all the more vicariously through Dooku and Jocasta when they take Padawans. (As well as visits the Crèche any day he can) In any universe he and Jaster are a thing he definitely tries his best to be of assistance there as well, even if just as a long-distance-father. He doesn't care if someone claims it's attachment. Raising children is only good and just and if he can help in ANY capacity he will do so and you'd have to kill him first to make him stop.

(And even then his Force ghost probably would find ways to meddle)

Dooku:

Dad-in-denial-supreme.

His stuck-up ass will loudly proclaim he doesn't like children and that they are too noisy and erratic and then turn around and immediately take the next best street urchin under his wing. Provided they look at a lightsaber with even a modicum of interest.

I mean, considering the NUMEROUS apprentices he has in the different flavors of canon (Rael, Qui-Gon, Komari, Sev'rance, Grievous, Assaij, Savage) this man simply is MADE to teach.

In fact, people wiser than me (hi Jess), have famously said that he'll actually go stir-crazy if he doesnt have someone to drill in makashi.

He isn't the best at emotions, but that's what he has Sifo for. And also he WILL offer each and every one of his Padawans/Apprentices/pseudo-children a place in House Serenno's actual lineage, even if just to spite his dead father and brother. But only after they turn 18/are knighted. Whichever comes first. (similarely to Jaster, he refuses to paint any more of a target on a child's back than strictly necessary)

Jaster:

As absolutely child-loving as most Mandos are. He would have adopted many more children already if not for the target that his existence as Mand'alor paints on them.

So while he tries to find them good homes, unless he is directly responsible for them or honor bound in some other way to adopt, he might refuse to say the words (even if it pains him gravely).

In any universe where he's in a relationship with the rest of the blorbos, you better bet he sees their Padawans as his foundlings-by-extension. Even if all the Jedi WILL argue that it is not the same (except Sifo, Sifo can has and will support this interpretation of the Master-Padawan bond until his dying breath). Although, again, he might not ever make it official. Politicians have many enemies. MANDALORIAN politicians doubly so. That isn't beneficial for a child's health long-term.

In any universe where he never gets to be Mand'alor tho he has like 10 foundlings MINIMUM.

Jocasta:

Last but not least. For her, children/padawans were a very distant thought most of her life. Biological ones she would never have in my opinion – either she's infertile to begin with or she got a permanent solution to prevebt pregnancy early on.

And while she did eventually take on three Padawans (yes, Olee counts even if she was stolen from her), she always considered them more students/peers than children in the familial sense. She just isn't very maternal in any capacity, but that is fine.

While she isn't involved a lot in the child-rearing aspects of whatever kids the other three drag along, she very much IS always up for bending some rules in favor of her precious nepo-niblings. Being the Head Archivist lets you get away with quite a bit.

Especially if it ultimately benefits the kid in question academically.

I hope the answer you were looking for is in here, otherwise let me know! I'm always up for talking more about the blorbos!

#answering asks #random boli thoughts #me writing #honorable mention: seeker!sifo #because i think that suits him so beautifully #a character so desperate to secure his family and cultures future for sure would go oit there and do it himself #and i do think that he thinks of all the foundlings on his searches as a bit of his children as well #(another hc sponsored by charmwasjess so say thank you) #star wars #sifo dyas #dooku #jocasta #jaster #jaster mereel

[darlin-djarin]

I wanna hear your helmet thoughts when you have time

helmets to din’s version of the creed are literally so amazing because of the connections and similarities of other religious/cultural head coverings. ofc, i’m not implying that the helmet is the SAME as a hijab or a turban or a niqab, they obviously have different rules and implications, but there ARE similarities, ones that a lot of people (such as hijabi’s) find comfort in seeing that sort of representation on screen.

helmets to din’s version of the creed are sacred and are to never be removed. not all mandalorians think, believe, or practice that way of course, and din’s covert specifically are the ‘warrior’ type of mandalorians, different from the pacifist type of mandalorians that were shown during saltine kryze’s rule of mandalore during the clone wars.

the pacifist type of people were not shown to be wearing helmets, and even some of the royal guards who DID wear helmets (shown under satine’s rule) did not wear the same type of helmet as the warrior mandalorians that lived on concordia, one of mandalores moons.

^^ the pacifist mandalorians during the clone wars (why are they all white and blond lol space racism)

^^ satine's royal guard helmets (they have similar armor but the helmet design is ofc drastically different)

most of death watch wore helmets, but they removed them casually. pre vizsla, the leader of death watch (until maul beheaded that bitch) removed his helmet openly and so did many others in the group. though they held on to the ‘warrior’ ideals of the mandalorian culture, they weren’t clearly as religious as the children of the watch.

^^ pre vizsla and other members of death watch. most wear helmets while doing their goofy little terrorism but they're seen having their helmets removed often.

after the children of the watch formed from the warrior ideals of death watch, the religious aspect of the helmet and the creed formed out of necessity. the children of the watch refuse to remove the helmet for probably many reasons, as it has protected their identity and preserves their culture and creed. one thing i LOVE about the warrior culture is how because of the helmet and armor, the mandalorians have created ways of expression that are SO interesting. they’ve adapted to create the keldabe kiss, which is a tap of the foreheads of the helmets. they also have cheers such as tapping their vambraces and pounding their chest armor. they have other forms of expression that i DESPERATELY hope to see more as the mandalorian progresses.

the rules of the helmet are simple. don’t remove it. if you remove it, you become an apostate and are deemed “mandalorian no longer”. ofc because of chapter 21, the armorer has clearly shown that the adaptation of accepting helmetless mandalorians is necessary as they progress with reviving mandalore. so more recently, they’ve begun accepting other mandalorians who do not follow the Way the same as they do. that does not necessarily mean that THEY will stop following their version of the creed, it just means that they will start accepting other versions of the creed regardless of their own personal beliefs.

anyway the helmet is clearly a religious head covering that DESERVES to be respected, as it is often a window and mirror towards the audience who relate to and who learn about religious head coverings. for me, personally as a hijabi, i see the helmet as a mirror. not that the helmet IS a hijab or niqab or anything, but because it’s the head covering is a CHOICE and it PROTECTS. i know a hijabi (my lovely mutual @hinderr) who personally views the helmet as a mirror because it is an identifier. when you see the helmet, you identify the person as a mandalorian, same way as if you see a hijabi, you (usually) identify the person as a muslim.

the helmet plays a good window as well, to show the audience more religious head covering representation. not that the audience has an excuse to complain about how they don’t agree with the religion, but just to understand a new viewpoint.

moving on, i really like the idea of warrior mandalorians not being able to sneeze. you sneeze when something foreign enters your nose that your body rejects, but since the helmet filters everything, nothing foreign is entering and therefore your body has nothing to sneeze out. kinda funny honestly but it’s cool to think about the technicalities of the helmet.

one thing i HATE about this whole thing is the designs of the helmet. specifically the stupid t-visors being for men and y-visors for women. like great job favroni, way to destroy gender roles. anyway, i think the most effective style (for any gender) is the y-visor (like bo-katan’s) because it gives you a greater vantage point for the eye position. t-visor (like din’s) is fine, i just think it’d be more comfortable to have a y-visor.

^^ bo-katan's y-visor helmet

^^ din's t-visor helmet

you can probably get why i think y-visor has a better vantage point for vision. din's t-visor does have a ton of resources and functions that help him though. i'm not gonna assume all helmets have seals, but some of the warrior mandalorians (such as din and bo) do have seals that make it impossible to remove the helmet without force (proven bc y'all can hear the pressurized hiss when they remove the helmet)

thank you SO MUCH for asking about this, i just LOVEEE talking about din’s covert and creed and ofc the helmet is my favorite thing about it. feel free to ask or follow up with anything else you wonder about.

#SO SORRY IT TOOK ME FOREVER TO RESPOND I JUST HAVE A LOT OF THOUGHTS #also i passed out once i got home and then had work to do sigh #BUT THANK YOU SOOOOO MUCH FOR ASKING I LOVE TALKING ABOUT THIS #star wars #the mandalorian #din djarin #bo katan kryze #the armorer #oil. #pre vizsla #satine kryze #just realized i spelled satine as saltine lmfao it fits

[kedsandtubesocks]

Keddie!! I love u and ur big wrinkly brain. 😌🌷✨ also tiktok now keeps showing me Star Wars edits and *i* personally think we, Reader, need to use the force to do something cool and kick ass like pull up a space ship or something. But then it almost wipes us out bc we’re not *that* strong yet. 🥺🥺

Mermie pls I have only a small Garfield sized brain YOU are the one with the biggest wrinkly brain!! (It’s probably the most wrinkly heeheehee)

And YES!! The power of Mando Bkg pulling up those Star Wars tiktoks for you 😏 also omg I feel like I’ve become the Charlie Day conspiracy board meme with how much star wars and mando culture I’ve been bombarding you with I’m SORRY LMAO 😭

But my honey you are so right, it’s about time we showed that grumpy explosive Mandalorian WHY we earned the respected title of Jedi knight isn’t it??? ✨

๋࣭ ⭑ ☾𖤓๋࣭ ⭑ ๋࣭ ⭑ ☾𖤓๋࣭ ⭑

The troopers are getting on his damn nerves. He is able to take them out but stars be damned, this is getting exhausting. He couldn’t even focus on judging you because yeah, he wanted to. He wanted to see what was so impressive about the Jedi. This was the first real moment he could witness you in combat. Mandalorian’s were battle forged. Battle was when you saw the core essence of a person, could learn their entire being from just one move

Bakugo wasn’t a fucking fool. He knew the legends of the Jedi, the ancient enemy, knew about the sorcerers who were considered just as fierce warriors as his kind were.

The first moment your lightsaber flourished to life he almost rolled his damn eyes. What kind of warrior only fights with one dumb little light stick?

Now the blinding flash of it blurred in his peripherals and he even couldn’t process it. He had to focus on his damn battle. He couldn’t baby sit you. You - who seemed to just mediate, be a boring arbitrator, and get on his every living nerve.

Suddenly the troopers start to up and leave fast. And then ground rumbles. It shakes with an awful approach of something dreadful. Both you and him whip your head down the town’s road. There turning the corner, imposing as hell, is a Scorpenek droid.

“Fuck.” Bakugo spits out.

But in its rumbling approach, cries pierce the air even faster. There hiding against the wall in the line of sight of the battle droid are two little girls, sisters clutching each other terrified. The droid auto locks on the two and begins the approach.

Bakugo moves-

But so do you, without hesitation.

That’s when he watches you go before him. Your saber is unreleased. Rapidly and with unrelenting attack you now weave through the remaining troopers with such precision it stills Bakugo momentarily. Your footwork is sloppy and rushed but it’s committed. You leave victorious destruction in your wake and he can barely see your face because you entire focus is getting to the girls.

You get a running start to jump fast and high. You land before the girls immediately shifting in a protective stance with your lightsaber drawn on the defense. The saber’s glow illuminates your face, sweat drenched and contorted in focus. Before him you are a knight, a warrior, unwavering to your opponent. Bakugo soars up high.

The two of you focus all your attention on the droid. Bakugo attacks from all angles and you do not move once from your post protecting the children. When the damn thing's barrier is finally broken, the battle shifts.

“Bakugo!” You suddenly shout at him, his name, in the voice of a commander. “I got a plan! Together! One last time we attack together!”

“Yeah!” He roars back. Then you outstretch your hand. That’s when he see it, those damn magic whatever powers. The sand floats. The droid contorts as if possessed by some unknown spirit but the stress grows stronger and stronger on your face.

You were holding the battle droid still for him to land the final blow.

And he does. Bakugo dives down, explosives ready at the wrist, and fucking blows the thing to pieces.

The battle dissipates fast and he lands back on the ground whipping his helmet to you. But you don’t even see him. You are kneeling and facing the two girls. They cry even louder clutching onto you and you hold them tight, comforting.

The mandalorian warrior stays silent as you carry one of the girls in your arms and the other stays clinging to your robes. Even as composed as you are, he sees it. The discolor in your face and the edge of exhaustion bleeding into your eyes is evident. Your tired smile is so relieved when the girls run sobbing to their father who is thankfully safe. Bakugo however stays vigilant watching you.

“I’m heading back to help search and rescue.” He announces and you nod moving in step beside him, eyes not even looking at him. He wonders if you might be the one possessed now.

“Shouldn’t you sit your ass down, shitty Jedi?” Bakugo asks.

“M’fine.” Your voice is slightly slurred now, battle worn.

You take one more step and that’s when you pitch forward, tripping on your own damn dumb legs that have buckled under exhaustion. It takes him only two steps to move and catch you, steady and sturdy.

“Damn moron.” He knew it. He saw it brewing, the limit a warrior reaches in battle, and knew this was coming.

“Shut up blasty, I’ll be fine.” You sigh breathless.

“Stop moving!” He barks at you because of course your dumbass is trying to fidget out of his arms to keep moving. You’re fierce. He can see it in the annoyance flashing in your eyes but, it’s admirable. He can’t even deny that.

“You need to sit your ass down.” He tells you simple and straightforward like he’d tell his fellow warrior.

“You need to go away.” He rolls his eyes at your childish deadpan but begins leading you back to the medic station. You do not fight him.

Bakugo takes each step slow, eased, not to rush you. Then he feels it. The weight of your body shifts to fully lean against on him. An unspoken solidarity settles between you two, mandalorian and Jedi both a united team victorious. But, the fierce mandalorian war hero now wants to rip apart his chest so badly because he wants, no needs, to get rid of it - this the wave of something proud and fond bubbling disgustingly fast beneath his beskar armor.

“Bet you were a damn headache to train. You’re stubborn as shit.” Bakugo comments.

“Look who’s talking.” You snort and it’s amused, comradely. “And excuse you, but all my mentors at the temple said I was a delight to train and have during lessons.”

Your voice is chirped, brightly proud, gaining a bit of your spirit back. And he can’t help it. He laughs, a bark of a thing but he laughs and he fucking hates it.

“Yeah I fucking bet.” He hates even more that he means those words.

#the battle theme music for us and bakugo is L'Impeto Oscuro from the kingdom hearts soundtrack #literally had it on repeat in my head thinking about this #also a part of me now wants to have us watch the phantom menance so I can freak out pointing out the lightsaber battles and now that’s us!! #but I digress!!! #Mermie my maiden this ask was everything thank you thank you thank you!!! #I hope I did your Mando boyfriend justice 🪐💫✨ #mandalorian bakugo or aka erika stop talking about star wars #across the stars: mandalorian bakugo #also #mermie’s tag 🐚✨

[theidiotwhowritesthings]

Hi!! I love ur fic fresh start and thought it could be cool if later u add din gettin hurt somehow like shot thru arm or maybe and she has to save him but alone because no one else can see his face. Just if ur taking ideas!!:) ty for ur fantastic fics I always look for way to Thursday now lol!

I'm not saying I have similar plans in mind but I'm also not NOT saying I have similar plans in mind.😏

#the mandalorian #din djarin #asks #feel free to ask me about anything!! #din djarin x reader #din djarin x you #a fresh start #reader insert #mando x reader #mando x you #thanks!!

[frownyalfred]

Bloodletting is my favorite fic right now ❤️ question, is Barbra ever going to appear? I think a mandolorian style wheelchair for Oracle would be totally awesome, I think she could probably build in a portable armory if she wanted too, many kudos to you and your writing!

Ahhh anon this is my favorite topic to get asks about!! Thank you!

We haven't seen Barbara yet just because the POV in bloodletting is limited to Clark and Bruce, but I had a rough backstory thought up for her. I wanted her to be Dick's riduur, obviously, and potentially a past ori'ramikad from Bruce's forces who was injured in a campaign and returned to Manda'yaim to direct engagements from the keldab instead.

I like to think she does security monitoring for Keldabe at large, and she and Dick liaise sometimes on issues that affect the Mand'alor and the Guard. I know the Mandalorians put a big emphasis on fighting but also on honoring injuries and recovery, so I haven't quite decided if she's got some sort of accommodation beyond a hover chair, or if she decided to remove herself entirely to a digital role.

I love your idea about the portable armory! And the wheelchair! I know the Goran would build Barbara whatever she wanted, especially if she was one of the Mand'alor's top ori'ramikad'e.

#this world has so many potential options tbh #thank you so much anon for asking me about this fic #i love it so much #bloodletting #bloodletting my beloved #myfic #theresurrectionist #also the mandalorian word for flame -- i think this would be dick's nickname for her because of her hair #he calls her little flame #tracinya i think is the word? #so traciny'ika? #ugh they're so cute #bruce wayne #batman #dc #dc comics #superbat #clark kent #superman

[oodlife]

Hey, I have realized I see Artuur's posts a lot but I know barely anything about him 👀 can you by any chance remedy to that? I'd love to hear more about him 🙏

Hello! Thanks for asking about Artuur!

Artuur is from the planet Corellia. His father was a shipbuilder who worked at the Santhe Shipyards. Artuur was not very close to his father and didn't want to spend his entire life trapped on Corellia so he left home at an early age by sneaking onto an Imperial transport.

Things didn't go well at first and he had to undergo various indignities and unsavoury jobs until he was taken on as an apprentice by a Bounty Hunter. Eventually Artuur would outshine even his Master and go on to become Grand Champion of the Great Hunt.

And of course during the Great Hunt he would meet Torian Cadera who would become very important to him but that's another story!

Thanks for asking!

#SWTOR #star wars #the old republic #that was a very brief history #let me know if you ever want to know more about Artuur! #That was the first ask I have received in ages #Thank you! :) #also sorry it took so long!! #Artuur #Torian cadera #ask #my characters #Mandalorian #bounty hunter #Frauleiiin

[ereborne]

please please please, did the space-monk keep his armies up his sleevies??

Of course he did! 

This is an exceptionally silly title, but in my defense, it’s a nonsense file full of contradictory timeline schenanigans and snippets of a fic I am not writing.  The same fic I’m very very absolutely not writing that I mentioned in the seven-sentence post last Sunday, actually!  It has been plaguing me. 

The thing is, is that I am so sure there ought to be a way to make it work.  I haven’t found it so far, so far I have only found many ways not to make the metaphorical lightbulb, but I feel so strongly that it should work.  I will make it work eventually, and then I will be free. 

The ‘it’ (army up our sleevey) in question:  the Mandalorian Empire!  I am so sure that there should be a way to rewrite these wholeass war stars so that the Mandalorian Excision is a turning point in the history of the Jedi Order, but in the opposite direction from canon.  Have it be the first time the Jedi were commanded to go commit large-scale violence against a sovereign system just because the Republic said to, and so the first time the Jedi found themselves truly pushed to a point where they cannot do as ordered without wholly breaking the tenets of their Order but cannot disobey and keep themselves safe and in a position to fulfil the objectives of their Order—and have them turn to the Force for a third option. 

It's a pretty radical third option, because I want to play with the timeline and also because the one scene makes me so so so happy, but—instead of killing off the Mandalorians, they meet with them, make a deal with them, pack them up on ships, and slide them into a pocket in the Unifying Force to be retrieved (much) later, when it’s safe.  Fast forward all the way to AotC, once the Jedi have discovered the clone army prepped for them on Kamino and received that implicit authorization to hire what amounts to a mercenary army, they can do a fine magician’s flourish and pull the better part of the Mandalorian Empire out of their sleeves!  What a scene that would be, I want it so badly. 

And all the fun of the set-up, too!  Imagine it, right, the Jedi have elevated ‘from a certain point of view’ to a zen art and have a now long-running history of taking creative options to do the most good possible regardless of Republic guidelines, but keeping it all on the down-low has given the Jedi chronically poor PR (essentially the same as they have in canon) and the truth of many things has passed out of memory and into the keeping of the Force.  Then the tragedy at Galidraan happens, Dooku’s faith wavers, and the Force returns one secret to them—Dooku’s good friend Sifo-Dyas gets him together with Master Archivist Jocasta Nu and the three of them learn about the pocket Mandos waiting to be pulled, the absolute proof of how far the Jedi will go (and how much the Force will support them) in order to preserve life.  And then immediately after that revelation is when Sidious comes to whisper in Dooku’s ear, all his manipulations, how the Republic is corrupt and the Jedi are useless and if Dooku wants power enough to make a difference he’ll need to do something radical—and Dooku is playing him the entire time. 

And thematically, it could be so good!  Revisiting the original Star Wars question of are the Jedi knights following lords or monks serving a higher purpose!  The distinction between lying to gain the freedom to do good (Jedi mind-trick) and manipulations to gain power to do evil (Sith compulsion)!  Once-and-future Mandos who are both the kings waiting to return to their people and the sword waiting to be drawn!  The Clone Wars are still fought, kind of!  An Empire still rises, kind of!  The clones who were chattel, produced and sold by a failed Mand’alor, denied any culture or history, destined to fight and die unacknowledged in someone else’s war; now being adopted wholesale by the returned Mandalorian people, hailed as a gift from the Force itself, sharing their knowledge of modern times and being taught all the cultural traditions of Mandalore’s heyday, being treated as beloved children and kept as safe as any Mando’ad could be!  Anakin, fatherless child of the Force, as the prophesied Chosen One, found by the will of the Living Force, trained by a sleight-of-hand master with a powerful connection to the Unifying Force, strong enough to bring balance to the Force not through massacre but instead by bringing back an entire people!  Renewal, healing, proof that good will always ultimately triumph over evil but that you have to get it there through a balanced combination of faith and hard work! So fun!!!!

Exactly how and when all this happens and what the hell all the fallout is, though, all that stuff still escapes me.  This file is an absolute nightmare bog of snippets and bullet-point ranting. 

#asks #anternika #hi hi hi hi <3 <3 <3 <3 #thank you for validating my incredibly silly joke #I just I so very much want to see Obi-Wan and Anakin open up the void of space above Kamino into essentially a Force-constructed hyperlane #pull an armada out like space rabbits from a galactic hat and then laugh directly in Sidious' face #and then a three-strand plot to handle the Separatists the Sith and the rehoming of pretty much everybody (Jedi and clones and Mandos etc) #I know there has to be a way to do it but it's like I'm doing a puzzle blind. just slamming pieces together and feeling them fail to click #how to have the clones around long enough to be established characters and give them agency enough to opt in to the fighting? #have Dooku sneak Obi-Wan in as a trainer on Kamino before the Jedi are able to officially discover the clone army? where's Anakin? #other questions then: what's the place of the Shadows in this adjusted Jedi Order? what's the state of slavery in this galaxy? #what's the state of the Mandalorian remnants? the New Mandalorians? what's Obi-Wan's history with them now? #and later where are we putting the returned Mandalorians? to what extent do we let the Separatists secede? are we dissolving the Republic? #who knows! certainly not me. I have a million options sketched out and they're all mutually-exclusive #and anyway almost all my scenes turn into various characters talking to the clones about their past experiences and future opportunities #I just love them so much

[itstimeforstarwars]

Tell us all about the hollow sidewalks

Yes!!!

Putting it under a cut because it got long lol.

So here is the wikipedia article for Vaulted Sidewalks. It is very short, and basically boils down to "vaulted sidewalks are sidewalks that have a hollow area underneath."

Which is, yes, the definition. But they're very cool!

Basically, there's two things that tend to be under a hollow sidewalk, and those are vaults and tunnels. Vaults are little rooms that extend under the sidewalk that are simply connected to the building, whereas tunnels, obviously, go somewhere else. Both were very popular before cars became a big thing!

Most hollow sidewalks only go for a few streets or so if they're tunnels, but sometimes you can get a whole underground city! For example, after the Great Seattle Fire in Seattle, WA, USA, the city leaders decided to just raise the whole city about a story, but a lot of people continued to use the original streets and entrances in addition to the new entrances on the higher level. They only stopped using the underground cityscape because twenty years later, the city condemned the lower levels due to concerns about bubonic plague. I've heard that some of it is now available for guided tours.

A lot of hollow sidewalks were built before electricity, which means that they also have really cool Vault Lights. Some of them were just grates with glass in them to let in the light, but a lot of them had prisms to throw light into a wider array and fill the tunnel with light despite the small porthole. If you click through to the link, it's got a fascinating gallery at the bottom.

[ID in alt text] [image source]

Here's a vault light from Philadelphia! The bubbles in and around the star are small glass prisms that cast light in the hollow below.

[ID in alt text] [image source]

This is what a vault light looks like from below--this one only has five of the prisms still uncovered and functional, but that's still a lot of light!

Unfortunately, most of the hollow sidewalks in the US get dug up and filled with sand, because the weight of modern cars is simply too much for the hollow sidewalks to handle, and we prefer to bow to the whims of the automobile industry as they make bigger and heavier cars and trucks, so the cool underground sidewalks and cities have to go.

But!

That's not true in star wars. The GFFA has flying cars and hover technology for all of their heavy transportation needs, so I like to think that they have extremely walkable cities and many places have hollow sidewalks. The possibilities are infinite!

Mandalore? Hollow, reinforced sidewalks. The tunnels of Sundari double as bomb shelters due to the planet's violent past.

Hoth/Tatooine/Jakku/Ordo Plutonia? Underground tunnels are actually more popular than aboveground, due to the elements.

Corellia? Hollow sidewalks have a whole different city underneath. Corellia is barely respectable on the surface, but underground they drop even the veneer.

Coruscant? Trick question! The whole planet is about seventy thousand layers of hollow sidewalks. There's vault lights on Coruscant that haven't had daylight to give to the level below them in a thousand years, but prisms are still very popular in artificial lighting because electricity is expensive and you have to scatter that shit as far as it will go.

Considering that there are also a whole bunch of alien species who prefer to be underground, I think that pretty much any medium-sized town or larger would have a robust underground element. And when the weather sucks, wouldn't it be nice to have the option to go wherever you were going, but in a tunnel so you don't have to get wet/be hot/get blown away by the wind/etc? My university had underground tunnels that connected all the buildings, but students weren't allowed to use them, and every time I was walking the long mile between my first class and my second class in -10F (-23C) weather, the tunnels were literally all I could think about I was so mad lmao.

If you want to know more about hollow sidewalks/vault lights, I highly recommend clicking on all the links in the post, and also checking out the book The Tunnels Under Our Feet by Tracy Beach [B&N link]. The book is primarily about hollow sidewalks in Colorado, but it does also have a few chapters where it talks about hollow sidewalks all over the US, like the ones in Seattle.

Links in this post:

Vaulted Sidewalks [Wikipedia]

Pavement Lights [Wikipedia]

Philadelphia's Lost Vault Lights [Article]

The Tunnels Under Our Feet [B&N]

#asks #chaos-is-my-lifeblood #thanks for the ask! #i highly recommend researching hollow sidewalks they're cool #and the book is a great introduction to them #tune in next time when i rage about walkable cities and pedestrian-centric design lmao #it's MY star war and I get to plan the cities #paw notes #i can also bitch about cars and public transportation for days #tbh i'm surprised that people still talk to me because i DO bitch about cars and public transportation all the time #but i do think we should get rid of 90% of vehicles and bring back hollow sidewalks #this time with elevators so they are more accessible #i want to walk to the grocery store in safety and comfort when there's four feet of snow outside #lol #also could you imagine how pretty the vault lights would be on mandalore #like have you seen the stained glass in that one satine episode? They HAVE art! imagine doing vault lights like that! #prisms that when the light shines through make pictures #like maybe on one of the main streets they have vault lights that make illustrations of important moments in mandalorian history #galidraan au #will that ever come up in the story probably not but #listen. listen. #i am inventing art history for mandalore #i am giving them vault lights and beskar glass and shiny things #i am putting into star wars everything i wish i could put into public infrastructure of my area lmao

[engagemythrusters]

What if being Mand'alor will help protect his kid? The Jedi do need a new place to set up after all. And if he could unite the Mandalorians in a way that would help protect the few Jedi that are around whilst the Jedi are working on establishing a safe place for younglings, then that could work? Alternatively, he could work with Bo-Katan on doing that same idea. When they go to rescue Grogu, maybe it ends being a 2v1 with Moff, and Bo-Katan genuinely wins the Darksaber with the aid of Din

Personally, I’m not too big on Din being in charge. I like him best when he’s out doing his own thing! And I do think the Jedi would prefer their own place to set up, rather than on a planet already depleted of natural resources. I think the Mandalorians need to do their own building up first before they could even think about helping anyone else.

#sorry again! din in charge is just really something I’d not write Esp not in this au #I think someone else should be the Manda’lor but I honestly do not have strong opinions on who that is #and I do have ideas about where the Jedi could go (Luke’s school #or maybe some other temples like the ones on lothal) #or bogden #or any other place the zeffo visited (I have a lot of feelings about that)) #mandalore is just not suited to take in a new generation of jedi #thank you for the ask!! #din djarin #star wars: the mandalorian

[tathrin]

so are all dwarves Mandalorians? or are all Mandos dwarves?

Ah! You're referring to what I said about Gimli's backstory in that Star Wars/LotR AU that I am definitely not writing, yeah?

So answer is neither. Dwarrow is a species in this verse (like Rodians and Twi'leks and Wookiees), and they're a species whose culture has a lot of inherent traits that line-up well with Mando society (family-oriented, good with tech/weapons, etc) and a history (homeworld sacked in a war, survivors scattered) that puts them in a position (nomadic, homeless, a little bitter) to both be likely to be approached by and be keen to accept adoption into Mando society/families.

So a lot of Dwarrows are Mandalorians in this verse, yes. But there are plenty of Dwarrows who aren't, too. The Lonely Mountain Clan (Gimli's family) are a clan of Mandalorians who are predominantly (but of course not wholly) Dwarrow, but Mandalorian society as a whole is still a grab-bag of various folks just the way it should be in SW canon.

*links to all posts on this AU are collected here.

#thank you (curse you) for asking me about this horrible au again anon #i definitely need more motivation to let this idea keep eating my brain THANKS (thank you) #star wars #lotr #gimli #lord of the star ring wars #lotr au #star wars au #my stuff #mandalorians #dwarves

[ermakeys]

🍩 Donut for Aran for the ask game? Hope your day goes well!

Hello Anon beloved thank you for your ask 🥺💕

My day has been amazing once I shut all my study books.

🍩 DONUT - favourite sweet treat?

Due to neglect, Aran used to have very bad teeth as a child because they ate a lot of sweets. Once they were under their grandfather's wing, their teeth got better care and Aran avoided because they never wanted to visit the spentist (space dentist) again.

Except one hunt took them through Bespin. The hunt had been long and tiresome but good. They were sitting on a bench, dozing when their grandfather came back from haggling at some nearby shop with what looked like cloud on a stick. They refused and their grandfather insisted. Aran argued that they'd taken several shots to the helmet earlier and their face was too sore to chew. Their grandfather insisted it would be fine. To trust him.

Aran always trusted their grandfather.

That's how Aran came to love Bespin cotton candy. Sitting on a bench in the Bespin sunset with their grandfather.

#mandalorian aran #aran #oc asks #asks #anon #thank you anon i loved thinking about this

[rahabs]

Me getting on my knees every day to pray to God that Obi-Wan Kenobi is actually about Obi-Wan Kenobi and not a bate-and-switch that’s actually about an Inquisitor I do not care anything about.

#If Obi-Wan is a secondary character in his own show to a token addition I will be very sad :c #Disney has a track record of it already with Book of Boba Fett switching to suddenly be about the Mandalorian. #I argued mildly with my sister about that when we watched it together. #She liked the Mandalorian additions and I said yes they're not BAD per se #But this isn't the Mandalorian! There shouldn't be entire episodes dedicated to him! #Why was Boba Fett a side character in his own show I ask you... #Hence my (well-founded) fears that Obi-Wan is going to be second fiddle to the Whatever Sister Inquisitor Lady. #No thanks #text #chey.txt

[talaok]

Will you kiss me?

Pairing: Pedro pascal x reader

Summary: You are a famous actress who Pedro has a crush on, and he finally gets to meet you once you get both invited to The Graham Norton Show

warnings: just fluff

a/n: I had to

"What a pair we have here tonight huh?"Graham spoke enthusiastically, making the audience explode in roaring cheers and applauses.

You just smiled as you tried looking at the crowd, getting overwhelmed by the blinding lights.

"Y/n Y/l/n and Pedro Pascal, just- wow"

Other applauses filled the studio.

"Ok so let's start with you y/n, you have a show coming out next week, two oscar nominated films already out, and one more coming out next month" he took a deep breath, feigning fatigue "You must be tired, I mean, How long has it been since you slept?" he joked, making you laugh.

"well I did work a lot this past year, but it was worth it, I'm happy I got to be part of so many wonderful projects and I'm really proud of all of them, I just can't wait for people to see them"

"well I'm sure we're all gonna love them"

"I hope so, I'm always nervous about it"

"Really?" The man beside you asked, surprise clear in his tone.

Pedro Pascal,

You had heard of him before, of the boom he seemed to have made lately, but had never met him until half an hour ago, when you briefly introduced yourselves to one another.

He looked nervous, awkward even, and you didn't know if it was because of the show he was about to get on, if he just was like that, or if there was something else bothering him.

"of course, when I go to premiers I'm always looking over at how people are reacting, if they're like bored or on their phones or actually interested, it's nervewracking, don't you?"

"well of course I do" he chuckled "but I'm no one compared to you"

He had a beautiful smile, you noticed, sweet, comforting.

"oh stop it" you smacked his shoulder playfully " you're a big deal, Pedro"

He just shook his head, still smiling softly, and Graham took the opportunity to intervene.

"of course you are, I mean, Game of Thrones, Narcos," he listed " and now the Mandalorian and The last of us, I mean you're really killing it"

The crowd cheered some more at the mention of those shows.

"thank you," he said shyly, looking like he almost wanted them to stop.

"so how does it feel?" he asked, "to be on such massive hits at the same time?"

"Well, it feels... scary" he laughed, joined by the audience

"you don't like being the center of attention?" Graham asked

"oh no I do" he corrected, making you laugh "It's just frightening at times, 

but I'm having a good time y'know, it's also comforting seeing everyone I've worked with kind of be in the same position as me" he shrugged.

"People you've worked with?"

"yes, you know like Bella Ramsey, they're also- well they're young so of course, they're new to this- but, y'know, we're not used to all this attention and it feels good to have someone by your side who understands what's going on"

"of course" graham nodded "that's true, Bella is really young" he noticed "that's a thing both your shows have in common, young people," he said, "how did that feel? working with the new generation, I'm not saying you're old, but did you ever feel left out?"

"oh, all time" Pedro laughed

"yeah me too" you agreed "there were times when I was really lost but too ashamed to ask " you laughed in embarrassment

"absolutely," Pedro said, " they have a language of their own"

"right?!" you exclaimed, happy someone finally understood you.

"yes, like, there's one term that I learned recently that's really wonderful- somebody was saying - you swerve - "

You frowned

"do you know what swerving is?"

"nope" 

"I was like oh- get somebody off your scent or something like that- I don't know - confuse somebody, and they were like: no, they come in for a kiss and you swerve" he demonstrated, pretending to be avoiding a kiss on the cheek.

"Isn't that great?"

you nodded, laughing, as an idea came to you

"We should try"

His eyes widened as he turned to you 

"c'mon swerve me"

"no, I cannot swerve you!"

"c'mon it's for science"

"I can't, I can't swerve y/n Y/l/n, that's like - a crime"

"oh stop it, just do it, I wanna try it c'mon," you said, flattered

"ok fine, but just because I can't say no to you" he surrendered

"ok" you cleared your throat, preparing yourself "Oh wow, hi Pedro" you pretended to greet him, going in for a kiss.

He just smiled, as he did, eventually avoid your kiss,

his beard grazed your cheek, and the proximity to him, sparked something inside you, something quick, but likewise persistent.

As you leaned away, you noticed with amusement the flush on his cheeks and had to bite down a smile.

He fanned himself exaggeratedly "I'm blushing," he mumbled, making you chuckle, as you rested a hand on his arm, trying to soothe him.

" So how does swerving feel?" Graham asked

"it's... interesting" you glanced at him.

"It makes me feel rude" he looked at you too now, "I would never do it, it feels- it's mean"

"oh we know you wouldn't" you reassured him.

"I didn't like it" he shook his head

You smiled, tilting your head "would it make you feel better if we did it again without the swerving?"

You noticed how he seemed to have a momentary shutdown.

"yes," he said bluntly

"oh my god yes"

You laughed softly, as his mouth gaped open.

"Will you kiss me?" he almost begged, which was funny considering you had proposed it.

"Alright then, come here" you gestured, and he leaned closer, letting you press a quick kiss to his cheek.

"there" you smiled

"I think I just died"

"oh stop it, you're flattering me," you said, noticing a trace of red on his face "whoops, sorry I left a lipstick print" you went to clean it 

"no no" he stopped you 

"please leave it, I want proof this actually happened"

#pedro pascal #pedro pascal x reader #pedro pascal fluff #pedro pascal x female reader #pedro pascal x fem reader #pedro pascal x you #pedro pascal x y/n #pedro pascal fic #pedro pascal fanfiction #pedro pascal fanfic #pedro pascal interview #bella ramsey #the last of us #the last of us hbo #the last of us fanfiction #tlou hbo #tlou

[theidiotwhowritesthings]

The new AFS was absolutely amazing JJ! Din courting, the relationship between Din and Paz. You write Domestic!Din so, so well. Can't wait for the next chapter :)

#feel free to ask me about anything!! #asks #the mandalorian #din djarin #a fresh start #you're the best my dude #thank you so much!!

[frownyalfred]

Forgot to write a comment on the fic, will probably go do that, but the meeting in Bloodletting has some big “family meeting, but only with your cousins” energy which is just so funny.

omg! Are you talking about the clan head meeting? If so that is HILARIOUS. Yes, absolutely like a familiar but semi-awkward meeting with your cousins.

I love the tension in that meeting room because all of the clan heads respect Bruce, but he’s also like their little cousin? Thomas’ ad? Like what is he doing here with the Darksaber, rallying the clans?

Poor Bruce probably isn’t as close with them as he would be if he wasn’t Mand’alor. I feel like him and the Ka’ra-blessed Elliot Alor would have some things in common.

#thank you for asking me about this fic it’s one of my faves to discuss #batman #bruce wayne #dc #myfic #batfamily #superbat #clark kent #theresurrectionist #bloodletting my beloved #bloodletting #mandalorian batfamily au #mandalorian superbat au #asks

[kopykunoichi]

Refresher for the people still confused about this...

In a galaxy far, far away, EVERYONE has midi-chlorians in their blood. The Force resides in all living things. It binds the whole galaxy together. Midi-chlorians are what allow beings to commune with the Force. The more midi-chlorians you have, the more potential you have to RESPOND TO and WIELD the Force. But notice that Asajj couches her statement with the line that those with a higher m-count were "believed" to be more capable of wielding the Force. There's a correlation, but it's not necessarily the only factor (see Sabine Wren).

This is the moment where the clones literally become stand-ins for the fans.

"What? If you can use the Force, you're a Jedi!"

No. If you can use the Force, you can use the Force. To use it as a Jedi uses it, you have to train as a Jedi. To use it as a Sith uses it, you have to train as a Sith. To use it like a Nightsister, you have to train as a Nightsister. Or you can get some rudimentary instruction and decide how you want to use it.

Jango Fett didn't have a high m-count, so his clones didn't either. But Omega and the rest of the Batch were special cases. As Cut said, the Kaminoans create with a purpose. Their deviations were intentional. Hunters abilities have always suggested he had a higher m-count than the others. But Omega's ability to perceive things before they happen (her bad feelings are nearly always spot on) and her affinity with animals have always been hints that her m-count is a little higher.

(Will update with screen grabs when I get them)

At the end of the episode, Omega asks Ventress if she has a high m-count.

Ventress: *looking at her nails* From what I've seen...no.

Omega: Then why is the Empire after me?

Ventress: Believe it or not, I don't know everything. But seeing as how a high m-count would make you a target, consider yourself lucky.

Omega: But I'm already a target.

Wrecker: Don't worry about it, kid. We'll figure it out. C'mon, let's get some chow.

Omega: *sigh* Thanks for trying.

Once they're out of earshot...

Crosshair: You're lying.

Ventress: About which part?

Hunter: You tell us.

Ventress: If Omega did have that potential, she'd have to be trained. Which would mean leaving you behind.

Hunter: That's not happening.

Ventress: What you want is irrelevant. The fact is, the Empire is after her, and they won't stop. If I were you, I'd leave this place. You're not as safe as you think you are. Our business is done.

Crosshair: I still can't figure out which side you're on.

Ventress: My own.

Okay, so Ventress is clearly not telling the truth about the m-count, which we know, because we've already seen Omega's charts. I really don't understand why people keep taking Ventress at her word here. We know better, and so do Crosshair and Hunter. My guess is that she's trying to protect Omega because she knows firsthand what it's like to be taken from your family and trained as a young girl.

We know that when Omega was at Tantiss, she was receiving transfusions of blood with midi-chlorians the same as all the other clones (harvested from the dead Jedi they're undoubtedly holding in the vault). They were taking her blood samples, but Nala Se kept throwing them away because she knew Omega would retain the higher midi-chlorian levels and she didn't want Hemlock to know that. The Emperor needs a clone that will maintain a high m-count so he can eventually get himself a new body. We know he does get that body, but not for decades - presumably because a) he never gets Omega, and b) the Batch is gonna take the fight to them at Tantiss and blow up their entire supply of midi-chlorian donors. Think about it - they're still working on Project Necromancer in The Mandalorian (24 years after The Bad Batch), but their resources are severely limited. The Empire has been all but wiped out, the Emperor is hiding out on Exegol, Dr. Pershing is clearly no Hemlock since he keeps killing his test subjects, and Grogu seems to be the only m-count donor they can get their hands on. The Emperor's cloned body is also deteriorating rapidly in TRoS, which suggests that even 25 years after The Mandalorian, he STILL hasn't figured out the right formula for cloning himself (which is good news for Grogu and Omega).

Which brings us back to the question, "Is Omega Force sensitive?"

The answer is, "yes", she is sensitive to the Force due to her elevated m-count. We've seen this all along. Hunter most likely is, too, and maybe some of the other Bad Batchers, to varying degrees. Tech could riot race, which takes incredible reflexes. Hemlock said that Crosshair didn't have a high m-count, and we don't know where Wrecker's abilities stem from. Omega can't wield the Force because she is untrained, but the potential is there. A person's aptitude to wield the Force seems to be strongly correlated to their m-count, but we've seen others with low aptitude eventually open the door to the Force with years of training and a decent dose of impending doom (we see this clearly with Sabine in Ahsoka, but it was also a topic in Legends).

Omega being Force sensitive doesn't mean that she has to leave her brothers. She can choose to pursue her training or not. She'd also have to find someone willing to train her. I'm not convinced Ventress is looking to take on any apprentices at the moment, but she could possibly connect Omega to Quinlan Voss (imagine the trouble those two would get up to).

But I don't think Omega will choose that path. One, it would just make her a bigger target. Two, I don't see her prioritizing power over family. She's a clone, and clones are ALL about family. They're Mando coded, not Jedi coded. Screw the space Buddhist lifestyle - clones parade their attachments around like trophies. Omega goes around collecting attachments like most kids collect rocks..."Hello, stranger trying to kill me, let's be besties."

#the bad batch #the bad batch spoilers #tbb spoilers #tbb omega #tbb hunter #tbb wrecker #tbb echo #tbb tech #asajj ventress #quinlan voss #nala se #tbb crosshair #the bad batch season 3 #the bad batch the harbinger #to be clear...i didn’t really want Omega to be force sensitive #but this is definitely the story they are telling #i just really don't want her to become trained in the force and i don't yet believe *that* is the story they are telling for her