Resource The Fanon Thread

Wow, wouldn't ya know... JadeLotus is an outlaw. I saw it coming and I warned y'all LONG AGO.

 

Suspicions confirmed. JadeLotus is a space troublemaker.

 

The mere existence of this group must really tick off Mara Jade!

 

Regarding the present AU challenge:

I have written almost two pages so far on a possible story--and it is still but a possible one, as I don't know if I can stick the AU element I finally, finally came up with. (And I'm not certain the tone is remaining under control, but that is a separate issue.) I shall just have to see. Oh, and I have this out-of-context bit under the spoiler cut:

Spoiler

As he reached them, he spoke: “Oh, we do live in the most progressive of societies when the only trouble we have to deal with on the street is the occasional rogue white shirt. Don’t you agree?”

“Of course, comrade,” Progressina said. “Well put.”

 

Pandora - Looks fine to me! And I came up with that madness, so I guess my opinion ****s.

 

^^

Well, that was funny. Not editing it, but yes, I meant cOunts.

 

Updated the fanon post for Serenity.

 

Well, the flippant answer here is that fanon requires neither plot nor dialogue. But beyond that, I think one of the things that has always appealed about Star Wars is that there's an illusion of depth even in "throwaway" scenes/characters/whatever. I really liked the Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina & Jabba's Palace collections in the Expanded Universe -- stories that fleshed out the most minor of background characters. Fanon often feels like getting to do that, only for a planet, species, or gadget of some sort. And fanon can be about anything, so it's possible to look at some unexpected corners of the universe. That makes writing and reading fanon entertaining for me. Also, people tend to bring their real life interests and hobbies into fanon writing. So I often learn something new that isn't directly about the GFFA.

 

nm

 

What Kahara said: "Well, the flippant answer here is that fanon requires neither plot nor dialogue. But beyond that, I think one of the things that has always appealed about Star Wars is that there's an illusion of depth even in "throwaway" scenes/characters/whatever. [...] Fanon often feels like getting to do that, only for a planet, species, or gadget of some sort. And fanon can be about anything, so it's possible to look at some unexpected corners of the universe. That makes writing and reading fanon entertaining for me. Also, people tend to bring their real life interests and hobbies into fanon writing. So I often learn something new that isn't directly about the GFFA."

 

Thank you! And your opinion most definitely *****s.*

I still have most of the story to write, so it is a good thing the "progressive" dialogue just keeps coming to me.

-------


*Yes, that means "counts."

 

I confess, my fanon comes as a need within whatever particular story I am writing. And then I try to keep it in the back of my head for other future stories. I don't do a lot of world building or whatever unless the story I am working on needs it. I will borrow (with permission) if someone else's fanon fills a need I've encountered. And I try to abide by movie canon, while incorporating the books canon (to an extent. Some of those authors came up with some ridiculous stuff that I just ignore. Sorry, Jedi can NOT fly through the air like Superman!!!).

It is fun seeing what other people come up with, though.

 

Here is a new entry I came up with few months ago thanks to a nice brainstorming in this forum.

Defibrillator gun: medical tool used in case of emergency to defibrillate someone's heart (mainly human beings). Among medical personnel, this tool is trivially called the heart gun. Its shape looks like a gun with a long needle made of duralumin in place of the canon. Such a needle thanks to its length can be driven directly into the heart. When the trigger is pulled, a large electrical shock is sent causing the defibrillation. This tool is powered by energy cells located inside the handle which can deliver four or more shocks depending on cells' quality and the intensity of shocks.

 

OK, everyone, just a friendly reminder that there is now exactly one week remaining for the Fanon AU Challenge, due Monday, February 6!

(That said... I am willing to entertain the possibility of a brief extension if people would like one, because I know this is a challenging challenge as challenges go. )

And a few general updates:

Cowgirl Jedi 1701 's entry on her original planet Serenity has been updated.

yahiko has added a new fanon entry on the defibrillator gun (one post above this one), and his entry has been added to the index as well. (yahiko, just one small thing for the future: when you make a new fanon post, if you could please also notify this sock by PM for recordkeeping purposes, that would be great—thanks! )

 

559 words added tonight, to the entry fic. Some characterization.

3/02/2017 - 759 words added.

 

The first post (of about three) of my challenge response is now up:

"Pale Iris"

 

A week or so?

 

So, with one day to go till the originally established deadline of the 6th, we've so far gotten two entries (both of which are now listed in the challenge index), and one request for an extension of a week. I would be fine with granting an extension till the 13th, but I did want to check first that that would be all right with those who have already started posting their stories. (That would also allow those other two authors the chance to post more of the other two entries pre-voting, since they're both multipart stories.) So please do let me know. Thanks!

 

Some extra deadline time would not go amiss

I have managed to guano my way almost to completion, but would welcome the chance to polish this turd.

 

"Like" of support, not of any supposed turd-iness. Just to be clear. I always wonder whether to "like" something when the post is self-deprecating.

 

Some extra time to space out the posts on my story would not go amiss--so yes, I'm fine with the extension.

 

All right, then, the deadline for the Fanon AU Challenge is hereby now extended by one week, to Monday, February 13.

Also, I heard back from the Mods, and it looks like we can once again offer colors to the winner of the challenge! 72 hours' worth, to be precise.

 

Ahem. I won't be participating in the current challenge, because I only just started posting my very belated entry for last year's Fanon Quote Challenge (not that I'm much of an AU writer anyway, but that doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things). The elements I picked were Kahara’s Ellelumiwi and “I have a bad feeling about this”; the story is called Artemian's Eleven.

While I'm dipping my toes in this thread again, I want to say that I'm still struggling to catch up with my reading and writing because I fell so far behind, but I do have everybody's fics on my list and reviews will be coming at some point in the hopefully not-too-distant future

 

Marfa

Marfa is an inner core world, close to Coruscant. It has traditionally been known for its agricultural products, and it has been a site for the Jedi Agricultural Corps for centuries, until the Order was dissolved with the start of the Empire. Because of its proximity to Coruscant, Marfa has been a steady supplier of agricultural products including produce, wines, and grains. Tourism has become an important secondary economy, and many wealthy Coruscanti own property on the southern Marfan shore. A number of family farms also offer agritourism, and vineyard stays are also very popular.

Mehr
Located on the coast of the northern sea of Marfa, the ancient walled city of Mehr is a popular tourist destination. The weather is temperate, with a long warm season followed by a misty season of unsettled weather. The city is built on the foundation of a military fortress, and some sections of the original wall are over a thousand years old. A broad rampart runs along the top of the wall, providing a promenade for visitors and residents alike. Below the wall is a wide beach. Rook Island, named for the nesting areas of sea avians, is not far from the shore and houses a centuries-old edifice that has been used as everything from a house of refuge to a prison.

The city is set up with a main avenue that is home to many family businesses. Properties on the main avenue, known as the Market District, are highly valued, and most of them are inherited and kept within families for generations. Smaller streets run off the main avenue, housing shops, offices, restaurants, and small inns. The Market District has an open plaza that is home to cafes and restaurants, many of them providing open-air seating in season.

The city sits on a beach, which is a tourist attraction on its own. The seacoast is difficult to navigate due to tricky channel navigation and many submerged rocks that are only visible at low tide. A powerful rip tide also can make water navigation difficult. These challenges have helped to protect Mehr from attack in the past. Because of its sheltered location, the citizens of Mehr (known as Mehrine) have enjoyed a historical tactical advantage. The only time when Mehr was defeated was nine hundred years ago, during the Great Burning, when an attack nearly leveled the city. A series of underground tunnels were created during the war to allow citizens ways to escape when the city was besieged. Later, when Rook Island was used as a desalinization plant, these same tunnels became convenient ways to transport desalinated water. A nearby river provides a safe haven for shallow vessels and an access to farms and cities further inland.

Historically, the Mehrine have cultivated a deep love of the sea. Most Mehrine are proficient sailors, even in modern times when seaspeeders have superseded the need for sailboats. Due to the challenging seacoast, most Mehrine sailors became expert captains and navigators at a young age. This led to a very profitable economy of sea captains who supplemented their legitimate cargo fees by smuggling and privateering. The Mehrine became notorious as pirates, smugglers, and corsairs. A distinct Mehrine culture reflects this independent streak.

The reputation of Mehr as a “Pirate’s City” has helped the tourist trade significantly. The citizens have taken advantage of the popularity of this reputation (and the enthusiastic tourist trade it supports) to gain certain special rules and exemptions from the Marfan regional government. Unlike nearly every district on Marfa, Mehr is allowed its own government, not directly accountable to the district. Mehr flies its own regional banner and is permitted to establish its own education, security, and communications systems. Although it is naturally not completely autonomous, the residents of Mehr enjoy being a “city without a king,” as they have long called themselves. The city is run by a committee of six to ten council members, who in turn elect a senior council member to act as the leader of the city. Most of these council members belong to families who have been residents of Mehr for generations. The positions are elected every ten years. Only permanent residents of Mehr are allowed to participate in the elections.

Culturally, Mehr clings to a very traditional way of life, dating back to the heyday of the sea travelers. Property is inherited, and those who do not live in the city itself may not own property there. The eldest child earns a “birthright.” This birthright entitles the oldest child to all the property that the family owns. As a result, most of the eldest children do not leave Mehr to go to university, or if they do, they return shortly after. A person who holds a birthright may only marry a fellow Mehrine to ensure that the property does not leave the hands of a native-born citizen. On rare occasions, a non-native spouse is granted citizenship as a Mehrine. This is done in the case where the Mehrine spouse is an only child. Otherwise, marriage to someone outside the culture results in a forfeiture of the birthright. Younger siblings who do not inherit the birthright (and with it, the properties) often complete their education away from Mehr. They have the option to return to the city to establish a profession, but they can only own property that they purchase, and property rarely becomes available for sale. Some families own entire buildings of multiple apartments which they leave empty until their children return from university to help them start off in Mehr without the great expense of trying to purchase a home. These empty apartments allow younger citizens who lack a birthright to live in Mehr and establish their careers there.

The population of Mehr is overwhelmingly human, although other species have been known to marry into the citizenry. Because there is so much intermingling of the family lines, certain traits get passed down. One of these traits is an elevated midi-chlorian level. It has been theorized that the exceptional seafaring skills of the Mehrine is a result of Force sensitivity. It’s unknown how many Mehrine actually possess Force sensitivity as the Mehrine refuse to allow their citizens to be tested. There are usually one or two Mehrine who have a higher level of Force sensitivity. Such people are referred to as “seers” and they earn a living as psychics, mediums, and fortunetellers. Although their main income comes from tourists who treat the seer as an entertaining diversion, citizens of Mehr hold seers in high respect and often consult with seers on matters of importance.

Family communities in Mehr are very closely knit. Most of the children attend the local schools. Families have known each other for generations, and intermarriage within the families is common. Arranged marriages, which benefit both families, often occur, with the approval of the couple. Another interesting Mehrine tradition is the use of names. Female children usually take the first name of one of the parents, followed by the suffix “-doter,” while male children take the first name of one of the parents, followed by the suffix ‘-son.” Thus, it is possible for four members of the same immediate family to have four different surnames.

Mehrine weddings: Any citizen can marry at any time, of course, but most Mehrine citizens prefer to marry at the annual Wedding Festival. This event is held at the end of the misty season for a number of reasons: first, the end of the misty season is traditionally the beginning of the shipping season, and many of the newlyweds wanted to establish their homes before the spouse shipped out; secondly, since most wedding couples were young (as marriages were arranged), it gave the couples time to complete their schooling, which finished in the middle of the misty season; and thirdly, the couples and their families are afforded some level of privacy before the tourist season begins with the summer season. Couples and their families meet at the town hall at the appointed time in the morning, and the civil ceremony unites them legally as married. Then the entire entourage goes to the city plaza in the Market Space, which has been bedecked with banners and colorful accessories. A public ceremony then takes place.
Each couple wears their best clothing, although there is no standard “wedding clothes.” They carry with them a golden chain. As the public ceremony commences, the local political authorities give speeches. Then the couples wrap the golden chains around each other’s hands, tying them together symbolically, and the seer blesses the couples.

The restaurants then open to the revelers, and people wander around the plaza from café to restaurant, sampling the foods and drinks. (A donation to cover the cost is expected.) Musicians play, and the couples and their families dance and party well into the night.
This festival is designed specifically for Mehrine natives, and particularly those firstborn citizens who have a birthright. For those citizens who are not firstborn and thus do not have a birthright, the idea of an arranged marriage with another Mehrine citizen is not of such importance since they will not have city property to inherit. Citizens without a birthright may marry at the Wedding Festival but it is not of such significance to them. Since those citizens often go off-world to further their education, they are just as likely to marry off-world.

A person who is marrying for the second time is welcomed at the Wedding Festival if he or she had been married at Wedding Festival for the first marriage. The second spouse must be either a native-born Mehrine or have competed the rights of citizenship.


Children. Population control is important in a city like Mehr, where there is great property value but limited physical room. Families are expected to be limited to two children. The elder inherits the birthright, takes over the family business, and lives in Mehr, the younger child does not inherit any property, must find their own employment, and may live in Mehr or may live off-world. To formally be granted a birthright, the child must be born in the city and the birth must be attended by a seer. The child’s name is entered in the city records, with the names of the mother and her husband listed as the parents. Children live with their parents, and sometimes their extended family, throughout their childhood. They do not leave their parents’ home until they are married (the elder child) or until they leave to explore the galaxy (the younger child).


Sources: GFFA: Marfa . Real life inspirations: St. Malo, Brittany, France; Mystic, Connecticut, USA; and Watch Hill, Rhode Island, USA.

 

Real-life irony: "marfa" means "harbour" in Arabic. That's a good place to have the GFFA Saint-Malo divapilot