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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

Resource Fanfic Writer's Desk: Your Place for Writing Discussion, Questions, and Advice

Discussion in 'Fan Fiction and Writing Resource' started by Luna_Nightshade, Nov 24, 2011.

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  1. Raissa Baiard

    Raissa Baiard FFoF Artist Extraordinaire star 4 VIP - Game Host

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    Nov 22, 1999
    Thanks, @Mia Mesharad , that is very helpful. Piggybacking on that, do you know what would be involved if one partner is non-Mandalorian? Would s/he have to be adopted into a clan first? “Convert” to Mandalorian? Demonstrate some sort of commitment to Resol’nare? Or would all that just be expected by marrying a Mando?

    Thanks for your help!
     
  2. Gamiel

    Gamiel Chosen One star 9

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    Dec 16, 2012
    Just have to ask, which era are we talking about? And if it's one of those eras where the mandos are split, which fraction?
     
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  3. Raissa Baiard

    Raissa Baiard FFoF Artist Extraordinaire star 4 VIP - Game Host

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    Nov 22, 1999
    Well, it’s an AU set post-Rebellion, in which it’s assumed that Bo-Katan Kryze became the Mand’alor and Clan Kryze stayed in power. (I started this AU before The Mandalorian, and this is my “happily-ever-after” ‘verse). The clans involved in my story are Clan Wren and OC members of Clan Ordo, who are closely aligned with Clan Kryze.
     
  4. Cowgirl Jedi 1701

    Cowgirl Jedi 1701 Force Ghost star 5

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    Dec 21, 2016
    Is that her? :D
     
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  5. Mia Mesharad

    Mia Mesharad Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Sep 2, 2012
    You're welcome!

    Prior adoption into a Mandalorian clan isn't at all a necessary pre-requisite, as the simple act of marrying a Mando is an induction into your new spouse's clan all on its own. Similarly, a Mando who marries another Mando is an equal member of both clans simultaneously, and chooses for themselves which, if either, surname to take as their own, regardless of gender.

    As for conversion, the simple answer is—as is often the case with Mandalorians—that it largely comes down to a personal decision, and tends to vary on a case-by-case basis. For instance: Mij Gilamar seems to have happily become a Mandalorian after marrying his wife Tani, and Besany Wennen studiously absorbed everything she could about the Resol'nare and Mando culture in general when she married Ordo Skirata. Conversely, neither Ilippi Jiro or Ailyn Vel appeared to have embraced the culture after wedding Mandalorians, and while said marriages ultimately didn't pan out in the long term, it's never their existence outside of the culture that's presented as being the reason why the relationship doesn't work out. The Bounty Hunter and Smuggler-class characters in TOR are also never pressured or made to feel less should they pursue relationships with their Mandalorian crewmates, Torian or Akaavi, and not delve into becoming Mandalorian themselves.

    At their core, Mandalorians care infinitely more about feelings than pretense. They marry for love, and value a strength of character, whether that's expressed through Mandalorian terms or not. But if you do decide it's the life you want to live, they'll happily take you in and make a Mando out of you in no time.

    Who, Ezgi? Oh no, that's just a cute rando (not Mando!) I stumbled upon in a quick GIF search for finger guns. :p
    For my money, this dubiously winking dork is my fancast for Ezgi:
    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Jul 20, 2020
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  6. Gamiel

    Gamiel Chosen One star 9

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    Dec 16, 2012
    Then we might see a traditional brawl in the reception as the different warriors meet and old unfinished businesses have to be symbolically taken care of, and if the bridal couple is really lucky we might even get a duel to the death during the weeding - that's something that will bring fortune to the marriage (unless one of the duellant acts in a dishonorbly way, like showing cowardly behaviour, in which case it is bad luck for the marriage's future). Maybe there will also be at least one Satineian Mando shaking her head and wondering why she accepted the invitation* (something that's on-its-way-to-being-very-traditional-soon)
    * the reason was the wedding smörgåsbord

    :p

    And before anybody ask, all that was just me trying to make a joke
     
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  7. Raissa Baiard

    Raissa Baiard FFoF Artist Extraordinaire star 4 VIP - Game Host

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    Nov 22, 1999
    @Gamiel — now I have to work some part of this into the story, because the non-Mando in-laws would be Absolutely Horrified and the bride would be kicking the shebs of the those who dared ruin her special day [face_laugh][face_laugh][face_laugh]
     
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  8. Gamiel

    Gamiel Chosen One star 9

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    Dec 16, 2012
    @Raissa Baiard Since we don't have (I think) anything that establish that mandos don't fuse their traditional belief with other religions/belief systems so is it possible that some of the Space Gods are called upon during the wedding for blessings (that could actually possibly be traditional since the mando's gods to my understanding don't really function as fertility or non-combat community gods), and/or the Force, and/or other divine beings/energies.
     
    Last edited: Jul 24, 2020
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  9. Lobey-One Kenobi

    Lobey-One Kenobi Jedi Master star 3

    Registered:
    Nov 30, 2009
    Hey guys, doing some planning/ preparation into a screenplay series set on Imperial Coruscant.

    Looking for someone who could maybe PM me or discuss on here with me what Imperial Coruscant was like? I have a very basic knowledge, this is all I know so far:

    - Coruscant has thousands of levels to it, with each being a city. The further down you go, the worse it gets (how far down before poverty is widespread?)
    - The Imperial City had a statue erected of the Emperor, and the Jedi Temple was turned into a kind of base for the Empire's biggest members I think
    - The landscape was changed to much more block-y buildings, devoid of color, architectural difference etc
    - It has many different types of races, but with humans being favoured and Coruscant being the capital, I'm wondering whether non-humans fled in droves?

    I have the questions listed above, and a lot of questions about the political structure (I'm from UK, and as I understand it Star Wars uses a massively embellished version of the American political system which I'm not too clued up on)

    If anyone could help that'd be much appreciated, and if someone's willing to work with me long-term on this in terms of being a continuity advisor/ helper I'd credit you on every episode.

    Thanks in advance to anyone who can help with any of these questions, or point me in the direction of a good free resource.
     
    Last edited: Jul 25, 2020
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  10. Mechalich

    Mechalich Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Feb 2, 2010
    A detailed answer may be found here. The short answer is 'the ground level of galactic city.' Remember, someone tried to sell obi-Wan illegal drugs at said level openly, in a bar, before the Clone Wars. It only got worse after that.

    There was famously a statue of the Emperor in Monument Plaza, the location show briefly at the end of Return of the Jedi (Special Edition). There were almost certainly millions of others scattered across the cityscape. Palpatine converted the Jedi Temple into the Imperial Palace, and stored dark side artifacts there. How much he actually used it as a residence is open to considerable speculation (in the Legends timeline Palpatine spent progressively less and less time on Coruscant at all as the Empire progressed, and more and more on Byss).

    There's relatively little evidence of this. The monument plaza shots in the Special Editions show that surface level architecture remained more of less continuous in style. Probably only actual Imperial government and military buildings were remain in the newer more Brutalist style.

    This varies by continuity. In the Legends timeline non-humans were forced into ghettos scattered across the planet and suffered immense oppression. While in the Disney timeline they were forcibly relocated off-planet to parts unknown, a process that actually began, with those species loyal to the CIS, during the Clone Wars. However, because the underworld is much larger in the Disney canon, a far greater absolute number of non-human sapients would have remained in place due to sheer size and the ability to hide out in the underworld.

    Actually, Star Wars is closer to a European parliamentary system. The Galactic Senate is a unicameral parliamentary body and the Supreme Chancellor was a position roughly equivalent to that of Prime Minister and subject to votes of no-confidence. However the government of Coruscant is only tangentially related to that because the Senate handles galactic affairs. Coruscant has one Senator (like many Core Worlds it has an individual representative as a legacy), but that Senator isn't the planetary ruler. Instead Coruscant operates rather like Washington DC in the US, where the Senate nominally governs the planet but in practice power is held by a largely non-representative bureaucracy, the City Municipal Authority. The actual functioning of this administration has never been detailed in canon (local government generally has received little attention in Star Wars)
     
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  11. Lobey-One Kenobi

    Lobey-One Kenobi Jedi Master star 3

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    Nov 30, 2009
    Thanks for that, lots of interesting sub-plots for that.

    Would they have literally had to remain hidden? Is there any information on the Coruscant Security Forces/ Stormtroopers actively searching for non-humans before open rebellion was started?

    Oh okay, interesting, thanks for that.

    If the local political system is pretty much unexplored that's going to make my life much easier. I'll check out the City Municipal Authority and see how much I can find on how it was run, what influence local politicians had.
     
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  12. Mechalich

    Mechalich Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Feb 2, 2010
    'Hidden' in the context of the Coruscant Underworld is a complex idea. The number of sources for life on Coruscant, both in the Underworld and on the surface of Galactic City are actually quite limited. Consider that, while a considerable amount of time is spent on Coruscant during the prequels, almost all of it is spent in the Jedi Temple, in the Senate complex, or in the high-end residences of Senators. Palpatine tells Anakin the Darth Plagueis story at an Opera House, for example. The only time spent at ground level is when Obi-Wan visit's Dex's Diner. The Underworld is poorly explored as well, with the only truly substantial sources being a pair of arcs in TCW and the short story "One Thousand Levels Down." A quote from the novel Thrawn (featured on the Coruscant wook page) suggests that Imperial control did not extend down particularly far, so there were probably large alien populations living quite openly in the depths, just sort of stuck down there.
     
    Last edited: Jul 25, 2020
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  13. Lobey-One Kenobi

    Lobey-One Kenobi Jedi Master star 3

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    Nov 30, 2009
    That’s quite helpful, I’ll be able to pretty much have free creative reign with the idea I have.

    I couldn’t find much about the City Municipial Authority.

    You’d assume there are local politicians on each level who have some say in how their level is dealt with, right? Kind of like independent political structures. And the higher up you go, the closer to the overarching Imperial political structure you get - or am I wrong in thinking that?

    I suppose really, it’s only fan fiction so I can just tell the story how I want and see the lack of concrete information on the specifics as a blessing for free reign, but I want to make sure I don’t make it seem completely implausible compared to what people know/ envision Imperial Coruscant being like.
     
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  14. Mechalich

    Mechalich Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Feb 2, 2010
    Probably. We do know that the Underworld Police had rank called 'Prefect' who had responsibility for a single level, because Darth Vader murdered such a person in the novel Tarkin (of such tangled webs is canon constructed). Logically then yes, other administrative organs would also be organized by level. It also appears that levels, which stretch across the entire planetary surface after all, were further broken down into 'sectors,' again based on how the police had sector designations for their operations.

    Imperial institutions mostly operate above the planetary level unless there are active Imperial operations in place, something we actually see a good example of in Solo, where the imperial recruiters really couldn't care less that Han is a fugitive from the Corellian authorities. What probably happens on Coruscant is that the deeper you go the less and less influence there is of various pan-Imperial agencies like COMPNOR, and the ISB.
     
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  15. Kit'

    Kit' Manager Emeritus star 5 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    Oct 30, 1999
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  16. Gamiel

    Gamiel Chosen One star 9

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    Dec 16, 2012
    I don't think Dex's Diner was at ground level, but I could be wrong.

    And since Coruscant is a planet (as in planet sized, as in humongously colossally gargantuan) and we only see less area than London is it possible that there exist areas that are very different from the Senate/Imperial city. Maybe there are areas were:
    - the buildings are sticking up out of a great mass of water.
    - hanging gardens and parks cover most of the architecture.
    - the architectural style resemble a fusion between the Tokugawa-era's and great spheres, but as skyscrapers.
    - all the housing are built for species that think 1.5 m is tall.
    - all the housing are built for species that think 1.8 is short.
    - where all the nice quarters are at ground-level or sub-level, and the higher up you go the worse it gets (at least seen from a living space perspective).
    There is also the possibility that some megascrapers (which should be big enough for a whole Earth city of people) if not whole areas are special made for species that prefer a special kind of environment - high level or radiation; tick/thin atmosphere; methane breathers; water breathers; large areas of open space for flying with few elevator/stares; etc. - and it would probably be easier to just let them continue living there, do their jobs and pay their taxes than removing them and having to rebuild everything for human/duros/twi'lek/similar standard.
     
    Last edited: Jul 28, 2020
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  17. Gamiel

    Gamiel Chosen One star 9

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    Dec 16, 2012
    Any suggestion on how to make a human character from a barbarian culture still look barbarian when s/he has been travelling in hyperspace for some years and has normal (by SW standard) spacer clothes on?

    I was thinking that hens origin culture is mainly to be Nordic, Germanic and/or Celtic inspired
     
    Last edited: Aug 10, 2020
  18. pronker

    pronker Force Ghost star 4

    Registered:
    Jan 28, 2007
    Good question. I am thinking that similarities to Earth indigenous cultures might apply, in that an indigenous person sees, for instance, a discarded top or two to a tin of Spam, thinks "Hey, shiny! I can make nice earrings out of these!" or hair ornaments or whatever. The indigenous culture considers this charming or extremely appealing and a fashion emerges. The Spam-originating culture might 1.think this is cute, 2. just laugh it off, 3. not wish to embarrass Person and thus ignore the whole issue, or 4. join in the fun with Spam-tin earrings of his/her own. A more serious issue might be that Spam-Originating Culture consider the barbarian prideful and dangerous when provoked and be a little afraid of mentioning the things to possible offense[face_cowboy].
     
    Last edited: Aug 10, 2020
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  19. Mechalich

    Mechalich Jedi Grand Master star 4

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    Feb 2, 2010
    Face-paint, tattoos, scarification, piercings, or complex hair ornamentation are all possibilities, since these seem to be rather rare among spacers. Beards too, in the case of male characters, since anything beyond very tightly trimmed beards seems to be frowned upon (though mustaches seem to be common on men trying to present as upper class, especially Sith Empire officers).

    You can also wear specialized ornamental clothing over the top of the base spacer outfit, since that's often just a jumpsuit or coveralls.
     
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  20. Kit'

    Kit' Manager Emeritus star 5 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    Oct 30, 1999
    I agree with @Mechalich, go with tattoos, piercings, make-up and hair.

    Also religion and language is going to set people apart into different cultural groups. Religion is probably a nice set point as it can be subtle or overt in terms of practice. Maybe they do something in their native world's religion that the other characters really struggle with. Also if you want the 'barbarian' archetype to come through then they get frustrated when they come up against something they don't automatically know, or if they feel foolish because they stuff up cultural norms. Anger as a response rather than shy-ness or withdrawal will help with that particular archetype.

    Also remember that sometimes it's the small cultural things that are different to the dominant culture that make groups seem other rather than something that's in your face. The Vikings were seen as weird by the English because they bathed once a week (they bathed!) and we have sources where they complain that the Vikings were attracting the English women because they smelt better than the native men. However, to the rulers in the Middle East they were barbarians because they only bathed once a week and not every day. They were dirty and smelly. Sometimes other is purely in the eyes of the beholder.
     
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  21. Gamiel

    Gamiel Chosen One star 9

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    Dec 16, 2012
    Thanks for the suggestions :)

    Follow up: if we just focus on the face/hair, neck and maybe accessories (of the kind that you can have hanging from your belt or neck) what ways do people think could be used to say West/North European barbarian to readers and maybe also say barbarian to standard SW people?
     
  22. Mira Grau

    Mira Grau Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    May 11, 2016

    So while many commanders and higher ups in SW tend to be either clean shaven, especially in the empire, or at least have only a short beard, longer beards don´t seem to make one a barbarian by default. Pretty much the first higher up/commander character in the rebel alliance we meet Dodonna has quite an impressive beard. Same for hair where Jedi tend to have quite a bit of it.

    So my guess for a barbarian would be wild, unkempt, dirty hair and beard. Wearing an armor/martial outfit assembled from various different sets of clothing, maybe the pelt of animal or even wookiee as a cloack. Their belt potentially decorates with tropies, maybe bones, teeth or other pieces takeing from slain enemies, maybe cut off padawan braids when the character fights Jedi.
    As part of the face maybe scars to some extend or even celthic/viking style tatooes.
     
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  23. Kit'

    Kit' Manager Emeritus star 5 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Oct 30, 1999
    If you want European barbarian then please don’t go with dirty beards. Viking and Celtic beards were immaculately kept.

    You could go woad (Celts) and facial tattoos (Vikings) on their faces. Gold and stone beads as hair ornaments and heavy gold jewellery work too and are culturally appropriate for the areas you want to emulate.

    Belts and stuff is harder. Horn/Cup (for drinking), knife in open display.

    I just get worried when people talk about barbarians as there is a big difference between the barbarians of history and the ones of D&D. The second is fine until you go to base them on a particular cultural group as that’s when you are better off dipping directly into historical sources then going off modern misunderstandings about their way of life (I teach history and we spend half a week dissuading kids that Vikings had horns on their helmets!)
     
    Last edited: Aug 11, 2020
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  24. moosemousse

    moosemousse CR Emeritus: FF-UK South star 6

    Registered:
    Oct 3, 2004
    If you want to do Viking, I'm a reenactor who does Viking and Saxon. I don't know about facial tattoos, but if it's loosely based on the Vikings it doesn't matter. But yeah, Vikings had a lot of jewellery. All Viking men had a knife, though the knife could be as long as a sword.

    Yes! This is my favourite fact. The Saxons thought that bathing was vanity, so they only bathed when it rained. Another great thing was that a Viking man being topless was grounds for divorce. The only time it was acceptable to be topless is when they were bathing.
     
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  25. Kit'

    Kit' Manager Emeritus star 5 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    Oct 30, 1999
    [mention]moosemousse [/mention] the tattoo thing is from the account of Ahmad ibn Fadlan who was describing Rus Traders (probably Volga Vikings). I took this from Wikipedia because It’s a nice quote from the original source material.


    I didn’t know about the tunic thing and it doesn’t fit with the description of from Fadlin but that’s interesting. I know calling another man beardless was enough that you could kill him for the insult and get away with it.
     
    Last edited: Aug 14, 2020
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