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100 days of enemy recs: 53. The Mandalorian
I know Mandalorian canon because I have read the junior novelization of S1, which I am assured told me everything I needed to know about canon (I can just fill in the scenery from various other Star Wars movies and, like, the Mariachi trilogy.)
However, the Season 2 Junior Novelization is not out until January, so I'm a bit behind. I think I basically have my bearings though!
Post-S2-Mandalorian fandom is about Din Djarin and Luke Skywalker. (Luke Skywalker has appeared in maybe five minutes total of the show? and I wouldn't count on there being a lot of him in S3, given I haven't heard anything about recasting. But who knows, and also that never stopped fandom. Also, the Luke characterization in these stories tends to be way better than in either the sequel trilogy or Legends or most other SW fic I've read. So much broody drama queen sunshine child, it's great.) They have a lot in common, post-S2: they each have the weight of an entire culture resting on their shoulders, Luke as the unsure Last of the Jedi and Din as the reluctant King of Mandalore. They're both facing a transition in their own lives from being an adventurer to being someone with responsibilities. They're both facing the challenge of rebuilding a culture and people that was almost entirely destroyed by the Empire, in a galaxy that is still in turmoil from the Empire's fall. Also, they're kind of raising a kid together?
This is, however, complicated by the fact that the Jedi and the Mandalorians have been enemies for generations. And that Luke and Din were both given incomplete histories when they were taught the ways of their people, and don't know this. But the people they have to work with absolutely do. Which is, like, catnip for me. "What do you mean, we're hereditary enemies? Well if it's important why didn't you tell me this before I got engaged to him?? It's too late now!"
(Also, given that I have pretty much ignored all the post-Legends non-movie canon, and also basically all of the Legends Mandalorian canon - because let's face it, the only interesting thing Fett ever did was fall into the Sarlacc pit - I really appreciate a Star Wars fandom where neither of the main characters know, or frankly care, about most of that either.)
Anyway, I've been reading the fic kind of scattershot and there's a lot of it and I haven't been keeping track at all, so here are three fairly random recs of things I have liked lately or recced elsewhere!
However, the Season 2 Junior Novelization is not out until January, so I'm a bit behind. I think I basically have my bearings though!
Post-S2-Mandalorian fandom is about Din Djarin and Luke Skywalker. (Luke Skywalker has appeared in maybe five minutes total of the show? and I wouldn't count on there being a lot of him in S3, given I haven't heard anything about recasting. But who knows, and also that never stopped fandom. Also, the Luke characterization in these stories tends to be way better than in either the sequel trilogy or Legends or most other SW fic I've read. So much broody drama queen sunshine child, it's great.) They have a lot in common, post-S2: they each have the weight of an entire culture resting on their shoulders, Luke as the unsure Last of the Jedi and Din as the reluctant King of Mandalore. They're both facing a transition in their own lives from being an adventurer to being someone with responsibilities. They're both facing the challenge of rebuilding a culture and people that was almost entirely destroyed by the Empire, in a galaxy that is still in turmoil from the Empire's fall. Also, they're kind of raising a kid together?
This is, however, complicated by the fact that the Jedi and the Mandalorians have been enemies for generations. And that Luke and Din were both given incomplete histories when they were taught the ways of their people, and don't know this. But the people they have to work with absolutely do. Which is, like, catnip for me. "What do you mean, we're hereditary enemies? Well if it's important why didn't you tell me this before I got engaged to him?? It's too late now!"
(Also, given that I have pretty much ignored all the post-Legends non-movie canon, and also basically all of the Legends Mandalorian canon - because let's face it, the only interesting thing Fett ever did was fall into the Sarlacc pit - I really appreciate a Star Wars fandom where neither of the main characters know, or frankly care, about most of that either.)
Anyway, I've been reading the fic kind of scattershot and there's a lot of it and I haven't been keeping track at all, so here are three fairly random recs of things I have liked lately or recced elsewhere!
- parry, parry, strike (18893 words) by AlchemyAlice
Fandom: The Mandalorian (TV)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Din Djarin/Luke Skywalker
Characters: Din Djarin, Luke Skywalker, Grogu | Baby Yoda, Leia Organa, Bo-Katan Kryze, Koska Reeves, Ahsoka Tano
Additional Tags: Post-Season 2
Din has a decision to make about being King of Mandalore. Leia has opinions. Luke tries not to. - Good Idea (19529 words) by spqr
Fandom: The Mandalorian (TV), Star Wars Original Trilogy
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Din Djarin/Luke Skywalker
Characters: Luke Skywalker, Din Djarin, Grogu | Baby Yoda, Leia Organa, Chewbacca (Star Wars), Mara Jade, Han Solo, Breha Organa, Bail Organa, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker
Additional Tags: Fake Marriage, Kid Fic, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Lawyers, Misunderstandings, Daddy Issues, ManDadlorian, 中文翻译 | Translation in Chinese
Series: Part 1 of dinluke lawyer au
The one where Luke's a public defender and Din owns a biker bar. - Separate Ways (80919 words) by PepperPrints
Chapters: 13/13
Fandom: The Mandalorian (TV), Star Wars Original Trilogy, Star Wars - All Media Types
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: The Mandalorian (The Mandalorian TV)/Luke Skywalker, The Armorer (The Mandalorian TV)/Cara Dune
Characters: The Mandalorian (The Mandalorian TV), Luke Skywalker, The Armorer (The Mandalorian TV), Baby Yoda (The Mandalorian TV), Cara Dune, Finn (Star Wars)
Additional Tags: Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Courtship, Slow Burn, Marriage, Found Family, Happy Ending, Adoption, Yearning
Series: Part 1 of Separate Ways
AU where Luke doesn't meet Din until after he's already established a new Mandalore, and has to prove himself as a Mandalorian before he can train the child.
no subject
The Mandalorian also had Aksoka Tano so, like... "last of the Jedi will you be," intones Yoda, "except for all the other ones still wandering around. Who had more Jedi training than you did and know more about it than you do. But other than that, you are the last Jedi and have the full responsibility for rebuilding on your shoulders.".
I have a rant somewhere in my drafts from probably 5 years ago at this point at the way retcons change characterization away from what was originally intended and how that changes the characters themselves, and, like, filling in the gaps in prequels and mid-quels without dislodging existing canon is hard. And sometimes it undermines it.
So here Din is, being granted some magic sword (and supreme executive power?) and suddenly that gives him responsibility even though there's tons of other folks out ther who 1) want it, and 2) are more qualified and trained for it. And there's Luke.
Excellent pairing. :D ;)
All I remmeber about Legends is that I think there were 2 Boba Fett backstories? IDK, it's been so long.
But then the prequels happened and *shrug*, even more retcons! But I don't think I heard of Mandalorians as a concept until the show. Star Wars has too much canon; it is good that there's a Star War now where none of the characters even know what their canon is, because I sure don't. ;)
no subject
But I read literally none of the Mandalorian Legends except the Bounty Hunters anthology (and iirc, true to form Fett was the boringest part of that.) The first Fett books were the first ones I didn't read at all, in fact!
Interesting where they spun it from that beginning. I suspect part of why I like the show is it really pared right back to that foundation with Din (at least to start.)
>> "last of the Jedi will you be," intones Yoda, "except for all the other ones still wandering around."
TBF, it is canon right from the first movie that Obi-Wan is a lying manipulative asshole! And canon by ROTJ that the remaining Jedi can't risk learning enough about each other to give each other away if interrogated. So I don't really think it's much of a retcon that there are probably still a fair number of Jedi, former Jedi, and Jedi-aligned people widely scattered - and they're happy to let Luke keep thinking he's it until he's done drawing fire. (I can show you the notebook with my Mary Sue fic from 1998...)
It is a *bit* of a stretch that among the survivors just happen to be Anakin's master *and* his Padawan though.