high-fantasy-sw

[high-fantasy-sw]

WAIT I HAVE MORE

The training simulations - how do those work? Magic once more? And is a Kaminoan required to be present in the simulation for the magic?

How does communication work? Solely parchment (flimsi?) and quill and ink? Or do we have a magic-system for that to? And do they have a palantir-like screen in place of holoprojectors (palantir is that orb Pippin picks up in the LOTR movies, it's an object used to communicate between far places)?

What of datapads and holopads?

Chain mail! I don't know enough about the mediaeval era, but I do remember chain mail being a light and indispensable item for a soldier. Especially the mithril shirt that Bilbo hands over to Frodo and subsequently saves his life because mithril is just that cleverly crafted by the dwarves.

But the armor in stars wars is mostly plate-like, so does chain mail exist? Also, is there a particular alternative to the plastoid, or is it just the usual metal?

Okay, here's a bunch of fun questions: will a clone randomly burst into song when he's doing something repetitious only to have the rest of his brothers pick it up as well? Sort of like with "Drunken Sailor" where one sings the main stanzas and they all join in on the chorus, or "Gaol ise Gaol i".

And do they learn to play instruments once they get off Kamino? If so, which ones?

(Are there any particular clones you think would play certain instruments?)

Okay, back to the more pressing matters.

That post you dropped on Echo not eating his oranges made me think: there's a lot of clones in the galaxy, not to mention the Jedi travelling alongside them, not to mention the pirates and rulers and senators and all sorts of people travelling the seas in general. So they must need to keep a ridiculous amount of citrus fruits in stock, commodities that are as essential as water.

Water, I forgot about fresh water, that must be on very high demand, especially out on the seas, yes? Or do they have an on-board converter that turns saline to fresh water?

Back to citrus fruits: there must be acres of lands, if not entire islands dedicated to growing them. And if we're talking about a time before liquid fuel is used - does Malastare become an island that is essential for its citruses? Sort of like how Malastare fuel was just as essential? Essential enough to fake a Zillo Beast's death?

The Zillo seems a straightforward enough answer, being the Star Wars equivalent of a Balrog, so I don't have any questions about the beast.

But when we come to fuel, we come also to gunpowder and the like, unless this is before all such weapons come into play?

Oh! Another fun question!

Do the ships have pets? Like a cat to keep the mice away, or any birds like your stereotypical parrots?

Also, tookas and loth-cats! Are they the same as in Star Wars, or are they regular cats? Following that line of thought, are all the animals in Star Wars the same here, or are they real-world animals, or is it all a strange mix?

I forgot to add that option. I think most of your AU is a strange mix of real-world and Star Wars galaxy ideas, if I'm not wrong.

And finally, do the clones have any particular myths they share on a quiet night or around the bonfire? Like ghost ships or cursed flags or the undead sailing the seas, like in Pirates of the Carribean?

Alright, that's a wrap - for now.

Again.

Pfft.

This AU intrigues me indefinitely and I've got to know everything there is to know about it :)

I'll stop pestering you until this last one's been answered.

I RETURN ONCE MORE. LORE PT 3 BE UPON YE

Once again I shall also be tagging @whyoneartheven @majorproblems77 and @anime-obsessed, because I know that you also will want to be seeing this >:DDD

Clone Training

Training in Kamino Fortress is a blend of rudimentary mechanical simulations, alchemical effects, and man-to-man sparring. A Kaminoan, or at the very least a conscripted bounty hunter, is always required to supervise the Clones' training, and a Kaminoan must be present if any alchemical element is to be used (as they are the only ones who know how to operate them). In addition to the combat training rooms, there are other complexes designed to train the future army in extra areas they'll need expertise in:

The Sea Rooms: a series of white tiled rooms, each for a different specific purpose, filled with the water from the outside, where the Clones learn the seafaring skills essential to their future: sailing, swimming, navigation in rough water, et cetera. Often, young cadets will sneak in during their precious few hours of downtime to swim recreationally.

The Observatory: the lowermost and therefore darkest room of the fortress, in what would have been the dungeon before it was sunk; a huge room with a high ceiling, into which are embedded glowing white crystals in the exact positions of the stars above. The room can even rotate itself to mimic the changing of the seasons. It is here that young Clones first learn to read their star maps, for when they are set adrift in the night and must keep their direction straight and true.

The Medical Complex: Though Clone Medics specialize in healing, every soldier of the future GAR must learn basic field medicine in case a CMO is not available. Rooms in the Medical Wing include simulation rooms for battlefields and the open ocean, a more controlled environment for learning field surgery and also the more intricate operations needed post-battle (specifically for CMOs-in-training), and a small alchemical laboratory for preparing basic medicines.

Communication

Most informal communication in the Galactic Archipelago is through parchment-and-quill letters. These can be delivered by the Republic Postal Service (which employs both overland branches on the separate islands, and boats for transporting letters oversea), or personal messengerfowl. For more urgent and/or formal communication, there's the use of hologram mirrors, which I did describe briefly in an earlier post but will re-touch here: yes, they are actually quite similar to Palantiri; they project a three-dimensional, smoky image of the other party onto their surface, and can be full-sized (usually stationary) or handheld (for the field or personal communication). And datapads/holopads are most often regular books or wax tablets; while some do have enchantments, this is rare, and most of these books are preserved in the archives of the Jedi Order for safekeeping.

Armor

I'm going to give an overview of Clone and Jedi armor here; Mandalorian Armor will get its own post when I have the time to actually sit and worldbuild for that XD

Clone Armor: Every Clone in the GAR has a suit of armor that he is given upon his graduation, as well as a set of "blacks" that he'll wear when not actively engaged in military business. (I'm actually almost done with the official references for these! if you'd like to see the slightly-out-of-date versions of the blacks and cadet uniforms, i'll link that here.) The blacks consist of a grey cotton undertunic, a soft, uncured black leather overtunic emblazoned with the Republic crest, white twill breeches, and a black leather belt and matching boots. His identification ring is worn on his right hand. The actual standard Clone armor is made from white-enamel-plated durasteel (to protect it from the corrosion caused by life on the sea) with a black chainmail tunic underneath and a cloth sash worn around the shoulders. When arming, the leather overtunic of the blacks is removed and the armor is worn over the undergarments. The identification ring is covered by gloves. In addition, higher-ranked or specialized troops (Commanding Officers, CMOs, ARC Legionaries, Commandos, et cetera) have physical indicators of their rank, such as extra cloth elements like kamas, larger pauldrons (for ARC Legionaries), winged helmets (for Commandos), and the like.

Jedi Armor: While most Jedi wear the habit of the Jedi Order (which can be highly personalized and diverse), during wartime they take up a more uniform armor to wear in the field. Jedi armor is not as heavy-duty as Clone armor and allows for slightly more personalization, and comprises a simple chainmail tunic, an overtunic emblazoned with the Jedi Crest (in various colors), splint-armor trousers, upper-chest armor and pauldrons, and some variation of boots and gloves. Color, cut, armor style, and cultural elements are left to the discretion of the individual Jedi. (i have a big, focused post specifically about jedi clothing here, if you're interested.)

CLONES AND MUSIC CLONES AND MUSIC CLONES AND MUSIC

Hey, just so you know, I'm making a whole separate post for this because it is that important to both the Clones and Me. I'm going to be tagging you in that post as soon as I am done with it because it's one of my absolute FAVORITE topics :DDD

Essential Ship Supplies (AKA Citrus and Potable Liquid)

Yes, Malastare will be growing citrus now. I love you you're the best. Water conservation in the warships of the Republic Navy is extremely important, and there are both manual and magical (though the latter is rarer) ways of converting the saltwater of the sea into drinkable water for the troops. Fresh water is also collected when ships are docked in port. However, water can have a tendency to carry disease and is overall not a reliable potable, so many holds also carry barrels and barrels of much more sterile alcohol (this is historical! and it's usually diluted with the collected freshwater, especially so that, you know, padawans aren't drinking hard concentrated liquor XD).

Gunpowder Weaponry

I've thought long and hard about this so prepare yourself. It's not used very often, being too often unwieldy and overall unsuited for the culture of the Galactic Archipelago- that is, UNTIL the rise of the Empire. Up until the end of the Clone Wars, very few people use guns as their weapon of choice; those who do are usually bounty hunters, and theirs are more often than not personal, custom-built firearms. In fact, in the entirety of the story, Han Solo is the only protagonist character to actually be proficient in the use of a pistol. Now, the Empire in this AU is heavily steampunk-inspired, and it lends well to their rhetoric of trying to stamp out any use of magic- whether that be the false magic of alchemy or, more dangerous, the true magic of the Force- through convincing the public of the strength of Imperial Machinery. Thus, all Imperial soldiers are issued rifles and/or pistols, and this becomes a huge point of discussion in terms of one character in particular. That character is Crosshair. When allied with the Empire, they give him his gunpowder firearms- an entirely different type of weapon than the bow and crossbow he's so proficient with. Thus, when he rejoins his brothers, not only does he struggle with his shaking hand, he also has to re-learn how to use his original weapons, since he spent so much time developing the muscle memory for an entirely different class of warfare that his skill with his traditional arms has atrophied. The unwieldiness of gunpowder firearms is also why Stormtroopers are such notoriously terrible shots.

Animals

Quite a few Jedi warships have pets, whether legally or otherwise. Many Clones and Padawans will just… sneak whatever they can hide into the hold, and most of the time their Jedi are quite willing to indulge them, as long as the situation doesn't get out of hand (mostly so they, who are themselves very fond of animals most of the time, can continue to hide the ship companions from the knowledge of the Senate). The Resolute has at least three birds (Ahsoka's doing), a cat- ostensibly for the "rat problem" (this one was Hardcase; they don't actually have a rat problem, but Rex was willing to let this one slide), and… a tank full of exotic fish (Dogma's collection, which he caught all by himself; even after he leaves the 501st, they keep it in his memory). Jesse, Fives, and Echo have been holding out hope for a dog, but so far their dreams have not been realized. The Negotiator has a strict no-furry-creatures rule (Cody's allergic), but Waxer and Boil have still managed to sneak various reptiles and even the occasional colony of insects aboard- much to their Commander's annoyance and General Obi-Wan's amusement. As for the Marauder… well, they have Gonky, who for the purposes of this AU is going to be a goat. Don't ask me why, if Hunter doesn't get an answer from Wrecker and Crosshair then you don't either.

Clone Mythos

I'm going to go more in-detail for this in the Clones and Music post, but the short answer is yes, the Clones are excellent storytellers and it's one of their favorite pastimes, considering that they had to find some way to keep themselves entertained in Kamino. While under the sea, cadets would tell each other fantastical stories of the world above, of fish that swim in the sky and stars that grow on trees, of forests that sway in currents not made by water, of a golden jewel set in the center of the heavens that makes everything bright and clear and warm (so unlike the murky depths of the ocean floor); and when the soldiers found themselves on land and sea and ship, they'd weave recountings to their Jedi Generals and Padawan Commanders of the tales of the depths below, of the bird-like fish that nest in the forests of coral and the anemones that serve as the flora of sandbar meadows, of the great mountains of the deep and of underwater volcanoes, of the starfish and jellies that shine in the inky waters surrounding Kamino (as if they hold some memory of their ancestors set in the sky). Clones are also fantastic storytellers and delight in telling stories they make up on the spot. Additionally, though it isn't quite storytelling, one of their most favorite… traditions? superstitions? rituals? (i'm not quite sure know how to define this but what have you) is that they'll write letters or poems or little notes, hopes, dreams, wishes, prayers- on scraps of paper, and then fold them into the shapes of birds and cast them into the sea in the hopes that the sea spirits will read them and answer them. (This came to me in a vision and i cut into my sleep time just to write this down so i hope this makes sense.)

OKAY IT'S DONE! I really do hope these were helpful and that you enjoyed reading my responses :D Also please please don't hesitate to send me any more questions because you ask such good questions and I really do love answering them, even if it takes me a while to actually respond XD

[high-fantasy-sw]

Also!

When the clones go out to war on land, does their cavalry have any particular animal upon which they ride, or is it still mostly machinery?

What do the Kaminoans look like? The Weequayans? The Rodians? The Twi'leks? I take it they're all turned into humans, so -

Oh! Are those life-forms that can survive underwater like Kit Fisto now mer-creatures or selkie-like creatures? What of Plo Koon requiring a special mask - does that change as well?

And our beloved droids? Are they inanimate objects given life via magic or manufactured as normal?

Echo! How does he survive?

And the inhibitor chips - how are they translated here? Are they - gasp - are the rings-

The part-human beings like Pantorans and Mirialans, are they the same?

Okay, I think that's all for now, and I seem to have given you enough to handle, so until the next nagging doubt!

I RETURN. LORE PART 2 BE UPON YE

@whyoneartheven @majorproblems77 @anime-obsessed I am tagging you here too because I know you'll want to see this too. By the way I've been working on answering this for like. The past three weeks so I hope you all enjoy :D

Mounted Cavalry

Horses do actually exist here. Like you correctly guessed (somewhere, I think it's in the next ask I'm due to answer), the AU has a healthy mix of established Star Wars lore, other mythos sprinkled in, and real-world additions; horses happen to be one of those. However, in very sandy, snowy, or otherwise difficult terrain, other creatures (tauntauns, banthas, varactyls, et cetera) are used; these are mostly the same as their canon counterparts, just with a bit of a fantasy flourish to help them fit in better with the rest of the AU. There are also, in addition to sea-worthy warships, smaller, more agile vessels that can be transported into inland bodies of water for combat (especially on watery islands such as Naboo, which has a network of canals rather than streets, like Venice) and semi-mechanized transportation like chariots and carriages. (These examples are less military than the others but I felt the need to add them anyway, for the sake of completeness.)

Kaminoans

I'm going to be super honest here. The Kaminoans are one of the few peoples I barely changed. They seemed delightfully odd as they are, so most of the changes there are to their history. They have always been renowned for their advanced knowledge of alchemy, but for many centuries they were thought little more than a myth; legend has it that, in the infancy of the Old Republic, they dared to use their great knowledge to attempt to create life, and for their hubris their entire island was sunken into the sea. What is not known by the vast majority of the peoples of the Galactic Archipelago is that these legends are actually true, and rather than dying out, the Kaminoans began a new and hidden life under the waves (having used enchantments to place a protective barrier around what remains of their island and thus allow them to survive)- a life in which they perfected their craft, and passed this forbidden knowledge down through the generations, until they were discovered and called upon to create the Clone Army. (This is only marginally related, but one essential thing to learn about the world of HFSW is the difference between alchemy and magic proper; I am still working on fully explaining it, especially as it relates to the Clones, but the post you need to read can be found here.)

Alien Cultures (i lumped them all into one answer)

Weequayans: Weequayans are, yes, a human culture. This is what I did for the vast majority of near-human races, which has been amazing because I love cultural worldbuilding. I need to do a bit more deep-digging on them first but I am very excited to get into their culture and write about it :D

Rodians: I am going to be completely honest with you. I have not been able to figure out what to do with Rodians yet. And I assure you, I have been thinking about it. If you have any suggestions please let me know.

Twi'leks: Twi'leks are a human culture, and what's distinguishing about them is their lekku headwraps. I haven't had the chance to go into it yet fully (and eventually I'm going to have an entire post dedicated to this), but essentially these are extraordinarily long strips of fabric, intricately hand-detailed, and tied about the head to give the appearance of the canonical lekku. They are often fastened with ornate pins or headbands or the like, and underneath, the hair is done up in elaborate braids.

Aquatic Races: So funny story, actually, this was one of the first questions I actually got an ask about. In short, you are correct; they're all merfolk of some kind, although the specific species do actually have variations (I'll link you to this post here for a more comprehensive overview; it contains some other worldbuilding things, the droid part of which is no longer canon to the AU. everything else is though). The Selkie idea though is NOT something I'd ever considered and I don't know WHY because it's super cool and I'm stealing it. Specifically for Nautolans, since we see Kit walking around and stuff in the Temple. I just haven't… decided what that item or thing would be yet though.

Kel Dor: Plo does still wear his helmet, but it's more of a cultural honor thing than a "he literally needs it to live" situation. Kel Dor helmets are passed down through the generations and serve as a tie to the past. (I haven't… written in detail about Kel Dor yet but trust me when I do I will be tagging you in that post. Actually I'm tagging you in all future posts. There is no escape muahahaha)

Near-Human Races: Yes, Mirialans and Pantorans and other near-human races are pretty much the same, obviously with new cultural traditions and stuff to make sense of their uniqueness. For example, Pantorans wear elaborate blue-and-gold body paint as a mark of status (because. they're blue), and it all has to be done by hand to actually count. Again, I haven't done a ton of exploring this yet, but again, I promise I'm getting to it and you are getting tagged.

Droids

OHOHOHOHO DROIDS. Okay so. We're gonna start at the beginning.

Most protocol droids are actually just regular people who have joined an elite corps of butlery (literally there's like. an academy they go to on some islet just off of coruscant), usually the children of less-fortunate families who want to try getting ahead in the world. They wear an elaborate and entirely ornamental suit of armor to denote their station, and any noble worth their wig has at least one protocol butler.

Threepio is slightly different from other Protocol droids. Hundreds of years before Anakin Skywalker was born, a Republic knight named Sir Anthony Threepio was stationed on the island of Tatooine with his platoon to deal with a band of pirates that had been terrorizing the surrounding waters. In a stroke of misfortune, he was killed- not by the pirates themselves, but in a freak accident- and became a ghost, obsessed with the fact that his death was preventable and completely neurotic as a result. Centuries later, he meets and befriends young Anakin down at the Mos Espa docks, and Anakin starts collecting armor out of the dumpster to give him a physical way to interact with the world again. In gratitude, Threepio settles down with the Skywalkers and attempts to assist them with their household, something they can't often attend to due to them being slaves.

Astromechs are subterranean creatures, master craftsmen, shipbuilders, and navigators, who are not well-adapted to sunlight and thus build themselves little self-contained cells so that they can travel to the surface and ply their trades safely. (It seems a bit contrived but you know what. I made it up.) They communicate through a series of tweets and bird-like vocalizations, though they understand Basic perfectly.

Battle Droids are necromanced skeletons. How the Trade Federation first got their hands on the undead during the Naboo Crisis is a question no one really knows the answer to, but by the time the Clone Wars break out the majority of Necromancy is being done by Count Dooku (secretly- to the public at least; the Jedi and at least Padme know all about it), General Grievous (the outward face of the undead army, and himself an undead lich warlord), and the Necro Union (the in-world equivalent of the Techno Union, they claim to the public that Necromancy isn't inherently evil and that the undead can have many benefits for society; in reality, they're more interested in supplying Dooku and Grievous with enough skeletal soldiers to keep their pockets comfortably lined, whether or not their means of obtaining said soldiers are ethical). In the beginning, most of the Clankers are reanimated from very very old skeletons- this is preferable, at least from the commanding standpoint, because they're so old that they have no recollection of who they were in life, and thus make perfect, mindless soldiers. However, their age also makes them more brittle, and in the early days of the war it's very easy for the Jedi and the Clone soldiers to plow through battalion after battalion of skeletons in a few hours. But as the war drags on, and the old skeletons are depleted, rumors begin to circulate that the Separatists are using fresher dead to stock their new armies. There are even whispers that some of the new soldiers might even be sourced from the corpses of fallen Clones. Whether or not this information is true or just baseless fearmongering is never fully revealed. However, this is a perfect segue into our next topic:

Echo, Post-Citadel

Echo shouldn't have survived the Citadel explosion. In fact, the Necro Union agents who found his body thought he hadn't. It wasn't until halfway though the ritual that they realized he was still alive. Their shock quickly turned to delight, however, when they realized they now had an unlimited source of Republic military strategy at their fingertips. Now, Echo's only half-necromanced. He's still alive, really; the only parts that had to be reanimated were his right arm, his lower legs, and his spine. And, in order that the Separatists could actually use the information he possessed, that arm of his? Is specially enchanted to give him access to necrotic abilities. After he's rescued… he has a lot of feelings about this. It's not just that something was taken from him, it's that he was turned into the very thing he'd spent literally his whole life training to fight. At least, in his mind. And the fact that he still sometimes has to use his necrotic powers to help his brothers (specifically thinking of Anaxes and various times in TBB here) REALLY twists his insides. Someday I'll write something more about this.

Oh, one more thing.

The Inhibitor Chips

evil_palpatine_cackle.mp3

[high-fantasy-sw]

Mandalorians!

Their culture is an integral part to the clones, especially the older generation clones like Cody and Rex, I'd like to know more about how they fit into this universe and how they contribute to it.

Everything from their songs (which they ahve a lot of) to their weapons (again, they have quite a bit of this). How does beskar fit into all this? What of the Kryze sisters and Korkie? And Death Watch? Jango and Boba Fett? The Cuy'val Dar and how they trained the troopers?

Oh! And what about our beloved Kamas?

Just...splurge about the Mandos to me

:DDDDDD YESSS SO MANY QUESTIONS LET ME ANSWER THEM ALL

Okay! So. Part one. Mandos. Let's go. I'm gonna zero in on a few specific things about Mandalorian culture here, because across the AU I tend not to change a lot of established, canon lore in terms of detraction. I (usually) operate on a policy of "keep everything that's canon, adapt certain things to fit a fantasy aesthetic rather than a science fiction one, and add whatever I think is cool". For an example of what I mean by this, I'd advise you to go check out my post about Togrutas in the AU.

With this being said, that means that the established Mandalorian culture is pretty much the same as in canon. Therefore, I am choosing to highlight the additions I have made and several adaptations to existing cultural items and practices.

One more thing to keep in mind: as made abundantly clear by this point, in HFSW the Mandalorians are based upon Ancient Rome. I cannot promise complete historical accuracy, in fact I will go so far as to not promise any historical accuracy, but as a Latin student, history buff, and the co-consul of my school's Latin Club, it was too perfect an opportunity for me to resist.

Art Forms: Other than their beskar, the Mandalorians are famed for one other art form: their gorgeous stained glass. (This was actually one of the very first things I knew I wanted to add to the AU.) Ever since the island was cursed so many years ago in the Jedi-Mandalorian Crusades and turned mostly to a barren wasteland of sand, the people of Mandalore and its surrounding island territories put their hallmark resilience to the front again: they melted it down and made something of it. Combine that with traditional Mandalorian Color Symbolism, and the glass became almost as important as the beskar'gam itself. By the time of the Clone Wars, it can be found in use for practical purposes (glassware such as cups and vases, as well as the domes of Mandalore Proper's famed domed cities), art (windows and even blown-glass sculptures), and jewelry (some of the more crafty have even found ways to work it into their armor), to name a few examples. In addition, and especially under Satine's rule, other forms of the arts flourish on Mandalore Proper and its island territories, such as frescoes, mosaics, architecture, and theatre.

Gear and Weaponry, specifically Jet Packs: The beskar'gam is still the most important aspect of Mandalorian culture, although- unfortunately- I haven't actually had the time to design what it would look like for the AU yet. (I'm working on it.) It's still made of beskar, beskar is still only found on Mandalorian islands, armorers are still the ones in charge of its creation and maintenance, et cetera. Mandalorians fight with almost all weaponry found under the sun, although the vast majority of them favor spears and javelins, or knives (mostly daggers, although throwing knives are not unheard of). The Darksaber has a serrated blade, and due to its being forged of beskar, when ignited by a force-sensitive it crackles with lightning rather than fire. Jet packs (haven't thought of an appropriately fantasy name for them yet) are a creation of the Mandalorians, and are- essentially- fully-jointed, mechanical wings mounted on a harness. It's very cool. I shall have art of it for you soon, when I actually get around to designing beskar'gam. (As for your question about kamas: I'm gonna answer that when I get around to the more Clone-centric asks. I didn't forget, I'm just saving it for later)

Songs: Mandalorian songs are of wide and varied style and genre, from ballads to elegies to rousing tavern-songs, and every kind in-between. They are written in Basic, Mando'a, or Old Mando'a (though these are usually more traditional, ancient songs; with very few exceptions, more modern songs are not composed in Old Mando'a). I will talk more about songs, though, when I get to your more Clone-centric questions, because song is a hugely important part of Clone Culture in this AU and I want to do most of the heavy lifting there.

AAASDFGHJKL YOUR QUESTIONS ARE SO GOOD AND I AM SO LOOKING FORWARD TO ANSWERING ALL OF THEM!!! Also I got the message in your last ask; PLEASE don't be afraid to shoot me as many as you want, I will answer literally any question you throw at me because I am so starved for people to talk to me about this AU. AUGH MAY YOU'RE THE BEST :D

This concludes part one!! (it's almost 1 AM in my time zone right now so i'm gonna clock out and get some sleep BUT I WILL BE ANSWERING THE REST OF YOUR QUESTIONS TOMORROW)

[high-fantasy-sw]

Sea Star

Hey so you know how people can like. irrevocably change you or whatever. Well one of the people who irrevocably changed me was @seeking-elsewhither who also happened to write the world's best crossover fic, The Flowering Stars. And I just. I had to draw it

[high-fantasy-sw]

Hey guys!

It's been forever since I did a Worldbuilding Wednesday. And the reason for that is... I really don't know what to talk about. Not that I don't have things, I just can't decide which things to share.

SO!

I am opening up the inbox! (I mean... it's always open, but I digress.) What do you want to know more about? Anything, everything, ask away to your heart's content! There's no number limitation I'm imposing, so ask literally every question you have. Seriously, guys. I'm kind of desperate.

Anyway! I look forward to answering them!

[high-fantasy-sw]

haha. well. so. guess what.

in high fantasy star wars there is mando'a. but. there is also. old mando'a. which is in universe an older and much more archaic form of mando'a (and because it is so old it bears little phonetic resemblance to current-day mando'a kind of like old english and modern english). but. in reality. it's just.

it's just latin.

cause the mandalorians are based on the aesthetics of ancient rome.

guys it's just real-world latin

[high-fantasy-sw]

heyyy so can I just like…. draw or write smth for this au or do I need permission??

Oh my gosh you absolutely can!! That would make my day! Permission fully granted, my friend :D

[high-fantasy-sw]

OH MY GOSH GUYS. GUYS PLEASE READ THIS. I LOVE IT. I LOVE IT SO MUCH

the flowering stars

Summary: For a child of Kamino, it takes very little to amuse. AU: Ik'aad, High Fantasy Star Wars (hfsw) Taglist: @margindoodles2407, @kybercrystals94, @fionas-frenzy, @padawancat97

Author's note: This is a crossover with an AU belonging to my dear friend Margin — @high-fantasy-sw is her main blog concerning it, go check it out! — so the writing style will bear a more archaic feel, not to mention the characters speaking somewhat like a Knight of Olde tm. But it will also have elements of science, at the very least up till a somewhat 19th century science, of a sort. Friend's note: I hope you like it, Margin! Tried my best to balance the mix between the Ye Olden Days and Victorian Steampunk languages.

One unforeseen day in their barracks, surrounded by warm blankets and hearts, Omega, sat kindly upon Wrecker’s lap, is gently handed a gift she swears to remember unto the end of ages.

“Is it a star?” comes her gasping question, and laughter rumbles about her, shared by each of the four chambers of her heart, her vode.

She peers down at the object lying cupped in her two hands, having been warned to be most careful with it. Curiosity stirs within her: she has never seen anything so strange. Like the spokes of a wheel, five little fins flare out from the yellow of its center, a beautiful pure white.

Is this not what a star looks like?

“Ah, Om’ika,” laughs Hunter, and she lifts her face to see fondness glowing in his eyes, “We forget how little you have seen.”

Tech, he lifts a finger, quite ready to tell her a tale. Crosshair, he swipes a hand in the air, and cuts him off as a blade slices a cord. “Do not bore her with your lectures, ori’mirshe. Speak plainly.”

He earns himself a glare — two glares, in truth, for Omega would much like to know all there is concerning the wonder that lies cradled in her palms. It is ever so rare that her vode bring her something, a shard of life belonging to the world above the waters. It must be very important, then, if they have preserved it all this way to rest in her hands.

Tech relents with a heavy sigh, more for her sake than his, she is certain, and places her hands within his, unfurling them with his thumbs so that the curiosity lies displayed for all to see. “It is a plant, ad’ika. A flower.”

“Plant,” she breathes, watching her buir pick it up by its stalk, a green so vivid unlike the dim verdancy of kelp and algae, “Flower.”

She remembers the words, remembers the wondrous tales she would be told of lands filled with such fair beings, swaying in the air currents, shining bright beneath the great star. Those are tales spoken softly when the bells ring and the lamps are dimmed, when arms come sweetly around her to pull her close and warm and tuck a blanket around her curled form. Then is she borne on the wings of those quiet words into a land of dreams, where colors she has never imagined dazzle and blind her, where songs of creatures unseen and unheard of ring in her mind’s ear.

And here twirls a plant, a flower, from that foreign country, before her eyes and between Buir’s fingers.

Oh! Oh, but this is simply extraordinary!

“It is a mayflower blossom," he expounds, "Epigaea repens is its scientific name. Wholly pentamerous, bearing five of each of the components of the four whorls.”

She does not understand any of his speech, though it does not matter. Some day, she shall understand him perfectly. But for now, she is content with understanding little.

“Mayflower? Is that its name?”

Names are very important, she has been told. Nearly as important as the ring on a clone’s finger.

Buir smiles at her, eyes creasing in their corners beyond the yellow lenses, and holds the flower, the mayflower, up before her eyes. With his other hand, he picks up her own paw and directs her to wrap forefinger and thumb around the green stalk, mirroring himself.

Nodding, he releases the mayflower. “That is its name, my clever heart, yes.”

Once more does she gasp, gazing at the flower with wide eyes. Its fins — petals, she remembers being taught — they look soft and pliant to touch, and she moves to do so.

Until the Mistresses stern voice fills her head.

Omega, do not touch what you must not!

Swift is the motion with which she draws back the outreaching fingers. She raises nervous eyes.

“May I touch it?”

A noise, strange and low, reverberates behind her, and there is something sad upon Tech’s face, even as he speaks in that silent voice that means a warning, “Wrecker.”

There is a similar sorrow and warning in Hunter’s gaze when she turns to look, yet in Crosshair’s, there lies a stony wrath that makes her shrink into Wrecker’s embrace. Opening her mouth, she aims to repair her misstep with an apology.

But Crosshair, when his eyes alight upon her face, interrupts once more, stern features softening so that a smile slopes along the line of his lips. A hand he holds out, and she places hers in it. With a small chuckle, he raises it and holds her fingertip to the petal.

“Be gentle,” he murmurs, even as she begins to stroke it, “It may break.”

Her eyes widen. “It can break?”

“Aye. But it is stronger than it appears.”

“Even still,” puts in Hunter, no haste in his warm voice, “One must be careful. As with all things.”

She hums her understanding — prudence has been taught all her life. She knows how to hold this mayflower, how to touch its petals without breaking it. She knows to be gentle, for she learnt it of her vode.

“I believe I can do it,” she tells them, marveling at the curious texture beneath her finger, “I believe I can be gentle.”

And Wrecker barks a sound of laughter, deep and true where it rattles her ribs.

“As do we, tracinya. With all our hearts. This wee blossom, ‘twas picked with you foremost in our thoughts. And ‘tis yours for now and evermore!”

Here is a gift, of thought and wonder. Here is a symbol, of promises ne’er-forgotten. Here is an organism, of sky and earth and air.

Yet what can compare to the love of her aliit?

[high-fantasy-sw]

experience

[high-fantasy-sw]

Behold

Congratulations, Cody, you actually look slightly like Temuera Morrison this time

[high-fantasy-sw]

I'm... a little late, I know, but I need to wish the happiest birthday to a dear friend of mine. You know her, you love her: she's @whyoneartheven.

Happiest of birthdays to you, my dear friend, from the Galactic Archipelago! I speak from the heart when I say that you are one of the best friends I've ever had, and that my life would be the worse off without you in it. I hope your birthday was wonderful, and here's to another year!

[high-fantasy-sw]

Hey guys. I've got an announcement.

I've been thinking and ruminating on this for like. A Long Time. And I think I need to finally say it out loud:

I will not be writing a longfic for this AU.

Please don't panic. What this absolutely does NOT mean is that I'm abandoning the project. Far from it, actually, and I'll explain why that is below.

See, I always thought that to have an actual AU you had to write a longfic for it. It kinda paralyzed me. But now that I've realized I don't in fact have to do that, I can focus on what makes this AU truly great and have fun doing it.

Here are my reasons:

The story of High Fantasy Star Wars is nearly identical to the canon story of Star Wars, and the plot points that do differ I can work out in shorter fics or just. Straight-up reveal them to you.

I realized that trying to work on a longfic was limiting me to only focusing on the Skywalker Saga (and even then only the first six movies. cause the sequels aren't canon in this house), and so now that I don't have to worry about that I can also focus on other things, like Rebels and The Bad Batch, in much more detail than I would have otherwise been able to.

I just. Didn't want to. You know? And you shouldn't be forced to create something that doesn't bring you joy just because you think people want it, when it's supposed to be a fun personal project. (this does NOT apply to school projects. PLEASE do your school projects, those of you who are in school. i feel your pain, i've been there, i get it, but please do your schoolwork :') )

Anyway! That's all I needed to say. Thanks for listening, and if you have any questions, feel free to shoot me an ask :D

[high-fantasy-sw]

Hey hey here they areeeeeee

Behold

About every once a month I have to go back and drastically edit something about the Clone armor design. For my health and whatnot

[high-fantasy-sw]

Reblogging here too, for wider reach :D

Hey, so I am still taking drawing requests for High Fantasy Star Wars, and in addition to that I am working on expanding my repertoire of Padme outifts. I am currently working on her grey Senate dress, and in addition to that, which of her outfits would you most like to see in the next character ref post?

Throne Room Gown

Handmaid Dress

Tatooine Clothes

Sunset Lake Dress

Picnic Dress

Arena Outfit

Wedding Gown

Senate Dress

Mustafar Outfit

Funeral Dress

All outfit pictures sources from This post :D

[high-fantasy-sw]

Fanworks Masterpost

Hey everyone!

I am truly blessed to have some amazing and wonderful artist friends who also happen to love my silly little AU! And so to give them all the love they deserve, all their fanworks for HFSW will be linked to this masterpost, so you can go check them out and see what an awesome job they do with what they create!

Visual Arts

Ahsoka (pre-finalized design) by @whyoneartheven

Ahsoka (finalized design) by @whyoneartheven

Obi-Wan by @whyoneartheven

Knight Time by me, with an addition by @whyoneartheven

Writing

I'm Sorry it Turned Out this Way: short story by @majorproblems77, detailing Anakin, Rex, and the immediate aftermath of Ahsoka's departure from the Jedi

The Flowering Stars: short story by @seeking-elsewhither; a crossover between her AU, Ik'aad, which concerns Omega being secretly raised by Clone Force 99 as a clone who ages normally (read: twice as fast), and HFSW. Literally one of the most beautiful things I've ever read. they bring her a surface flower guys i am losing my mind

To Consider the Unknown: short story by @seeking-elsewhither. Another Ik'aad crossover. I did so many little happy dances while reading this. Just. Just go read it it's so good

[high-fantasy-sw]

Again, why did I not post this here when it was first posted. Shaking my head at past Margin's incompetence

If this ain't High Fantasy Quiggs and Obi then I am no longer the creator of this AU

[high-fantasy-sw]

HOW AND WHY DID I NOT POST THIS TO THE OFFICIAL BLOG WHEN YOU FIRST DREW IT FOUR MONTHS AGO

@margindoodles2407

Obi Wan Kenobi from Margin’s High Fantasy AU :D