#Star Wars bounding

[sheliesshattered]

We had a fabulous time visiting Batuu yesterday! Our outfits were comfortable and functional and well suited to what turned out to be a relatively cold and cloudy day in southern California. Disney cast members definitely seemed to interact with us more because we made the effort to dress up, and we got some lovely compliments from other guests, too. We were even gifted some BSO credit coins by random strangers who liked our outfits!

It was Jack's first visit to Batuu, and while I did get to spend a little bit of time there with my mom in October, this was my first opportunity to really explore the entire area, browse through the shops, and sample all the food and drinks available. It was at least as cool as my first impression of it back in October, and Jack was impressed and delighted by all of it. We spent a good portion of the day just admiring all the details and world-building and excellent sets.

Jack has requested no photos, but I did manage to snag this pic of him blocking the camera like a victim of the paparazzi, lol.

But look at those pleats! Both Jack and I are so pleased with how they turned out. Several of the Resistance jackets on display in the Rise of the Resistance queue had similar pleat details, and it was fun to look at them up close.

Over this last weekend and all the way up to late Monday night, I was able to add a few last details to our outfits. I finally adjusted the chain length of my dangley earrings and glued the leather cording wraps to the back of my kyber crystal necklace so that it wouldn't slip out. While I had the glue out, I figured I'd take a stab at making some spat-type things to cover the lacings of my tall Doc Marten boots. I was completely winging it from start to finish, but I'm really happy with how they turned out!

The spats are made from some left over suede I've had in my stash for literally more than 20 years now -- it's been used for an Aragorn vest for Jack, a couple of bags for me, and the inner layers of the big wedge shaped piece on my Oswin belt. And I still have some left over! Maybe I'll make myself a belt pouch to match these spats at some point in the future.

The narrow end of each spat tucks under the laces closest to the toe of my boot, and theoretically secures to itself with a hook and eye, though I found the hook didn't really hold from that angle, and really wasn't necessary anyway. The straps then velcro around the back of my leg, at the lowest point of the bend of my ankle, and right at the top of the boot, so that the strap sits just above the top edge of the boot in the back, which helps keep it from slipping down.

To make these I really just draped scrap suede on my boot while wearing it, started cutting it to the shape I thought might make sense, then copied that over for a second spat. I measured how much I would need for the straps and how much of an overlap I wanted for the velcro, then cut out all those pieces and glued them together using E6000 -- which works wonderful for adhering velcro to suede and suede to suede, but is a bit more iffy with the metal hooks and eyes (one eye popped off when I was taking off the spat at the end of the night, but since it wasn't staying hooked anyway, I'm not fussed).

Despite being such a quick off-the-cuff project, the spats worked out great, and added that last little bit to my outfit by covering the laces of my boots. They're visible in the third photo, the full-length shot in front of the door (and in the video below), and I think they add an understated bit of texture difference in all the black-on-black there, in addition to obscuring the modern look of the boots a bit.

Besides those detail bits for me, I also made a pair of little pockets for Jack's jacket, to hold 'code cylinders'. It's a tiny detail that really makes the jacket look that much more Star Wars-y, and the cylinders themselves are empty and their tops unscrew, so the space can actually be functional, too. (Currently they're filled with gum!)

And at Jack's request, I threw together a quick insert for the zipper section on his collar that used to hold the hood before we removed it. The hood was making the collar too puffy, but without it the collar didn't have enough body to stand up on its own.

I took some measurements, then cut a piece of cotton duck canvas (that I had originally bought to cover the zippers on my Moment vest, before I changed gears and made the Batuu vest instead) to the right length and about three times the height of the interior of the hood section. I did a simple zigzag tri-fold on the height, ironed it flat, and marked some guide lines perpendicular to the length. Then it was just a simple process of quilting the three layers together by machine sewing in short vertical rows ~1cm apart.

The quilting gave the canvas even more stiffness, and after that point it absolutely did not want to fold or droop along the short vertical axis. I slipped it into the former hood pocket (after snipping one corner to fit around the snap I hadn't accounted for), zipped it closed, and gave the whole collar area a quick pressing. It's removable if we ever need to, completely washable, and keeps the collar standing upright without looking too stiff. Jack was very happy with the result.

With our outfits finally done, we headed into the park around mid-morning, with a plan to stay late. I wasn't quite sure what to expect with Batuu Bounding at Disneyland (which is notoriously a bit more hit-and-miss than Batuu East, in Florida), but we got through security without incident and through the rest of the park without anyone commenting on our outfits. We saw someone else wearing the same leather-look leggings as me, and a guy wearing similar jacket and pants to Jack (but without the pleating), which made us feel like we didn't look too weird, by general Disneyland standards.

Once we were in Batuu, though, our bounding definitely got noticed more. A couple of fellow guests complemented our outfits (including the kind strangers who gave us the coins!), and cast members seemed way more interested in interacting with us in-character. I got to bring up a bit about the history I'd made up for Samæni Ray -- which led to one cast member later referring to me and Jack as "my friends from Denon!" All of the prep and character design made it a lot easier to think on my feet in those little improv interactions.

One cast member in particular kept finding us throughout the day, just suddenly appearing out of nowhere it felt like, and kept trying to sell us a speederbike that totally wasn't a broken down lemon.

Later in the day, he kind of sold us out to Kylo Ren and a pair of stormtroopers (but like, in a fun way, lol) which led to an intense interaction with Kylo Ren right up in both my face and Jack's. Kylo Ren is tall, and the voice and the mask and the body language was all perfect up close. There was a bit of nervous laughter on our part, but we kept our cool and convinced Ren that that since we'd only just arrived on Batuu from Denon, we couldn't possibly know anything about any Resistance activity in Black Spire Outpost.

We were way too in the moment to get any photos, but because we were dressed up and Kylo Ren was so much up in our faces, we did draw a bit of a crowd, so for all I know other people may have taken pictures or videos of the event, lol. My family has a saying about 'look hard' rather than take photos, and it was definitely that for us.

Overall the whole day was wonderful, and we ended up spending nearly 12 hours in Batuu without leaving once. I got to pilot the Falcon multiple times (though I can't really say I've gotten any better at it, lol), and got to try out gunner and engineer, too. We managed to ride Rise of the Resistance both during the day and again after dark, explore every part of Black Spire Outpost in detail, learn to play Sabacc with a cast member, have drinks at Oga's, and eat a bunch of really tasty, really well-presented food.

All together it was an excellent, excellent birthday. And we're already talking about when we might want to go back again.

[legends-expo]

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[leon-anna]

Okay so there has been a shockingly small amount of Echo in this last season and I'm a little bit pissed. Don't get me wrong I've been loving every minute of it, BUT!!! I miss my Echo. I miss him. And honestly we have to rectify the situation, so here you go!

And obviously we couldn't not include our boi Tech, who is still alive by the way. We know he looks a bit different in Leon's art style, but that comes with trying to meld Tem's looks with the clone wars style and our own personal head cannons.

[tony-loon]

Huxloween 2024 - Day 13 - Apocalypse -The true end of the world - Idea by @billiam-bonkarius & inspired by  @huxloween 's wonderful promptlist For all non-cat-owners: A hungry cat is as good as four apocalyptic horsemen

[skywalkr-nberrie]

Anakin’s love and marriage to Padmé wasn’t the issue of why he fell to the dark side. He was already being groomed by Palpatine in becoming his apprentice, and Padmé not being there wouldn’t have changed that. She just made it easier. Anakin was born a slave, which doesn’t leave him in the right headspace, and ever since Shmi died, Anakin became more unstable. Inevitably, he became more obsessed with control and wanting the power to stop the ones he loves from dying. Had Padmé not been in his life, Anakin still would have fallen due to Palpatine’s manipulations and topped with the Jedi’s mistreatment of Anakin. The Jedi and even OW failed Anakin in a way where Anakin came to a point where he doubts their faith in him, and he in return loses his trust him them. He says so himself in the ROTS novel. None of that had anything to do with Padmé.

But to insinuate that Anakin only cared for gaining “power” and essentially his “greed” is to blame for his actions, is super reductive understanding of his character. Yes, Anakin was greedy for control, and power. But not because he’s power hungry and wants to rule the galaxy. He only ever wanted more power to keep his loved ones safe, to assume control over what happens to him. (and this would’ve happened even if he and Padmé weren’t together.) saying that if Anakin “truly cared about saving his wife”, he would have told OW or any of the masters about his situation but didn’t because he was “greedy” is again, incorrect. Because Anakin DID go to the Jedi for advice. He talked to Yoda. Anakin put his faith into the Jedi but they didn’t exactly lead him down the path he needed.

Doubled with the fact that he knows the Council doesn’t trust him, and him not being sure he can trust them, (yes, including OW.) this led him to seeking answers in other and more dangerous places. Which was Palpatine. Whom Anakin is already vulnerable to and was being groomed by. Anakin’s fall to the darkside was due to his desperation and desire to save his wife, the love of his life. Not because he was greedy for more power and that he didn’t truly care about saving Padmé. That’s just a bad analysis of his character, intentions, and motivations. Anakin only became obsessed with the idea of “gaining power to rule and obtain authority” happened AFTER he fell. And that’s because the darkside plays with your sanity like that, makes you want and do things you normally wouldn’t do or want.

The main point is: Anakin’s fall doesn’t stem from his greed for wanting power because he seeks heroism, status, and authority. It was out of genuine love and desperation for his wife. Then again, his marriage to Padmé also isn’t to blame for his fall, because that was due to Anakin’s own fear of loss and abandonment. He would’ve fallen under any circumstance, with how unstable, vulnerable, and manipulated he was. That was the tragedy. He was always doomed to fall.

[kaxtwenty]

Y’know, considering all the mass-adoption and assimilation Mandalore has done, Mando’a probably has some of the craziest differences between regional dialects.

You will NEVER be able to convince me that clan Wren and clan Vizsla speak the same Mando’a. They probably have an easier time communicating with each other in Basic than their native language.

Just an absolute clusterfuck of a language, the Romans would pity them.

[mando-din-lorian]

Bobadin Brain go VROOM

[yukipri]

Do you ever think about how common eclipses must be on Coruscant, which not only has FOUR moons, but has zero unpopulated surface area?

Eclipses are awesome, but they're also Events to us because Earth's so covered in water and inhabited areas are comparatively limited, so it's special when we can actually see them. But that's probably not the case for a lot of (most) planets.

[thecleverqueer]

I love how much Obi-Wan loves Anakin and Padme’s kids.

We see it all throughout his series.

He spends what little money he has to buy Luke a toy space ship. He dutifully watches over him everyday as he lives in a desolate, isolated desert scape.

He goes after Leia… fearful that he doesn’t have what it takes to save her any longer. He risks himself and everything else to find her. He taps into the force again after breaking himself off from it. He trusts her. He looks at her fondly. She reminds him of Padme.

Then, at the end, after Vader buries him alive, for a moment, he acts as if he has lost the will to live. He’s defeated. He thinks of the past. He feels that he failed Anakin. Flashbacks of their final moments on Mustafar plague him. Right as he’s about to give up completely, he thinks about the children. He sees flashes of Luke and Leia in his mind, and he draws upon the force. He is strengthened by his love and compassion for them. Even though he’d lost his family, lost Anakin, he still has an obligation to the kids. They provide hope to both he and the rest of the galaxy.

I don’t know. I just get all sentimental when I watch it. I just love Obi-Wan so much.

[iftheresaproblem-whatever]

My holiday ends today and I can now share photos of my look for Galaxy’s Edge inspired by “ma dude” Garazeb Orrelios.

I had a brilliant day on Batuu, the rides were incredible, the food and drinks were great and I got quite a few compliments on my look with many people saying how rare or “unique” it was. Zeb deffo needs more shirts and merchandise. Make it happen, Star Wars! Dude’s gonna be a movie star soon! 😏

Many thanks again goes to my good friend @ladywren7 for helping me design the perfect shirt for the day. 💜

I even got outfit approval from the king himself 😁 Icing on the cake!

KARABAST!

@thehonorableones

[this-acuteneurosis]

Coup

There are a lot of long distance "calls" that go just about as well as you would expect them to under these circumstance.

[sheliesshattered]

After all my posting about Batuu Bounding the last few months, Jack and I did actually make it to Star Wars Nite 2024 last week! The new set of hooks and eyes I added to my vest helped it to lay much better in every way, and the rest of my outfit held up well, even with the colder night-time temperatures that set in by the end of the night. We arrived around 5pm and stayed until almost 1am, had a ton of fun, and remembered to take photos in a few places we'd missed during my birthday trip back in February.

It was a ton of fun wearing my Batuu Bounding outfit again, and slipping back into Samæni Ray mode. I got to pilot the Falcon twice more (not that I've actually gotten any better at not crashing into things, lol) and ride Hyperspace Mountain and a few other things. We got stupidly lucky with our timing and got into Oga's with close to zero wait, enjoyed quite a lot of people watching and character spotting, ate lots of tasty treats, and generally had a blast.

This was the first trip out of the house for my lightsaber and the bag I made to carry it. The bag held up great and was lightweight and easy to carry, either slung across my back or hanging from one shoulder, depending on the density of the crowds. There were a ton of people just carrying their lightsabers in hand, and some people with the saber bags that Disney sells, but I really preferred the look and function of my bag. I also liked the look of my saber better than any others I saw, which I suppose is a good sign that all my effort to make a saber that's just mine really paid off.

As useful as the bag was, I did find a few chances to take my saber out, throughout the night -- one of the big lightsaber meetups in front of the Falcon with Rey and the whole crew, at the DJ stand at the hub to dance along to the music for awhile, and again later when the crowds were a bit thinner in front of the Falcon:

I was slightly off-balance trying to do my spins with my leather bag, but I'm still absolutely in love with how it looks with the Falcon in the background. I still want to make a whole post on the lightsaber itself, including the weathering I did on the hilt and maybe better footage of how good my spinning has gotten in the last couple of months. More of that to come at some point soon.

[guys-in-distress-database]

Doctor Aphra #32.

I cannot express how ecstatic I am about this.

[merrysithmas]

lol laughing bc disney already ditched mando4 for "a truncated disney+ movie" because of the wga/sag strike (as if movies dont also need writers and actors lmaoooo). saying itll take too long to release mando4 and ahsoka2 before filoni's "mando-verse" movie and they need to speed things up LMAO

honey .... we all know you nuclear bombed the entire star wars franchise with the abominable mando3 and now youre scrambling bc you know no one on earth wants to watch the Bo Karen Adventure Show Part 2

and we know that disney is failing and they cant make mando4 at all unless they get bought out lmaooo.

so basically i was right when i said mando wont have another season, ahsoka wont get continued, and i fucking guarantee we wont be seeing this BS mcu mando movie from filoni 😂

like .. maybe .. every single one of your projects shouldnt be a convoluted mess and depend on each other to be released?? maybe literally no one on earth wants the MCU-ification of star wars??? maybe you shouldnt have assumed you could bait n switch a worldwide audience??? maybe your writing shouldnt nosedive and depend solely on the insane whims of one awful writer (Favreau) and someone with a horrible track record (Filoni).

allegedly this movie wont come out til "after 2026" too 🤣. so theyre thinking that ppl, who they already massively alienated, are going to ... still... care at that point?

man it literally is like the Microsoft Paint version of creative thought is running star wars over at DLF now.

[artfulacrostic]

clone wars rewatch still going amazing as u might expect ☹️

[rooksunday]

everything the same but all of the coruscant guard troopers are werewolves