#but pls be considerate of such integral parts of the characters you are drawing is all im saying

[malconnorsupremacy]

ok so honestly, I never thought there would ever need to be a post about this but here we go. I absolutely admire ALL fanartists that decide to draw or paint my favourite characters. love all the techniques artists use, and the hardwork they put in is so commendable.

I've seen so many arts of inej and they are all truly wonderful. but what irks me is the way her skin tone is painted. she is Suli. she has brown skin.

her skin colour, the way I remember it, is literally compared to bronze metal. and yet, I've seen so many arts where people paint her as light skinned. I've seen kanej arts where there is very minimal difference between her and kaz's skin colour (and Kaz is described to be paler than an average Kerch, which is really saying something).

Inej is Suli. She has brown skin.

Inej is Suli. She has brown skin.

[nerajaana]

Disclaimer: Not intended to hurt anyone’s feelings, these are my thoughts on some of the problematic parts regarding *both* the books and the fandom as an Indian woman of colour. Regarding the show, l’ve watched twelve episodes on the whole. Roughly 12 hours of my life i’m never gonna get back. I hated it, and after having read the books last year, I now positively loathe the show and the showrunners. Show only fans, pls don’t interact. I’m strictly a book fan, I neither know nor care about the show plotlines.

I love the Martells. Their personalities, their family dynamics, the absolute love they have for each other, being able to draw a line when it comes to family and politics, the lack of communication and functioning on different wavelengths that creates a wedge between the parent and the daughter is something that hits close to home. The abhorrent treatment of Elia and her babies, the lack of justice for their gruesome deaths (really grrm, your racism’s jumping out here) makes me equal parts angry and aghast. And Oberyn’s unjust and horrible death. Quentyn dying the way he did, in his attempt to prove himself. Sand Snakes’ thirst for vengeance for their father, Ellaria’s pleas to end such notions and wanting to move on for the sake of the kids. All these things makes me protective af about the Martells. 

(Kinda similar reasons why I love the Starks. Their personalities and the horrible fates they’ve been dealt with. And the fact that the both regions have never managed to be fully integrated into the Westerosi society - the northerners because of their religion and culture and the dornish because of their skin colour and culture)

But when it comes to representation? Do I feel that kinship, based on the fact that they’re people of colour in this predominantly white saga? No, not really, to be brutally honest. It must be the hypersexualisation, and the fact that it feels like the Dornish are the embodiment of every Oriental stereotype that there is. Case Point: Arianne’s introduction scene- what was the bloody point of describing her 😣ripe😖 pectoral region? Like, really, you old fart?! Sure, the old guy said that Dorne’s based on Spain, Palenstine and Wales (weird combination ngl) and I'll admit I don’t really know much about their cultures except for the basics. Other than the “olive skin tone” and probably the architecture - if the official art is taken into consideration - I am yet to see any similarities that go beyond that.

The author, a male white boomer, did a shitty enough job with depiction of the handful of characters of colour as it is. To be honest, it’s not surprising. People like GRRM create characters of colour in a medieval setting, say offhandedly that they’re based on the middle eastern or North African or mediterranean culture, and give us a depiction that screams Orientalism. Whether it be art or literature or motion picture. As it has been for the past 300 odd years. It’s nothing new.

What baffles me is the fandom’s attitude towards them. The Millenials and Gen-Zers. Really, folks, what the actual fresh hell? It’s either blatant racism or “stanning” a brutally murdered woman and her children, a toddler and an infant we know nothing about while ignoring the existence of the remaining Martells, the ones who’ve been given POV chapters and are fleshed out enough for us readers to know them. Y’know, beyond their names and appearances and how they died. Flesh out the ‘dead’ characters, wonder what could have been, write fanfics and head canons based on their ancestry and the circumstances and political situations they would’ve had to grow up in. I’m the #1 consumer of such material. What pisses me off is the way some people use these characters as props to elevate their favourite characters under the guise of paRaLLeLs or worse, replacements for the already existing ones based on the colour of skin alone and say they would’ve been a much better option - i don’t know about anyone else but I find it outright disrespectful. 

And, gods, don’t even get me started on the “harem” fics and the vilification (and worse, the doormat treatment. And the promiscuity jfc) in some fanfics to establish the white protagonist as the peak of purity or something equally baffling. Someone tell those writers to do a one minute research on what those “harems”actually mean. Gods

Either simply ignore the people of colour or make a teeny tiny bit of effort to educate yourselves before posting nonsense on the internet. And think twice before stanning a person of color for wOkE purposes. Outright racism’s preferable over that in my opinion.

We aren’t here to make y’all feel good about yourselves.

Just, do better ffs.

[thesummerstorms]

So I really, really love Dar/Etain inheriting a Nar Shaddaa safehouse from Mereel and getting the fuck out of Kal’s abusive mopeville hut Kyrimorut

but at the same time the thing I really, really love about Mandalorians is their extended family network and the way their clans are close knit to the point where “no child is ever an orphan”, etc, etc. Just generally, that extended family in your daily life supporting you thing. And even if they make new networks and contacts, I don’t want them to be isolated from their family forever.

In the old RP group we never did decide if there was ever a reunification of the clan after it splinters in Kal’s hands, but even if there isn’t I’ve been brainstorming different reasons for Omega + a few others to end up on Nar Shaddaa because I’m weak

(also, for those actively looking for an out, it actually becomes much easier for them once Etain and Dar are out and have a safe, secure, and secret foothold to regroup at somewhere else. so thanks to Mereel’s hypothetical corpse, I guess?)

anyway, some characters/reasoning beneath the cut, and if anyone has suggestions as to improving characterization, I’m always open. these are not my specialty characters. you know who my specialty characters are.

So starting off with the easiest: 

Niner

Now don’t get me wrong, I feel like Niner, whose big key drives are loyalty and duty, is going to have an extremely difficult time leaving Kal behind. He might even be last. But I think his relationship with Dar post-IC (having basically held him together through a major break down) might be a factor, plus Atin and Vau, and other things, but that’s a separate post

Niner is probably the easiest for me to see ending up on Nar Shaddaa simply because he already has family there. We don’t really see him end up with specific plans for his life and he’s not firmly attached to anyone besides his brothers- but he wants to be where his brothers are.

And again, I kind of feel he has a special relationship with Dar post IC? He’d want to be with all his brothers if possible (and I’m about to come up with reasons for them to be there too), but I don’t think settling down in Dar’s spare room “as a stop gap” when he finally breaks down and follows the rest of Omega out is out of character. Then getting used to being in Kad and Dar’s lives again, being relied on. He may or may not stay in that extra room, but even if he isn’t I think he’d be near by? And tbh to me as someone ace the idea of being with someone closeknit platonically is really appealing though I don’t have that relationship with my own brothers.

Plus, he’s one I’d really like to see plugged into a larger Mandalorian framework, and since Manda’yaim is not an option, seeing him become a linchpin in the underlying structure of the Mandalorian sector would be really satisfying. Nar Shaddaa might be a chaotic mess, but I’d like to see him integrating into the wheels that keep the Mandos going, of his own volition this time, and finding a purpose he chose in it.

Jilka/Ruu/Corr

Okay, so I had a little too much fun with this one and I honestly think they might be part timers, but... listen, Jilka has the chops to hack all sorts of financial networks. Her girlfriend Ruu has done lots of merc work before. What’s to stop Jilka from pulling a Nate Ford, choosing a really scummy target on Nar Shaddaa, and basically going all Leverage/Shadow Broker to establish her own fortune independent of Kal Skirata, helping people in the mean time? 

Jilka is a mastermind, hacker, AND grifter. 

Ruu is the Eliot Spencer, eventually. Gets surprisingly good at being back up tactician, as she’s got a touch of that ruthless pragmatic streak herself.

Corr, however he’s attached to this threesome, is the hardware specialist turned thief bc you know what a knowledge of complex wiring does to security systems once he’s read enough specialty tech manuals? Also, Mereel showed him the SW equivalent of Parker’s gear once. Also, back up pretty grifter :)

They rotate in and out of Nar Shaddaa and have their own place, bc they do take other jobs off-world, go visit Besany maybe, etc, etc but they’re still there when they’re on world, and Koa thinks Jilka’s sarcasm is hilarious

Weird Nate Ford-Jilka parallel in her getting used to being PART of the underground and/or constantly surrounded by Mandos? Idk

Sometimes Jilka draws Besany, Etain and Laseema all in bc yes pls

Fi

This one is  one of the weakest, honestly, so you know, feedback away. But he did explicitly like the open spaces and the thrill of Coruscant. When he finally made it to Mandalore, he missed the city. Enter, Nar Shaddaa, giant city where he has family 

Also, I don’t really ship Parja/Fi so, potentially can also find cute Mandalorian boyfriend? eventually adopt kids with Mandalorian husband?

Might rotate in and out and meet up with Parja at Levet’s place occasionally though, bc I do Brotp them, but like... only for so long as the Imperial invasion of Mandalore isn’t scanning for all the Fett clones

Mereel

Okay, so he left them the safehouse and current headcanon is that when he shows up alive, he shows up at Etain’s door bc it was his safe house. He recovers there, and honestly, it would be pretty rude to kick him out of his own place? considering he wasn’t even actually dead he probably still owns it? but anyway Etain and the kids love Mereel?

Only Ranah God knows where he’s actually gonna be at any given time, since he doesn’t like to settle and he does eventually have a second private place in a different sector no one knows about bc he’s that person who needs fall backs and boundaries...

but, like, if he’s on Nar Shaddaa, there’s also a considerable chance he’s parked on Etain’s couch. he shows up at two AM with a black eye, caffa icecream, and glitter and everyone just accepts it. may or may not have Etain keeping a room for him after he recovers and moves out bc I still don’t know the actual fucking layout of this safehouse/apartment

Atin/Laseema

This one is a bit *hand-wavey-gesture* honestly? 

I think I’m torn because on one hand all the “so sad they can’t have kids so saad” bs from Traviss made me pissy and made me headcanon they don’t want kids but take fulfillment from being in a clan where children are present? 

at the same time, Laseema just got away from Hutts and Atin strikes me as kinda a woodsy guy who wouldn’t necessarily enjoy another city planet? (idk where I’m getting that impression tbh)

then again, Laseema outwitting the Hutts with Jilka would be 👌also Laseema getting to reconnect with other Twi’leks who have been in her position and build a network or resources and outreach?

Or as a Rebel leader and Nar Shaddaa is where she goes dark when the Imperials are too close?

I’m dragging literally everyone else in Omega back one way or another so