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#Attorney Maul’s Headcanons
better-call-mau1 · 1 year
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Congratulations! You’re being smothered with a completely random headcanon about Mandalorian marriage customs rescued! Please do not resist.
The Rite of Riduurok Akaanir, aka “Lover’s Quarrel”
Alright…so I gotta be honest and say that even though I can’t remember how exactly this headcanon came to me, I’ve been carrying it around for years, ever since first watching Rebels and shipping Sabezra 😅 …and at this point, I feel like it’s burning a hole in my head, trying desperately to get out, so I’m gonna save myself the expense of reconstructive cranial surgery and just share it:
Mandalorians like to fight. Actually, they don’t just like to fight, “weapons are a part of [their] religion,” or at least their culture—and for many, their entire lives are built around that. In the case of the Children of the Watch, strict adherence to a No-Living-Being-Can-See-You-With-Your-Helmet-Off orthodoxy even gets in the way of basic interpersonal behavior, like eating a meal together. The implications of that are…interesting…and not in a “wow that’s cool!” way…more like a “kark, that’s depressing” way.
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Basically, I started to wonder how the “BAM! BOOM! BAM! BOOM! BLOW STUFF UP AND KILL THOSE FORCE-WIELDING MANIACS!” portion of Mandalorian culture (so…most of it?) intersects with intrinsic parts of human…wait, nope, sorry Grogu sentient life—namely romantic intimacy. (Paz Vizsla has, presumably, not taken his helmet off in decades…and he has a son who’s probably 12ish years old, tops…so do you think he ever stares at his kid and tries parsing out his own features to get an idea of what his wife looks like?) It’s an extreme example from an extreme sect, but there’s application to Mandalorian society as a whole. Where does love fit into a worldview or galaxy-view, I guess where conflict is a core tenet? When do individuals stop existing as warriors and start existing as people? Do they ever?
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Anyway, the point is that on its face, the cultural dogma doesn’t seem to leave much room for authentic social and romantic intimacy, especially the latter since, ya know, the beskar has to come off both literally and figuratively in order to procreate. It’s difficult for me to see how the necessity of physical and emotional vulnerability can coexist with the rest of Mando culture—so let’s just leave it at that.
But for a civilization to survive as long as Mandalore has without totally disintegrating, those intimate relationships have to exist, and there’s plain evidence that they do. For all their problems, the Wren family clearly loves each other, and we even get a glimpse of some soft Alrich/Ursa PDA in “Heroes of Mandalore.” Then there’s Bo-Katan, who still cares deeply for her sister despite…well…joining a terrorist faction to help overthrow her. That says something, right?
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Wrapping my mind around how authentic love can exist in a fictional warrior society really got me thinking—so much so that I headcanoned a ritual (Riduurok Akaanir, “Lover’s Quarrel”) to help myself work it all out.
The general idea? On Mandalorian wedding nights, the bride and groom have a private duel. A duel to the death? Maybe if it’s an arranged marriage and one party really wants out and I’m gonna speculate that Bo-Katan widowed herself at least four times before running off to join Death Watch.
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More commonly, though, it’s just a playful act to embody love transcending conflict. Alrich Wren, for example, isn’t a traditional warrior, but Ursa didn’t assert her superior combat prowess on their wedding night by firing a wrist rocket at his face something Bo-Katan probably did to a few of the short-lived husbands Satine picked out for her. (“Parry this, you kriffing casual.”) Instead, I’d like to think Alrich and Ursa went through the basic motions of a hand-to-hand duel, not necessarily to prove who’s the better warrior, but as an intimate prelude to the actual consummation of their marriage—almost like a mutually disarming dance. (Could it be light-heartedly competitive? Sure! As the first Mando to perform the Riduurok Akaanir with a Jedi, Sabine would go all-out to make sure she doesn’t lose to Ezra! 😆) When the dance-duel ends, they set aside their warrior identities to become something more: husband and wife. It’s like a way of saying, “As Mandalorians, what we do is fight, but we’re more than mere weapons. We fight so we can love. We wear armor to protect ourselves, our homes, and our families. It’s an important part of who we are, but we’re ultimately made of flesh and blood, not cold beskar.”
So that’s the point of Riduurok Akaanir, a term I came up with using this nifty English to Mando’a online translator (before I just called it “Wedding Night Fight” in my head). It’s not supposed to be a blanket explanation—but intimacy and vulnerability don’t have clear utility in a warrior culture, and this is my best attempt at bridging that perceived gap.
If you made it down this far without dozing off, enjoy this Sabezra incorrect quote! 😁
Fenn Rau: I trust that Sabine briefed you on Mandalorian wedding customs?
Ezra: Yep! I know exactly how not to get myself killed before officially becoming a married man.
Rau: The trick is not getting yourself killed *after* becoming a married man. Did she explain what happens on the wedding night?
Ezra: Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...
Rau:
Ezra:...yeahthatsnotreallysomethingIneedorwantSabinetoexplaintomeandKanankindofgavemethelowdownbackduringmyJeditrainingdayssoIthinkIknowwhattodobutthanksanyway.
Rau: Kanan taught you about the Mandalorian ‘lover’s quarrel,’ then? His instruction was even more thorough that I imagined. Or maybe he always knew you and Sabine would end up together.
Ezra: Sorry, did you say...?
Rau: The Rite of Riduurok Akaanir is usually non-fatal. Sabine seems to be genuinely fond of you, so I’m sure you’ll survive to see the sunrise.
Ezra:
Ezra:
Ezra: Oh kriff.
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Hello and welcome to the second Found Family Face-off! This time it's siblings! As mentioned in the intro post, this is for siblings of different genders, as there will future tournaments for brothers and sisters respectively to give as many found siblings as possible to be included! Anyway, please meet your contestants and round 1 match ups below:
*Please don't clown on this post and argue against why certain characters can't be found siblings (aside from if they're in an explicitly canon romantic relationship that I missed while trying to vet them). Please respect that these are people's headcanons and they might not align with yours (heck, some of these even I don't agree with but again, that's just my opinion) and that this is just for fun etc.
Group A
Ahsoka Tano & Rex VS Ahsoka Tano & Anakin Skywalker (Star Wars)
Garrazeb Orrelios, Sabine Wren & Ezra Bridger VS Cassian Andor, Jyn Erso & Bodhi Rook (Star Wars)
Kilindi Matako & Maul VS Cal Kestis & Merrin (Star Wars)
Michael Burnham & Saru (Star Trek: Discovery) VS Mako Mori & Raleigh Beckett (Pacific Rim)
Tegan Jovanka & Vislor Turlough VS 10th Doctor & Donna Noble (Doctor Who)
Luke Smith & Sky Smith VS Luke Smith & Maria Jackson (The Sarah Jane Adventures)
Aidan Waite, Josh Levison & Sally Malik (Being Human U.S.) VS Steve Jinks & Claudia Donovan (Warehouse 13)
Amanda Brotzman & Vogel (Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency) VS Wednesday Addams & Eugene Ottinger (Wednesday)
Group B
Parker & Eliot Spencer (Leverage) VS Inej Ghafa & Jesper Fahey (Six of Crows/Shadow and Bone)
Duke Thomas & Cassandra Cain (DC Comics) VS Will Byers & Jane "El" Hopper (Stranger Things)
Angus MacGyver, Wilt Bozer, Riley Davis & Sam Cage (MacGyver 2016) VS Josh Lyman, Toby Ziegler, CJ Cregg, Sam Seaborn & Charlie Young (The West Wing)
Malcolm Bright, J.T. Tarmell & Dani Powell (Prodigal Son) VS Kate Beckett, Javier Esposito & Kevin Ryan (Castle)
Jake Peralta + Rosa Diaz (Brooklyn Nine-Nine) VS Meredith Grey + Alex Karev (Grey's Anatomy)
Fig Faeth, Adaine Abernant, Fabian Aramais Seacaster, Gorgug Thistlespring, Riz Gukgak & Kristen Applebees (Dimension 20: Fantasy High) VS Travis Killian & The Doctor (The Game of Rassilon)
Meriadoc Brandybuck & Eowyn (The Lord of the Rings) VS Lester Papadopoulos & Meg McCaffrey (Trials of Apollo)
Alanna of Trebond, Gareth of Naxen & Raoul of Goldenlake (Song of the Lioness) VS Keladry of Mindelan, Neal of Queenscove (Protector of the Small) VS Sandry fa Toren, Tris Chandler, Daja Kisubo & Briar Moss (Circle of Magic)
Group C
Katara & Zuko VS Toph & Zuko (Avatar: The Last Airbender)
Sokka & Toph VS Aang & Toph (Avatar: The Last Airbender)
Korra & the Air kids (The Legend of Korra) VS April O'Neil + the Ninja Turtles (Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)
Sprig Plantar & Anne Boonchuy (Amphibia) VS Hiccup Haddock & Heather (How to Train Your Dragon: Race to the Edge)
Luz Noceda & Hunter VS Luz Noceda & Gus Porter & Willow Park (The Owl House)
Luz Noceda & King Clawthorne (The Owl House) VS Rayla & Ezran (The Dragon Prince)
Lilo Pelekai & Stitch (Lilo and Stitch) VS Luca Paguro, Giulia Marcovaldo & Alberto Scorfano (Luca)
Hisirdoux "Douxie" Casperan & Claire Nuñez VS Hisirdoux "Douxie" Casperan & Nari (Tales of Arcadia)
Group D
Roronoa Zoro & Nami VS Roronoa Zoro & Perona (One Piece)
Kyōka Izumi & Atsushi Nakajima (Bungo Stray Dogs) VS Phoenix Wright & Maya Fey (Ace Attorney)
Miles Edgeworth & Franziska Von Karma VS Miles Edgeworth & Kay Faraday (Ace Attorney)
Sento Kiryu & Misora Isurugi (Kamen Rider Build) VS Mikasa Ackermann and Armin Arlett (Attack on Titan)
Shadow the Hedgehog & Maria Robotnik (Sonic the Hedgehog) VS Lucas, Kumatora & Duster (MOTHER 3)
Junpei Iori & Female protagonist/Kotone Shiomi (Persona 3) VS Ren Amamiya/Akira Kurusu & Futaba Sakura (Persona 5)
Sombra & Cassidy VS Baptist & Sombra (Overwatch)
Beauregard Lionett & Fjord VS Beauregard Lionett & Caleb Widogast (Critical Role)
Also! To help me out and get the brackets done and published sooner, here's a list of contestants that I haven't found picture for and would super appreciate help in tracking them down. Massive shout out to those who sent in pics with their submissions, yall are MVPs.
(Need the ones that aren't highlighted)
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Feel free to submit them via ask, submission or by reblogging and adding them to this post. Thanks in advance!
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