Hi folks! I go by Elle (like L for Lobster), and any/she
Currently my brain revolves around five characters and nothing else: Temperance Brennan, Grace Augustine, Dana Scully, Clarice Starling, and Claire Dearing.
Apparently, if there is a badass, gorgeous, overly capable, smart, driven, and competent woman with trauma and red hair, I will seek her out like a little bloodhound.
The Lobster Lab’s life purpose is essentially an internet void to scream into because I’m pretty sure all my friends are tired of paragraphs long messages.
Ergo, there will be MUCH Bones, Avatar, X Files, Silence of the Lambs, and Jurassic World reblogs and text posts. I cannot draw.
Very scared all the time, however I will be overjoyed should you choose to interact. Basic DNI rules apply: if you’re any form of discriminative, please leave.
Random Facts?? I guess??
I love the ocean
BIG musicals lover. Beetlejuice, SIX, Merrily We Roll Along, and & Juliet are probably my favorites.
Favorite colors are Dark Teal, Green, and Blue in no order
Paleontology, botany, marine biology, forensic anthropology, microbiology, phlebotomy, and sociology are some of my favorite scientific disciplines
In the process of writing a book!
Probably would jump into any body of water for 25 bucks
I collect wayyyyy too many things (cans, figurines, plants, rocks, crystals)
I think that Bo-Katan's attitude towards Satine - particularly her anger at Satine's death despite having been involved with Death Watch (which I have often seen described as hypocrisy) - makes a lot more sense if you think about it in the same terms as Brutus' "not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more" line from Julius Caesar (Shakespeare, Julius Caesar, III.II. 22).
By that I mean that Bo-Katan, like Brutus, fully believes that the awful things she's doing are for the benefit of her state and people, and that she can square off the possibility of hurting her sister because she honestly thinks that it would ultimately lead to a better Mandalore. It isn't that she wants to do it but rather that, in her mind, she has to.
"As Caesar loved me, I weep for him [...] but, as he was ambitious, I slew him" (Shakespeare, Julius Caesar, III.II. 24-27). These two things are not contradictory in Brutus' mind; he can mourn Caesar because he loved him despite having been the one to kill him, because one of those things is personal and the other is politics and so they have no bearing on each other, therefore these two sentiments can co-exist. Brutus loved Caesar-the-friend and hated Caesar-the-dictator, and as there was no way for him to separate the two in practice, he did what he believed he had to do.
And that is precisely the kind of thought process that would allow Bo-Katan to be sad and angry about Satine's death despite having contributed to the circumstances that brought about that outcome. And that isn't so much hypocrisy as it is cognitive dissonance, a conflicting sense of duty, and a hell of a lot of compartmentalisation. Because just as Brutus hated dictator-Caesar but loved Caesar himself, Bo-Katan hated the pacifist duchess of Mandalore but still loved her big sister - it was just unfortunate that there was no way to hurt one but not the other.
I actually think its kinda the opposite. Now before I start I'm not disagreeing for disagreeing's sake. I love your Shakespeare/ Star Wars comparisons and I do think a lot of people are being purposefully dense about the Kryzes (I'm even writing a Bo-Katan post that's inspired by one of yours rn so please don't take me the wrong way). For Brutus, there was no other way it could have ended because of what you said. There is a sort of inevitability to it. Ceaser the dictator had to fall for Rome to thrive. However, Satine didn't have to die because the Fall of Mandalore isn't about Satine and Mandalore- it's about Obi-Wan and Maul. Satine wasn't martyred. Satine was fridged. Mandalore, Death Watch, and Satine were all pawns in Maul's revenge. Death Watch (and Bo-Katan to some extent) was never the one stabbing Satine, she was the knife used to stab Satine. I think at the end of the day that's one of the things that keeps her up at night. Satine wouldn't have died if they didn't bring Maul into it. She didn't like that Maul was involved in the plan in the beginning, but she didn't stop him. Think about it. Maul did all of this to see Obi-Wan fall. The song for when Satine dies is literally called "Darth Maul Breaks Obi-Wan". Narratively speaking the Fall of Mandalore is not about Mandalore nor the Duchess of Mandalore. It's about the Duchess of Mandalore's lover and his enemy. It's also the reason why Bo blaming Obi-Wan makes sense. It's not about Satine. Darth Maul killed Satine to get to Obi-Wan. The entire system of Mandalore is a casualty because of Maul's vengeance against Obi-Wan. To Bo-Katan, Obi-Wan is part of (if not) the reason why Satine died. I think if the original plan (DW uses Maul to overthrow Satine, then kills the Sith) was executed properly and Satine died bc of that, then it would make the Kryzes similar to Brutus and Ceaser.
some half-formed thoughts on mandalorian religion, completely ignoring the absolutely garbage worldbuilding KT did:
mandalorians, first and foremost, practice pretty straight-forward ancestral veneration. codes of honor are formed around the idea of “not offending the ancestors”, and family shrines are in almost every home and are one of very few times beskar is used to make anything outside of armor and weaponry
very large clans, like clan kryze and clan wren, have dedicated temples to their many powerful ancestors. i can imagine satine moving the family temple from kalevala to sundari when the seat of power of clan kryze (and mandalore) shifted there
mandalorian cosmology is pretty vague in how, exactly, the universe came into being. most believe in some sort of supreme cosmic force, but it would more readily be called “fate” than as a deity
the closest thing to a supreme diety in mandalorianism, then, is mandalore the first, who is essentially considered the ancestor of the collective soul of the mandalorian people and the founder of their faith system (kind of a mix between zoroaster and jesus). the fact that he is honored by all mandalorians as an ancestor gives him the greatest power, and the idea of potentially inflicting his wrath on all your people because of your personal screw-up is a great deterrent against turning on traditions
that being said, though, new mandalorians are ancestral venerators just like the warriors are. self-sufficiency, discipline, and subservience to the wishes of the ancestors are the basis of both cultural lines, though in the case of the new mandalorians it may manifest in careful dedication to familial artisanry and the like instead of wearing the armor and killing people
I’m still loving this. So some additional thoughts:
Ancestral veneration and worshipping deities can and do coexist in several cultures. For Mandalorians (especially in the modern days), the gods are more like distant personifications of natural forces, or dangerous and fickle to deal with if they are believed in as more than abstractions; their personal ancestors are who are venerated and prayed to in their everyday lives. Even a religious, god-fearing mando probably prays directly to the deities only a few exceptional times in their lives, and it would be much more common to ask for one’s ancestors to intervene on one’s behalf than to pray to the gods directly.
This is why the Mandalorian pantheon also includes a slew of semi-mythical cultural heroes in addition to the deities. These are by convention treated as historical/ancestral Mandalorian ancestors of some distant eons past, even if their actual historicity may be about the same level as Achilles or King Arthur. They may well have existed, even if all records have been lost and their deeds have been exaggerated and embellished.
In many cases, the ancestral shrines were originally connected to forges. But in time, the forges moved to more practical locations and the shrines stayed. Smaller families who have no dedicated family forges have a small shrine in the karyai, with the rest of the family.
Family shrines are typically very practical. They might contain some heritage weapons, historical artefacts like war banners, etc, but full sets of arms and armour are usually stored more practically. Mandos aren’t too precious with their armour and weapons—they’re meant to be used, not displayed. So what ends up on display is usually something that’s old, but no longer usable or not fitting any current living clan members.
Armour of course, is circulated and worn amongst one’s descendants, so your ancestors are always with you whether you have a shrine or not. Helmets and other armour pieces that end up on display in the family shrine are those that don’t fit any current members of the clan, but are readily taken back into use when needed. Helmets are not uncommonly displayed—they’re also not coincidentally pieces that in multi-species clans often require significant alterations from one member to another. Inheriting someone else’s troan can also be bit more significant than inheriting another piece of armour (although it can also be just because they happened to be the same species).
There’s usually some kind of a live fire element (candle, or just a light when shipboard), to recall the fires of the stars and ancestral forges. Symbolical offerings of food and drink (like tipping a bit from your tihaar cup to the ancestors, or offering a share of a feast by e.g. leaving the new year’s feast on the table overnight so the ancestors may also partake) are also not uncommon. But the main element is of course saying one’s remembrances. The whole litany would also include one’s entire line of ancestors, not just those one personally knew and lost. The entire ancestral litanies are often recited only during festivals and special days, not every single day.
In addition to Mandalore the First, most clans also revere their founders. For very old clans, this might be the clan head at the time of the clan’s settling on Mandalore, whether historical or legendary. But even clans that are later offshoots or splinters, still trace their lineages back to the original Taung that settled Manda’yaim. Many clans also revere their clan head during the Mandalorian Wars, who opened the clan to adoptees. And later ancestors of famous deeds are of course also remembered.
Founding one’s own clan is thus a bit of a clean slate, but potentially a very prestigious position. Many of the cultural heroes of Mandalorian legends are also the founding parents of their clans. And vice versa, many clans like to claim those heroes as their ancestors for more prestige.
In today’s politics, common ancestors have less practical meaning than in times before, but they are still named and recalled e.g. when making pacts with other clans and during ceremonial occasions. Two unfamiliar Mandalorians meeting are also very likely to start naming their lineages to find common ancestors/relatives as a way to find common ground and a reason to ally rather than kill each other. Any time you meet some unfamiliar clan elder, you’re guaranteed to be expected to recount your lineage. Yes, your own actions define your honour, not the actions of your ancestors; but your lineage is still the thing that practically defines who’s who and where one comes from.
When a person is adopted into a Mandalorian clan, they of course also acquire a whole army of venerable ancestors! Blood is not important to Mandalorian lineages, only the spiritual bonds and vows that bind clan and souls together. Therefore adoptees are equally part of Mandalorians lineages and are expected to hold the same duties towards their ancestors.
Learning to recount one’s lineage is still a part of traditional Mandalorian schooling, and required for one’s verd’goten in addition to knowing the laws (i.e. Resol’nare and the Canons of Honour). You can hardly do your duty to your ancestors if you don’t know them, after all. The major part of the Mandalorian faith hinges on keeping one’s ancestors alive in memory.
more people blame bo-katan for the genocide on mandalore than they blame the empire and gideon and. well there’s a word for what that is. you’re not gonna like it but there’s a word for that.
Cienie's take on Mandalorian Culture: Mandalorian laws
Kad Ha’rangir and mandalorian traditional weapons part 1 — part 2 — part 3 – part 4 — part 5 ||| Arasuum - stagnation as symbol of death, not sloth, renamed as Arasuum - the God of Death, not Sloth part 1 — part 2 — part 3 — part 4 ||| Original Mandalorians and Gai bal manda ritual ||| Hod Ha'ran, the god of visions, prophecies and magic ||| God of Death as a mighty Beast
In Star Wars lore the general take on Mandalorians is that they have little use of laws, as they don’t have political-social structures similar to those of Republic’s nations.
Mandalorians: People and Culture:
Their society places no emphasis on birthplace, species, or citizenship, and so Mando’ade have no “state” as modern galactic politics understands it. They ignore rank and status and prefer to judge by actions and achievements, a true meritocracy: the Mandalore, or leader of the clans, is the nearest they have to a head of state. And yet nobody mistakes Mandalorians for any other people when they see them.
The Old Republic Encyclopedia
The Mandalorians have no use for senates, councils, or emperors. Only the mightiest of warriors is fit to lead a culture devoted entirely to battle.
CLAN SOCIETY
Mandalorian society operates with a minimal and largely informal power structure. Every Mandalorian is a member of a clan, either by birth or recruitment. Although different clans often disagree and even fight one another, they treat their own members like family, regardless of whatever they’re related by blood ties or oath. Other than the clan’s chieftain, members have no official ranks or positions unless organized into a fighting unit where chain of command has a valuable place. Each man or woman is expected to contribute however they can, with those who achieve great things gaining increased respect and new responsibilities. Although clans may have ties or rivalries with other clans, there is no formal hierarchy. All clan chieftains report directly to the Mandalore.
Knights of the Old Republic Campaign Guide
Mandalorian society has no written laws and few norms, but the few that exist are sacred.
The special exception is Resol'nare[1], the Six Action that all members of society are required to follow to call themselves a Mandalorian.
Mandalorians: People and Culture:
Mando’ade regard the following six acts - known as the Six Actions, or Resol’Nare - as central to Mandalorian identity: wearing armor, speaking the Mandalorian language, defending themselves and their families, raising their children as Mandalorians, contributing to the clan’s welfare, and rallying to the Mand’alor when called to arms. Anyone who practices them is considered a Mando’ad. The emphasis is on carrying out these acts daily, not simply paying lip service to them.
The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia:
Resol’nare: A term that described the basic tenets of Mandalorian culture, or “Six Actions”: the wearing of armor, the use of Mando’a language, loyalty and defense of one’s family and oneself, raising children in the Mandalorian way, contributing to the welfare of one’s clan, and answering the call to combat of the Mand’alor during times of strife.
Following the Resol’nare is what allows one to call themselves a Mandalorian yet does not determine anything else in regard to said culture or morality. As the lore proved, Six Action was not enough to settle any conflict between (non-Taung) Mandalorians over who was a true Mandalorian and who didn’t deserve such a title or how Mandalorians should conduct their matters.
In contrast the little we know about Taungs made it clear, they follow much more strict codes:
History of the Mandalorians:
[...] Made up of clans of simianlike humanoids, these nomads roamed space seeking conflict, following a code called the Canons of Honor. The Canons aimed at helping warriors attain personal glory via combat and loyalty to one’s clan. Despite this simplistic aim, the Crusaders were scarcely primitive, placing highest priority on plundering cutting-edge weaponry at every opportunity.
The label of Mandalorian Crusader is misleading. It’s thought that the Crusaders’ forefathers were a religious warrior society with sophisticated laws that devolved into the Canons. [...].
Death Watch Manifesto said that once Mandalore the Ultimate opened ranks to non-Taung people, original teaching became Resol’nare that was passed down to new recruits
We call the Shadow Warriors our Progenitors, though we do not share their blood, and their bodies were those of beasts, not humans. We do so because their leaders forged the Mando’ade into warrior bands and taught them to treasure family, clan and honor. Their teaching became the Resol’nare, the Six Actions, that make us Mandalorians: raising the young to seek honor and glory, wearing armor, defending one’s self and one’s family, supporting one’s clan, speaking a common language, and owing fealty to the leader of the clans.
but the author of Manifesto twice mentioned non-Taung warriors following the original, ancient codes (plural form):
The age of the Taung was ending, but their great work was unfinished. To survive, the Mando'ade must be transformed.
It was a terrible burden, but Mandalore the Ultimate bore it with honor. He opened the clans to all who proved themselves in battle and followed the warrior codes. Non-Taungs were no longer confined to vassalship, but could be full-fledged Mandalorian warriors. Our forefathers were among these new Mando'ade, and soon proved they were ready to lead the clans
and
This perfect society threatened the Republic. Seven centuries ago, their craven, hut’uune warships and Jedi bombarded our worlds. They incinerated Mandalore’s farmland and forests, leaving much of our homeworld a forsaken desert of fine white sand, and then occupied our world. They killed, exiled, or disarmed our warriors and suppressed our ancient codes [...].
Which suggests that while Resol’nare was the basic set of laws, the behavior and social exceptions of Mandalorians (or at least warriors) were still regulated by much more complex set of legal principles (more details about that in sidenotes).
However as the Knights of the Old Republic comics series presented, Mandalore the Ultimate (representing original Taung-Mandalorians) was aware there is not enough time to teach the new recruits their culture.
So many new recruits. Different species, different armors, different languages -- and not enough time to learn our ways.
and chronology wise, the earliest use of Resol’nare was presented during Mandalorian Wars, when Republic citizens were forced into Mandalorian army (KotOR: Vector):
Once you were Dar’manda -- ignorant outsiders. Those lives are over! You will raise your young as Mandalorians -- and defend them. You will wear our armor and speak our language. And you will serve the clan, and rally when called. These are the Resol’nare -- the Six Actions - sacred to our movement. Do them -- and you may live to call yourselves Mandalorians!
All those above sources led me to think that Taung-original Mandalorians have much more complex laws, including religious ones, that defined their individual behavior and society as whole, while Resol’nare was specifically designed and implemented once Mandalore the Ultimate understood passing the Canons of Honor as it was to new recruits was impossible due to limited time and opportunity. So the law complexity of original culture was simplified to the bare minimum and/or essential rules, and the further from Mandalorian Wars, the more forgotten the Canons of Honor became.
SIDENOTES
[1] The other vital law that Mandalorian warriors seem to be bound to follow is a challenge to duel, as a way to settle serious matters. In Knight of the Old Republic, Canderous Ordo was challenged by Jagi and if he refused to fight the man or did not show up in designated place and time, Canderous would be forever cast out of Manalorian society.
Jagi: I challenge you Canderous. I challenge you to fight the fight you fled that day above Althir. In the dune seas of Tatooine, I will be waiting for you. I have spread the news of the challenge since I learned you had landed on this world. All the surviving Mandalorian clans know of what I do here, and that we shall meet on Tatooine to settle this debt of vengeance once and for all. If you fail to meet me there, you shall be stripped of all honor and forever cast out of our society! It will be you and me alone in the dune seas of Tatooine: a final battle that can only end in death. I shall be waiting for you there, Canderous.
and
Canderous (to Player): I've been given a challenge I can't ignore. We've got to go to the dune seas of Tatooine so I can find Jagi and kill him for his insult to me!
In The Old Republic game we learn that
Lane Vizla’s brother was challenged by Kur Ha’rangir (and the latter cheated during the duel but because of his clan’s social position, the cheating was ignored).
Lane Vizla: Years ago, Kur Ha'rangir challenged my brother to a duel. Over some perceived slight against his famous name. Kur used nothing but underhanded tricks - like he does with everything else. There was no honor in the way he fought... He killed my brother... and no one called out Kur's deception. Typical, for a Ha'rangir.
Shae Vizla was challenged to duel by her enemy, Heta Kol, the leader of Hidden Chain
In The Clone Wars TV animated series, Pre Vizsla was challenged by Maul. As we learn from Maul and Almec’s discussion, ancient laws regulated what should happen to followers of the defeated warrior
Almec: Clearly you are powerful, but how can two of you overthrow Vizsla and his supporters?
Maul: Vizsla is a soldier, and like every soldier, he is bound by honor. I will challenge him to single combat in front of his men. He will not deny me.
Almec: Hmm. If you defeat him, according to the ancient laws of Mandalore, his soldiers will be honor-bound to follow you.
Maul: Precisely.
After Pre's death, half of Death Watch accepted Maul as the new ruler, while Bo-Katan and her supporters rejected the Sith Lord.
I think a Bones x Hannibal crossover would be really interesting.
The Jeffersonian institute working to uncover a serial killer and having to employ the revered and unstable Will Graham. Temperance getting annoyed when he bars them from messing with the crime scene. Lance Sweets watching in fascination as Will explores the mind of the killer through his work. Booth being annoyed as hell because who does this guy think he is, preventing Bones from doing her job?
Hodgins bonding instantly with Price and Zeller. Angela laughing with Beverly over something she said. Cam and Crawford looking on in exasperation, attempting to keep their crews on task and failing miserably. Lance and Alana both observing from a distance with a confused look on their face. Brennan arguing with Will over whether emotions or logic are more important to the investigation. Booth and Hannibal watching their partner like a hawk, practically daring someone to do them harm, neither aware of how many people the other has killed.
Both teams having a twisted sense of humour and camaraderie, unwilling to let one of their own get hurt. Always shunned for being weird or choosing the job they perform. Some are more resentful than others, but all of them would die for the people the work with. Because to them, the team isn't just a group of coworkers. It's a patchwork family made up of people who are traumatized in more horrific ways than they seem. People who have been called disgusting or horrifying for trying to make the world a better place. And people who have yet to shy away from the grim reality of death, because they've all dealt with it in one way or another.
(This could be set at any point in time, but I see it as starting around late S8 of Bones (with some plot changes) and early S1 of Hannibal)
Booth is such a coward. If Dr. Temperance Brennan asked for a gun I would simply give her mine. I trust this woman. If I saw her shoot someone: no I didn’t.
Bones s9 ep 5 “The Lady on the List” proves that if Sweets was around during this time of AI he would HATE it!! He hated the idea that a computer might replace him. He hated how Booth and Cam were both told that they needed to use it for the investigation. He made it his mission to prove that they didn’t need V.A.L. because he was better. He was constantly trying to prove it wrong and pointing out why it couldn’t possibly be right. Sweets would hate AI!!!
oh he SO would. Sweet’s would def have human consequences statistics to throw out and justify his position
I like to think everyone would be an AI hater, but realistically I think Booth probably would use it.
Brennan and Hodgins are both Green Party folks, so I’m gonna stake my claim they would throw hands and lecture at any given point.
Angela wouldn’t, for obvious reasons.
I genuinely don’t know about Cam. I can see her just surrendering with paperwork, but she would also be constantly bombarded with ‘“don’t do it!!!” And she has a pretty strong moral compass herself, but she’s also very much an independent person who works solo.
The Squinterns wouldn’t because Brennan’s word is Law. Some might use it outside the lab, but never in Brennan’s sight. Arastoo DEFINITELY wouldn’t. Daisy probably would. Clark would be uppity about his principles and refuse. Fisher is 50/50. Wendell would, but very sparingly. Finn would rather eat dirt and I can’t explain that. Jessica would use it ‘just for filters!’.
it’s crazy how bones used to be a cultural phenomenon, very widely known, referenced in other popular tv shows. and now its only fans are a handful of gay teenagers and middle aged parents who rewatch it for nostalgia
I <3 silence of the lambs but i am being BOMBARDED with hammigram content. Girl no. I’m not here for HIM, I’m here for my little Appalachian Diva. Where are my Clarice lovers. Do I have to make headcanon lists myself. WHERE are my Ardelia Mapp girlies
