Children Of The Watch - Tumblr Posts
i don’t think we should be quick to trust anything bo-katan says about the children of the watch.
the main thing i’m suspicious of is her claim that they’re a fringe group. maybe they were in the clone wars era, but they’re clearly the dominant mandalorian faction right now. we know this because literally everyone in the show, not just din, thinks all mandalorians never take off their helmets. that perception wouldn’t be so widespread if the helmet thing were only practiced by a small group of religious zealots. i mean, this is galaxy-wide common knowledge. it’s not just din being sheltered by a cult.
clearly something changed between clone wars and the fall of the empire. i’m guessing most of the mainstream mandalorians were wiped out after the great purge, leaving the children of the watch as the largest group. one reason for that may have been a cultural shift towards the ancient way because the anonymity aspect of it gave them a definite survival advantage. however, the main reason was probably the practice of adopting foundlings.
the mainstream mandalorian culture prior to the purge seemed to view itself as a race rather than a creed. this meant that when the ethnic mandalorians were killed off, the children of the watch kept growing because they adopted outsiders into their group. the armorer alludes to this when she says that “foundlings are the future.”
this is why din getting upset about boba and bo-katan wearing beskar armor doesn’t necessarily mean he’s being sheltered by a cult, as bo-katan claims. notice that he’s okay with them keeping their armor once he knows they’re mandalorian in heritage, if not in creed. he just didn’t consider that was a possibility because if you’re mandalorian and never swore the creed, you’re probably dead.
basically: i don’t think bo-katan is as representative of mandalorians as a whole as she makes herself out to be, and i don’t think din’s tribe is as cultish as she claims.
but anyway, that’s my take. thanks for reading my ramblings. i’ve only just started clone wars so like... let me know if i’m wildly missing the mark in my ignorance.
questions about the children of the watch:
why do they never speak in mando’a?
why are they the only type of mandalorian that the average person has heard of?
how are they connected to death watch?
if they’re a split-off group from death watch, how did they transform from a terrorist group into a religion?
and how did it go from a race to a creed?
why doesn’t din recognize bo-katan’s name or know what the darksaber is?
do the other members of din’s tribe know as little about mandalorian history as he does? if not, are they intentionally concealing information from him? and if so, is that unique to him or something that happens to all foundlings?
is “the watch” death watch, or is it something else?
how many coverts are there?
what are the specific tenets of the way?
when were the children of the watch founded?
are there children of the watch who actually call themselves that, or is it a term only used by non-believers?
food for thought.
absolutely. bo-katan’s clear prejudice against the followers of the ancient way calls into question anything she says about them. there’s little to no evidence so far that din’s beliefs are hurting anyone. any time someone says the word “cult” they really just mean “religion i don’t like”.
mandalorians can definitely be compared to different groups of people in our world. “you’re not really mandalorian because you don’t do xyz” is a lot like “you’re not really christian/progressive/muslim/american because you don’t believe xyz”. in reality, there’s no such thing as a “real” or “fake” mandalorian. (now you’ve gotten me thinking about all the parallels between prejudice against mandalorians and prejudice against people in our world... i’ll have to post about that at some point.)
yeah, could be a geographical thing. i think mandalore proper actually is in the outer rim, but i’m not sure how close it is to all the planets din’s been to. the outer rim is a big place.
i don’t think we should be quick to trust anything bo-katan says about the children of the watch.
the main thing i’m suspicious of is her claim that they’re a fringe group. maybe they were in the clone wars era, but they’re clearly the dominant mandalorian faction right now. we know this because literally everyone in the show, not just din, thinks all mandalorians never take off their helmets. that perception wouldn’t be so widespread if the helmet thing were only practiced by a small group of religious zealots. i mean, this is galaxy-wide common knowledge. it’s not just din being sheltered by a cult.
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yeah, i agree that was definitely the main reason he was upset. i think in bo-katan's case there was also an element of anger that she didn't follow the creed, but most of what set him off there was her attitude towards his beliefs rather than the things she herself believed.
(i'll make sure to tag you in my prejudice post once i get around to writing it!)
i don’t think we should be quick to trust anything bo-katan says about the children of the watch.
the main thing i’m suspicious of is her claim that they’re a fringe group. maybe they were in the clone wars era, but they’re clearly the dominant mandalorian faction right now. we know this because literally everyone in the show, not just din, thinks all mandalorians never take off their helmets. that perception wouldn’t be so widespread if the helmet thing were only practiced by a small group of religious zealots. i mean, this is galaxy-wide common knowledge. it’s not just din being sheltered by a cult.
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oh absolutely. i’d say it’s a near-certainty. we know bo-katan is planning a revolution and she’s a pretty polarizing figure. i’m sure there are lots of mandalorians out there who Will Not Like That. there also seems to be some sort of (possibly one-sided) preexisting rivalry between bo-katan’s political faction and din’s religious faction which i’m sure is going to come up later.
a civil war would basically be the culmination of the recurring question of what makes a mandalorian (do they have to wear the helmet? be ethnically mandalorian? is it a religous, political, or racial group or a combination?) because any contender for mand’alor has to prove to the others that they’re truly mandalorian. which makes din as a (reluctant) contender quite interesting because not only is he a foundling, now that he’s taken off his helmet he probably doesn’t consider himself mandalorian anymore.
this is pure speculation but they could POTENTIALLY be gearing up for another mando civil war with bobf and mando s3, because we now have A) a claim to the throne by Din that is definitely going to be contested by a lot of people, himself included, B) a historically very politically powerful and ambitious leader who represents a “scorned” faction of Mandalorians in Bo-Katan, and C) Boba Fett, who presumably now controls Hutt Space (? or is it just outer rim territory? I can’t remember) and will probably be roped into the conflict purely based on the fact that he has resources, people, and territory at his disposal regardless of how he feels about Mandalore itself. Add all of that onto the fact that afaik Mandalore has no current ruler now that the Empire is gone and a huge diaspora that is probably eager to return home now that they’re not under the thumb of imperial rule. This would also follow the eternal cycle of “it’s like poetry, it rhymes” Star Wars is obsessed with following, so a capstone civil war is probably gonna happen soon-ish. also lends itself to lots of entertaining action scenes, rule of cool, etc
Din’s covert could conceivably be the direct legacy of the true mandalorians and i can make it make sense without even being that convoluted: an essay
been thinking about how din's religion doesn't seem to be very... religious. there is no deity that we know of, no afterlife, no legends. it's a code of conduct, not a belief system, and furthermore it's a code based on practicality rather than morals. when the armorer talks about the importance of helmets or foundlings, she talks about how they help mandalorians survive. neither aspect of the code has anything to do with belief or morality. is it really true that mandalorian isn't a race, but a creed? or is "the creed" just a set of rules designed to preserve a dwindling race?
Foundlings and their pets
In s3 of Mandalorian, we get some baby raptors to train as pets.
But what if they weren't the only pets, think about it. Idk what they would have but could you imagine them just training or playing with their pet massiff, adorable.
Plus they would function as great guard dogs from TBOBF and the Tuskens, but are also not dangerous to kids at all. Some would stay with the foundlings during the day to defend them or warn of predators. Also, they would be a good warning system at night, similar to working dogs on a farm that guard the animals. They would detect predators and chase them off and warn the adults of danger.
Not only that but you get cute moments of the foundlings playing with them! They would need a close bond, so play time, via chasing them, tug of war, belly scratches, would do wonders. It would also teach them responsibility and how to care for an animal. Not only that, but they wouldn't be afraid of them if they came across a wild one, knowing how to handle themselves to deescalate the situation.
Plus, could you imagine when the Nite Owls join their group. They just see these massive massiffs nuzzling and licking a five year old that its laying on, the kid laughing their ass off and yelling 'that tickles!' Adorable. Said massiff then growling and getting all protective once it sees the Nite Owls, like 'who tf are you and why are you staring at my baby.'
OMG, massiffs spending the night cuddling with a Mandalorian whos on watch that evening, snoring and drooling without a care.
I have grown attached.
Children of the Warch/Nite Owl Headcanons
Despite beliefs parents, spouses, and children are allowed to see your face
Medics, of course, are allowed. However, they don’t unless absolutely necessary and will prefer they just have lift the edge of their helmet
None of the Nite Owls really know this because, to the tribe, it’s not important or necessary to voice as it was their business
When babies are first taken in or borne, the parents are very secluded so they can spend as much time with their children out of armor (includes helmet as those taking care of the baby, found/birthed the baby and therefore adopt the baby), skin to skin
When it comes to babies, the adoption process is more so 'i found a baby and now i am their parent in every way' no real adoption like with the older kids since the babies won't remember
The adoption rites are still said, just much less fanfair than with the older kids
This is also true for any new foundlings that need the contact, true for all ages though not a requirement
For babies, this period lasts about 8 months, then when out either parent is with the child without chest armor which lasts until they’re about 16 months
When children come to the tribe, they have little with them so what they do have is kept safe and in tip top shape
When they first arrive, foundlings are given essentially a deep clean by those that found them (they usually become their parent)
This includes getting their clothes washed, washing their hair twice (sometimes three) times, skin is scrubbed, lotion, and clothed in spares, and finally put to bed
Sometimes the kids come with pets (though very rare) and those are given similar treatment depending on the species
All in all, the Watch has the three shriek hawks, two nexu, eight massiffs (coming from two adults so far), three strill, and four anooba
Ragnar came in with a baby strill named Lord (he tried to change the name but no dice)
Lord was bathed after Ragnar, then deflea’ed and dewormed by the medic
Lord has been adopted by all foundlings and has taken the role of Guard dog, including all the commands and mannerisms that come with (though a sucker for belly rubs)
Bathing is important for bonding as it establishes trust and safety for the child, showing that the parent will always love and protect their foundlings no matter what state (mental or physical) they are in
Ragnar is the oldest of the younger group and took on the leader role
There are older teens who’ve completed the verd’goten and are considered adults but mostly teach youngers' kids
The teenagers oppose the Nite Owls the most and, while the most inexperienced of the adults, enjoy causing the most trouble with their youngest
The Nite Owls don’t have nearly as many young foundlings, their youngest is 15. The Children of the Watch youngest of the adults was 14, their actual youngest is 10 months old.
Younger groups age is from 0-13, then 14-20
The youngest enjoyed the new addition to their older siblings they could annoy; especially since the new teens had no idea what to do with them
Many times the kids will be all over the them. The moment they sit down, they have two children climbing on them (hanging over their legs, grabbing their head or arms, laying over their back, on their feet) but otherwise totally ignoring them unless addressed
The Nite Owls either have no idea what to do or don’t care enough about the tribe to care. The adults of the Tribe think it’s hilarious and that it builds character
They’re reasoning is that ‘if you don’t have the spine to tell them to get off of you, you don’t have a spine at all’
Eventually a nineteen year old takes a kid climbing over his face and throws him to the floor, and yells ‘get the hell off me you leeches!’
The child laughs, yanks his leg out from under him, climbs over to their face, slaps their cheek mockingly and says ‘bout time you grew a spine, grew a set of balls too! Congrats! You're no longer a spineless worm!'
The nineteen year old is then quasi adopted by this weird child and secretly enjoys it
A surprising amount of young Watch children quasi adopt the older kids from the Nite Owls, the Owls are confused and don’t really know how to stop it and those who have tried are told to stop by their teens
The peace between the two groups is actually pretty stable in day to day life
Though, some Owls still take issue with the Watch and avoid them, that number is few
After Paz and Axe become riduur, there is even less tolerance by either group for those people so many keep their negative opinions to themselves
Another factor is their pets
Obvi, the Tribe has so many pets and animals that are very well taken care of. Surprisingly, the Owls also have a few pets (but again not as much as the tribe)
The animals each have their roles and enjoy getting pets from literally anyone. Though, most will only respond to attack/work commands coming from a certain few people
Many of the massiffs will lay around and cuddle with the youngest of the children, though a majority only listen to the Beastmaster and her two apprentices
However, with each new litter, half of the pups are given to those couples with the youngest or most vulnerable children
All of the animals are incredibly well trained and well behaved, with even the biggest and most dangerous Anooba still fully trusted around babies (the only outlier being the bird things)
Many of the animals are purchased/found as babies since they respond the best to training
When the Nite Owls animals meet the Tribe's animals, it goes well
Though the Owl's are a little older and calmer, generally receptive to children and people playing with them but prefer to lay around and sun bathe
The Nite Owls' have one strill, three akk dogs, one massiff, and two anooba.
The pets are loved by all the young children and spend a lot of time around the younger kids, due to instincts or the fact the kids come to them
the Owls don't have a Beastmaster like the Tribe and so their animals are used to being more separate and with their owner than hanging around so many different people and animals
they also aren't used to working in a herd but many choose to just keep their animals with them rather than the group
Though, the owner of the massiff (who is about 22 year old female) does keep it with the other massiff and gives open permission to use it to help with breeding new puppies when the time comes
All the aminals in both groups only know Mando'a commands, though they know 'good *insert pet name/gender*' and stuff like that
(whether they know that or they just go wild for the pets, no one will ever know)