[Factions Ep. 7 - Cat. B](N7 - Wayland - CFS) Mato VIII | The Mountain Village, Bur Wend

[RocketBoy]

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Mato's Tale:

Spoiler

Mato I: A Death Sentence

Mato II: Fleeing the Stench

Mato III: This Your First Time In Hyperspace?

Mato IV: Along Old Lanes

Mato V: No Soliciting (If You're Techno Union)

Mato VI: Fear Leads to Anger

Mato VII: Learning the Trade

 

On a cool day in early autumn, when the trees by the graveyard (which had always been early bloomers) were bright with color, the Steward of Bur Wend summoned several villagers to talk with him. All of those called had some experience as warriors in the past, and Mato Rook was among them.

Mato stepped out of his home, greeted Beor next door, and made his way to the town center.
A few of the others were there waiting. He recognized a couple from the fields, and they greeted each other in the typical, familiar Bur Wend way.

"See the sunrise?" asked Dogus, a Mon Calamari.

Mato shrugged. "I was in the field with you this morning, Dogus. We both saw the sunrise."

Dogus laughed, in a barking sort of way. "Fair 'nuff. I wasn't looking at you, I s'pose!"

Then Ko-Yode stood to speak. Ko-Yode never had to fight for attention. The moment he spoke, it was heard. It was a calm, strong voice, which seemed even stronger because of the giant, bushy beard it came from. Ko-Yode was Mato's mentor, teacher, and greatest friend.
"A man was found taking holographs of the village defenses," Ko-Yode said seriously. "When Old Morgan saw him and called out, he fled. Now, we're not looking to start a panic, but I need your all's help. Let's find this man. Bring him back to me, alive, if you don't mind. And don't go out there hateful or looking for revenge. We're doing this to protect our families. We're not afraid, but we'll act quickly, aye?"

A chorus of 'ayes' returned to him, and he sent them off.

Stories

Mato's Life in Bur Wend

Spoiler

Months passed after that first farming lesson with Dinnie in the hills. Mato's admiration and confidence in the people of Bur Wend grew as they won him daily with their grit, ingenuity, and warmth.

There came a day when Mato realized he no longer made a distinction between himself and the people of Wayland in his mind. He had learned their ways, worked alongside them, shared in their joy. He knew their names and they knew his. He had truly joined the fold.

He had a house, a small gray clay structure with a rounded roof and a small garden on a hill. Mato didn't know much about decorating or making a place homey, but he did his best, helped immeasurably by Yigs. As often as he could, he liked to have guests over. One of his first visitors was Dinnie, whom he nearly poisoned with his attempt at Hab Rab stew. To protect the other villagers, she offered to teach him to cook. After that, the coast was relatively clear.

Mato's favorite thing was spending time with other villagers. These gatherings usually involved a fire, and usually they ate, joked, and told stories until "an early morning tomorrow" had them heading home.

One farmer, Higen Kamoda, had a cheerful face and a joke always at the ready. Mato--who chafed at most new people, and especially those who tried to get him to laugh--thought he was foolish, but over time he discovered that judgement was wrong: Higen was a steady worker, and insightful friend, and, Mato learned, a faithful husband and father. Mato took quickly to the Kamoda's, to Higen's wise and patient wife Jadara, to their clever daughter Fann and their boisterous son Bohakanon, who they called Bo. They liked him just as much, as grumpy as he could sometimes be. He spent as many evenings as he could eating with them, laughing with Higen (and occasionally, with his children, *at* him) and playing Halikset with Jadara. While at first he found her intimidating, they'd soon bonded over the gift of music. Higen did not play himself, instead an ardent admirer of the skill while finding it a complete and utter mystery. While Mato and Jadara picked and strummed the more exciting tunes, he found great pleasure in dancing wildly and inviting the children to join him. Higen was a man without shame or concern for appearing dignified, and everyone around him was better for it.

They weren't only farmers: Lubek repaired boilers and skimmer engines, Usarn flew a cargo airspeeder to take the strain off the agriskimmers, Beoa watched and taught the youngest children while their parents worked. Yigs, he learned, only fought crime syndicates in her off time. The rest of the time she made earthenware vessels.

Many of the colonists were people who had something that made them unwanted elsewhere. "People don't say many nice things about Geonosians." One man had an injury that made him "slow". "He'd be chewed up and spit out in the Core Worlds. Probably end up on the street. But not here. He's got a purpose, he contributes, and he’s loved. He has a people."

Mato, fascinated by Ko-Yode's halikset playing, forced him to teach him how. Ko-Yode went one step further, and taught him to carve and string a halikset of his very own. Mato took to the instrument with an earnest talent. The others loved to hear him play, and Mato loved to provide entertainment. He also found, in playing by himself, in quiet moments at his home, a happy solace.

 The people, he found, were keepers of a knowledge, a living archive of things they'd learned from Ko-Yode and living with the land.

He may as well have been at an academy for everything he learned. They taught him about biodiversity, the rich variety of species that make a planet thrive. They grew maize in certain seasons, rice in others, and gathered Opergrains and vegetables year-round, constantly rotating and nourishing and encouraging a variety of produce. Some pools in the hills had even been used for krill, which were little water-bugs that could be cooked and eaten. Mato didn't like them. (He would take even the gamiest Hapdeer over anything with claws.)

He learned about erosion and tilling and taking the time to care for the place they lived, about finding solutions that did not force a desired outcome, but served the land. It was more complex than he could've guessed, required so much more watching and trying and asking for help, and more patience than he thought he had. Being faced with these puzzles, walking this balancing act forced him to forge a connection to his environment, a bond (of love?) he shared with all his fellow colonists.
Occasionally Mato wondered how anyone did life differently than it was done on Wayland. But it was a big galaxy, not everyone had a Bur Wend. Most people had to make do with what they did have, and he knew what that could be like. Yigs never forgot. The girl who had rescued him from Nal Hutta in the first place was persistantly doing all she could to learn about those still oppressed in the galaxy and what could be done to help them. Sometimes he wished that she would slow down, he wished he could see more of her, but her heart was set on this.
                “You’ve earned this place,” she once told him. “You suffered for thirty years on Nal Hutta. You’ve earned a peaceful life. But I was born on Wayland, and I can’t just be content enjoying what it has and never giving back. I have to help those who aren’t free, like we’re free.”
                                It gave him a lot to think about.
He stopped in to see her at her workshop more often than he needed earthenware, endured her sly questions about why he was there, invented poor excuses. 
The Kamoda's knew exactly what was going on. It was young Fann who prodded him with comments the most.

"How's Yigs?" she'd ask, with a look that was too knowing for a teenager's face. 

"Fine," Mato would reply, shooting her a glare.

"Oh, you saw Yigs today?" Higen would ask with a smile. Always the last to catch up, Higen.

"When doesn't he?" Fann smirked, and understanding slowly dawned on her father's face. His eyes widened, which was when his wife, ever tactful, grabbed his arm and asked him to help with the dishes.
But they would sometimes talk about it when Mato had gone home for the night.

                “I just don’t understand it! Why can’t she take a moment, give him a chance?” Higen said while scrubbing at a plate.

                “She has her own goals, her own passions, Heeg,” Jadara replied. “You want her to give that up to please him?”

                “Well, no. But you have to admit, she might be missing out on something.”

                “You know I love Mato. I don’t disagree. But her heart is where it is. Give it time,” she reassured. “I wasn’t exactly ‘easy come’ myself, was I?”

                Higen grinned. “No. I wore you down.”

                “You still do,” she said wryly, and he laughed.
 

Ko-Yode invited him on hunts in the mountains. While initially reluctant to do any harm, Ko-Yode gave guidance, comfort, and reason. Ko-Yode would tell him about "the Force," the balance between all things. Killing did not always disrupt this balance. Using violence as a tool required care and thought. Protecting the innocent. Gathering the food needed to live. Freeing a people. Killing was not always evil, though killing another person was always a last resort. "As when we overthrew the Empire, freed the slaves...Sometimes, the good of your people relies on your will to fight, or hunt, or project strength. There are terrible times when violence has to be a choice you're able to make."

With time and Ko-Yode's help, Mato was able to separate the violence of his past from the violence of his present. He was not the same person he had been. The tool would not be wielded the same way.

Mato loved his life in Bur Wend, as simple and hard as it could sometimes be. His ghosts haunted him still, but that was the way that ghosts were. The joy he found, the enjoyment and the comfort of knowing these people, as they knew him for who he was, healed him day by day. It was hard work, both the farming and being known, but it was well worth it. To feel the soil in his hands, to not be afraid to look people in the eye, to wake up in the morning, while it was still dark, and join others in the field for a day of work he knew would leave them tired, fed, and fulfilled. It was well, well worth it.

 

Full Photos

Spoiler

 

 

Focus Shots

Spoiler

The Kamoda's - the faithful and cheerful Higen, the wise and patient Jadara, the clever Fann and boisterous young Bohakanon (who is usually called Bo).

Mato takes daily walks to the graveyard to pay homage to those he had a part in killing while working for the Hutts. One of his ways of trying to make penance for his past life.

The Graveyard.

Two best friends, spearfishing. They don't ever catch anything, but they have a great time.

An ambush? Nope, just a morning greeting to some friends.

Guard duty on a misty morning.

Good spot to smoke a pipe...

The Posse!

 

Spoiler

This is the biggest build I've ever attempted, and a really great way for me to cap off 2020 as my first year of AFOLing. The build itself is inspired by a lot of things, but primary among them are vague Japanese architectural ideas (especially referencing Studio Ghibli movies and Ghosts of Tsushima's art direction). 

Thank you for looking!

Edited February 3, 2021 by RocketBoy

[Ross Fisher]

This is excellent. A lot of great details here, really tastefully laid out. It's got that asian/sw aesthetic you were aiming for, and your use of colour is impressive. This is going to be one of the highest scoring builds in this game. 

[Fenghuang0296]

Said it before and I’ll say it again, this is wonderful. ^^

[Simulterious]

Such a color full and unique build, so many little details to discover. Reminds me of ninjago city... 

 

[RocketBoy]

Added a first story and some new focus shots.

[marvelBoy123]

Love this! One of the first things that stands out to me is the vegetation : all the different plants and trees look really good and definitely reinforce the rural farming world vibe of the planet. The use of colour is also fantastic, there is so much of it but nothing feels out of place or too bright - the simple hand build style of the houses really lends itself to that. The designs of the roofs of the houses are in particular brilliant, you've managed to keep a common theme but make variations with a whole range of great techniques. The graveyard is also a nice touch. The figures also are some of your best. Not only the part combinations used for them but also the story and positioning gives them a lot of character (your character development is always outstanding).

Things that I would love to see you develop and improve in future builds would definitely be the landscaping. It is mostly very good but the tall section is a bit jarring with all the exposed studs (I imagine it is probably lack of parts, I know from my Cat B how big an investment of parts a large landscape requires) and I would love to see it integrated a little more with the tower (the integration and transition between man-made structures in landscapes is something I know I'm always trying to focus on.) I also feel like the 'back' of the build is maybe a little bare compared to the 'front' a really big tree or some kind of farming water tower would have been an awesome addition.

Overall, this is an absolutely amazing build, the colour and creativity is great and your design influences have really come across well!

Oh and I have to say, I actually think that the white for the waterfalls looked good - a nice mixture of textures. Just goes to show how you can't always see how a build will come together from WIP photos!

Edited January 5, 2021 by marvelBoy123

[Darth Bjorn]

This is a really nice build. So many small details to find and notice. You do use a lot of colors, but I actually feel like you're pulling it off - that's a feat! My only real improvement suggestion is to use smaller bricks/pieces for rock/ground work. The bigger pieces sometime feel out of place or lazy (even though that is clearly not the case).

Great entry!

[Brickwolf]

wonderful!

[RocketBoy]

20 hours ago, Ross Fisher said:

This is excellent. A lot of great details here, really tastefully laid out. It's got that asian/sw aesthetic you were aiming for, and your use of colour is impressive. This is going to be one of the highest scoring builds in this game. 

Thank you, that's high praise!

19 hours ago, Fenghuang0296 said:

Said it before and I’ll say it again, this is wonderful. ^^

Thank you! I really do appreciate it! Thanks for letting me blow up the CFS Discord with WIP pics three times a day.

18 hours ago, Simulterious said:

Such a color full and unique build, so many little details to discover. Reminds me of ninjago city... 

 

I did take a look at Ninjago City to see how TLG did the whole "multi-layer town" thing, and of course they share the japanese DNA. Thank you! That means a lot.

12 hours ago, marvelBoy123 said:

Love this! One of the first things that stands out to me is the vegetation : all the different plants and trees look really good and definitely reinforce the rural farming world vibe of the planet. The use of colour is also fantastic, there is so much of it but nothing feels out of place or too bright - the simple hand build style of the houses really lends itself to that. The designs of the roofs of the houses are in particular brilliant, you've managed to keep a common theme but make variations with a whole range of great techniques. The graveyard is also a nice touch. The figures also are some of your best. Not only the part combinations used for them but also the story and positioning gives them a lot of character (your character development is always outstanding).

Things that I would love to see you develop and improve in future builds would definitely be the landscaping. It is mostly very good but the tall section is a bit jarring with all the exposed studs (I imagine it is probably lack of parts, I know from my Cat B how big an investment of parts a large landscape requires) and I would love to see it integrated a little more with the tower (the integration and transition between man-made structures in landscapes is something I know I'm always trying to focus on.) I also feel like the 'back' of the build is maybe a little bare compared to the 'front' a really big tree or some kind of farming water tower would have been an awesome addition.

Overall, this is an absolutely amazing build, the colour and creativity is great and your design influences have really come across well!

Oh and I have to say, I actually think that the white for the waterfalls looked good - a nice mixture of textures. Just goes to show how you can't always see how a build will come together from WIP photos!

Thank you for the thoughtful post! Whether its compliments or criticism, that you would take so much to really form thoughts and write something out is an honor, thank you. That's helpful feedback, I'm glad you could spot where I started to run out of parts haha. (We're all on that struggle.) 

I'm cheered by you liking the white waterfalls! You're the first, and I'm not so sure about them myself, but I'll commit to them as an artistic choice, haha.

10 hours ago, Darth Bjorn said:

This is a really nice build. So many small details to find and notice. You do use a lot of colors, but I actually feel like you're pulling it off - that's a feat! My only real improvement suggestion is to use smaller bricks/pieces for rock/ground work. The bigger pieces sometime feel out of place or lazy (even though that is clearly not the case).

Great entry!

I'm with you there. Thank you!

 

7 hours ago, Brickwolf said:

wonderful!

Thank you very much!

[Denal31]

I'm about to heap a bunch of praise on ya. This build slaps. I'll get my critiques out of the way real quick. I only have a few. The first one is the smaller waterfall. The white works very well for the larger fall, but looks kinda funky on the smaller one. Trans clear plates backed by white may have created a better look (emphasis on the maybe). The second is just repeating MB's comment on the exposed studs on the tall section. I think it primarily has to do with the rest of the rockwork outside of that section being primarily slopes. Although it does kinda work with the building being right there next to it. But those are just small things because the rest of this build is awesome. 

The first thing I'd like to mention are the colors. You've included a wild amount of color and managed to make it work. Nothing here seems out of place. The next thing is the layout. This may be one of the most unique layouts I have come across since I've gotten back into building. The houses are integrated into the landscape very well.  Additionally, this is a build you don't normally see when someone makes a "Star Wars MOC" that makes it stand out that much more because its just refreshing to see. Finally, I hope you get that Gran haha. 

Great job!

 

[goatman461]

Such a great build in your first year out of the dark ages. There are some parts that stand out as a bit simple, like some of the larger chunks of rock-work and the vegetation, but the detailed shots do a lot to show how much detail you packed into this build. I think the rest could be cleaned up by a few more parts and another week of build, because you're showing a lot of proficiency in adding those details elsewhere. Photography is awesome as usual, though some shots certainly work better with the computer screen in the back than others. 

[dvogon]

This is a wonderful build! I had to explore slowly to see how many different details are going on. Great work!

You have used a lot of colors and mostly they work fine, although sometimes they are a bit too much. Other than what has been already said, as an improvement suggestion, I would plan the usage of colors by zones, so that those that fit better together will be focused in one zone/various zones, but not mixed in other zones, specially those that pop out most. As your build is quite big, you have plenty of space to use all of them, creating more unique places in the build.

[MKJoshA]

I love all the close up shots of this build. You've got some great details packed into this. I will say that it starts to look a little messy when you back away. Not convinced that all the different parts fit so well together. I like your choice of white for the waterfall, even if it's not as realistic. Though I wish it was set more into the rockface.

[n1majneb]

Mato’s certainly come a long way

This really reminds me of the temple of airjitzu, 

great design!

[oh whale]

this reminds me of some of the parts of zeffo in jedi fallen order