#I KNOW that’s not how star wars blasters work but this is more fun to draw

[spicynectarines]

mini infographic explaining my jedi ocs force abilities

#I KNOW that’s not how star wars blasters work but this is more fun to draw #cw blood #cw gore #also ft their master on the last slide #they have the same master cuz they’re special and i want them to #star wars #the clone wars #sw tcw #art #fanart #sw oc #mikkian #mikkian oc #oc #digital art #sw #tcw

[kyberblade]

Back To You (Din x Reader) - Part 19

A/N: Well, it’s here. You all voted, and it’s one monolithic chapter. I can’t believe we’re here. 😭 We still have so much coming up for these guys, but this first part is done and it’s been a year and I have EMOTIONS!!!! 😮‍💨🥺 Thank you all for everything. It’s been an honor to go on this journey with all of you, and I can’t wait for all the rest of the stories this little clan has coming up! We just have nostalgia in this one, throwbacks, badassery, lots of feelings and fun…. It’s a good time for all. I’ve had this final scene written since almost day one. I’m so excited it’s finally here. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did writing it! There will still be an epilogue for this story, too, so we’re not totally done, yet. (Also, once again, there is some lore in this that @writerlyhabits wrote in a fantastic short, and I loved it so much, I asked if I could use it.)

(This takes place right where the other one left off and goes to the end of episode 2x8/16, The Rescue.)

I do not own Star Wars or it’s characters. Sadly. But I carry them in my heart. Does that count for something? My soul says yes.

Warnings: Tooth rotting fluff, Grogu being the cutest thing you ever did see, and Din is once again a warning in and of himself in this one. Typical show violence. Swearing. Space swearing. Grogu is a menace. Arguing? Mando’a. Show dialogue, so spoilers? (But if you’re here, you know how this works.) Lots of angst. Tears. Brief mention of injury. Reader is having a Tough Time™️ mentally, but it’s discussed and processed. The F-word but it’s in Mando’a so does it really count?

Word count: 21,386 (I said what I said.)

As always, thanks to @grippingbeskar for encouraging me, looking over this for me, and being the one to introduce me to Din fanfiction in the first place, getting me hooked. You are fantastic and I always love our chats.

And for @fordo-kixed-rex, you deserve so much more than a shoutout for reading all 75 million iterations of this massive chapter from start to finish, and helping me in between. You’re a real one, friend. This series would not have gotten this far without you.

And @deceiver-of-gods for helping me with the Mando’a!

Previous | Series Masterlist | Next

Xxx

You woke to the ship swinging wildly side to side, the sound of blaster fire filling every space of the vacant cargo hold. Din was no longer behind you, just the cold lonely steel of Boba’s ship, but there was something wadded up underneath your head as a makeshift pillow. It was soft, and smelled of your Mandalorian. Lifting your head, blinking blearily against the soft lights of the deck, you looked around, catching the fabric of Din’s cowl as it fell from behind your head and down into your lap.

“What’s going on?”

Fennec helped you to your feet, both of you stumbling slightly to the left as the ship tilted at a precarious angle, her hand holding on to you even after you were up to help both of you maintain your balance. Din’s cowl was still clutched tightly in your other hand.

“Found Doctor Pershing. He’s on an Imperial transport, we’re attempting to enter negotiations for his release.” She smiled wryly. “They aren’t going so well.”

The ship turned sharply to the right, causing you and Fennec to release one another. She gripped the bottom of a nearby seat to avoid flying across the deck, but your hands were full with the cowl, and you went sliding across the deck on your side from the steep angle. 

Cara attempted to grab you as you slid by where she too was gripping a nearby seat, grabbing on to the fabric of the cowl for a brief second before it slipped through her fingers. “It’s just as elusive as the man who wears it,” she grumbled, making you grin despite the situation.

The ship finally started to even out slightly, enough that you weren’t sliding, but your feet still propelled you forward from the dangerous angle. “The old man flies like a-”

Din caught your hand before you could go any further, pulling you into him where he was against the wall, hanging on to a cargo net.

You looked up at him, breathing heavily after stumbling for your life across the deck. “Well, he flies like you.”

Din grunted at the slight, making you grin. “Thanks, shiny.”

He only nodded once, his grip on your upper arm adjusting slightly.

“Oh!” Reaching up, you attached his cowl back around his shoulders. “And thanks for that, too.”

He nodded again. “You always complain about needing your Mandalorian pillow, so I figured it was the next best thing.”

Fennec snorted in amusement at the same time Cara moaned an, “Ew, guys!”

The ship entered a roll, all of you clinging to something and muttering curses. Once it leveled back out, you glared at the hatch that led to the cockpit. “I’ll be right back.”

“What are you doing? Mesh’la?” Din tried to reach after you, but you ignored him, climbing the ladder and stepping into the cockpit once the doors slid open.

“Hey. Flyboy.”

“I’m busy, ad’ika,” Boba said through gritted teeth, his modulator making the words sound even thinner as he pulled the trigger yet again, the shots whizzing past the transport in front of him. 

“You missed.”

If he was a clone, and they were the troopers…. Who were always dismal shots…. You grinned. 

“So is that just something in the clone/trooper genetics? Missing things by a mile?”

“It was a warning shot,” he grumbled, turning his visor your way ever so slightly before turning back to the viewport. “And troopers aren’t clones anymore. If they were, we’d all be in trouble.”

The grin pulled higher up the side of your face. “I see.” Arms crossing over your chest, you took a step closer to him. “Well warn them faster, grandpa, you’re nearly murdering your crew with these maneuvers. You didn’t give us any warning.”

“Have to strap you all down like ade,” he mumbled, chuckling softly as he shook his head, probably picturing it. (“Children.”)

Reaching forward, you flipped a switch on the console, sending a blast from his ion cannons right into the rear of the transport, making it go dead on impact.

Leaning down so your head was beside the bounty hunter’s, you smirked. “That was my warning shot.”

Grumbling something unintelligible under his breath, Boba leaned in and pressed the button for comms. “Lower your shields, disengage all transponders, prepare for boarding.”

The ship rose slowly in front of the transport, the pilot, copilot, and Doctor Pershing all watching it rise through the viewport with a gradual tilt of their heads further and further back until they were out of sight. 

Boba hovered over the hatch, pressing a few buttons on the console as he mumbled, “Easy as….” A loud thud accompanied by a violent jerk caused you to stumble through the cockpit, grabbing the back of his chair for stability.

With a huff, you turned your head to glare at the side of his visor. “You were saying?”

“I never finished the sentence. Maybe I was going to say it was something complicated.”

“Osi'kyr,” you grumbled, pushing off of his chair. “Would be easier to pet a nexu.” (Strong exclamation of dismay.)

“I’ve actually pet a nexu once,” Boba mused, flicking a switch before leaning back in his chair.

“Of course you have.” You didn’t bother turning back to face him as you left the cockpit to rejoin the others. A small smile turned up your features at the sound of his laugh behind you. 

Xxx

Sitting on the deck of Boba’s ship, your mind began to wander. Staying upbeat and engaged was easy…. For a time. Until you really let your thoughts go down the roads they wanted to, with memories of the kid playing on a loop, especially the one of him being taken from practically right out of your hands.

Within just a few steps, from the bottom of the ladder to the cockpit to the seat you were perched on in the middle of the deck, a dark cloud had taken over your mind, and you didn’t feel like fighting it right now.

You hung back while Din and Cara boarded the Imperial transport to get Doctor Pershing. The whole thing took less than two minutes, but from your seat, you could hear the entire exchange. Fennec watched you closely from her seat across the aisle from you. 

“What?” You asked her after a moment of loaded staring.

“Nothing,” she shook her head with a shrug. “You’ve just been quiet the last few days is all.”

“Compared to what? I only met you a few days ago.”

A blaster shot fired, and a body thudded to the floor, causing both you and Fennec to lean slightly to peer through the opening to see what was going on. She leaned forward while you leaned back. But a quick glance at the opening showed both of your friends still standing firmly with their weapons drawn, so you assumed it was one of the Imps turning on the other. 

Cowards.

Both of you sitting back how you had been, you turned your attention back on one another as if nothing had happened. 

Fennec went on as if simply talking about the weather. “True. But before everything with the kid went down, you seemed….”

Brows knit, one arching in question, you bobbed your head at her to continue. “Go on….”

“Better.”

You huffed, shaking your head as you looked at the ground. “I’m fine.”

“Alright.”

Shrugging your shoulders, you looked up at her again, peering up through your lashes. It felt safer than looking straight at her. “I’m on a strange ship with strangers and everything is-”

“Strange?”

Lifting your head to look at her straight on, your face fell flat. “Different.” You glared. “A member of my clan was taken. It’s not the same as missing someone, it’s more like a piece of yourself is gone.”

“I understand,” she offered softly. “I just don’t want you to slip away in the process.”

“Slip away?”

She sighed, looking down at the floor. “Sometimes….” Her gaze pulled back up to meet yours confidently, something softening once your eyes met again. “Sometimes when we let something consume us - grief, loss, a goal - it’s easy to get buried in all the things you let slide along the way.”

You felt the clouds begin to break, a ray of sunshine beginning to shine through. “What…. What have I let slide?”

She looked off to the side, as if the words she needed were hidden somewhere in the cargo hold. “Honestly?” She met your eyes. “Yourself.”

“It was my fault-”

“It happened.” Leaning forward, she left no room for question as she put a hand on your upper arm. “All that matters now is how you fix it.”

Suddenly a blaster shot fired, another body thudded to the ground, and a man started yelping in pain. Turning toward the opening where the ship was docked to the transport, you stood up and took a few steps closer, nearly running into Cara as she stomped past you.

“That was my warning shot,” she mumbled, stuffing her blaster into its holster on her hip.

Looking back at the opening, you saw Din staring after her in concern, his shoulders rising and falling in a heavy sigh as he watched his friends fall a little further apart. 

Rushing into the transport, you put your hands on the shoulders of the man, startling him.

He tried to back away from you, looking up with wide eyes, but you held him in place firmly.

“Shhhh, it’s okay, I’m not going to hurt you. You’re Doctor Pershing, right?”

He nodded, wincing at the motion and cradling his right ear.

“Mind if I take a look?”

Slowly lowering his hand, he gently shook his head, turning slightly to offer you a better angle. “Your angry friend shot my captor- something I’m grateful for, don’t get me wrong- just…. It was a bit close to my ear.”

“It ruptured your eardrum, didn’t it?”

He nodded hesitantly. “Some bacta should help. If we get to it soon.”

You smiled. “I have something better than bacta.”

“Wha-”

Reaching out, you placed your hand over his ear, making him wince and try to pull away from you. Holding him in place with your other hand on his shoulder, you took a deep breath, doing what you had done for Din back on Morak, and mending his injury. “Sorry about my friend. She can get a little hot headed. I’m sure she’ll apologize in a little bit, but for now….” You pulled your hand away, lowering your voice since he could now hear again out of that side, “I’ll just have to do. There. All better.”

His mouth opened and closed a few times, an attempt at words but only a croak coming out in disbelief. Finally he was able to mutter, “How?”

You’d almost expected him to ask why, but as he asked how instead, you understood. He may have studied the workings of the Force, and understood it on a molecular level, but that didn’t mean he truly knew its capabilities. Plus, he’d only ever been exposed to a truly dark and twisted side of things, one that was selfish and manipulative. That side would never reach out and heal just for the sake of it. They’d reach out a hand just to strike you further down. Or make sure you stayed there.

“Friends take care of each other. I’d call us friends, wouldn’t you?” He nodded hesitantly, eyes darting to the Mandalorian hovering behind you before coming back to you. “And you’re going to help us find the kid, aren’t you?” He nodded again, making you smile a bit broader. “That’s it then. We help you, you help us.” 

You got to your feet, standing beside Din, and helping Pershing to his feet. Once he was standing, though, you didn’t let go of his hand, making sure he met your gaze as you held his hand a bit too tight. “But if anything goes wrong…. I can’t make any promises about my friend out there. As you’ve already seen, she’s a bit of a loose canon. Can’t really tell what she’ll do if she gets upset.”

Eyes wide, Pershing nodded in understanding, eyes flitting between you and Din rapidly, then darted where Cara had disappeared before landing back on you. “Understood.”

Xxx

Fennec’s talk had caused the clouds to break, but your mind was still overcast and dreary; thoughts dark and dismal pulling you into another spiral you were fighting hard to stay on the edge of, and not get sucked down under. So far you’d kept your head above water, but with every kick to tread and stay up, you were getting more and more tired.

Staring out one of the side viewports of Boba’s ship, you watched the stars crawl lazily by, as your arms crossed over your chest held you tight. The soft clink of beskar clad steps came up behind you, the looming hover of the cool metal just out of reach as he stood a mere breath away brought a soothing wash over your skin.

“You’re not going to say anything?” You mumbled after a long moment of silence.

“Mmm-mmm,” he hummed, the gentle shake of his head causing the fabric of his cowl to brush the back of your head. 

“Thank you.” A deep breath. “Why not?”

“Do you want me to?”

You shrugged. “Not particularly.” You smirked at his huff of laughter. “Everyone else has, though. Including you. Just figured we’d come full circle and it was your turn again.”

He shrugged this time, the motion jostling him a bit closer, just enough that he was barely touching you. “You’re going to feel what you feel. I can’t change that by telling you over and over that I think it's wrong.”

“But you do?”

He sighed. “Mesh’la….” He closed the last breath of distance between you, pressing his chest along your spine. “I’ve said my piece. You know how I feel, what I think. Me beating you over the head with it like Peli adjusting something on the Crest isn’t gonna change anything.” His modulator lowered down beside your ear. “All I can do is stay here and keep fighting alongside you, hopefully beating whatever is winning in that head of yours…. Because it’s wrong. And I hate what it’s doing to you.”

You smiled to yourself. “It’s just me up here.”

“That’s not the full you. That’s the broken you. I know because….” He sighed. “Because I’m a little bit broken, too.”

The silence sat comfortably between you for a long moment. When you finally spoke again, your voice was soft, but felt harsh in the new quiet you’d found.

“How are you not falling apart?”

“Who says I’m not?” He didn’t miss a beat.

You let out a snort, a sardonic chuckle chasing after it as you shook your head gently. “That’s not fair, you have armor to hold you together.”

“It’s not the armor.” His voice was quiet, but he spoke with a conviction that made your breath catch in your chest.

Your conversation from back on Coruscant came back to you.

“I’m sorry I scared you, years ago.”

“What do you-”

“You’re right. You do wear armor. And I can only imagine how it felt to have something break past those defenses.” 

It was nearly silent as you studied his visor, your reflection staring back at you in the low light. The only sounds were Grogu’s snoring, the muted drone of traffic several levels up, the quiet lull of street noises from below, and both of your quiet breaths.

“I hope you know you don’t have to keep wearing it for me.” Your eyes flitted between his, despite the visor. Somehow you knew. “If you want to, that’s okay. I understand. That’s part of who you are. But….” You took a surprisingly shaky breath, and his hand came to rest on your hip, his thumb tracing soothing patterns while he waited for you to finish. You had to screw your eyes shut to focus on the last few words. “But I just wanted you to know. I’d be your armor if you needed- wanted me to.”

You couldn’t bring yourself to open your eyes, the darkness so much easier to hide in. How ironic, since you had just offered him a way out of something similar.

The next thing you knew, the cool touch of beskar against your forehead for the third time tonight made you take in a shuddering breath.

“I’d like that,” you heard him rumble lowly, making you smile. 

A long moment passed with just the two of you and shared space before you finally opened your eyes. “What’s going on in there, Tin Can?”

Din huffed out a soft laugh as he gave your hip a gentle squeeze. “I can’t decide which is prettier armor. You or beskar.”

Your arched brows of curiosity fell flat along with your tone. “Really?”

“You asked.” You could hear the smile in his voice.

“Okay. Moment’s over.” You pushed away from him, your hands already resting on his chest pressing him onto his back in the process.

“Mesh’la, come on. I was only teasing,” Din protested over a laugh, reaching a hand after you as you got under the covers.

You looked up at him, unimpressed. “If you say, ‘we both know it’s the beskar’, joke or not, so help me, a bad bed roll will be the least of your back pain worries.”

His hand recoiled slightly as if you had burned him. “Okay, that’s fair.”

You smirked. “I thought so.”

Turning, arms still cradling your upper half, you tilted your head back to look at him straight on. Staring into his visor, your reflection the only thing looking back at you, it took everything you had to fight the sinking feeling in your gut. “Din, I don’t know if I can do this anymore.”

He crowded further into your space, making your head tilt back even more. “Do what?”

“Keep going. I know I have to, and I will for the kid, for you, but…. I feel like I’m about to break.”

“Then break.” His arms slowly came around your waist.

“What?” Brows knit in confusion, you blinked up at his visor.

“Go ahead and fall. I’ll catch you.”

“Din-”

“Remember on Tatooine when you decided to use the Force to shoot the packets?” You nodded. “It zapped you so fast you couldn’t hardly stand up, but I stood right there behind you, and kept you up, until it was too much. Then-”

“You let me fall.” Smiling softly, you leaned your face into his cowl taking a much needed deep breath, what felt like the first in a while. He smelled like plasma, and smoke, faintly of Morak, something simply him, and….. home. 

Suddenly the air didn’t feel so oppressive, gravity wasn’t pushing you down so hard. Unwinding your arms from around yourself, they found their way around Din, holding him tight. They found their way home, knowing exactly where to go.

“Mmm-hmm,” he hummed into your hair, his grip around you cinching tighter. “I let you fall back into me, then I made sure you were safe until you were ready to try again.”

“How did I end up with someone like you in my life?” You mumbled the words lazily into his cowl, the corners of your mouth curving further up.

The smile on his face was evident in his tone. “You’re a really great bartender.”

Xxx

Din was able to track Bo-Katan and Koska down on some backwater planet you didn’t even know the name of. At this point it didn’t really matter, they were all bleeding together. You just wanted to get a team together and get the kid. And if that included killing or maiming a Moff in the process…. Well that was just fine with you. Anyone who would steal and torture a child deserved the absolute worst punishment. Especially if that child was Grogu. Was yours.

Walking into the local cantina, you hovered behind Din and Boba, all three of you standing tall as the patrons started to notice you one by one. Conversations went silent, laughter dying out as they realized who exactly had darkened their doorway. They began to flee the building, some of them being sly about it, others just blatantly running past, but no one wanted to linger when two more bodies in beskar walked through the door.

One or two pointed to the saber on your hip, and a sense of pride swelled in your chest. Let them see. You may not have a suit of beskar, but a saber carried just as much infamy. Hopefully it kept more of the Gideon’s of the galaxy away from you and yours.

The cantina slowly emptied until it was just Bo-Katan and Koska eating at a table on the far end and your little party of three. A handful of patrons had waited until the bounty hunters had walked all the way through the establishment before they bolted, jostling you where you stood, still by the door. 

Leaning against the frame, arms across your chest, you sighed as a Rodian inched past you cautiously, and you swore a wary smile was tugging up one side of his face but you knew that was impossible.

“I need your help.” Din’s voice was gruff.

Bo-Katan sighed. “Not all Mandalorians are bounty hunters.” She wasn’t wearing her helmet, and neither was Koska, so nothing was there to hide the annoyance on her face as she turned toward your little party of three. Her eyes flicked up and down Boba before landing back on Din’s visor. “Some of us serve a higher purpose.”

“They took the child,” Din explained in a heavy tone, the hesitance in his words slowing them down to something almost broken. Reluctant.

That got her attention. “Who?” To her credit, her features melted into genuine concern, the wheels in her head already turning to plot a rescue.

Din answered without a moment's hesitation, his voice once again the low, confident growl you were used to. “Moff Gideon.”

You made your way further into the cantina, leaning on your right shoulder against the pillar beside Din, nodding once to Bo-Katan when she met your eyes.

She returned the gesture before her gaze fell down to the knife on your belt and a fond smile briefly turned up her features before it melted away just as fast. “You’ll never find him.” She turned back toward her plate of food, Koska doing the same beside her. 

Boba turned to look at you, his head tilting to the side in explanation instead of speaking, then lifted his visor toward Din. “We don’t need these two. Let’s get outta here.”

Bo-Katan’s attention immediately snapped toward the green set of beskar, her body angling toward him as she spoke. “You are not a Mandalorian.”

“Never said I was.” Boba only turned his head to peer at her across his shoulder. The movement was almost lazy, and it made you want to snicker. His voice was somewhat bored, and you leaned your head back into the pillar, settling in for the show.

“I didn’t know sidekicks were allowed to talk,” Koska finally piped up, directing her sarcastic comment toward Boba.

This made you push off the pillar, your arms coming to rest on your hips near your belt laden with weapons. Keeping your eyes on the other Mandalorian, you stayed back when Boba subtly held his arm out to stop you. This was his fight. 

Sidling up to their table, he chuckled dryly. “Well if that isn’t the Quacta calling the Stifling slimy.” He pulled up short when Koska got to her feet and stood right in his face. “Easy there, little one.”

Stepping closer the minuscule amount left between them, her nose practically brushing against his visor, she issued further threats as her head bobbed side to side for emphasis. “You’ll be talking through the window of a bacta tank.”

Your hand slowly lowered to your blaster hanging in the holster on your belt.

Bo-Katan held out her hand toward the two Mandalorians, her tone exasperated. “All right, easy. Save it for the Imps.”

Lowering your hand off of your blaster, you straightened your spine as Koska sat back down in her seat, and let out a breath you didn’t realize you were holding.

Din thankfully moved the subject along. “We have his coordinates.”

The look of surprise on Bo-Katan’s face was priceless. “You can bring me to Moff Gideon?”

“The Moff has a light cruiser. It could be helpful in your effort to regain Mandalore.”

“You gotta be kidding me. Mandalore?” Boba turned to Din. Taking the few steps back toward the shiny Mandalorian, his voice had taken on disbelief. “The Empire turned that planet to glass.”

Bo-Katan was seething. “You are a disgrace to your armor.”

At that point you tuned out. Anything else was just going to upset you. Boba was your friend, and Bo-Katan was needed to get to Gideon. You’d pick a fight if you kept listening to her hurling insults about him being a clone, but you took a page out of Boba’s book, and let it roll off your back. 

All sound faded out for a moment, the silence so loud it was distracting. You stared blankly at the wall behind everyone.

Din settled into the pillar beside you, leaning against his left shoulder, and drawing you out of your trance. Smiling softly at the tilt of his head and heavy sigh that followed, you arched a brow at him in question. 

His shoulders rose and fell with another sigh, the words coming out on the exasperated breath. “Might as well get comfy.”

Your brow tilted further up into your hairline, the corner of your mouth trying to match it. “Why? What’s happening?”

Koska was thrown into a nearby table by Boba, the stone shattering under the impact, sending dust and rubble skittering across the floor.

“Mandalorian argument,” Din grunted.

“Doesn’t an argument usually involve words?” You asked, settling your spine against the pillar, watching as Koska and Boba exchanged blows.

Leaning his head to his left toward you, you tilted yours to the right to meet him in the middle. “This is a special dialect of Mando’a,” Din teased.

Both of you split apart almost lazily as Koska’s feet flew into the pillar, ran across its surface while her jet pack ignited and sent her head over heels in a flip, Boba’s head locked in her grip the whole way.

You came back together as if nothing had happened, resuming your previous positions as the green beskar landed on the ground with a thud, popping up just as fast and two opposing flamethrowers ignited, meeting in the middle in a shower of flames.  

“Enough! Both of you!” Bo-Katan barked in annoyance.

When the fires didn’t go out, you rolled your eyes, pushing off the pillar and flipping over the wall of heat, igniting your saber and making it zing off your vambrace.

Their flames sputtered to a halt as sparks flew from your armor. Bo-Katan bowed her head to you once in thanks, her eyes wide. You returned it, a tight smile on your face as you disengaged the blade. 

Bo-Katan continued pointedly, eyes flicking between the two Mandalorians. “If we had shown half that spine to the Empire we would’ve never lost our planet.” She turned to Din. “We will help you. In exchange, we will keep that ship to retake Mandalore. If you should manage to finish your quest, I would have you reconsider joining our efforts. Mandalorians have been in exile from our home world for far too long.”

“Fair enough.” You could tell Din was just saying what she wanted to hear. He had no intentions of joining her cause. It made you smile softly. Ever the diplomat…. Give or take some aggressive negotiations.

“One more thing. Gideon has a weapon that once belonged to me. It is an ancient weapon that can cut through anything.” Her eyes fell to the hilt of your saber now hung back on your belt as you made your way back to Din’s side. 

“Almost anything.” Koska looked at you pointedly before turning her gaze to Bo-Katan.

“It cannot cut through pure beskar.” Bo-Katan held Koska’s stare, then her eyes fell to your vambraces before they returned to Din. “But then your riduur already gave us an example of that.” Before you could say anything she continued. “I will kill the Moff and retake what is rightfully mine. With the Darksaber restored to me, Mandalore will finally be within reach.” (“Partner.”)

Your head began to swim again. So much rested on one man. Kriffing Moff Gideon. The restoration of Mandalore, the reunion of a clan, the mending of your heart…. It was all becoming a bit overwhelming. All it took was one little thing going wrong, and…. Just one thing….

Din peered down at her, his voice stable and calm. “Help me rescue the child and you can have whatever you want. He is my only priority.”

That shouldn’t hurt like it did. You knew he meant it only in the sense of her eagerness to fight Moff Gideon, but you couldn’t help but take it personally. It burrowed down under your skin and stung more than a prick from your training remote.

What did you expect?

It was always the kid.

You knew that.

You were always second.

Suck it up and move on. 

The voices in your head made you angry, and what’s worse, sounded a lot like you. There was no kyber to blame, no unseen force pulling at strings…. It was just your messed up brain.

You had to get out of there. Din would understand. He probably saw you as a liability already anyway. 

A shuddering breath filled your lungs as you took a step backwards towards the door. That last thought made you sad.

If there was one thing you never wanted, it was to be a burden for him. But looking back, that’s all you’d ever been. He’d had to teach you, feed you, house you…. There’s not a moment where he wasn’t devoting his time to keeping an eye on you. He gave the kid more freedom than you.

Turning, you strode out of the cantina, ignoring Din’s calls at your back.

“Mesh’la!”

Finally a gloved hand wrapped around your elbow, pulling you to a stop, but not before you ripped your arm out of his hold.

Rounding on him, you turned to stare at his visor with a flat expression and took a step backward. “What?”

He slowed to a stop about a foot away from you. “I should be asking you the same thing!”

“So much is riding on this one man. Everything…. If just one thing goes wrong…. And I don’t…. I don’t know what I would do if….” Arms crossed over your chest, you held his gaze. “I just finally put it together, Din. He’s your only priority, you said it yourself. I’m nothing but a burden here. I can’t teach the kid, you have to teach me everything, from flying the ship to fixing it to defending myself…. You never let me out of your sight! It’s like…. I finally got it. I’m a liability, so I’ll just go.”

Turning, you didn’t even make it a step before you froze again at the sound of his voice.

“Mesh’la….” When you wouldn’t turn around, he continued. “I don’t let you out of my sight because I can’t.” You scoffed. “I don’t want to. You’re the first thing I want to see each morning and the last thing before I fall asleep.” His voice got closer. “In fact, that’s one of the reasons I don’t want to sleep, because I don’t want to miss a second.” He drew closer still. “Yeah, I’d call you a liability, but for the first time, I’m willing to have a target on my back if that means I get you in my life. You’re a liability because if you left, I don’t know what I would do.”

You huffed. “What, you can’t find someone else to watch the kid?”

“I can’t find someone else to make me laugh.” Din didn’t miss a beat. He continued down his list as if it was ready made on the tip of his tongue. “To put all the blasters in the weapons locker backwards because they know it annoys me. I can’t find someone else who’s had me in a chokehold from the moment I saw them. I don’t like people, you know that. But I really, really-”

“Tolerate me?”

You didn’t have to turn around to know his weight had shifted to one leg, his head tilted to the side in disbelief. “Yeah. That’s it. I tolerate you. I tolerate you bad.” 

You couldn’t help the chuckle as you rolled your eyes.

His voice was closer when he spoke again, the gravel of the planet crunching underfoot as he drifted slowly nearer to you. “I tolerate you a lot. All the time. You walk in the cockpit and it’s just like the first time I saw you all over again. You make me act like an idiot.”

You huffed out a laugh. “Well, at least we can agree on that.”

“My brain stops. I forget what I’m doing.” His chest was pressed along your spine now, his hands on your upper arms, modulator by your ear as he went on. “It’s dangerous. So yeah, you’re a liability.” His grip on your arms tightened. “Good thing I’m in indestructible armor.”

The snort of laughter fell out before you could stop it, more coming out to meet it as soft chuckles buzzed out of his chest and along your skin as he closed his arms around your upper body, pulling you tightly to him. 

“Gar cuyi ner aliit. Ni kar'tayli darasuum gar. Gar cuyi ner mir'sheb bal gar utreekov kar'tayli darasuum gar, cyar’ika.” His voice was low and quiet, but happy. (“You are my family. I love you. You are my smartass, and your idiot loves you, darling.”)

Lifting your hands up to rest on his still around you, you couldn’t fight the grin crawling up your face. “Bal gar mir'sheb kar'tayli darasuum gar.” (“And your smartass loves you.”)

His helmet pressed into the crook of your neck, the buzz of his modulator tickling your skin. “I’m sorry I made you feel that way. I should have phrased what I said to Bo differently.” He groaned softly. “Ni cuyi gar utreekov, partayli?” (“I am your idiot, remember?”)

You turned in his hold, pressing your forehead to his. “Ni kar'tayli. Ni kar'tayli gar. Gar cuyi ner kar'ta, partayli?” You sighed, closing your eyes. “I’m sorry I overreacted. I’m just so on edge since everything with the kid, and I…. Thank you for understanding. And thank you for fighting for me, Tin Can. Even though it’s not much of a risk with that indestructible armor.” Your eyes flew open, looking at the T of his visor through your lashes and cocking one eyebrow skeptically. (“I know. I know you. You are my heart, remember?”)

“Shi par gar,” he whispered, his voice tight with an obvious smile. (“Only for you.”)

Xxx

Once everyone boarded Boba’s ship, a plan started to form. Before the group huddled around the holotable, you noticed Koska quietly complimenting some of the weapons stowed in a cluttered corner of the deck. You smiled softly as she and Boba fell into a brief amicable conversation about how he acquired the items, their scuffle back in the cantina long forgotten.

With a roll of your eyes you continued toward the rest of the party. Mandalorians.

Din stood at the back of the group as usual, hands tightly gripping his belt as he watched the others set up the display. The leather of his gloves creaked in protest with every flex of his hands against the thick strip of material around his waist.

Leaning into his side, you pretended to adjust his bandolier, speaking softly so only he could hear. “You okay?”

His visor turned down toward you in question, so you silently slid your hand down toward the hand closest to you, prying it from his hip and slipping your fingers through his with a gentle squeeze.

He let out a sigh, his shoulders relaxing slightly. “Yeah. Sorry. Just…. We’re almost there.”

You turned your head so you were facing the wall behind you, keeping the conversation completely private. “Din Djarin nervous?” Your eyes flicked up to meet the T of his visor, along with a smirk. “Well that’s a first.”

“And that’s a lie,” Din grumbled. “You do all kinds of things that make me nervous.”

“Aw,” blinking your eyes an absurd number of times, you rested your free hand on his chest. “That’s sweet.”

“It wasn’t a compliment,” he groused. “I meant things like cooking and fighting. Just normal, everyday things.”

Patting his chest plate a few times, a tight smile pulled up your features. “I know.” With one last squeeze of his hand, you leaned in and whispered, “We’ll talk about it later.”

Din swallowed roughly. “See? Things like that.”

A holo of a massive ship spun in front of Bo-Katan’s face, painting her features in a soft blue glow. “This is Moff Gideon’s Imperial light cruiser. In the old days it would carry a crew of several hundred. Now it operates with a tiny fraction of that.” She smiled smugly as she watched the hologram spin.

“Your assessment is misleading.” All eyes turned to the soft voice of Doctor Pershing where he sat perched in a seat right in front of you. He may be soft spoken, but he wasn’t afraid to speak up, and you admired that.

Placing your free hand on his shoulder, you smiled down at him reassuringly when he glanced up your way, nodding once to encourage him to go on. 

“Oh, great. An objective opinion.”

Cutting your eyes Cara’s way, you made sure to shoot her a look through narrowed eyes and furrowed brows. She only shrugged in return, sending your eyes rolling.

“This isn’t subterfuge. I assure you.”

“Let him speak.” Bo-Katan’s interest surprised you, but the more you thought about it, it really didn’t. If the information he had was true, it affected every aspect of her plan.

Pershing let out a sigh. Relief washed over his face, his shoulders rounding forward as he let out the breath. “There’s a garrison of dark troopers on board. They’re the ones who abducted the child.”

That seemed to get Din’s attention. “How many troopers do they have armed in those suits?”

Now that he was back under the scrutiny of a beskar gaze, Pershing sat up a little straighter, hesitating slightly, his eyes fixed on the floor. You didn’t blame him. Those visors were intimidating. “These are third-generation design. They are no longer suits. The human inside was the final weakness to be solved. They’re droids.”

“Where are they bivouacked?” Fennec’s voice was uncharacteristically soft, making you tilt your head at her curiously. 

Pershing got to his feet, shooting you a glance, his face pulled into a tight expression before he focused solely on the holo, pressing a short series of buttons. “They’re held in cold storage in this cargo bay. They draw too much power to be kept at ready.”

“How long to power up?”

“A few minutes, perhaps.” Pershing’s tone never flustered. You half expected him to crack after a few minutes, but he truly was just a soft, kind, well intentioned man stuck in the middle of a horrible situation. 

He didn’t even crack when Din asked him another question. 

“Where is the child being held?”

He just pushed another button, the holo filtering through layouts until it settled on the one he wanted, and he began to explain. “This is the brig. He’s being held here under armed guard.”

Pershing turned back to look at you once again, and you nodded, offering him a smile which he was quick to return before settling back into his seat.

Bo-Katan wasted no time. “Very well. We split into two parties.”

“We go alone,” Din was quick to interject, his hand gently squeezing yours.

“Fine,” she said after a moment, shifting her weight, then launching into the rest of the plan. 

You didn’t pay any attention. You probably should have but you couldn’t.

Turning your head toward the wall once again, you stood on your tiptoes to get closer to Din’s ear. He tilted his head slightly to meet you halfway. You opened your mouth to say something snarky, a joke of some sort, but your breath caught in your throat, making you swallow instead. 

Din turned his head to look at you, and it was all you could do to hold the gaze of his visor.

Letting out a quiet huff of air, you whispered a “Thank you,” before your voice stopped working altogether, the emotions lodged in your throat a formidable foe.

The cold touch of his beskar came to rest on your forehead for only a moment before he was turning back to continue listening to the plan. I guess it’s good one of us was, you thought with a snort.

His voice pulled you back into the conversation. “And us?”

Bo-Katan turned to face him, in full planning mode. “We’ll be misdirection. Once we draw a crowd, you slip through the shadows, get the kid.”

“Those dark troopers? They’re gonna be a real skank in the scud pie.”

“Oh, Cara. Ever the optimist,” you sighed, walking over to a seat next to Pershing and plopping down beside him.

“It’s not my fault the Imps are using super droids now!”

“Didn’t say it was….” You massaged the bridge of your nose, eyes screwed shut.

“So what do you suggest? We just wave you at them and they go flyin’?”

Your hand fell to your lap with a slap. “That’s not how the Force works, and you know it.” A smirk started up your face. “But I could throw you at them, knock a few over….”

Cara tilted her head at you, features pulled tight in annoyance.

“Can you two do this later?” Fennec sighed.

“Oh, so it’s okay for two Mandalorians to destroy the inside of a building on a whim, but I can’t insult my friend with a verbal jab when I want?”

“Basically…. Yeah.”

Both you and Cara gave Fennec the look.

“Their bay is on the way to the brig.” Bo-Katan changed the subject pointedly, her gaze flicking between the three of you before finally landing on Pershing. “Can they make it there before they deploy?”

He seemed to mull it over for a moment. “It’s possible.”

“Here.” Fennec pulled something off of the side of Pershing’s uniform and offered it to Din. “Take his code cylinder and seal off their holding bay. Anyone else, we can handle.”

You tilted your head back to look up at Din where he stood behind you, a mischievous smirk crawling up your features. “They ask for a face to scan this time, let me handle it…. Brown eyes.”

He shook his head at you before turning back to the group. “We’ll meet at the bridge.”

Xxx

The ship bumped gently through hyperspace, blue and silver streaks casting everyone in dancing shadows. It was unusually silent in the cockpit of the stolen Imperial shuttle, everyone’s mind on their tasks ahead. 

When Bo-Katan finally spoke, though her tone was quiet, the sound of a voice made you jump. Din snorted in amusement where he stood beside you, the laughter only growing when you reached out to shove his shoulder in annoyance.

“I can’t believe you,” you mumbled. “Don’t laugh at me.”

“Don’t be funny, then,” he countered dryly, turning his visor down toward you.

Glaring up at him, you couldn’t help the quick twitch upward of your lips, opting instead to try and hide it with a roll of your eyes as you focused back on what Bo-Katan was saying.

“Moff Gideon is mine. Got it?”

“Not if he’s mine first,” you mumbled.

Cara stopped cleaning her rifle, and that was how you knew she meant business. “He’s ex-ISB. He’s got a lot of information.” She set the rifle in her lap. Your eyes went wide. She was serious. “I need him alive.”

Bo-Katan sighed, shifting her weight in her seat as she pressed a few buttons on the controls. “I don’t care what happens to him as long as he surrenders to me.”

“Prepare to exit jump space.” Boba’s voice over the comms made you smile. He was on his ship with doctor Pershing. 

“We could freeze him,” Boba offered when the question of what to do with Pershing came up.

You leaned in close to him, ignoring his skeptical expression from his seat opposite your own. “Your carbonite chamber is broken, remember?” Tilting your head, you narrowed your eyes. “Or are you just getting that old, old man?”

Boba turned to you with wide eyes. “He doesn’t know that,” he hissed, jerking his head subtly toward Pershing. 

The man was sitting just a few feet away, trying to give the impression of not listening in to a conversation about his fate.

“For what it’s worth,” he finally chimed in, holding up one finger and swallowing roughly before going on. “I-I d-d-don’t think c-carbonite is n-necessary.”

Boba sighed as Pershing turned to look at the two of you. After a long pause, Boba gestured with one hand for the man to go on. “And why is that?”

“Um.”

“Very compelling.” Boba looked at you pointedly.

The snort of laughter that escaped you in a huff caught you off guard, but the snickering that followed it didn’t. Leaning forward in your chair, you put your hand on Boba’s shoulder, ignoring the way he arched a brow and looked at it like it was a broken hyperdrive. “Come on, friend. It won’t be a problem. Because like you and I, he is also a friend. And friends help each other, don’t they?” Boba slowly lifted his head to hold your gaze once again, simply staring at you, his brows flat and unamused. You gave his shoulder a little shake, and your voice a slight edge. “Don’t they.”

He sighed. 

You smiled, releasing your vice-like grip on his pauldron back to something more forgiving. “They at least don’t freeze each other in carbonite.”

Boba hummed in thought, leaning back in his chair with his arms crossed over his chest. “You’ve never met some of my friends.”

As your hand fell into your lap, you stared at him, smile stuck on your face in disbelief. You blinked once, twice. “What?”

“Copy that.” Bo-Katan smiled softly. “Get the hell out of there as soon as they clear us to dock. And your shots have to look convincing.”

Boba huffed out a laugh. “Power up those shields, princess. I’ll put on a good show.”

“Watch out for those deck cannons.” 

Looking at Bo-Katan with wide eyes, your eyebrows narrowed in confusion before you looked up into Din’s visor, one brow rising into your hairline. “Well. That bridge was mended fast,” you muttered under your breath. 

Din simply shrugged one shoulder in response, his head shaking slightly as if to say, “Don’t look at me, I’m just as confused as you are.” 

Probably more, you thought with a grin as you turned back toward the viewport.

Boba muttered something under his breath. Then his voice softened, an undercurrent of something almost concerned painting his tone. “Don’t worry about me. Just be careful in there.”

“You be careful out here, old man.” Your words whispered for only yourself to hear, a tight smile pulled up your face when Fennec snorted out a soft laugh to your left. Her eyes met yours, a gentle shake of her head her only response before she focused back out the viewport. 

Silence settled once again throughout the cabin, this one a bit more tense than the first. It was time. On the other side of this jump lay uncertainty and conflict…. But it also held your heart. You were one stop away from healing. And for some reason that made you grip the handle by your head tighter. 

Koska’s soft countdown pulled you back into the moment at hand. “Exiting hyperspace in three, two, one…”

The ship lurched, sending you stumbling forward slightly as the streams of hyperspace slid into streaks of silver stars. Gideon’s light cruiser loomed through the viewport, filling the space from end to end and growing as the ship approached it rapidly.

Boba shot at the shuttle in bursts, both ships weaving back and forth as the bolts narrowly missed the hull.

You could almost hear Boba’s voice in your head. “That was my warning shot.”

Bo-Katan called out a fake mayday, asking for help from the cruiser, but everyone exchanged a nervous look when a response came back to clear the way for TIE support.

As she tried to call the bluff, heading straight for the landing bay as planned while yelling something else into the comms, you shifted your weight to avoid falling as she took a particularly aggressive turn to the right. The quick upward motion of the ship that followed knocked the wind out of you with a huff.

“I hope she fights better than she flys,” you leaned toward Din, grumbling about Bo-Katan and groaning as she swerved again, sending you stumbling into his chest.

His arms wrapped around your waist, one of them reaching up to grab onto the handle for stabilization as he peered down at you with a slight tilt of his head. “This feels familiar.”

A snort of laughter had you tucking your face into his cowl with another groan. “Yeah, it’s almost like we need to make better friends, or at least some who fly with some sense of survival.”

“We haven’t died yet.”

“Yet is the key word there.”

Streaks of green from TIE fighter blasts shot past the viewport, illuminating the cabin on their way past.

Closing your eyes, you focused on the nearest enemy ship, reaching out through the Force in an attempt to send it spiraling through space when a hand on your shoulder stopped you short. Blinking your eyes open, you turned down toward the grip to find a gloved hand holding you tight.

“Uh-uh,” Din’s voice was low, similar to the way he admonished the child. “Don’t even think about it.”

“I was just….”

“You were just nothing. Nope. I don’t wanna hear it, mesh’la.”

Arms crossed over your chest as you faced forward, you cut your eyes to the side to glare at him. “You’re no fun.”

He nodded once in agreement, not even bothering to look your way. “I’m the absolute worst.”

Before you could respond, the ship lurched again, the mechanical whirr of the wings folding in for landing vibrating the floor under your feet. 

“Hang on!” Fennec yelled, holding on to the bottom of her seat as if bracing for impact.

A quick glance through the viewport showed sparks beginning to fly as the transport touched down inside the cruiser with a massive jolt.

Din held you close with one arm, the handle overhead with the other. You gripped his cowl with both hands as if your life depended on it.

Reaching out with the Force one more time, you searched for the other half of this elaborate plot to get onboard the cruiser, feeling him just on the edge of your awareness before he blipped out altogether. “Boba’s clear,” you breathed on a sigh.

The ship came to a shuddering halt, the screech of metal on metal filling the air along with a thick smoke that obscured most everything.

“Leave some for us,” you mumbled to Bo-Katan as she passed by you toward the lowering ramp, blasters drawn and ready.

You couldn’t see her face because of her helmet, but you could tell from her tone that she was smirking. “I’m not making any promises.”

The first wave waited for as many of the enemy to surround the downed transport before they stormed the hangar, the bay a storm of blaster bolts raining down and jet packs sounding off. 

The sounds of troopers screaming and issuing hollow threats grew further and further away, until they reached the other end of the hangar, finally coming to an abrupt end with a single shot. It was over almost faster than it had begun, silence filling the hangar after a matter of moments.

Both you and Din hung back in the cockpit, watching the whole thing on a display until the party disappeared through a door on the other side of the hangar.

“We’re clear,” Bo-Katan’s voice filled the transport from the comm on your hip. “Give us two minutes then go.”

Din pushed a button on the side of his helmet to reply. “Copy that.” He began to follow you toward the ramp. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

Bo-Katan snorted. “This is the Way.”

Xxx

Din POV

Din chuckled as he came to a stop a few feet behind you, simply watching in silence. The thick smoke almost concealed you even just the short distance in front of him, but it was just thin enough that it swirled around you in some sort of eerie embrace that kept you still in his sights. 

If he was being honest, that’s how things had felt lately since the kid had gone - hazy and unclear. But there was always you somewhere in the middle of all the muddle to grab his hand and pull him through.

If he was being brutally honest…. That was how things had always been with you. Not just lately. Not just sometimes. From the time he met you, everything else seemed to slip into a fog and if it wasn’t for your guiding hand, he’d truly be lost.

It wasn’t that he quit finding joy in other things in life.

But those things meant nothing now if he couldn’t share them with you. Somehow. If he couldn’t find a way to bring them, or himself, back to you.

Din smiled and sighed quietly to himself, walking the last few steps silently.

There was time for all of this later, right now…. He had to get the kid.

You both had to get the kid.

This clan of three had been a clan of two for too long.

Xxx

Normal POV

Standing at the top of the ramp, arms crossed, a smirk crawled up your face.

“What are you doing?” Din’s voice behind you didn’t startle you for once, making the turn of your lips grow.

Trilling the fingers of your right hand, you watched the smoke tendrils near the bottom of the ramp curl and unfurl as you manipulated them slowly; the smile on your face going nowhere anytime soon.

“Having fun.” Tilting your head back to look at him with a broad grin, your fingers still moving in slow swirls, you chuckled softly at his amused sigh and gentle shake of his head. “What? Is there something else I’m meant to be doing?”

“Scoping out the hang-”

“It’s clear.” The smirk returned as you straightened your head to scan the docking bay. “Not a single life form left after our first wave went through. Well, aside from one.”

“Where?” Din drew his blaster, head instantly on a swivel as he surveyed the hangar.

“Right…. Here.” You sent the smoke swirling around him, making him swat at it, batting it away with an annoyed groan as you laughed. “Then again, could be a false reading. Been told bounty hunters are heartless.”

Din grunted, holstering his blaster as he closed the distance between you. “Oh, I’ve gotta heart. Want me to prove it?”

You laughed as your back hit the frame of the opening at the top of the ramp, Din crowding into your space. “I know you do, I know you do. I was only teasing. Kriff, you’re so easy to mess with sometimes.” 

Hands on his chest, you tried to push him off. Grunting in frustration when he didn’t move, you arched a brow and peered up into his visor, a soft laugh tumbling out despite yourself. “Hey. Shiny. Let me go. We have work to do. Little green kid. This big?” You held up your hands between you for reference. “Eats everything in sight? Cute as can be and stubborn as a tooka under threat of a bath?” 

Din just kept staring down at you, his head tilted slightly to the right. You pushed on his chest again with another grin. “Remember him? Hey!”

“There she is.”

You huffed out a breath in confusion as you stared up into his visor. “What?” 

“You’re laughing again. Smiling. You should do that more often.”

Staring over his shoulder absently, you realized you felt content for the first time in a while. “Yeah, I guess I am.” Meeting the T of his visor, you felt a smile climb your face like it was the most natural thing. “I guess it’s because the kid is so much closer for the first time since he was taken. I can feel him, Din. It’s like a part of me that was missing is whole again.”

“You can sense him?” He sounded breathless.

You nodded.

“Is he alright?” He was almost hesitant, but hopeful nonetheless.

Reaching out to wrap yourself around the familiar aura, you felt your soul begin to mend its broken parts. A soft laugh tumbled out as you felt a streak of mischief you knew all too well, followed by hunger, then love.

“He’s going to be okay.”

Xxx

Moving around the cruiser was easy, the team that went ahead of you drawing most of the attention of the crew that remained.

You and Din slinked through the hallways like shadows, evading the few troopers you came across without issue. 

An abandoned blaster in one lone hallway caught your attention; without thinking, you went to step out into the corridor to get it, stopping short when the neckline of your shirt cinched tight around your neck. Sputtering, you were jerked back into a beskar wall by a lone, gloved finger in the back of your collar.

“What the hell, Din?!” You hissed as you reached up to tear your top out of his tight grip.

His other hand came up to cover your mouth as two troopers walked by at the end of the hall. The hand in your shirt slipped down around your waist to pull you both further back into the shadows.

“You could have just said something,” you mumbled against his palm, rolling your eyes at his world weary sigh. With a flick of your wrist, you summoned the blaster to you from its spot on a lone crate across the corridor. Turning it over in your hands as you examined it, you hummed softly in thought. “Can you let me go now please?” His hand was still over your mouth so the words were completely jumbled.

“Will you stop trying to cross the street like a drunken baby wookie?”

You sighed into his hand, eyes staring up at the ceiling. “It’s a hallway, not a street, Din.”

“You’re not helping your case, mesh’la.”

You flipped the blaster to stun. “Does that help my case?”

Din heaved another sigh, lowering his hand and nudging you forward out of the alcove. “Let’s go. We’re almost there.”

As a smirk crawled up your face, you followed after him.

“Why have you become so violent?” He mumbled.

“I’ve learned from the best,” smirk melting into a grin, you jammed the blaster into the back of your pants.

Din turned down a hall on the left, then the right, before going straight down another long corridor. Every surface was shiny and reflective. Sterile. You wanted out of here as fast as possible.

Din groaned quietly. “Why do I feel you’re not talking about me?”

Both of you answered his question in unison. “Cara.” You nodded while his head tilted to the side before straightening.

Another left turn.

“Now see,” he mused, stopping to check the layout on the nav in his helmet. “I was going to say Fennec.”

Straight.

Your face twisted in thought. “I could see that…. She-”

He pulled you into a little alcove just as another two troopers walked by, causing you to collide with his chest with a soft thud. The troopers stopped at the sound, peering down the hall you were tucked just out of sight in, making the two of you press further into the wall and by extension, one another. Holding a finger up to your lips, you waited for Din to nod in acknowledgment before staring blankly at the wall next to his shoulder, deep in focus. 

After a moment, both troopers jumped slightly, looking behind them, then ambled off in search of the phantom sound you’d caused down the hall.

“I can’t believe you jumped,” one said.

“You did, too!” The other protested.

“Did not. I was just trying to turn around before you did.”

“Sure,” his friend said sarcastically.

“You know what,” the first one started. “If you don’t stop coming after me, I’m going to tell the Moff about the time you….”

Their voices faded around the corner, soft sounds of bickering trailing to nothing after a few moments.

Din chuckled, looking down at you, but made no effort to move. “You’re very handy to have around.”

You smirked. “Thank you.”

Xxx

A short while later, after just a few twists and turns, you came around a corner that had Din pressing a button on the side of his helmet to pull up his nav, his blaster drawn in the other hand. 

“This is it,” he mumbled, reaching down and pulling out the code cylinder from his belt. Glancing at a panel on the wall a short ways down the hall by a set of doors, his steps picked up as he hurried toward the controls, breaking into a sprint with a sudden, “No. No!” when the doors began to hiss open.

He clicked it in just in time, sending the doors the opposite way, but not quite fast enough for his liking. In a split second he had shifted his weight and began to fire his blaster through the small crack still left open between the two doors. 

You thought it all was over until two hands, two mechanical hands, the same hands you'd seen wrapped around the child on Tython, slipped through the remaining sliver left between the doors and pried them open.

Despite Din’s relentless open fire, the droid continued forward, pulling one arm back and punching Din square in the front of his helmet which sent him flying back into the wall. The droid then opened the doors enough to slip through before they slammed shut behind it.

Menacing red eyes stared lifelessly as it stalked closer to Din.

“Hey, bolt brain!”

The droid turned its head to look at you with a mechanical whirr, and you wasted no time. Charging toward your opponent, you did the attack that was second nature now. It was instinct. 

“Not today, grease breath,” you mumbled as you leapt into the air, wrapping your legs around the neck of the droid in an attempt to take it down.

But instead of both of you going down in a pile of limbs, the droid reached up, grabbed your thigh in its inhumanly tight grip, pulled you from its shoulders, and flung you to the floor as if you weighed nothing. 

The hallway sped by in streaks of dull shine, your skin screeching across the floor until you finally came to a stop several yards away. Nothing was really processing in your mind at that point past, “Well, that didn’t work.”

Suddenly it was like fire was shooting up your leg. Looking down at your thigh near where the droid had grabbed you, there was a tear in your pants, and underneath that a deep, angry gash that looked almost like a burn.

Din had kept firing at the droid while you made your attack, and it seemed a blaster bolt had ricocheted off of the monster and nicked your leg. The more you thought about it, the more it began to hurt. Pain radiated into your lower back and down into your foot, a hiss of discomfort passing through your tightly drawn lips. Biting back a moan, your jaw ticked to the side as you ground your teeth through another wave of agony.

But you didn’t have time to dwell on any of this, even though it had all occurred in just a matter of seconds.

The droid had already set its sights back on Din and had lifted him up against the wall by his throat, holding him in place as it released punch after punch into his visor.

Your only comfort was that his beskar was sure to hold up.

“Din!” You cried out, pushing up onto your palms, the movement causing a new wave of pain to shoot through your leg. Grimacing as you looked down at the wound, your attention was pulled over your shoulder as the platoon of dark troopers left in the bay began to pound on the doors to try and get through.

Turning back toward Din, you reached out as much focus you could offer right now, the wound tugging at the edges of your consciousness and making the lights in the corridor go blurry. The wall behind his head collapsed and a gas line began to fill the hallway with a cloud of the noxious fumes. He was suddenly sending energy down toward his flamethrower, so you withdrew from your mind and engaged your vambrace as well. 

The two pillars of flame met in the middle, dousing the droid in fire and sparks, but it didn’t even seem to slow it down at all. It just looked down at its body as the mechanics moaned and groaned under the heat, then lifted its head back up to look at Din before throwing him down the hall as the droid’s body somehow put out the flames. 

“Din!” You cried out again, anger boiling in your stomach as you watched him slide across the floor and could do nothing to help him. “Dank farrik!”

He was right under the panel and reached up to pull the handle to eject the rest of the dark troopers, but just as his fingers touched the metal, the droid grabbed his leg and tugged him back to the other side of the hall. It took a few steps toward him, then leaned back on one leg and kicked Din in the chest, sending him sliding further down the corridor.

As the droid opened fire at the beskar clad warrior, and Din returned the favor with his whistling birds, you took the opportunity to crawl and get your back up against the wall next to the panel. Relaxing into the durasteel for just a breath, you focused and reached out with the Force, flipping the lever with an unseen hand.

It struggled at first, flickering against the wall as if it didn’t want to move despite your clear intentions for it to just go. The transparisteel at the top of the door between you and the dark troopers cracked from top to bottom. One more hit and they were coming through. As one of the droids reared back to deliver a final punch, the handle flipped, sounding an alarm and opening the bay doors at the back of the area, sucking them all out into space. 

Smirk on your face, you looked up and watched as the dark troopers were pulled away from the small window at the top of the door. “Bye, you sons of-”

You were cut off by the sound of beskar through metal. Turning your head, you looked to find the droid crumbling into a pile of sparks and broken parts at Din’s feet, the beskar spear firmly in his hands. Reattaching the spear to his back, he let out a breath, his shoulders rising and falling with the effort before he turned his head and saw you perched on the floor.

He was quick to rush over to you, crumbling himself to land on his knees at your side, his hands a contradiction as they trembled, moving slowly toward the wound on your thigh. “Did I?”

“Ricochet,” you corrected him quickly. “When I jumped the droid. Got me good. Just…. Just help me up.”

His shoulder went under your arm immediately as he got you to your feet. “You should head to the bridge. I’ll find the brig, get the kid, and-”

“No.” He met your eyes with his visor, and you held his gaze, eyebrows raised in challenge as you tilted your head to the side. “Din, no. He’s part of my clan, too. I’m coming with you.”

He sighed. “Mesh’la….”

Standing up straighter, trying to take more weight on your bad leg, you stumbled a few steps away from him, or at least attempted to. He didn't let you get but a few inches away before his arm was back around your torso again in support. “At least I didn’t shoot you!”

“I didn’t shoot you,” he grumbled, adjusting your weight against his side. 

Staring at the side of his helmet in a deadpan, you couldn’t help but notice there wasn’t even a scuff mark from where the droid had unleashed its fury. That settled you a bit. But not enough to calm your annoyance. “You shot me.”

He rolled his head in exasperation. “It bounced off the death droid.” Turning as a unit, you both began down the hall toward the brig, Din carrying the brunt of your weight on his shoulder.

You snorted a laugh. “According to you, all droids are death droids.”

“Not the point- Don’t change the subject!”

Now you were snickering. “I didn’t.” Clutching his cowl in your hand thrown around his neck, you gave him a gentle, playful shake. “You shot me, he’s my family, too, so I’m coming. End of story. Now let's go.” You tried to walk a little faster, but with a Mandalorian literally strapped to your hip, it didn’t work very well.

After a few steps down the hall, Din spoke softly. “Bolt brain?”

Turning your head, you found his visor studying your face. “Well I couldn’t exactly call it Tin Can, that’s already taken, isn’t it?”

He nodded before you both continued down the corridor, walking in silence.

“I’m sorry I used your name.” The sigh was second nature now. Just part of being friends with the Mandalorian.

He looked at you. “I’m glad you did.”

“Really?” Your eyes flicked over his visor, every curve and angle spectacularly unaffected from the fight.

Din’s head tilted to the side affectionately, his voice soft. “Yeah.” Coming to a stop, he held your gaze for a quiet moment. “You…. I want…. Use it from now on.”

All you could do was nod.

The two of you turned your focus back forward to once again hobble towards the brig.

It was another minute or so before he spoke again. “I liked grease breath.”

“Really?”

He was obviously smiling. “Yeah.”

Xxx

It took a bit longer because of your injury, but you eventually made it to the brig, only one cell indicating a life form.

You could sense him, and it brought a smile to your face, but you could also sense a…. The smile began to melt just as Din waved his hand over the panel to open the door. “Wait,” you tried, but it was too late.

Pushing off of his side, you stood on your own despite the pain. Din looked to you in question before turning toward the cell once the door was open, his shoulders tensed in understanding.

On the bench in the cell sat Grogu waiting patiently in tiny little binders. Standing beside the kid was a man you could only assume was Gideon, a saber drawn and held precariously close over Grogu’s head. You’d seen enough Imperial officials on Coruscant to be able to read the rank on his uniform.

Din had his blaster drawn in an instant, taking aim the only words needed as he held the gaze of the Moff.

“Ah ah ah,” Gideon chided with a smug smirk, waving the saber over the kid’s head. Any closer and the little hairs on his head would begin to singe. It made your blood boil. If he hurt a hair on his head…. “Drop the blaster. Slowly.” Once Din had done what he’d asked, he gestured to you. “And the one you stole back in the hallway.”

You froze, hands inches from gripping the new blaster tucked into the back of your pants. How did he know? Tossing it aggressively onto the floor next to Din’s with a sneer, you cocked your hip to the side and crossed your arms over your chest, fingernails digging into your biceps to distract you from the pain in your leg.

“Now kick them over to me.” Din held his arm out to keep you in place, knowing you’d probably try to lob them at the Moff with a well placed kick. He nudged them gently across the floor toward the man. “Very nice.”

“Give me the kid.” Din’s voice was gruff and down to business, no room for messing around.

“The kid is just fine where he is.” Angling the saber back and forth, admiring it as he waved it slightly over the kid’s head again, a small smile climbed Gideon’s face. He met your eyes. “Mesmerizing, isn’t it? Used to belong to Bo-Katan.” His gaze flicked to Din, noticing how he shifted his weight just slightly. “Yes. I know you’ve been traveling with Bo-Katan. A friendly piece of advice, assume that I know everything. Like the fact that your wrist launcher has fired its one and only salvo.”

With a flick of your left wrist, your vambrace whirred to life. “I haven’t used mine.”

Din held out his arm again to hold you back. “Where is this going?”

You reluctantly disengaged the vambrace, studying the saber as the Moff spoke. It was like nothing you’d ever seen. The blade was black with brilliant white energy crackling along the edges, almost giving it the appearance of lightning on a dark night. It hummed at a different frequency than other sabers, you noticed, and the blade had a different shape than you’d ever seen, almost coming to a point at the end. It was truly beautiful, and you could see why it would be something to war over. 

But it didn’t hold your interest nearly as much as the tiny little green face that sat just beside it. The giant eyes blinking slowly up at you in love and trust despite the situation. Not a hint of fear coming off of him. How did you deserve a love like that? How had that come into your life?

“Almost done, ad’ika,” you sent to him through your mind.

His ears perked up at the sound of your voice in his head, but then his features twisted up in concern, eyes falling down to your wound before coming back up to meet your gaze.

“I’ll be okay. Let’s just get out of here first, okay?”

Grogu grunted softly, unamused, but turned his attention back to the Moff, and you did, too.

“You keep it. I just want the kid,” Din was saying, indicating the saber. You think.

You really needed to pay more attention, you groaned to yourself.

Gideon nodded. “Very well. I’ve already got what I want from him. His blood.” His what? “All I wanted was to study his blood.” A bad feeling ran down your spine. “This child is extremely gifted…. and has been blessed with rare properties that have the potential to bring order back to the galaxy.” He really thought this was an okay thing to be doing…. “I see your bond with him.” That was abrupt. “Take him, but you will leave my ship immediately and we will go our separate ways.” This didn’t feel right, but nothing on this ship did.

Arms crossed over your chest, you scoffed. “Gladly.”

Din turned to you, his voice low. “Go to the bridge.”

Your head snapped to the side to look at him. “What?” Did you just hear him right? Surely he didn’t…. There’s no way…. 

He took the smallest step toward you, his hand coming out to rest lightly on your elbow. “You’re injured, we’re almost done here….” His grip tightened, your wide eyes falling down to study his steady touch before quickly pulling back up to his visor. “Go to the bridge and tell them to get the ship ready. We have a deal to honor.” His thumb traced your upper arm once before his touch fell away, the ghost of his fingers trailing down to take your hand in his. “Once I have the kid, I’ll meet you all back on the transport and we’ll go home.”

Words weren’t working in your head. Nothing was working right now. Say something. “But-” 

“Mesh’la.” For some reason, you felt if you could see his eyes, they would be pleading. “Go. Now. Please.” Din’s hand released yours, the heat from his fingers wrapped around your own evaporating almost instantly in the cold, lifeless interior of the cruiser, haunting you with its memory.

Taking a few steps backwards, ignoring the pain shooting through your leg, you stepped into the hallway, pausing for a moment to stare at Grogu, then Din before turning and starting toward the bridge. You were tempted to glare at the Moff, but he wasn’t worth your time.

You were just about to round the corner when you heard the zing of kyber on beskar.

Without hesitation you turned and ran back toward the room, your wound forgotten as you charged for the door. “Din!”

The Mandalorian backed out of the doorway blocking blow after blow from the Darksaber, the Moff unrelenting in his attacks.

Din finally gained some ground and got his feet under him, gaining some distance between himself and Gideon, enough to right himself and pull his beskar spear as he slowly circled the Moff.

Stop.

A voice you didn’t recognize echoed through your head, ringing as if it were a hammer striking steel.

Stop. No. 

It echoed like it was in a cavern and not on a cruiser.

This is the Way.

As you skidded to a stop in the middle of the hall, you called out his name again. “Din!” You were behind him, but he didn’t turn to look at you, the only indication he heard you his shoulders tensing at the sound of your voice.

Ad. (“Daughter.”)

What was that voice?! And now it was speaking Mando’a?

“Go,” Din ordered gruffly. 

Slanar. (“Go.”)

You wanted to roll your eyes as the voice agreed with your Mandalorian. Of course it did.

“No.”

Ib’tuur jatne tuur ash’ad kyr’amur. (“Today is a good day for someone else to die.”)

If you didn’t know any better, you’d say the Darksaber was talking to you…. Before you could really focus on the blade in the Moff’s hand, Din was moving again. 

“Go,” he yelled again, raising the spear to strike at Gideon, sparks flying on impact. “Now!” He blocked a few more blows from the saber before they leaned into each other, the heat from the kyber causing the spear to turn red hot.

Ret’urcye mhi. (“Maybe we’ll meet again.”)

Okay, mysterious voice. You win this round. You and the Tin Can.

Grunting in frustration, you turned on your heel and ran as fast as you could to the bridge. As you charged through the doors, you held up your hands as at least four blasters were aimed at you. “It’s me, it’s me. Only me.”

“Where’s-”

“Back there,” you grimaced, gesturing over your shoulder with your thumb before you collapsed to the floor clutching your leg.

Cara and Fennec were quick to help you over to a chair, propping your injured leg up on a seat across from you, while Koska sealed the doors and Bo-Katan checked surveillance in the halls.

“I don’t see them,” she said, filtering through several feeds.

“What happened?” Cara asked.

“Blaster ricocheted and got me. We found Gideon and the kid, they made a deal.”

“A deal?”

You nodded to Fennec, grimacing as you clutched the wound on your leg tight.

“He wants us off the ship in exchange for the kid. Mando- Din told me to leave and come here, let you all know we’ll meet back on the transport. Then next thing I know I hear Gideon going at him with the Darksaber-”

“And you didn’t help him?”

You glared at Cara. “Of course I kriffing tried to. Dank farrik, Cara, What else do you think I would do, just sit and watch? Run back here faster? Some other third option?” She rolled her eyes at you, leaning against the console at her back. You sighed, relaxing in your seat, head lolling back and hand coming up to cover your eyes. “He told me to go. Again.” Letting your hand fall down to your lap with a plop, you looked between your two friends. “So I did.” You shrugged. “What else was I supposed to do?”

“He knows what he’s doing,” Fennec offered softly. “He’s only trying to keep you and the kid safe.”

“Yeah, well I am pretty good at that myself,” you grumbled. Before anyone could say anything, you screwed up your face like you’d eaten something sour. “I know, I know.” Arms coming to cross over your chest, you pouted like a petulant child. “It’s not the same.” 

“At the end of the day, what matters is that you’re both able to come home. Does it matter how that happens? Who does the saving?”

All three of you turned your heads over to look at Bo-Katan in unison.

She wouldn’t hold your gazes for long, her eyes falling back to the screen with the surveillance feed. “He’s here at the door…. With the Moff.” She looked at you pointedly, her voice softer and a smile tugging up her face. “And the kid.”

You sat up straight, turning toward the entrance as you waited for the doors to hiss open. Koska punched the button, stepping to the side to give you an unobstructed view, and you could have sworn a soft huff of laughter passed through her modulator.

As soon as Din came through the doors, the kid in one arm, the Darksaber ignited and extended down to the side in the other, the atmosphere in the room shifted. It was like all the air was sucked out. You almost had to glance around and make sure a stray blaster bolt hadn't pierced the viewport and caused a slow leak.

Power radiated off of him as his grip tightened around the hilt of the weapon, his gloves creaking in protest against the pressure while he followed behind Gideon who’s wrists were bound with binders at his front.

The Moff’s eyes were downcast, but they landed on you briefly, sending a shiver crawling down your spine. Sitting up a bit straighter, not wanting to let him win any satisfaction, you grunted in pain slightly when the stretch pulled on the wound on your thigh. Letting a short breath out through your nose to cover the pain, you suddenly forgot all about it when the corner of Gideon’s mouth quirked up in amusement at your suffering.

“The droids miss far less than the troopers,” he mumbled as he passed by you, letting out an annoyed huff as Din nudged him forward toward the rest of the party with a push that was a little more forceful than necessary. 

Din turned his attention toward you, his helmet doing a quick once over from your head down to the floor and back up again. When he saw your leg propped up on the seat in front of where you sat, he disengaged the saber and hurried over to you, kneeling at your side and ignoring your protests.

“I’m fine. Din, I’m fine.” You sighed as he set the saber down on the floor, gently placing Grogu in your lap and inspecting the wound up close. “I’m fine.”

“No, you’re not,” he grumbled, reaching for a medkit tucked under one of the stations next to you.

“No, stop it,” you tried to push his hands away as he went to set the kit on your uninjured thigh beside the kid. “Ma- Din, no.”

“Mesh’la,” he sighed, flipping the top of the kit open, groaning in annoyance when you flipped it back shut with an unseen force.

He kept opening it, a total of two more times, only for you to slam it shut again, this time applying a little extra pressure to keep him from being able to open it again. 

“I’m fine.”

His forehead came to rest on your knee where he knelt in front of you, a heavy sigh rounding his shoulders. 

“Mesh’la….”

“Will you just look at it, you overgrown Tin Can?” You couldn’t help the amusement coloring your tone.

Din lifted his head to look up at you. “I did. It’s-” Turning his gaze down to the small tear in your pants from the blaster bolt, he realized the wound was no longer red and angry, no longer open, but neatly mended skin, fresh and healed. “….gone. It’s gone.” Pulling his visor back up toward your face, tilted slightly in question, you shook your head in answer before looking down at Grogu, smile widening slightly.

Looking between the two of you, Grogu let out an unimpressed grunt before he climbed up onto the control panel at your side, scrambling over your lap and arm of your chair in the process.

Whispers began to circle you, faint and indecisive. You looked down to the hilt of your saber accusingly, but it sat quiet, contentedly on your hip almost as if the kyber was sleeping. The voices surged, making you inhale sharply through your nose to try and not draw attention to yourself, when you realized they were coming from the saber in Din’s hand.

Standing near the front of the bridge, Din gave one of his signature sighs as he turned his attention from the Moff, extending the saber with one hand. He was offering it to Bo-Katan. “And now it belongs to her.”

We belong to no one, the voices surged again, clear as the smirk on Moff Gideon’s face as he watched the exchange between beskar warriors.

Unlike back in the hallway, it wasn’t just a singular voice, it was many. It was different. But there wasn’t time to sit and dwell on the variances between the voices in your head. Shaking your head gently, you focused back on the whispers currently curling into your mind.

They weren’t modulated, but you felt as if the voices belonged to those of Mandalorians past, as if the blade spoke for Mandalore. And in a way, you guess it did. If it had chosen the Mandalorian people, that kyber spoke for a nation. Suddenly it made the taunting voice of your own blade seem small. Insignificant.

Your kyber didn’t like that, didn’t like being pushed to the side, being made to feel small, and started to hum, the vibrations filling your mind with an annoying frequency you couldn’t shake.

It spoke for Mandalorians.

So why was it speaking to you?

Before you fully registered what you were doing, you found your feet had carried you closer to the Moff, something in his demeanor not sitting quite right in the back of your mind. This was too easy. 

The pull of the Darksaber drew you further in, its gentle ebb and flow of energy washing softly over you like cresting waves. It was every bit like Mandalorians, at least the ones you knew. Rough around the edges, intimidating and brilliant. But its aura was also soft, and somewhat inviting if you knew where to look. Underneath the rough exterior and harsh lines it offered a warmth unlike any other…. Like a certain beskar clad bounty hunter you knew.

No voices came anymore, but the hum morphed into a steady pulse, almost like a heartbeat, the higher pitch of your purple kyber beating in tandem with the low thrum of the dark blade.

The hum faded slightly to the background as an alarm started blaring at one of the stations, pulling all eyes over toward the sound.

“The ray shields have been breached. We’re being boarded,” Fennec said, going over to the console and disengaging the alarm, her eyes wide on the screen.

“How many life forms?” Bo-Katan asked, walking toward the station.

No matter how far you reached out, you didn’t feel any life forms beyond this ship. And that thought made your gut sink. “None,” you mumbled to yourself.

Fennec turned to the group, swallowing roughly. “None.”

Everyone sprung into action, the slap of footsteps on the deck echoing in your head. The hollow thud thud thud of each boot fall ricocheting in your ears made it seem like the space was spinning slowly. 

Din picked up Grogu and set him on the floor by the nearest console, leaning up against its side. “Don’t worry, kid. We’re gonna get you out of here.”

The air was tense as everyone stood in silence once they’d reached their positions. It sounded strange when Fennec called out an order. “Seal the blast doors.” Her voice a stark contrast to the low drone of the ship.

All eyes were on the door once you pressed the button and the extra layer slipped between you and the dark troopers. It was only a matter of time before- 

Then Koska said what you’d all been dreading. “They’re here.” Glancing at the small screen, she turned back toward the door, lifting her blaster higher.

It was odd to know an enemy awaited you so closely and yet you could sense nothing. Not a flicker, or a spark, or a-

Thud.

Thud.

Thud.

Thud.

The metal door moaned under the pressure, and began to crumple in the center from the repeated strikes of the dark troopers’ fists. 

Blow after blow, the durasteel bent further, nearly separating in the center to reveal your enemy on the other side. 

Every pair of feet shifted nervously, trigger fingers twitched with each thud. 

You saw Cara toss her head to the side slightly, her eyes fluttering shut for just a moment before they flew back open as she rolled her shoulders back.

Bo-Katan held two blasters up at the ready, and for all accounts seemed steady. But you saw the shallow breaths she was taking. You knew how to read the body beneath the beskar.

No one in here thought they were walking out. 

At least, not all of you.

There has to be a way, you thought, turning toward Gideon. 

He was grinning.

“Make them stop,” you ordered gruffly, never lowering your blaster from its aim at the door.

As Gideon began to laugh, you made a split second decision and turned your blaster on him, switching it to stun mode. But he didn’t know that, you just wanted him to hear the whir of the mechanics as it came to life, a very clear threat to make him sweat.

The Moff surveyed the team surrounding himself and the Mandalorian, all weapons besides your own drawn and pointed at the doors as the constant thud thud thud of the dark troopers banged against the durasteel. But he only smiled wider as he looked at the crumpling steel, then at Din pointedly, completely ignoring you. “You have an impressive fire team protecting you. But I think we all know, after a valiant stand, everyone in this room will be dead…. but me…. and the child.” His eyes landed on you again, and it seemed like something went unsaid, but you didn’t get the chance to press him on it.

Rolling your eyes, you glared at him. “Can someone please shut him up?” 

An alarm began to beep from one of the consoles, a ship through the viewport catching your eye. 

Koska went over to turn off the alert. “An X-wing.”

Letting out a huff, Cara adjusted the rifle braced on her shoulder. “One X-wing? Great. We’re saved.”

After closing the distance between herself and another console, Bo-Katan pressed a button and spoke into the built in comm. “Incoming craft, identify yourself.”

Grogu had perked up the moment the ship had flown by, and it had made your spine straighten, too. When his tiny eyes met yours across the room, you smiled softly, lowering your blaster before switching it to safety and holstering it once again. 

Nodding to the child, you both tilted your head almost as if you heard something and smiled a bit more broadly. “I feel it, too, kid.”

Fennec spoke quietly, her voice a mixture of hope, but also wariness. “Why did they stop?”

That’s when you realized the steady thump thump thump of the dark troopers had gone silent. A glance at the screen on one of the consoles showed they all stood facing away from the door. They were ready. Waiting. 

Din looked at you, hands on your hips easily as you held the kids' gaze, then at Grogu, his large eyes blinking slowly but wide and alert as he looked up at you, and Din realized you both were completely at ease. Then he turned to Gideon, holstering his own blaster. 

Seeing the Mandalorian put down his weapons after a cue from a bartender and a baby, you couldn’t help the grin on your face as you looked down at the Moff, your voice quiet. “It’s over.”

Gideon scoffed. “It’s one X-wing.”

Taking a step closer, you shook your head, your voice a tad firmer. “It’s done.”

Bo-Katan lowered her blasters as she went to the console with the screen. She watched in silence as a lone figure emerged from the X-wing, ignited a saber and began to clear out the dark troopers. “A Jedi?”

The smugness melted off of Gideon’s face, and it made something in your chest pull tight in satisfaction. “What’s the plan now, Moff? Didn’t plan for a laser sword?”

Gideon hummed in thought. “Didn't account for two….”

Turning your attention back on the now silent door, everything seemed to stretch out. Time elongated, a second was like a minute, the space in front of you once only feet suddenly looked like miles. Nothing looked right, everything felt off, and you realized you heard absolutely nothing at all. No chatter, no alarms, no calming breaths as one of your friends stabilized their blasters.

Something was about to happen. 

The voices and the hum surged once again, tumbling back into your consciousness along with every other sound from the deck. They began to spread out, time almost seeming to slow further with them, and a low thrum filled the space in between. 

The hairs on the back of your neck stood on end, and everything in your body told you to turn back around and face Gideon.

Turning as fast as you could, but what seemed so slowly, like you were moving through water, you saw the Moff pull a blaster and fire off a few shots at Bo-Katan, bolts of light ricocheting off her beskar left and right before she fell to the ground.

Reaching out, you sensed she wasn’t injured, so you kept eyes on the Moff, everything slowing down further as he turned to take aim at Grogu. 

But this time it was different. While everything else slowed, it was like you were moving incredibly fast.

You could sense the intent of the others before they acted, so you knew Din was going to dive in front of the kid to block the bolts with his armor, Cara was going to disarm him, and Fennec would make sure he didn’t move with the end of her blaster aimed strategically at him.

The scene resumed normal speed to your mind, everyone playing their part to a T. Din slid in front of the kid, shots bouncing off his armor, and every set of eyes on the deck was aimed at the Moff as he froze, blaster still pointed toward Din.

“Drop it!” Fennec barked, her rifle whirring to life as she took aim, Koska and Cara following suit.

After a quick glance around, Gideon pushed the barrel of the blaster up under his chin.

“Oh no you don’t,” you muttered, starting forward.

But before he could pull the trigger, Cara had knocked it out of his hands with the butt of her rifle, then whacked him in the face for good measure.

Moving faster than the air around you, you were at his side, towering over him with your saber drawn. Tip of the blade at his throat in seconds, you let out a long breath as all the voices and hums silenced themselves at once.

“Did you account for three?”

As soon as you ignited the blade, all the chitter and humming stopped. The quiet drone of the ship flying through space and the beep of consoles sounded so much louder than before as you focused on the tight expression of the Moff.

Gideon glanced at you down the length of the blade, fear in his eyes, but also something cocky. “Just as I thought,” he mumbled.

Before you could ask what in the hell he meant, the kid cooed near the screen displaying the rogue Jedi clearing out the ship, pulling your attention away for just a moment. It was such a relief to have him back in your line of sight again, you almost forgot about the villain at your feet. Almost.

Gideon continued to stare at you, the smirk on his face crawling ever higher, while the amusement in his eyes unnerved you.

“What?” You muttered lowly, trying not to draw the attention of everyone in the party to what felt like a private conversation.

The smirk melted into a broad grin, which in turn pulled your brows further together in question.

“Nothing. I’ve just had a realization, is all,” the Moff mused. “When all of this is over, and the dark troopers have left me the only one standing…. Perhaps I can be convinced to include you in the deal, as well.”

Your eyes narrowed to slits, the end of your saber getting just enough closer to his skin that any facial hairs would shrivel away from the heat. It followed him up as Gideon got back to his feet with a groan, Din stepping in to make sure the binders around his wrists were fastened extra tight. 

“You still think this is going to go your way?” Grip adjusting on the hilt of your saber, fingers stretching then tightening into a sturdier hold, you grinned as the Moff glanced down at the purple blade and swallowed tightly.  Letting out a huff of air, you held his gaze once it pulled back up to yours. “Fine. I’ll play. And why would I want that?”

Despite his nerves, his grin took a wicked turn. “You seem the type to be on the winning side.”

In a matter of moments you’d disengaged your saber, and closed the few steps left between you. A quick jab of your elbow to his chest knocked the wind out of him, then you flipped it in your hand to jam the butt of the hilt against Gideon’s temple, knocking him to the ground; the toe of your boot landed a swift kick near his spine, squarely to his left kidney to keep him down as he tried to scramble back up.

“You’re right,” you said plainly, looking down at him as the rest of the deck looked on in silence. “I am on the winning side.” Leaning down closer toward his face, you enjoyed how he shrunk away slightly. “It’s just not yours.”

“Don’t be so sure about that,” he grumbled, trying to get back upright. Struggling with his bound hands, his cape twisted over his shoulder obstructed his view, which only got worse as he tried to bat it away with his joined palms. The press of Fennec’s rifle into his spine made him still, his eyes fluttering shut as he let out a defeated huff through his nose.

You stayed close to his face, a smug smile turning up your features. “Jokes on you, Moff. I’m not sure of anything.”

Din sighed heavily off to your left, and you could just make out his head shaking in your peripherals, hand cradling his forehead as it continued to rock back and forth.

“Well I am,” Cara said calmly. “And we’re all gonna die if we don’t come up with a plan to fight these walking gear boxes.”

“We don’t need a plan, Cara. It’s being taken care of.” You pointed to the screen.

“One X-wing?” She scoffed. “You’ll forgive me if I have trouble believing that.” Her weight shifted to one side. “We need any ideas to beat these-”

“You can’t,” Gideon laughed. He turned to the side and spit out a mouthful of blood from when Cara had bashed him with her rifle. When he smiled, his teeth were covered in streaks of red, making his threat all the more menacing. He turned to look at Din pointedly. “You had your hands full with one…. Let’s see how you do against a platoon.”

You’d never seen Mandalorians look uneasy, but as you glanced around the deck, every set of beskar was shifting their weight side to side uncomfortably, sharing looks you didn’t like the sound of.

Turning back toward the screen, a sneer started up your face. “Sorry to burst your bubble, Moff, but it looks like you’re a few droids short of a platoon.”

Gideon was suddenly at your ear, but still on the floor at your feet. His words mumbled into his shoulder somehow reached you as if he was right next to you. “I’m trying not to take this personally, girl, but you need to make a choice. All of your friends are about to die. You can either join them, or join me. The kid and yourself would be safe…. Well looked after. I’d just…. Need a small donation of blood from time to time.”

Your eyes widened as you looked down at him. Meeting his gaze, he smirked.

“In the scheme of things, it’s a small price to pay.”

You jerked him up with an unseen force, holding him nearly nose to nose as you gripped your hands in the front of his cape to pull him down to your eye level. Every blaster in the room whirled to aim at the two of you, the whirr of charging mechanics filling the bridge. “The only price I’m willing to pay, Moff, is you at the end of a rope.” 

The man only blinked at you. You saw red.

Your hands clenched his cape so tightly you were surprised you didn’t hear the sound of stitches ripping under the pressure. Tugging him further down, you made him meet you eye to eye. “Now leave my friends and my family alone, you ass.” With a good shove, you pushed him backwards into Cara’s waiting grasp. “Usen'ye, shabuir.” (“Go away, fucker.”)

“The Mando’a language always fascinated me,” he mused, holding your gaze as he taunted. “So many words for such a stoic people. Too bad it’s dying out just like its speakers….”

You were closing the distance between you in an instant. “Ib'tuur jatne tuur gar kyr'amur.” (“Today is a good day for you to die.”)

Din stepped forward, catching your arm with his hand and stopped you short.

Gideon was grinning like a fool. “That’s not a good way to treat someone offering you an out….”

“You’re not offering me an out. You’re offering me a prison.”

“I’m offering you a way to walk off of this ship.”

Wrestling your arm free from Din’s hold - it wasn’t hard, he didn’t put up much resistance - you closed the final step between Gideon and yourself, toe to toe with him in an instant. Without hesitation you dropped to your haunches, extending one leg and spun. Swiping your leg under his, you dropped him back down to the floor with a thump.

Back on your feet faster than anyone could blink, you stared down at the floundering Imperial. “Sorry. Can’t offer you the same courtesy.” You shrugged. “Ni'duraa.” (“I look down on you.”)

Gideon huffed through his nose in annoyance, glaring up at you, but his voice remained calm, and somehow that was worse. “There was a time there was honor among Jedi.” He rolled from his side onto his back, propped up on his elbows.

“I am no Jedi.”

He nodded once, eyes staring across the bridge in thought. “And what of the Mandalorian Creed, where is your honor from that?” Gideons eyes landed back on yours, something in them sparking like he thought he’d won. Like a tooka with a scurrier.

“I am not Mandalorian.”

The Moff’s face crumpled in frustration, and he let out a huff. “Then what-”

You’d had enough. Taking a step closer so the tips of your boots touched the soles of his, you straightened your spine as you glowered down at him. You felt all the other bodies in the room shifting closer to you, whether for support or back up, you didn’t know, but it was appreciated all the same. Closest on your left was Din, the glint of beskar coming into your peripheral and causing the side of your mouth to twitch up. He was just close enough that his upper arm brushed yours. And you knew it was his way of saying “I’m here” without having to say a word.

“No matter what I am, you do not deserve my honor, Gideon. You deserve less than my absolute worst. You tried to destroy my home. You tried to tear apart my family and took my son. You’ve had a bounty on my head for months, and tried to get me killed time and time again. Not to mention whatever sick and twisted things happened in that base back on Nevarro…. I could go on, but you’re not worth the air it’d take to say it all. You deserve less. Less than the least I can give.”

Gideon smirked. “Passionate words for someone proclaiming to care so little.”

This time you smirked, and it made his falter. “That’s the problem. I care too much. But you don’t deserve any of it. I won’t let you. You’ve stolen enough from me. That ends now.”

“And she’s a bartender,” Fennec leaned in to say. “That above all is what matters most in my book.”

Turning your gaze up to look at your friend, brows arched as you shook your head good naturedly, you let your weight shift to one side. “You just want that drink I owe you.”

She shrugged, a smirk working its way up her face now. It seemed to be contagious. “Wouldn’t say no….”

Grogu cooed, resting his hand on the screen as the Jedi waded through the dark troopers as if they were nothing. Quietly moving to stand behind him, you placed your hand on his back gently, rubbing it in soothing circles as you lowered to your haunches to be on his level. “Yeah. I know. I feel it too, kid.”

Din was perched on one knee in front of the console, just to your left. When he spoke, his voice was low, almost sad. “Is it….”

You nodded, eyes never leaving the child. “One of the good ones, Din.”

He hesitated, his head tilting to the side as he looked at his ward. “So Grogu would be safe?”

The quiet warble in his voice pulled your gaze to his visor briefly, but just like always, the hard steel gave nothing away he didn’t want it to.

You looked back at the kid, hand coming up to rub the back of his tiny head. “He’d be with his own kind.” Bringing your hand back down to rest on his small back, you resumed the soothing circles before you stilled, staring at the screen. 

You were looking at the one who would take the kid away from you. After everything you’d just done to get him back. He was here. In your hands, your clan was complete and now it was about to be…. He was going to….

After your thumb traced absent patterns against his tiny, scratchy robes, you let your hand fall back to your lap, clutched tightly in your other.

Din’s visor turned back to you. “That’s not what I asked.” He sounded like he understood, but he also sounded confused, which made you smile softly. That was normal for this subject matter. 

Keeping your eyes on Grogu, you nodded once again, your voice every bit as soft as Din’s had been. “He’d finally get the training he needs. That he deserves.”

Din sighed heavily, his weight shifting slightly. “Mesh’la….” The one leg came up, and he rocked back on his heels so he was crouched beside you.

You continued. “Green sabers are consulars. They are wise. Think things through. This one should make a fine teacher if they adhere to any of the old ways-”

Din’s hand came to rest on yours still clutched tightly in your lap, his voice low in understanding. “Mesh’la, that’s not what I asked.”

Lifting your eyes from where they fell to study his hand on yours, you looked at Din as a sad smile twisted up the side of your face. “I know.” Swallowing roughly, you blinked back tears as you turned back to Grogu. The child was easier to face, yet your heart broke a little bit more each time you saw him. When you spoke again, your voice was barely more than a whisper. “But that’s the only answer I have to give.”

The Jedi was at the door now, taking out the last of the droids, while you and Din shared a long, loaded look over the top of Grogu’s head.

Once everything fell silent, Din turned his gaze down onto the child for a moment, his shoulders rising and falling with heavy breaths.

Din got to his feet, scooping up the kid, and turned toward the front of the bridge. “Open the doors.”

When no one moved, he strode calmly toward the entrance, setting Grogu down on the console you’d been sitting in front of when he’d come in. “I said, open the doors.”

Fennec slightly rolled her head in disbelief. “Are you crazy?”

Din pushed the proper button on the console, and the doors hissed open, revealing a shadowy figure in a cloud of smoke that had a green tint and the soft hum of a saber.

My dream…. You blinked rapidly as flashes of your dream on Boba’s ship replaced the scene in front of you, and they were so close it was hard to distinguish one from the other. It hadn’t been a dream. It was a vision. But then if…. The fight outside the cantina. That meant…. What else had you seen? As the saber disengaged you remembered in a flash reaching for the shadow of the child and he had turned to smoke through your fingers. Gone.

Turning to look at Grogu, you knew where this was going, and your gut sank down to the lower decks below your feet. You knew from the moment you saw the X-wing, if you were being honest, had felt it like the kid had, but…. You could hope, couldn’t you?

The figure emerged from the smoke, tossing their hood back, and suddenly having a form instead of a shadow made this all too real.

You’d just gotten him back.

And now he was about to leave again.

This wasn’t fair.

The hood now pulled back, you saw a young man about your age, blonde somewhat unkempt hair, and kind eyes that seemed to see right through you. It was hard to tell, but the longer you stared, it seemed like he had scars on his face, and curiosity from your days behind the bar nearly got the better of you to ask where they came from. His entire aura was kind and peaceful, a good match for Grogu, but something underneath hinted at something…. haunted. He was plagued by something bigger than him, something he could never shake…. But it seemed to have made him stronger.

Din stepped forward. “Are you a Jedi?” You couldn’t blame him. He’d defaulted into protective father mode. He was just making sure the child would be safe. 

“I am.” The Jedi extended a hand toward Grogu as he peeked around the chair in front of the console Din had set him on. “Come, little one.”

Din hesitated. “He doesn’t want to go with you.” He almost sounded hopeful, and that was nearly as heartbreaking as what you knew was coming.

“He wants your permission,” the Jedi corrected softly. “He is strong with the Force, but talent without training is nothing. I will give my life to protect the child…. but he will not be safe until he masters his abilities.”

Din turned to look at you over his shoulder, and it was all you could do to nod in confirmation. He turned back toward Grogu and went to get him out of the chair.

While Din stooped to pick up the child, suddenly a voice filled your mind. “And what about you, young one? Are you not coming, too?” Lifting your eyes to meet the Jedi’s you saw him focusing on the man in beskar and his tiny ward, only shooting you a fleeting glance before looking away yet again. “I sensed another. I know it’s you. You’re strong with the ways of the Force, like your little friend here. But I also sense much fear, much turmoil in you…. Without training, that will only fester and grow into something I fear you will not be able to contain.”

Shaking your head almost imperceptibly, you reached out into his mind, smiling softly in satisfaction when his eyes met yours briefly in surprise. “Thank you for your concern, Master, but I’ve made it this far on my own. The Force hasn’t abandoned me yet.”

Making your way over to stand at Din’s side, one hand resting on his pauldron to stabilize yourself, you smiled down at Grogu softly. Glancing at the Jedi out of the corner of your eye, you saw him looking at you.

The Jedi returned the smile. “Call me Luke. And it isn’t fear of abandonment that concerns me. It’s the opposite, actually. I fear it will overwhelm you, twist you into something you hardly recognize.”

Din held Grogu in front of him so that they were able to look at one another. His voice was soft and heavily affected, but you could tell he was trying to be strong. “Hey, go on. That’s who you belong with. He’s one of your kind.”

Glancing up at Din, you smiled softly before it quickly melted back towards a frown, your eyes falling back onto the child.

“I’ll see you again.” His voice was broken. “I promise.”

The kid reached up, placing his hand on the right side of Din’s helmet as he blinked his big eyes slowly. You had to look down at the ground to collect yourself. It was easy to forget Grogu was actually older than everyone on this ship until he did something like this, and let a little bit of that wisdom of his years shine through in his eyes. He may not be able to speak yet, but his eyes spoke volumes.

As he looked at Din, words surrounded you.

I see you. I know you. I love you. Thank you. I’m going to be okay. You’re going to be okay. Take care of each other. And something along the lines of Don’t forget to tell Peli I’ll miss her.

You opened your mouth to tell Din everything the kid was saying, but Grogu must have done you one better and passed it on to you both, because after a moment of stuttered breathing, Din reached up and removed his helmet.

Mouth snapping shut, your eyes immediately fell to his chest plate, wide before you blinked back tears. Then they returned to Grogu, a sense of calm washing over you once again.

You kept your eyes on the kid, not daring to look up at Din’s face, his cape clutched tightly in your right hand as your left cradled Grogu’s back. “As long as I have this, I’m not too worried about that.”

“That’s what worries me.” Your eyes pulled to Luke’s in question. “Things change.”

Eyes back on the child, you smiled as he peered up at you with a soft coo. “Some don’t.”

Grogu reached out toward the Mandalorian once again, his small hand touching the side of his cheek that no longer bore a helmet.

While you wouldn’t pull your eyes up to see the look on Din’s face, you felt everything you needed to. The room surged with love and calm, peace…. But also a great deal of sadness and longing. The mix was coming from both of them.

This was exactly what the kid needed, but that didn’t mean it hurt any less. Din called him his son around you once or twice, as did you, but you knew deep down he struggled with the technicalities of that relationship. Their bond was something deeper, more than just father and son, and he knew that. But Din was nowhere close to admitting that yet, and you couldn’t tell if it was that that hurt him more, or the impending absence of the child.

Either way, it swelled low in his gut, simmering in the background as he put on a brave face for his tiny ward.

“All right, pal. It’s time to go.” Grogu whined softly, his ears drooping down toward his shoulders as he peered up at Din. “Don’t be afraid.”

You felt Din’s eyes land on you, the child’s following shortly after. As you peered down into his big wide eyes, tears began to brim in your own. Reaching out and tracing the line of his ear with your finger, pinching the end lightly when you got there, you brought your finger to his small clawed hand, smiling and letting out a breath when he grasped it tightly. With a shaky inhale, you repeated the words you’d said when you thought he was staying with Ahsoka, your voice barely more than a whisper. “I would run for my life a thousand times over if it meant I got to know you again.”

Din lowered to his haunches, setting Grogu on the floor before rising back to his full height. You half expected to see him jerk his head toward the Jedi to motion the kid across, but he just looked at Luke, then down at Grogu, his head tilting slightly as the child clung to his boot and gazed up at him. 

It was a wonder you saw anything as he moved in your peripherals, tears blurring your vision as you stared down at the kid. 

Grogu’s soft babbles filled the cabin, making your heart hurt just as much as the Mandalorian’s responding silence.

The beeps of an astromech droid came from behind the Jedi, pulling Grogu’s attention away from his caretaker, and you let out a soft breath in relief. Din’s hand found its way into your left hand, clutching it tightly while your right still grasped at his cape to keep you upright.

“Last chance, young one,” Luke’s voice drifted into your mind once again. Looking at him, he didn’t even look at you, he watched Grogu and the droid, nodding to the Mandalorian after a moment. Once Grogu ambled over toward the Droid who bleeped and blooped at him, Luke stooped down to pick up the child, lifting back to his full height. Finally, he met your gaze.

“My answer is the same.” You squeezed Din’s hand.

Standing beside him, just slightly behind, you clutched his cape tightly in your hand to ground yourself. His hair in your peripherals was dark, curly, a mess atop his head you wanted to reach up and shuffle into submission.

You kept your eyes straight ahead on the kid in the arms of the Jedi, not allowing yourself to be the reason he broke his Creed. Technically he’d already broken it, removing his helmet for Grogu, but that didn’t mean anyone else could just walk up and stare. No matter how badly you wanted to.

He turned his head just slightly and you saw the dusting of facial hair out of the corner of your eye, grays mixed in with the dark. It suited him.

“Be careful, then.” Your eyes flicked back up to meet Luke’s as he continued. “Be mindful. I fear for the turmoil I see twisting away in you….”

With a small nod of his head, Luke held Din’s gaze once again. “May the Force be with you.” The Jedi’s eyes fell to yours briefly before landing back on the child. “Beware your attachments, young one. They can be your downfall. Even the best Jedi have fallen because of them.”

“You sound like a friend of mine….”

He turned to walk away with Grogu, but not before you caught the smirk starting up his face. “They sound wise.”

“She is. A Jedi herself, actually. Or used to be. Ahsoka Tano, taught me how to jump-” You shook your head. “It’s not important.” You huffed, shaking your head again when you saw Din turn to look at you out of the corner of your eye. “I meant she talks in riddles.” 

“Every great Jedi does.”

“So I’m learning.” You grinned. Looking into Grogu’s eyes one more time as you waited for the door to close, you winked at him, a soft grin pulling up your face. “Goodbye, kid. Don’t eat all the frogs.” He blinked at you with a gentle huff. “Be good.”

You could swear he smiled gently as he tilted his head to the side. He knew what you meant. Be good, yes, don’t cause trouble, but also be good, do your best. Show them what you’ve got.

Images of that first dream the two of you shared flashed through your mind. In the Temple where you covered him, your shadow giving him hope in a dark time, the vision giving you hope on your own difficult days.

“Kar'taylir darasuum. I’ll always love you. I have since before we met, ad’ika.” (“To know in the heart forever.”)

Din lifted his chin in acknowledgment toward the child, the motion blurring in your peripherals through unshed tears right before the elevator slid closed.

You hesitated, taking in a sharp breath before whispering one last word through the Force. “Goodbye.”

As the elevator at the end of the hallway closed, shutting off the last chapter of his story, Din let out a sigh.

Repeating your words from earlier when you first sensed Grogu on the cruiser, they now felt hollow somewhere deep in your chest as you sensed him drifting further away. “He’s going to be okay.” Silence hung heavy in the air, filling the void in your heart with cold, vacant fingers that gripped it tight. “We’re going to be okay.”

Din nodded once, the motion stilted in your peripherals, his voice quiet. “I know.”

Darting your eyes down to his helmet on the floor, you bent down and picked it up, gripping the cool beskar tightly as you stared down at it, careful to not look at his reflection on its shiny surface as he turned toward you.

The rest of the party shuffled out of the bridge, Cara dragging a mumbling Gideon with her. You tried to look at him, but Din’s hand on your chin pulled you back toward him before you could. Swallowing roughly, you stared at his chest piece, blinking once, twice before Bo-Katan’s voice made you let go of a breath you didn’t realize you were holding.

“I’ve programmed the ship to land on- Well, that’s not important. Our temporary base of operations until we take back Mandalore. Things are about to change now that you have the Darksaber. We….” She sighed. “We should talk.” After a moment of silence, she started walking out of the room. “We’ll be back on the transport. Meet us there when you’re ready to head…. Wherever it is you’re headed.”

The door slid closed after her, leaving the two of you alone in the bridge, surrounded by silence, aside from a few beeping panels as the ship slipped through space.

You could feel Din’s eyes on you, his hand still gently under your chin as he tried to tip your head back to look up at him.

Shutting your eyes quickly as he angled your head back, you kept them closed tightly, extending his helmet toward him. “Here.”

The weight of the helmet was removed from your hands wordlessly, before you heard the thud of it resting on the floor again, your eyebrow cocking in question. 

Your breath caught in your chest when his own warm breaths fanned across your face, dangerously close to where you’d thought about him being too many times. Out of instinct your hands wound up into his cowl to pull him the last few inches closer until you were basically one being, every bit of him a part of every bit of you.

Continuing up around his neck, your hands tentatively curled up into his hair, threading through the mess and earning a heavy sigh against your face, his forehead falling against yours softly.

Unable to help yourself, your hands continued exploring, pulling forward onto his face, mapping his features under your fingertips. Holding his cheeks in your hands, you smiled, a soft laugh of relief breaking through before suddenly the distance disappeared and his lips were on yours.

It was tentative and chaste, every bit what a first kiss usually is, but conveyed so much more than you expected, making your breath stop altogether. 

Pulling apart tentatively, lips still ghosting over one another’s, something passed in the silence, an unspoken understanding, before you both surged forward into a deeper kiss, letting it say everything that needed to be said. Everything that was being felt, every burden and elation. The sadness and relief. The complete and utter peace. It was consuming and yet not enough all at once.

Separating just enough to keep your foreheads joined, you took a deep, shaking breath, swallowing roughly as you kept your eyes closed tight, a smile beginning to twist its way back up your face. Still cradling his cheeks, his hands on your hips kept you held close, his thumbs tracing lazily back and forth.

He speaks, and your world stops. Your breathing turns rapid, your heart is about to climb out of your chest, and your stomach twists in some weightless way.

“Open your eyes, mesh’la.”

You’d heard his voice unmodulated many times, but for some reason, this time it caught you off guard, and you couldn’t find the words to respond. 

You pulled away just a bit, mouth opening and closing but nothing came out. Your eyebrows narrowed in confusion, eyes still tightly closed.

Din reached up and put his gloved hands over yours on his face gently, pressing them down, threading his fingers through yours and clutching them tightly, the leather of his gloves creaking as he did. He spoke quietly, his voice nearly a whisper as he said it again, almost pleadingly.

“Open your eyes.”

Xxx

Tags to come!

#din x reader #din djarin x reader #din djarin fanfiction #star wars imagine #star wars reader insert #mando x reader #mando x you #mando x y/n #din x you #din x y/n #din djarin x you #din djarin x y/n #star wars x reader #star wars x you #star wars x y/n #din imagine #din djarin imagine #mando reader insert #the mandalorian #star wars #din djarin #mando #grogu #grogu x reader #the mandalorian reader insert #the mandalorian imagine #the mandalorian x reader #the mandalorian x you #the mandalorian x y/n

[ghostflowerdreams]

While working on this post about California in 1987, I realized that the Lost Boys wouldn't stay at the boardwalk and in their cave all the time. They've probably visited other places like nightclubs, concerts and interesting events. They would definitely have to keep in mind how long it takes to get there though.

For example I can’t picture them driving all the way to Anaheim for a Iron Maiden, Scorpions, Foreigner and Loverboy concert (and yes, there actually was one on July 17, 1982 with them all). If they went it would’ve taken them about six hours just to get there, and that's if they don't get lost or stuck in traffic.

Another thing to keep in mind is that some concerts start at 7:00pm and others at 8:00pm. Depending on when it happens, such as in the summer there's also gonna be more daylight hours. According to this, the sunset on July 17, 1982 was at 8:26pm and sunrise was at 6:02am. With it taking about six hours to get there, they'd end up missing most of the show. They also wouldn't be able to make it back home in time either.

They could get a room and cover the windows, but usually with huge events like this, a lot of motels and hotels in the area get fully booked in advance. I don't think they would risk it, at least, not for events that are far away from Santa Carla.

So...this brings me to the purpose of this post. I want to make a extensive list of nearby concerts and events that they might've gone to. Ya know, before the Emerson family arrived or even before Star and Laddie joined them. I think it'd be fun to know and maybe one day I might write a story about them at a concert or something.

To start off I need an accurate time frame. In the novelization we learn that the events of The Lost Boys film takes place on the last month of summer, July, which is about 2-3 weeks before school starts. This is hinted at in a conversation Michael had with Lucy.

“Mom,” Michael began. “I think I’d like to get a job.” His mother looked up from the sink, a question in her eyes. She didn't ask it. "School's only a few weeks away", she mentioned.

In general, most public schools in California start the school year in mid to late August or early September. If we’re sticking to Santa Cruz as the basis for Santa Carla, that would mean the first day of school is in August. This is why my list starts with January 1, 1980 and ends at July 10, 1987.

Timeline

On January 13, 1980, the American rock band The Grateful Dead, along with Joan Baez, The Beach Boys, Jefferson Starship and Santana, performed at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena in Oakland, California. Ticket Price: $7.50 in advance / $9.00 at the door. Hours: 7:00pm

On March 6, 1980, the American rock band, Eagles and American singer-songwriter Roy Orbison performed at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena in Oakland, California. Ticket Price: $7.50 in advance / Unknown Hours: 8:00pm

On March 28, 1980, the American rock band, Journey and the British rock group, The Babys, performed at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena in Oakland, California. Ticket Price: Unknown Hours: 8:00pm

On April 18 - 20, 1980, the English rock band, The Who performed at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena in Oakland, California. Ticket Price: $12.50 / Unknown Hours: 8:00pm

On May 9, 1980, Friday the 13th was released in cinemas across the country, such as in the Santa Cruz Cinema, the Landmark Del Mar Theatre, CineLux Capitola Cafe & Lounge and so on. Ticket Price: Unknown

On May 21, 1980, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back was released in cinemas across the country, such as in the Santa Cruz Cinema, the Landmark Del Mar Theatre, CineLux Capitola Cafe & Lounge and so on. Ticket Price: Unknown

On May 23, 1980, The Shining was released in cinemas across the country, such as in the Santa Cruz Cinema, the Landmark Del Mar Theatre, CineLux Capitola Cafe & Lounge and so on. Ticket Price: Unknown

On July 13 - 14, 1980, the British rock band, Queen, along with the American rock band, The Blasters, performed at Oakland Coliseum Arena in Oakland, California. Ticket Price: $8.50 in advance / Unknown Hours: 8:00pm

On September 5, 1980, the Australian rock band AC/DC performed at The Cow Palace, an indoor arena located in Daly City, California. Ticket Price: $9.50 in advance / $11.0 at the door. Hours: 8:00pm [x]

On October 9 - 10, 1980, the American rock band, Van Halen performed at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena in Oakland, California. Ticket Price: $9.50 in advance / Unknown Hours: 8:00pm [x]

On December 5, 1980, Flash Gordon was released in cinemas across the country, such as in the Santa Cruz Cinema, the Landmark Del Mar Theatre, CineLux Capitola Cafe & Lounge and so on. Ticket Price: Unknown

On December 31, 1980, the American rock band, Blue Öyster Cult, performed at The Cow Palace, an indoor arena located in Daly City, California. Ticket Price: $9.50 in advance / $11.00 at the door. Hours: 8:00pm

On January 14, 1981, Scanners was released in cinemas across the country, such as in the Santa Cruz Cinema, the Landmark Del Mar Theatre, CineLux Capitola Cafe & Lounge and so on. Ticket Price: Unknown

On February 11, 1981, My Bloody Valentine was released in cinemas across the country, such as in the Santa Cruz Cinema, the Landmark Del Mar Theatre, CineLux Capitola Cafe & Lounge and so on. Ticket Price: Unknown

On February 21, 1981, the American rock band, Santana, performed at the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium, Santa Cruz, California. Ticket Price: $10.00 in advance / $11.50

On March 2 -3, 1981, the American rock band Styx performed at The Cow Palace, an indoor arena located in Daly City, California. Ticket Price: $11.00 in advance / $13.00 at the door. Hours: 8:00pm [x]

On April 15 - 16, 1981, the English rock band, Echo & the Bunnymen performed at The Old Waldorf in San Francisco, California. Ticket Price: $6.00 / Unknown Hours: 8:00pm [x]

On April 25, 1981, the American rock band, The Grateful Dead performed at the Berkeley Community Theatre in Berkeley, California. Ticket Price: $6.50 in advance / $8.50 at the door. Hours: 8:00pm

On May 1, 1981, Friday the 13th Part 2 was released in cinemas across the country, such as in the Santa Cruz Cinema, the Landmark Del Mar Theatre, CineLux Capitola Cafe & Lounge and so on. Ticket Price: Unknown

On June 12, 1981, Raider of the Lost Ark was released in cinemas across the country, such as in the Santa Cruz Cinema, the Landmark Del Mar Theatre, CineLux Capitola Cafe & Lounge and so on. Ticket Price: Unknown

On July 5, 1981, the former lead singer of Black Sabbath, Ozzy Osbourne and featured artist Motörhead performed at the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium in Santa Cruz, California. Ticket Price: $9.50 in advance / $11.00 at the door. Time: Unknown

On August 21, 1981, An American Werewolf in London was released in cinemas across the country, such as in the Santa Cruz Cinema, the Landmark Del Mar Theatre, CineLux Capitola Cafe & Lounge and so on. Ticket Price: Unknown

On October 29, 1981, the English rock band, Echo & the Bunnymen preformed at the Keystone in Palo Alto, California. Ticket Price: Unknown Hours: Unknown

On October 30, 1981, the English rock band, Echo & the Bunnymen preformed at The Old Waldorf in San Francisco, California. Ticket Price: Unknown Hours: Unknown

On October 30, 1981, Halloween II was released in cinemas across the country, such as in the Santa Cruz Cinema, the Landmark Del Mar Theatre, CineLux Capitola Cafe & Lounge and so on. Ticket Price: Unknown

On November 30, 1981, the American rock band, Journey and Canadian rock band, Loverboy performed at The Cow Palace, an indoor arena located in Daly City, California. Ticket Price: $9.50 in advance / $11.00 at the door. Hours: 8:00pm [x]

On February 14-16, 1982, the Australian rock band, AC/DC performed at The Cow Palace, an indoor arena located in Daly City, California. Ticket Price: $12.50 in advance / $14.00 at the door. Hours: 8:00pm

On May 21, 1982, The Road Warrior (Mad Max 2) was released in cinemas across the country, such as in the Santa Cruz Cinema, the Landmark Del Mar Theatre, CineLux Capitola Cafe & Lounge and so on. Ticket Price: Unknown

On May 25, 1982, the rock supergroup Asia performed at the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium in Santa Cruz, California. Ticket Price: $9.50 in advance / Unknown Hours: Unknown

On June 4, 1982, Star Trek II: The Wraith of Khan was released in cinemas across the country, such as in the Santa Cruz Cinema, the Landmark Del Mar Theatre, CineLux Capitola Cafe & Lounge and so on. Ticket Price: Unknown

On June 11, 1982, E.T the Extra-Terrestrial was released in cinemas across the country, such as in the Santa Cruz Cinema, the Landmark Del Mar Theatre, CineLux Capitola Cafe & Lounge and so on. Ticket Price: Unknown

On June 25, 1982, Blade Runner was released in cinemas across the country, such as in the Santa Cruz Cinema, the Landmark Del Mar Theatre, CineLux Capitola Cafe & Lounge and so on. Ticket Price: Unknown

On June 25, 1982, The Thing was released in cinemas across the country, such as in the Santa Cruz Cinema, the Landmark Del Mar Theatre, CineLux Capitola Cafe & Lounge and so on. Ticket Price: Unknown

On July 9, 1982, Tron was released in cinemas across the country, such as in the Santa Cruz Cinema, the Landmark Del Mar Theatre, CineLux Capitola Cafe & Lounge and so on. Ticket Price: Unknown

On August 13, 1982, Fast Times at Ridgemont High was released in cinemas across the country, such as in the Santa Cruz Cinema, the Landmark Del Mar Theatre, CineLux Capitola Cafe & Lounge and so on. Ticket Price: Unknown

On August 13, 1982, Friday the 13th Part III was released in cinemas across the country, such as in the Santa Cruz Cinema, the Landmark Del Mar Theatre, CineLux Capitola Cafe & Lounge and so on. Ticket Price: Unknown

On September 18, 1982, the American band, Eddie and the Tide and the American rock band, Missing Person performed at the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium in Santa Cruz, California. Ticket Price: Unknown Hours: 8:00pm

On October 20, 1982, the British-American rock band, Fleetwood Mac at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena in Oakland, California. Ticket Price: $15.00 in advance / Unknown Hours: 8:00pm

On October 22, 1982, First Blood (also known as Rambo: First Blood) was released in cinemas across the country, such as in the Santa Cruz Cinema, the Landmark Del Mar Theatre, CineLux Capitola Cafe & Lounge and so on. Ticket Price: Unknown

On October 22, 1982, Halloween III: Season of the Witch was released in cinemas across the country, such as in the Santa Cruz Cinema, the Landmark Del Mar Theatre, CineLux Capitola Cafe & Lounge and so on. Ticket Price: Unknown

On November 19, 1982, the English heavy metal band, Judas Priest and the Canadian hard rock band, Coney Hatch, performed at The Cow Palace, an indoor arena located in Daly City, California. Ticket Price: $11.50 in advance / $13.00 at the door. Hours: 8:00pm [x]

On January 7, 1983, the American rock band, Aerosmith and the Canadian rock guitarist and singer-songwriter, Pat Travers performed at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena in Oakland, California. Ticket Price: $11.50 in advance / Unknown Hours: 8:00pm

On March 16 - 20, 1983, the American rock band, Styx, performed at Berkeley Community Theatre in Berkeley, California. Ticket Price: Unknown Hours: Unknown

On April 15, 1983, The Evil Dead was released in cinemas across the country, such as in the Santa Cruz Cinema, the Landmark Del Mar Theatre, CineLux Capitola Cafe & Lounge and so on. Ticket Price: Unknown

On April 26, 1983, the English rock band, The Kinks and the American rock band, Scandal, performed at The Cow Palace, an indoor arena located in Daly City, California. Ticket Price: $11.50 in advance / $13.00 at the door. Hours: 8:00pm

On April 27, 1983, the punk rock band The Ramones performed at the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium in Santa Cruz, California. Ticket Price: $12.50 in advance / $14.00 at the door. Time: 8:00pm

On May 25, 1983, Star Wars: Return of the Jedi was released in cinemas across the country, such as in the Santa Cruz Cinema, the Landmark Del Mar Theatre, CineLux Capitola Cafe & Lounge and so on. Ticket Price: Unknown

On May 28, 1983, the American rock band, Jefferson Starship performed at the Marriott's Great America, which is an amusement park also known as California's Great America in Santa Clara, California. Ticket Price: Unknown Hours: Unknown

On July 2, 1983, the English heavy metal band, Iron Maiden, the English heavy metal band, Saxon and British hard rock band, Fastway, performed at The Cow Palace, an indoor arena located in Daly City, California. Ticket Price: $12.50 in advance / $14.00 at the door. Hours: 8:00pm

On July 14, 1983, the rock singer Joan Jett performed at the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium in Santa Cruz, California. Ticket Price: Unknown Hours: Unknown

On September 4, 1983, the hard rock/heavy metal band, Y&T performed at the Marriott's Great America, which is an amusement park also known as California's Great America in Santa Clara, California. Ticket Price: Unknown Hours: 8:00pm

On September 14, 1983, the American band, Eddie & the Tide performed at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds in Watsonville, California. Ticket Price: Unknown Hours: Unknown

On September 15 - 16, 1983, the English rock band, Def Leppard performed at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena in Oakland, California. Ticket Price: Unknown Hours: Unknown

On October 4, 1983, the American singer-songwriter, Stevie Nicks, and American guitarist and singer-songwriter, Joe Walsh, performed at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena in Oakland, California. Ticket Price: Unknown Hours: Unknown

On October 19, 1983, the Australian rock band, AC/DC performed at The Cow Palace, an indoor arena located in Daly City, California. Ticket Price: $13.50 in advance / $15.00 at the door. Hours: 8:00pm

On December 9, 1983, Scarface was released in cinemas across the country, such as in the Santa Cruz Cinema, the Landmark Del Mar Theatre, CineLux Capitola Cafe & Lounge and so on. Ticket Price: Unknown

On November 18, 1983, A Christmas Story was released in cinemas across the country, such as in the Santa Cruz Cinema, the Landmark Del Mar Theatre, CineLux Capitola Cafe & Lounge and so on. Ticket Price: Unknown

On December 31, 1983, the American heavy metal band, Dio, the American glam metal band, Dokken, and the American hard rock/heavy metal, Y&T performed at The Cow Palace, an indoor arena located in Daly City, California. Ticket Price: Unknown Hours: 8:00pm

On January 6, 1984, the American heavy metal band, Dio performed at Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium, Santa Cruz, California. Ticket Price: $9.50 in advance / Unknown Hours: Unknown

On January 29, 1984, the English rock band The Cult preformed at the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium in Santa Cruz, California. Ticket Price: Unknown Hours: Unknown

On February 1, 1984, the American rock band, KISS, the American heavy metal band, Riot V and the Dutch–American hard rock band, Vandenberg, all performed at the Berkeley Community Theatre in Berkeley, California. Ticket Price: $12.50 in advance / Unknown Hours: 7:30pm

On March 9, 1984, Children of the Corn was released in cinemas across the country, such as in the Santa Cruz Cinema, the Landmark Del Mar Theatre, CineLux Capitola Cafe & Lounge and so on. Ticket Price: Unknown

On April 13, 1984, Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter was released in cinemas across the country, such as in the Santa Cruz Cinema, the Landmark Del Mar Theatre, CineLux Capitola Cafe & Lounge and so on. Ticket Price: Unknown

On April 29-30, 1984, the German hard rock band Scorpions and American rock band Bon Jovi performed at The Cow Palace, an indoor arena located in Daly City, California. Ticket Price: $13.50 in advance / $15.00 at the door. Hours: 8:00pm

On May 9 - 11, 1984, the American rock band Van Halen performed at The Cow Palace, an indoor arena located in Daly City, California. Ticket Price: $13.50 in advance / $15.00 at the door. Hours: 8:00pm [x]

On May 23, 1984, Indian Jones and the Temple of Doom was released in cinemas across the country, such as in the Santa Cruz Cinema, the Landmark Del Mar Theatre, CineLux Capitola Cafe & Lounge and so on. Ticket Price: Unknown

On June 8, 1984, Ghostbusters was released in cinemas across the country, such as in the Santa Cruz Cinema, the Landmark Del Mar Theatre, CineLux Capitola Cafe & Lounge and so on. Ticket Price: Unknown

On June 8, 1984, Gremlins was released in cinemas across the country, such as in the Santa Cruz Cinema, the Landmark Del Mar Theatre, CineLux Capitola Cafe & Lounge and so on. Ticket Price: Unknown

On July 22, 1984, the American heavy metal band Dio, along with the English hard rock band Whitesnake and various others performed at Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds, Watsonville, California. Ticket Price: $14.50 in advance / $16.00 at the door. Hours: 6:00pm [x]

On October 26, 1984, The Terminator was released in cinemas across the country, such as in the Santa Cruz Cinema, the Landmark Del Mar Theatre, CineLux Capitola Cafe & Lounge and so on. Ticket Price: Unknown

On October 27 - 28, 1984, the American rock band, The Grateful Dead performed at the Berkeley Community Theatre in Berkeley, California. Ticket Price: $15.00 in advance / Unknown Hours: 7:30pm

On November 2 - 3, 1984, the American rock band, Grateful Dead, performed at the Berkeley Community Theatre in Berkeley, California. Ticket Price: Unknown Hours: Unknown

On November 9, 1984, A Nightmare on Elm Street was released in cinemas across the country, such as in the Santa Cruz Cinema, the Landmark Del Mar Theatre, CineLux Capitola Cafe & Lounge and so on. Ticket Price: Unknown

On December 8, 1984, the American heavy metal band, W.A.S.P. and the hard rock/heavy metal band, Krokus performed at the Berkeley Community Theatre in Berkeley, California. Ticket Price: $13.50 in advance / Unknown Hour: 7:30pm

On December 14, 1984, Dune was released in cinemas across the country, such as in the Santa Cruz Cinema, the Landmark Del Mar Theatre, CineLux Capitola Cafe & Lounge and so on. Ticket Price: Unknown

On February 9, 1985, the American rock band, KISS, and the American heavy metal band, Queensrÿche, performed at the Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center in Oakland, California. Ticket Price: $15.00 in advance / Unknown Hours: 8:00pm

On February 15, 1985, The Breakfast Club was released in cinemas across the country, such as in the Santa Cruz Cinema, the Landmark Del Mar Theatre, CineLux Capitola Cafe & Lounge and so on. Ticket Price: Unknown

On March 21, 1985, the English heavy metal band, Iron Maiden and American heavy metal band, Twisted Sister, performed at The Cow Palace, an indoor arena located in Daly City, California. Ticket Price: $14.50 in advance / $16.00 at the door. Hours: 7:30pm

On May 22, 1985, Rambo: First Blood Part II was released in cinemas across the country, such as in the Santa Cruz Cinema, the Landmark Del Mar Theatre, CineLux Capitola Cafe & Lounge and so on. Ticket Price: Unknown

On June 7, 1985, The Goonies was released in cinemas across the country, such as in the Santa Cruz Cinema, the Landmark Del Mar Theatre, CineLux Capitola Cafe & Lounge and so on. Ticket Price: Unknown

On July 3, 1985, Back to the Future was released in cinemas across the country, such as in the Santa Cruz Cinema, the Landmark Del Mar Theatre, CineLux Capitola Cafe & Lounge and so on. Ticket Price: Unknown

On July 10, 1985, Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome was released in cinemas across the country, such as in the Santa Cruz Cinema, the Landmark Del Mar Theatre, CineLux Capitola Cafe & Lounge and so on. Ticket Price: Unknown

On July 19, 1985, Day of the Dead was released in cinemas across the country, such as in the Santa Cruz Cinema, the Landmark Del Mar Theatre, CineLux Capitola Cafe & Lounge and so on. Ticket Price: Unknown

On July 22, 1985, the musician “Weird Al” Yankovic performed at The Catalyst, a night club in Santa Cruz, California. Ticket Price: Unknown Hours: Unknown

On August 2, 1985, Fright Night was released in cinemas across the country, such as in the Santa Cruz Cinema, the Landmark Del Mar Theatre, CineLux Capitola Cafe & Lounge and so on. Ticket Price: Unknown

On August 16, 1985, The Return of the Living Dead was released in cinemas across the country, such as in the Santa Cruz Cinema, the Landmark Del Mar Theatre, CineLux Capitola Cafe & Lounge and so on. Ticket Price: Unknown

On October 4, 1985, the American rock band The Youngbloods performed at The Catalyst, a night club in Santa Cruz, California. Ticket Price: Unknown Hours: Unknown

On October 12, 1985, the American rock band, The Red Hot Chili Pepper performed at the Keystone in Palo Alto, California. Ticket Price: $7.50 in advance / $8.50 at the door. Unknown Hours: 8:00pm (doors open) / 9:15pm (show starts) [x]

On October 18, 1985, Re-Animator was released in cinemas across the country, such as in the Santa Cruz Cinema, the Landmark Del Mar Theatre, CineLux Capitola Cafe & Lounge and so on. Ticket Price: Unknown

On November 1, 1985, A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge was released in cinemas across the country, such as in the Santa Cruz Cinema, the Landmark Del Mar Theatre, CineLux Capitola Cafe & Lounge and so on. Ticket Price: Unknown

On November 18, 1985, the American heavy metal band, Mötley Crüe, performed at The Cow Palace, an indoor arena located in Daly City, California. Ticket Price: $14.50 in advance / $16.00 at the door. Hours: 8:00pm

On November 24, 1985, the American thrash metal band, Megadeth performed at One Step Beyond, a small night club in Santa Clara, California. Ticket Price: Unknown Hours: Unknown

On November 24, 1985, the American heavy metal band, Mötley Crüe, and American glam metal band, Autograph, performed at The Cow Palace, an indoor arena located in Daly City, California. Ticket Price: $14.50 in advance / $16.00 at the door. Hours: 7:30pm

On December 10, 1985, the American rock band, Heart performed at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena in Oakland, California. Ticket Price: $15.00 in advance / Unknown Hours: 8:00pm

On January 18, 1986, the rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers performed at One Step Beyond, a small night club in an industrial part of the city of Santa Clara, California. Ticket Price: Unknown Hours: Unknown

On February 4, 1986, American rock band, KISS, and special guest the American heavy metal band, W.A.S.P., performed at The Cow Palace, an indoor arena located in Daly City, California. Ticket Price: $14.50 in advance / $16.00 at the door. Hours: 7:30pm

On March 19, 1986, the rock band Blue Öyster Cult preformed at the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium in Santa Cruz, California. Ticket Price: Unknown Hours: Unknown

On March 21, 1986, Rad was released in cinemas across the country, such as in the Santa Cruz Cinema, the Landmark Del Mar Theatre, CineLux Capitola Cafe & Lounge and so on. Ticket Price: Unknown

On April 2, 1986, the English heavy metal band, Saxon, American heavy metal band, Armored Saint and the American heavy metal band, Dammaj performed at the Keystone in Palo Alto, California. Ticket Price: Unknown Hours: 8:00pm (doors open) / 9:15pm (show starts) [x]

On April 18, 1986, Legend was released in cinemas across the country, such as in the Santa Cruz Cinema, the Landmark Del Mar Theatre, CineLux Capitola Cafe & Lounge and so on. Ticket Price: Unknown

On May 1, 1986, the American thrash metal band, Anthrax performed at the Keystone in Palo Alto, California. Ticket Price: $7.50 in advance / Unknown Hours: 9:00pm [x]

On May 13, 1986, the American pop rock band, The Bangles performed at Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium in Santa Cruz, California. Ticket Price: Unknown Hours: Unknown

On May 15, 1986, the English heavy metal band, Judas Priest and the American glam metal band, Dokken performed at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena in Oakland, California. Ticket Price: $14.50 in advance / Unknown Hours: 8:00pm

On May 16, 1986, Top Gun was released in cinemas across the country, such as in the Santa Cruz Cinema, the Landmark Del Mar Theatre, CineLux Capitola Cafe & Lounge and so on. Ticket Price: Unknown

On June 9, 1986, the British rock band Sioiuxie and the Banshees preformed at the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium in Santa Cruz, California. Ticket Price: Unknown Hours: Unknown

On June 11, 1986, Ferris Bueller's Day Off was released in cinemas across the country, such as in the Santa Cruz Cinema, the Landmark Del Mar Theatre, CineLux Capitola Cafe & Lounge and so on. Ticket Price: Unknown

On June 17, 1986, the former lead singer of Black Sabbath, Ozzy Osbourne and featured artist the American heavy metal band, Metallica, performed at The Cow Palace, an indoor arena located in Daly City, California. Ticket Price: $15.50 in advance / $17.00 at the door. Hours: 7:30pm [x]

On June 27, 1986, Labyrinth was released in cinemas across the country, such as in the Santa Cruz Cinema, the Landmark Del Mar Theatre, CineLux Capitola Cafe & Lounge and so on. Ticket Price: Unknown

On July 16, 1986, Aliens was released in cinemas across the country, such as in the Santa Cruz Cinema, the Landmark Del Mar Theatre, CineLux Capitola Cafe & Lounge and so on. Ticket Price: Unknown

On July 18, 1986, the American glam metal band, Poison performed at the Keystone in Palo Alto, California. Ticket Price: Unknown Hours: Unknown

On July 25, 1986, Maximum Overdrive was released in cinemas across the country, such as in the Santa Cruz Cinema, the Landmark Del Mar Theatre, CineLux Capitola Cafe & Lounge and so on. Ticket Price: Unknown

On August 1, 1986, Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives was released in cinemas across the country, such as in the Santa Cruz Cinema, the Landmark Del Mar Theatre, CineLux Capitola Cafe & Lounge and so on. Ticket Price: Unknown

On August 15, 1986, The Fly was released in cinemas across the country, such as in the Santa Cruz Cinema, the Landmark Del Mar Theatre, CineLux Capitola Cafe & Lounge and so on. Ticket Price: Unknown

On September 17, 1986, the punk rock band The Ramones performed at One Step Beyond, a small night club in Santa Clara, California. Ticket Price: Unknown Hours: Unknown

On September 18, 1986, the rock bank Red Hot Chili Peppers performed at One Step Beyond, a small night club in Santa Clara, California. Ticket Price: Unknown Hours: Unknown

On September 19, 1986, the rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers performed at The Catalyst, a night club in Santa Cruz, California. Ticket Price: Unknown Hours: Unknown

On October 31 - November 3, 1986, the American rock band, Van Halen performed at The Cow Palace, an indoor arena located in Daly City, California. Ticket Price: $16.50 in advance / $18.00 at the door. Hours: 8:00pm

On December 19, 1986, Little Shop of Horrors was released in cinemas across the country, such as in the Santa Cruz Cinema, the Landmark Del Mar Theatre, CineLux Capitola Cafe & Lounge and so on. Ticket Price: Unknown

On December 20, 1986, the American rock band Journey and the  Canadian rock band, Glass Tiger performed at The Cow Palace, an indoor arena located in Daly City, California. Ticket Price: $17.50 in advance / $19.00 at the door. Hours: 8:00pm

On February 27, 1987, A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors was released in cinemas across the country, such as in the Santa Cruz Cinema, the Landmark Del Mar Theatre, CineLux Capitola Cafe & Lounge and so on. Ticket Price: Unknown

On March 6, 1987, Lethal Weapon was released in cinemas across the country, such as in the Santa Cruz Cinema, the Landmark Del Mar Theatre, CineLux Capitola Cafe & Lounge and so on. Ticket Price: Unknown

On March 13, 1987, Evil Dead II was released in cinemas across the country, such as in the Santa Cruz Cinema, the Landmark Del Mar Theatre, CineLux Capitola Cafe & Lounge and so on. Ticket Price: Unknown

On April 28, 1987, the English rock band Motörhead performed at One Step Beyond, a small night club in Santa Clara, California. Ticket Price: Unknown Hours: Unknown

On May 1, 1987, the English heavy metal band Iron Maiden, the American hard rock/heavy metal band, Y&T, and the American rock band, Tesla as well as the British hard rock band, Waysted, performed at the Spartan Stadium (it's known as CEFCU Stadium now) in San Jose, California. Ticket Price: $17.50 in advance / $20.00 at the door. Hours: 7:30pm

On June 6, 1987, the rock band Joan Jett and the Blackhearts performed at The Catalyst, a night club in Santa Cruz, California. Ticket Price: Unknown Hours: Unknown

On June 12, 1987, Predator was released in cinemas across the country, such as in the Santa Cruz Cinema, the Landmark Del Mar Theatre, CineLux Capitola Cafe & Lounge and so on. Ticket Price: Unknown

On June 24, 1987, Spaceballs was released in cinemas across the country, such as in the Santa Cruz Cinema, the Landmark Del Mar Theatre, CineLux Capitola Cafe & Lounge and so on. Ticket Price: Unknown

On July 10, 1987, the rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers performed at The Catalyst, a night club in Santa Cruz, California. Ticket Price: $5.00 in advance / $6.50 at the door. Hours: Unknown

Notes:

Again, using Santa Cruz as the basis for Santa Carla, that would mean...

It would take about 1hr 30 mins to get to the Cow Palace.

It would take about 1hr 45 mins to get to Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena (also known as Oakland Arena).

It would take about 5 mins to get to The Catalyst.

It would take about 55 mins to get to CEFCU Stadium (formerly known as Spartan Stadium).

It would take about 46 mins to get to One Step Beyond.

It would take about 5 mins to get to Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium.

It would take about 1hr 4 mins to get to Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds.

It would take about 55 mins to get to Marriott's Great America (also known as California's Great America and Paramount's Great America).

It would take about 1hr 30 mins to get to Berkeley Community Theatre.

It would take about 1hr 30 mins to get to Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center (it was also known as Oakland Civic Auditorium from 1914-1984).

It would take about 1hr 34 mins to get to the Old Waldorf.

It would take about 50 mins to get to Keystone Palo Alto (it was also known as the Vortex in the mid-80s, then The Edge in 1989, and closed in April 2000). 

It would take about 4-5 mins to get to Santa Cruz Cinema (which was originally known as Regal Cinema 9) and Landmark Del Mar Theatre.

It would take about 15 mins to get to CineLux Capitola Cafe & Lounge.

#the lost boys #the lost boys 1987 #thoughts #tlb 1987 #the lost boys (1987) #santa carla #writing help #writing reference #fanfiction help #the lost boys fanfiction #writing research #1980s

[zhakyria]

WIP

Tried to clean up this section of the fic where Kahl and Zahkiel first meet. It has kinda been a struggle. My brain isn't all with it right now, but I wanted to get something worked on for Arclight beyond just worldbuilding.

Kahl’ryn left Megasecurity Ward 23 with few answers and many more questions than when he entered, but at least he knew the name of their enemy now, the Star Cabal, and he now had a lead on more information. The Shining Man had hidden a repository of knowledge somewhere on Voss. He only hoped the Voss would prove more amenable to his investigation than they were to the overtures of the Empire or Dominion. 

The stifling heat of the caldera burned his lungs and distorted the air outside the ward. Through the smoke and steam, a Chiss waited for them on the other side of the rocky bridge, their red eyes glowing in the dim light. They wore combat gear, not unlike that of Sith Apprentices he’d seen on Dromund Kaas. 

Kahl tapped his fingers against his blaster. Chiss were rarely seen outside of the Unknown Regions. Nearly all of them had returned to the Ascendancy nearly 500 hundred years previous, shortly after the last Great Galactic War. Even those that lived or worked at the edges of the Unknown Regions considered them to be a myth and most could go their whole life without meeting one. He’d only ever met one other, his oldest sister, who had been found wandering a backwater town by their father when she was 7.  

He and Vector walked across the bridge, stopping just before the Chiss. There were three faded scars around the Chiss’s left eye, and his near black hair was pulled back in a short tail. He carried a helmet under his right arm. 

“Killing you will be a shame. You have such pretty eyes.” 

Kahl mentally sighed. “Thanks, but dying isn’t on my schedule.”

“Then this should be fun.” The Chiss smirked. “I’d very much like to dance with you alone. How about you send your Joiner friend away. He can pick up the pieces once I’m finished with you.” 

“You shouldn’t get your hopes up; I’m not easy to kill,” Kahl replied.

“Oh, I don’t expect someone like you to be an easy kill. You destroyed SCORPIO, after all. But where are my manners? I am Mahz’ahki’elhn, though you may call me Zahkiel. I greet you on behalf of the Star Cabal.” They bowed, never breaking eye contact. Their smile didn’t reach their eyes. 

Kahl pulled out his blaster pistol and checked the power pack. “Let’s get this over with. Vector, head back to the ship and await my call.”

Vector nodded and looked over at the Chiss. “Beware of this one, Agent. Their aura is…strange.” He left Kahl with the assassin and headed back to the speeders.

Zahkiel’s smile widened. “Now with him out of the way, I would very much like to know, whose life am I ending today?” 

Kahl shrugged and fired his blaster, aiming for the assassin’s upper chest. Zahkiel lifted their left hand and motioned to the right. The blaster bolt went wide. 

“Tsk tsk, Agent, no need to be rude.” They slid their helmet on; it sealed into place with a soft hiss. “However, since you seem quite impatient to die….” They pulled out a double bladed lightsaber from where they had it sheathed at the small of their back and ignited the pale red and yellow blades, “...let's see just how well you dance.”

@swtorpadawan here is more progress.

#swtor #star wars #arclight au #arclight: kahl'ryn #imperial agent #twi'lek #arclight: zahkiel #star cabal #assassin #chiss #my ocs #slow progress is still progress #but now i have to right their fight scene #idk how to do that #can i just skip to the part where they kiss Theron?

[amazing-spiderling]

It was way too late to be my birthday... but we had a party anyway.

If I was to fail a personality test, it would probably be because my favorite movie is unironically the 1999 cult classic "Mystery Men" based VERY loosely on the comic of the same name. While I was aware of it when it came out, I was unable to see it until I snagged a copy out of a bargain bin in a K-Mart on a family vacation. It is an anomaly of a movie. A superhero movie before even Spider-Man had really made a mark. An all-star cast. An All Star soundtrack. No, really, the song All Star was written for this soundtrack. Captain Amazing was taking out bad guys in Neoprene before Ben Affleck was even approached to pull on the red suit. it made negative 87 billion dollars and was by all accounts a *terrible* film to work on, and the director never made another movie again. It is remarkable.

So when my friend said we should do a little something after Paul Reubens passed, I lost no time in putting together a little "not really my birthday anymore but I'll use it as an excuse" Mystery Men themed soiree. These were the results:

First of all, the menu. I love a theme party and coming up with fun food and drinks to serve. While there are a few specific foods featured in the movie, I decided instead to embrace the aesthetic of the setting while is like if a Cheesecake Factory was a city with a population of 3.5 million. I made pretty much everything from scratch, down to folding my own wontons and a lot of trial and error to make nori chips.

The spread! I have good friends so a lot of them helped me plate things as people started to arrive, helping to make sure the hot things stayed hot and the crispy things stayed crispy for serving.

My buddy is a trained baker, and makes specialty themed cakes as a side hustle. She's also a fan of the movie and was excited to try and tackle it as a theme- especially when she looked online and found zero (0) examples of Mystery Men themed cakes online. (Wonder why, haha.) She did an amazing version of Champion City around the sides with tons of detail, some All Star lyrics on top and even a nod to her favorite characters in the movie, the Disco Boys. The cake was yuzu flavored with fresh mango filling and super tasty! You can find her other cakes on Instagram @olive_bakes if you want to see some ADORABLE decorating jobs.

Keeping with theme, we had "Superhero Tryouts" and everyone had to come in costume as the most super version of themselves, complete with powers and origin story. We had several strong candidates, including:

Candy Cavity Crush: She uses her giant lollipop to knock people's teeth out… so they can eat more candy without fear of cavities

The Ranger: She discovered an alien crash site, since all of the aliens were dead she helped herself to their technology. She doesn't really know how to use it but that won't stop her. And she's pretty sure that when she powers up her bracelets she gets 20% stronger (with a 17% margin of error)

Unsexy M&M: Actually a supervillain with a single target, Tucker Carlson. (The application review committee considered her a hero by our standards.)

Star Soldier: He was abducted by an alien race to fight in their space war but during trading they deemed that he was too dangerous with a space blaster and equipped him only with his "star sword" before returning him to Earth. (He was only gone for about a week.)

Flamin' Hot: She received her powers at the Korean BBQ where she resides, has the power to overcook your meat. (The interview committee has considered pairing her up with a cannibal hero to better weaponize her powers)

The Zookeeper: More of a schtick than a superpower, he captures an imprisons animal themed superheroes on his home planet for the inhabitants to enjoy.

Cyber Wolf: With his sidekick "Rocket Dog", he has the ability to find just about anything on the internet… By accident. He would also like you to know that the correct pronunciation of GIF is "Jyeff"

The Real Commander Shepherd: To escape any conversation tree by using their favorite tagline. Also may or may not have left 20 rapidly breeding hamsters behind in my home

Tiger Claw: Born with his incredible tiger powers, like the ability to crawl on all fours (although it did require several months training). He is also capable of growing out his fingernails several tenths of a centimeter and using them to scratch anything. Remarkably everyone in his family was born with the same abilities.

Blood Skull: Formerly an accountant, he killed and drink the blood of his co-worker Jerry and discovered he could read the thoughts of any person at the time their blood was taken. (Generally those thoughts are, OW, which isn't actually that helpful, But the committee is potentially interested if he still has his license as a CPA)

Also these little guys who were automatically approved for membership on my super team. ^u^

(I forgot to snap a photo of myself, but I was also there, dressed as The Bowler, making me the only real hero qualified to review applications, haha.)

We watched the movie (with a pause midway for interviews, of course) ate a lot of food and had a good time. I'm really happy that I have friends who are not only willing to participate in my shenanigans, but embrace the silliness- I think it leads to a better time for us all. Looking forward to the next time we can all hang out like this. <3

#long post #mystery men #mystery men 1999 #food #theme parties nobody asked for

[silverxsakura]

Thank you for the tag @come-chaos !!

20 Questions for Writers

1. How many works do you have on AO3? I have two accounts, which combined would make 195 works total. For this game I'll stick to my wickersnap account to make it easier for me to answer - 66.

2. What's your total AO3 word count? Again in combination that's 917,549 words. wickersnap makes up 620,800 of those exactly.

3. What fandoms do you write for? Primarily Star Wars. I've also written >1 work for the wizard school fandom, x-men, detroit: become human. I plan to write more Star Trek in future

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos? fizzing sours Pastel Drawstrings Relinquish We Were Younger in Our Daydreams Twin Blasters

5. Do you respond to comments? Yes! Even if they've been sitting there forever, I believe it's polite to. However if you're rude or just asking for more I am not above ignoring you.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? Aureate, maybe. I don't remember most of what I've posted man it's too much, and I don't do a lot of angsty endings.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? I think I'd suggest Counting on your Fingers because of the build up to get to that point, but then again it's been a while since I looked at that fic.

8. Do you get hate on fics? I've had some interesting comments before lol yeah

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind? Yes, anything I feel like. I can't speak for realism but I've covered an array of kinks for better or worse

10. Do you write crossovers? No

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? Don't think so

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? No

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? Not quite

14. What’s your all time favorite ship? This is a trap

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? I don't want to say any of them because it's sad and makes me feel guilty

16. What are your writing strengths? I've been told I'm very good at creating atmosphere, specifically something comforting or nostalgic. Ah also that I was skilled in juggling the large cast of fizzing sours while keeping it coherent and cohesive and giving most everyone time to develop and be relevant.

17. What are your writing weaknesses? Takes me fucking forever and I refuse to draft. If the drive isn't there I will not write.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? If the perspective character is meant to know what it means please translate it. I also don't like when it's in italics, it's still dialogue.

19. First fandom you wrote for? Voltron Legendary Defender. The first fic I ever wrote though was for a niche oneshot manga I don't remember the name of and on a slip of paper I kept in the breast pocket of my school blazer.

20. Favorite fic you’ve written? This also feels like a trap. Effloresence, because AOS Spock was really really fun to write

No pressure tags: @elthadriel @yellowisharo @chocmarss

(Questions copied below)

20 Questions for Writers

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

3. What fandoms do you write for?

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

5. Do you respond to comments?

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

8. Do you get hate on fics?

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

10. Do you write crossovers?

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

14. What’s your all time favorite ship?

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

16. What are your writing strengths?

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

19. First fandom you wrote for?

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

#tag game

[my-sun-m00n-and-stars]

20 Questions for Fic Writers!

I was tagged by @sinisterexaggerator

I'm not very active on tumblr and I don't think I have anyone else to tag who hasn't done this already, but I thought this would be fun.

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

I joined AO3 just over a year ago, so right now I only have two works. They're the first two entries in my Cad Bane series. A third one is in development, and I plan to start updating it around the new year.

2. What's your total A03 word count?

188,065

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Currently I write for Star Wars only, but I have plans in the future to write a series for Skyrim/Elder Scrolls.

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

As I currently only have two, they are:

Sex, Drugs, and Blasters

Credits, Lies, and Betrayal

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I respond to every comment. Any amount of interaction I get is precious to me, especially since this little niche in the fandom is so small.

6. What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Definitely Credits. *Spoilers* OC has an emotional breakup with Jango Fett, succumbs to Bane's seduction, and then gets shot in the chest by said blue bounty hunter.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Sex, Drugs, and Blasters. OC pays off her debt and makes some new bounty hunting friends.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

I did get one particularly persistent hater who used multiple accounts to hate on the way I wrote Jango, eventually saying some homophobic stuff I had to delete from the comment section. It was pretty bizarre, but I did decide to take another look at my writing with Jango and made some small changes. It was a weird experience, but I decided to make the best of it.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Oh yes. I'm a big supporter of slow burn, but when it finally reaches that point, I go all-out. So far I have a couple scenes with Jango and one with Bane (my favorite one).

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

I don't write crossovers and I'm generally not a fan. However, a couple years ago I read this really fun one that was a Marvel/Clone Wars crossover.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Nope.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

No, and I don't think I would be open to it. I wouldn't mind having a beta, though. Sometimes I really need someone else to proof-read.

14. What's your all-time favourite ship?

I think I gotta go with Captain Swan from Once Upon a Time. That show was crazy, but Emma and Hook were just so good together. Not to mention Hook was HOT.

15. What's the WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

I only have one WIP, and that is my Bane slowburn series. However, I do believe I will finish it given enough time. At first I never thought I would start it, and now I have two novels under my belt.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I'm good at planning plots and making things link together. I'm setting up long-term plotpoints in the series whilst juggling smaller plot threads and subplots. I sketch it all out ahead of time so I always know where I'm going.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Sometimes I struggle with coming up with creative description on the spot. I usually have to open thesauruses. My main goal as a writer is to use more figurative language. Then again, I'm only 19 so I still have plenty of room to grow.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

I've written several scenes with Mando'a dialogue, and I usually just write it in English and italicize it. If I want to emphasize certain words, I'll say the direct translation, like "cyar'ika".

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Star Wars!

20. Favourite fic you've ever written?

Sex, Drugs, and Blasters is my firstborn child, but I think I enjoyed writing Credits, Lies, and Betrayal better.

#cad bane #cad bane x reader #cad bane x oc #star wars #questions for fic writers

[slrsunfire]

MadaTobi WIP/ Space opera

Still working on wrapping up chapter 7 for LTD (I promise) but I got hit with a REALLY fun MadaTobi Star Wars-esque concept last night and I’ve been going after it like a madwoman. 

I’m very excited for this and wanted to share a little! I might try and write this all/finish it before posting depending on how long this gets. I do think it will be at the *least* a couple of chapters long if I want to do it justice. Or would you all prefer I post it chapter by chapter as I finish each installment? 

Let me know what you think! 

-----------------------------------------------------------

When the attack first comes, it wakes Tobirama almost immediately due to the way his body is nearly sent rolling straight off his mattress from the sheer concussive force of the hit that strikes the hull of the Susanoo. It’s all he can do to get to his feet as another blaster strike makes contact, and he has only just pulled on his earlier discarded robe when the door that separates his rooms from his husband’s slides open with a hydraulic hiss.

Lord Uchiha Madara, High Emperor of the Uchiha Empire, steps through and comes to a standstill in the doorway. Tobirama notes that Lord Uchiha is careful not to cross beyond the threshold of Tobirama’s quarters even in the face of the very real threat they are under.

For a moment Tobirama cannot help but think his husband looks almost like a wraith beneath the dim emergency lighting the ship has switched to. His heart cannot help the way it speeds up in reaction. The unnatural glow of Lord Uchiha’s red eyes has been made all the more apparent in the gloom, reminding Tobirama of long-ago nights spent evading the dangerous gaze of Uchiha soldiers back when their two peoples had still been at war.  

Even now, three years on into their arranged marriage with peace successfully achieved due to it and the Republic of Konoha well rooted and established, Tobirama still finds it hard to meet his husband’s dangerous eyes. But as always, he forces himself to. He knows it displeases his husband when he does not, and Tobirama is unwilling to displease Lord Uchiha beyond the limits of his patience. He has already given Tobirama far more latitude than he ever thought possible in personal matters, and he has not forced Tobirama to lay with him, or even so much as attempted to lay his hands upon Tobirama’s person in an unkind manner.

Tobirama knows he could of course, and though Tobirama would fight it every step of the way, Lord Uchiha is far stronger than him due to his alien physiology. The average Uchiha possesses the strength of four men and Lord Uchiha, easily double that.

It is not just Lord Uchiha’s strength that is a threat. His husband’s eyes possess the ability to thread into Tobirama’s own mind, to control him through telepathy, to read his every fleeting feeling and thought if he so wished. Tobirama knows there would be no way to stop his husband from doing so if Lord Uchiha was set upon such a course of action, but he has never crossed that line with Tobirama.

His lord husband is not devoid of morality, and that is perhaps the most unnerving reality he has been forced to accept since marrying the ruler of the Uchiha.

“Come,” Lord Uchiha commands him as his alien husband’s red eyes flicker over him quickly, as if he were checking for injuries, “we have been ambushed by a fleet of Kumo battle cruisers. Hikaku is routing them well from the Izanagi, but more are coming. I would have you join me on the bridge.”

#madatobi #mdtb #mdtb fic coming down the pipeline wooo #space opera fic #kind of Star Wars vibes? #my brain is wild #I came up with this idea while doing dishes guys #tobirama senju #madara uchiha

[dgcatanisiri]

Okay, yes, I want to at least dream of a happy Cal/Bode AU, but I honestly also just on a writing level think that the twist with Bode is just unnecessary. It's the kind of thing that feels like the writing of the game said "but we HAVE to have a 'Darth Vader is Luke's father' twist, this is Star Wars!"

At most, it feels like it was done to keep the Empire as a tangible element in the game, but... There were alternatives! Alternatives that would still have kept Daran Gara as the primary antagonistic figure of the game, since he's just dropped so abruptly as the mid-game boss, when you'd honestly think, given the High Republic branding push right now, exploring him further would be a big deal - make him draw the Empire's attention, the Empire stays in play as the enemy.

Or, hell, just stick to the Empire in the background - we KNOW that it won't be Cal who deals with the Empire, so let them take a backseat in the plot.

It just does not feel like it's a twist that the story needed, that it was a twist included out of some feeling of needing to have SOME twist, even though the overall story hadn't been crafted in that direction. Hell, as foreshadowing goes, it's really just "foreshadowed" by virtue of Bode being the new character, so he's not as trustworthy, his position in the story is less assured, as the returning ones.

I'm also not all that enthused about the continuing of this business of the lightsabers turning red being a reflection of turning to the dark side and a sign of the user being corrupted. Like... Red is a perfectly valid color, and the introduction of this concept in general just makes it feel like trying to overemphasize that the Sith are "mwahahahahaha EEEEEVIL!" I mean, it was introduced saying that the corruption makes the crystals 'bleed,' which is why they go red. Because being on the dark side in this franchise isn't card-carryingly evil enough. Like... give me NUANCE in my antagonists. That's probably the only level I appreciate the Bode twist.

But that brings me back to a problem again - I feel like Cal treating this as Bode crossing the moral event horizon is, as much a symbol of Cal flirting with the dark side, also part of the issues of Jedi dogma. Where the mindset Bode has makes perfect sense - it's just not a Jedi's perspective. Obviously, that's not absolving his sins, but the fact that it pushes Cal as far as it does... I honestly find that a flaw related to the Jedi more than anything, and it bothers me in general that it's not being called out as such. It's not playing as "Bode did the wrong thing for understandable reasons." It's playing as "Bode did a horrible thing and that's awful."

Also I definitely feel like the game really wants to push this idea of Cal using the crossguard design for the lightsaber, what with it playing in the cutscenes until player stance comes back into play, and appearing as he skirts the dark side line, but... I don't use it, and the one example we have of it being used is a whiny edgelord who didn't deserve a new and unique style in the first place.

And it feels like something that ties in to all the complaint above - that the story should have stayed centered on Dagan Gara and the Bode twist is dropped in late in the game to drag things out. Because if they'd NEEDED to do this twist (I mean, they didn't either way, but...), it could have been a plot hook for a third game, and let this game center on Dagan entirely, while letting the new style to show off here be saber and blaster style, instead of introducing both in the one game.

I don't know, maybe I'm just giving Star Wars in general a more critical eye overall BECAUSE of how, as I've said before, the Disney version of things has not really managed to work well for me overall and has ended up feeling secondary to the Legends line as the Expanded Universe of this world, so I'm not really gonna accept this take on things.

It's not like I'm saying I dislike the game or anything. It's a fun game, and, considering that I'm VERY vocal about what I don't like in this continuity, the fact that I'm centering on this one issue, rather than the overall game itself, is sign that it's overall positive in my book. I just really do think that this is one of those cases where the twist feels mandatory and obligatory, rather than a vital part of the story.

#dg plays jedi survivor

[just-another-dreamerr]

some more rottmnt Star Wars Au cause I can’t stop thinking about it: (this time about some of their “antagonists”)

The two Foot clan leaders being in charge of the planet where the turtles live and being tasked with stopping them (as in Kallus with the Ghost crew in the first season of Rebels).

Cassandra is obvious the very enthusiastic recruit under their charge who’s determined to capture them and prove herself to the higher ups (she is a fan of Inquisitor Shredder from what she’s heard). She’s been trained from a young age and they got MAD skills.

(She gets her redemption arc eventually, gotta have that Casey/April enemies-to-friends-to-lovers amirite)

Big Mama holds an intergalactic (illegal) fighting ring. Splinter didn’t know this when he first met her and trusted her, only to find himself captured and forced to fight (like in rottmnt).

This one time, Mikey and Donnie got caught by slave traders and accidentally found themselves in her fighting business. Rescue mission ensued and lets say Big Mama is delighted to know about 4 little force sensitives by name and affiliation. (Wanted posters <3)

Hypno and Warren are smugglers and they have it out for the turtles because they accidentally ruined a couple of their deals. Lots of fun shenanigans.

The Mud Dogs are a literal space gang that Raph accidentally ends up infiltrating when a mission goes wrong (he got on the wrong ship in the confusion of blaster fire, with the crates they’d been trying to steal from the empire, and um yeah. while his family tried to figure how to find him, he had a very interesting weekend)

The Kraang work really closely with the Emperor to exterminate every trace of rebel activity in their assigned sector. Ruthless, feared, they have free way to do whatever they consider necessary to ensure everything is kept under control. Lets say the turtles have a hard time fighting against them when they’re tasked by Mothma to work in the area and free citizens from their concentration camps.

#rottmnt #rottmnt star wars au #stuff is subject to change but I really like how it’s working out so far!

[kanansdume]

Anyway, I kind-of skipped over writing about this because my thoughts aren’t entirely put together and I’m attempting to ret-con a few things, but I need some positivity right now.

So. Leia’s episode of Rebels. I loved it on the first watch through and I loved it on the re-watch, as well!

I’ve never been the BIGGEST original trilogy fan and didn’t imprint on Leia the way I did on Padme as a kid, but after the Kenobi show you can officially consider me a Leia fan. So it was REALLY fun to see Leia again after getting a better grasp of her as a more fleshed out character in Kenobi.

And of course I wanted to bring some Kenobi feels into this episode.

I love that there’s this trend that shows up even in Rebels that Leia’s just really emotionally perceptive and stable. She can tell Ezra’s in a difficult place after they end up on the Ghost together and he’s not playing a part anymore, within SECONDS. And you can tell she DESPERATELY wants to help him and immediately asks Kanan if he’s okay. When Kanan lets her know he’s suffered a recent loss, the look on her face is just SO sympathetic and I can’t help thinking about how Leia looks back at Ezra and could be thinking that the last time she remembers meeting someone who felt like THAT, like scar that had just recently been re-opened, it was Obi-Wan.

She’s older now, she’s more mature now, and Ezra ISN’T Obi-Wan. He’s a 16 year-old boy, not a man in his late 40′s. So when she goes up to Ezra, she doesn’t directly confront him about anything, she just gives him a friend, someone to feel comfortable around who doesn’t know every single detail of what he’s going through and won’t pity him for what he’s lost. She gives him something to focus on aside from his pain.

I REALLY love the way they wrote Leia to be bossy, confident, and in her element here, but still entirely capable of making mistakes and needing a little assistance from others sometimes who have more experience in the field than she does currently. She’s got a plan and it’s a GOOD plan, but when an obstacle gets added she can’t just politics away, she has to let Kanan and Ezra take over because this isn’t her forte and she knows it. She’s bossy, yes, but she’s also humble enough to know when to step back. She’s not quite grown into the Leia we know by ANH, yet, she’s still working out a few tweaks. But she’s so familiar, so close, to now not just the Leia we know from ANH but also the younger Leia we know from Obi-Wan Kenobi. That choice she made at the end of the series, to change the world as an Organa her way, to do more than just wave, to be more active in what her parents are involved in, we’re seeing the results of that. We’re seeing Leia come up with her own plan to get resources to the rebels without her planet being implicated. We’re seeing Leia be completely willing to pick up a blaster and shoot, or let herself be shot, if the situation requires her to do so. She’s SO smart, and SO capable, but also just... so emotionally stable in ways very few other characters in Star Wars are most of the time.

And I love her for it SO SO MUCH.

#leia organa #star wars rebels #leia #rebels

[where-dreamers-go]

I posted 667 times in 2022

424 posts created (64%)

243 posts reblogged (36%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@girl-next-door-writes

@heckyeahnationaltreasure

@shenanigans-and-imagines

@princessxkenobi

@the-and-sign-anon

I tagged 559 of my posts in 2022

Only 16% of my posts had no tags

#where dreamers go - 354 posts

#star wars - 88 posts

#fandom goodness - 85 posts

#erica answers - 56 posts

#imagines - 45 posts

#eragon - 34 posts

#riley poole - 32 posts

#youtube - 30 posts

#national treasure - 28 posts

#eragon reaction - 27 posts

Longest Tag: 135 characters

#i will never forgive them if they kill off the original three. then i can't rewatch it. and it doesn't go with the rules of the islands

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Sam and Dean exchanged anxious looks.

"I'm sorry. What was that?" Gabriel asked.

"We left (Y/N) at the antique shop to keep an eye on the employee." Sam repeated as his shoulders dropped.

"With the vampire." Dean groaned. "Damnit."

Taking in a deep breath as the tension rose in the room, Gabriel stepped forward. "Out of all the...," he exhaled through his nose and continued, "You two are hunters. What were you thinking?" He held up a finger to hush them. "I'm going. And I hope you didn't want the employee alive."

"Hey," Dean gestured strongly with a hand. "How were we suppose to know they had a freakin' nest nearby?"

"Sammy here said all the windows are blocked out...genius." Said Gabriel before he took off to help you.

112 notes - Posted April 16, 2022

#4

Sighing, you continued staring at the green undergrowth. You had found a spot private enough for thinking without interruption. The Resistance's base was busy, your home away from home.

Events were picking up again and your heart ached with what you had left unsaid. Words and answers to what questions you had been dodging like blaster bolts. It had been too long.

"Hey you."

"Wah," you flinched.

"Sorry." Poe held up his hands. "I thought I'd come find you. You seem to be stuck in your head the past couple of days."

"Yeah." Your gaze traveled elsewhere.

"Hey now, don't go off without me." He said, regaining your attention. "Is there anything I can do? I know something's on your mind."

A weak smile pulled at your lips. Poe's kindness never surprised you.

"There's a lot...going on," you said quietly, "in my head, my heart, the galaxy..."

"We've made it this far," Poe offered you a smile. "And we'll still make it together."

"That's.... that's it though. I don't know what's going to happen. That's scary to think about, but... there's so much change and.... And I've realized that no matter what's happening, what has happened, and whatever it is I'm so afraid of.... It won't make me stop loving you."

Poe watched as your words were no longer whispers, but impassioned truths you had been hiding. All of your jumbled thoughts and feelings voiced to him.

See the full post

118 notes - Posted March 18, 2022

#3

"Halloween Mission" Connor x Reader

(Imagine: Connor searching for you when your phone's battery dies.)

(A/N: This got out of hand and is basically an insert reader. Guess this is my first one with rk800!

Warnings: none. Unless you count a mild reference to Assassin's Creed.

Word Count: ?? I'm on my phone.)

~~~

Of all nights, it was Halloween.

People were trick or treating, going to parties, working late shifts, causing mischief, eating candy, and a list of over fifty activities.

Connor had thought of them all and more unsavory ones. He had hoped that this year would be calm in the city. A big hope, but his nonetheless.

Deviancy tended to do that. Emotions.

Along with deviancy came new experiences and friendships. You were both of those surprises for Connor.

A friendship that may have started oddly, however neither of you would trade a second of it. Connor valued you as a friend. He cared. He could talk to you about anything. He trusted you.

Halloween night he worried.

Already knowing you were joining other friends to an event, Connor didn't want to interrupt your fun. Yet, you sent him photos throughout the night nonetheless. That wasn't the problem.

The issue arose when his texts were left unread. A promise of another set of photos was left empty. Your voicemail being the only reply Connor could receive.

He waited fifteen minutes. After that he checked to see your location via your phone. Nothing. No update.

Thirty minutes later, Connor was passing the third long line of guests as they waited to board an attraction.

In his life, he had not scanned so many faces in such a short amount of time.

Connor needed to find you. In a place that crowded, there was no telling what could have happened to you.

Hopefully nothing, Connor thought. This could be a sign of overreacting. He shouldered passed a group of people dressed as hooded assassins.

"Need help, man?" One of them asked.

"No, no, no." Another said with a grin and then said dramatically, "he's on a mission. He's got a contract."

The friend bumped the other and rolled their eyes.

Connor decided to amuse them. To add to their fun target than load them with his worry. Smirking, Connor backed away saying, "I always accomplish my mission."

Leaving the excited chatter behind him was one of his many steps. The event space was large. It was a challenge he didn't hesitate to take.

He eyed an enthusiastic crowd in front of a live band and hesitated.

They said they were thinking of skipping--

His thoughts were interrupted by a voice. Connor turned around.

"Connor!" You called out in surprise and relief.

The android ran up to you without delay. "Are you alright? You didn't answer your phone and your location was offline--"

See the full post

242 notes - Posted October 29, 2022

#2

In regards to the upcoming game Disney Dreamlight Valley, I hope future characters come from more "bronze age animation" movies.

For example:

Treasure Planet

The Emperor's New Groove

Brother Bear

Also, oh my goodness we get Merlin and hopefully the educated owl, Archimedes.

I'm also hoping for anything Encanto and Aladdin.

But OMG what if they add Oliver And Company??? Or 101 Dalmatians?!?

I want to design my avatar's house with dalmatian spots.

264 notes - Posted August 11, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

“Just Ask” Bernard the elf x elf!Reader

(A/N: Requested by Anon, for anything Bernard. I’m counting us all lucky that I didn’t need to ask for any prompts or anything this time. Just jumped right into writing. Am I okay? Gosh. So…this was suppose to be an Imagine: Santa trying to help Bernard find out if you like him. Warnings: None. Word Count: 445 words)

The North Pole. A place known for its workshop, elves, reindeer, and magic. Christmas spirit.

People’s first thoughts of the North Pole tended not to be an image of an elf starting to panic at the idea of asking another elf out on a date.

“You’ve waited this long, Bernard.” Santa reasoned. “Just find the right moment…and…ask.”

Bernard sighed.

“You haven’t exactly been that subtle.”

“What?”

“They show up,” Santa gestured with his hand, “and snap. Heart eyes.”

“I—no.” Bernard stood firm. “I don’t know for certain ow they feel about me and the last thing I want is to ruin our friendship by crossing a line.”

Santa groaned, looking to the ceiling. “It’s not a line.”

Putting his hands on his hips was a telltale sign that Bernard was more than a little worked up. Why wouldn’t he be? They were discussing a decision that would change his life. He could not take it lightly.

“Oh.” Santa grinned with an idea. “How about you flirt with another elf in front of them? See if they get jealous. Then you’ll know.”

“Wha—,” Bernard gasped, hands going up to his face for a second. “Nope.” He shook his head.

“Then the next time you see them….you ask them out?”

“Okay! Alright.” Bernard took a breath.

Santa smiled, relieved. “Well that’s good…” His eyes glanced over the elf’s shoulder. The smile spread into a grin.

“Excuse me, Santa.”

Your voice made Bernard’s heart leap. For more than one reason. He wasn’t sure he could even turn around.

“Yes?”

“May I speak with Bernard for a moment? I promise it won’t take long.”

The splitting grin on Santa’s face and your close presence made Bernard want to stuff himself into his satchel.

“Of course.” He looked to his head elf. “Bernard, I’ll be in the Naughty and Nice Center.”

Both you and Bernard watched momentarily as Santa left you two alone.

Taking a quiet breath in, Bernard composed himself. He was the head elf after all.

Bernard turned around and faced you.

Upon seeing his face, you smiled.

His knees felt like jelly.

“Hello Bernard.”

“Hi.”

See the full post

272 notes - Posted November 1, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

#tumblr2022 #year in review #my 2022 tumblr year in review #your tumblr year in review #long post #Where Dreamers Go

[kalza]

My Star Wars OCs list

So I finally made a list of the Star Wars OCs of mine that I have introduced/revealed. I also added a lil’ info about them to give more insight to their character.

Will update once I have more revealed.

Ayce Caprica- A rather charismatic bounty hunter with a more calm and nonchalant way of handling sticky situations. Prefers to not really resort to violence and uses his witty yet manipulative tactics to deal with difficult people, but definitely not afraid of violence. Prefers more stealth-focused jobs, but accepts whatever he can get. Has a ton of skeletons in his closet. What are his ultimate motives? He’ll never tell a soul. Isn’t too fond of animals and children.

Ember Syninn- An insanely fierce and feisty younger bounty hunter with a mouthful of sass and an high amount of pent up rage and spite that keeps her going. Growing up in a world that has not been too kind to her, Ember has very negative views of the universe around her and general trust issues with everyone she encounters. Despite this, she still has strong morals and is a lot friendlier once you get to know her. Please, just let the poor girl rest. She’s had it rough.

Zaiah Ctyll- An eccentric scientist who once worked for the Zygerrian government, but due to her different views and detest towards everything her people have done, she has been exiled. Zaiah is very curious about the universe and has a unquenchable thirst for adventure and knowledge. She’s very resourceful and always ready to explore new worlds. Often forgets her own needs often because she’s too busy with research.

Spades Caprica- Ayce’s younger brother. A smooth talker who works as a used speeder salesman, but actually a front for shadier business practices. Has a lot of allies just as much as he has enemies. A very friendly fellow who always knows how to light up the room. Despite his more laid-back personality, Spades isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty. He knows his way around a blaster pretty well. He’s the type that asks to crash on your couch for one night, but spends a week living with you instead.

Enig Ma Rious- Full of mystery and secrets, Enig is a Devaronian merchant who’s a lot more than he seems to be. With a dark past that left him scarred, he chose a simpler life selling goods and traveling the galaxy. Though he doesn’t really delve into his life before he ended up this way, he’s a very avid storyteller recalling events that happened during his travels. Actually a nice guy. I would trust him. Always showing up when you least expect him.

Lady Vannda Byron- A Faust coming from a wealthy family and even working for her own wealth, Vannda is a surprisingly humble individual. She’s very charitable and always eager to help those in need. She’s a genuine sweetheart and accidental, “mom friend,” despite not having any children herself. If she could, she’d adopt everyone she sees. Has a fascination with the macabre and death, and sees the beauty in it.

Zephiz- Lady Vannda’s husband and an artist. Who enjoys creating very colorful and lively art of any medium he delves in. Him and his wife have a very strong loving marriage, and will go to the ends of the universe for each other. Zephiz loves animals and nature and enjoys spending time outdoors. A simple man who prefers a more pacifist lifestyle. Has, “accidentally,” brought home many unusual creatures.

Ma'Nix Sador- The perky Duros hacker that worked alongside Ayce a long time ago. She’s full of energy and unbridled chaos, and highly intelligent. Who needs a droid when you have her? Rather than using her skills for the good in the universe, she chooses to cause as many problems for everyone, just for the fun of it. She’s almost never seen without her trusty Tooka by her side.

#star wars #star wars oc #fan characters #alien #star wars aliens #fan art #my art #my characters #original species #zygerrian #devaronian #faust (star wars) #theelin #duros

[mcrcki]

Was that [MILLY ALCOCK]? Oh no no, that was just [KAYA DURA], an [ORIGINAL CHARACTER] from [STAR WARS]. They are [NINETEEN] years old, use [THEY/SHE], and [ARE] aware that they are not actually from Washington DC. Too bad they can’t stray from this city for long.

how long has your character been here -

like close to a year now?? they aren't any more comfortable but that's completely unrelated to the city itself and more so the actual mess they've found themself in relationship wise

what is your character’s job -

they are a mechanic, while they don't know a ton about cars themselves, she always loved working on the ships back home and is happy to just do something with their hands again

where has your character been pulled from in their fandom -

order 66 babey !!! (aka end of the prequel era, so 19 BBY) that’s the last thing they remember from home. they were on a mission with kasil, their master, to product his family, when the clones turned on them :( they were sent away, barely getting back to the ship so that they could go warn the rest of the temple about what happened.

has any magic affected your character -

nope! their memories are fully intact. though , ngl , they kinda wish they weren’t !!!! 

other notes -

i am back with yet another chaotic mess of a character, this time as an oc padawan :)) i am so sorry to anyone who interacts with them, they are the embodiment of this text meme

kaya dura is a force sensitive human, who was taken by the jedi order as an infant to train in the temple on coruscant. they do not know where they came from, anything about their parents or family, or even their planet. all they have ever known is the jedi

they love being a jedi, like full out, just love being a padawan, love learning about the force, they’re just….. they’re not very good at it. they struggled to learn a lot of it, and still struggle with some of the basics. though, despite all of that, they are very passionate about their missions and everything they set their mind to. 

does that mean that their plans work out ?? not really. they are given a mission, a set in stone plan and it blows up in their face. but somehow they’re able to find a back up plan, a work around, sheer dumb luck and can make it out of their shitty situation while still completing their mission. 

was assigned as kasil monsula’s padawan when they were old enough, and has been giving him a grey hair every single day since. 

they have big “you are my dad, boogie woogie woogie” energy around him, i am so sorry kasil. 

wanted nothing more than to prove themselves, to be able to be the padawan they thought kasil deserved. and to finally be able to be knighted. it was all they ever worked for

unfortunately, that day never came. the last mission they were sent out on, they were joining kasil in protecting his sister and brother in law, something they did often. they didn’t even think anything of it, until the clones turned on them, people they had considered their own friends pointing their blasters at them. 

the last thing kaya remembers from home is the fight they had with kasil, both of them shouting at the other, him trying to buy them enough time to run, to get away and back to coruscant, to warn the rest of the temple about the attack. and them, refusing to leave his side. they didn’t want to run, they were his padawan, they were meant to fight together. 

in the end, kaya gave in, and ran. it’s the biggest regret they have, knowing that kasil did not survive– 

their memories, originally, had been wiped from this information but since arriving they have learned that they also did not survive once they returned to the temple. they had gotten back just before obi wan sent out the distress signal, warning not to return, and as soon as they entered the temple, they were surrounded.. they barely had time to ignite their saber

so some fun facts after order 66 vibes?

uses they/she pronouns, and identifies as nonbinary and a lesbian 

doesn’t know how yet but will be learning to skateboard, those things look so fun

very bad at moving things with the force, but they can make themselves hang upside down. 

does not know how to do a cartwheel but will still prove that they can do one

loves the front bottoms, and thinks lucky charms are a gift from the stars 

and a quick update as of 12/12/23

kaya, for several months, with and without her memories, had been in a relationship with kore sekkari, and in her mind, she had fallen in love. she thought that they were both as enthralled with each other as she was.

kaya broke her vows, gave up everything to prove that she was committed to her relationship with kore until kore turned and killed her master. after kasil had died, when kaya found out that kore had been lying to her, she went to confront her.

they fought during the halloween maze, resulting in kaya's own death, but not before kore cut off her padawan braid.

kaya is having a VERY hard time processing this in their mind and is doing everything they can to just close in on themselves, and close themself off from the force

connections :

✩ dura parent connection :

kaya has one older sister, kriya, who remembers when kaya was taken by the jedi, and watched as their parents basically wasted away after losing one of their children, resulting in kriya being taken away as well.

i would love to have both dura parents here !! pls hit me up if you're interested !!

✩ friends

pls be friends with them , they’re a total mess but are incredibly loyal and fun to be around !!

✩co-workers / boss

once they start working as a mechanic, they’ll be the most fun in the shop !!! unfortunately they will blast cursed tiktok mashup songs the entire time but ,, they’re good songs. 

✩ star wars friends

they grew up during the clone wars and were a padawan living at the jedi temple, along with being around senators a lot, so they would have run into people with a similar background!

✩ potential ship

this would be based off of chemistry, and would really be a slowburn. they’re still getting used to all of this, and also very much exists with the jedi mindset that you cannot have relationships like that, so this would be someone who could break them out of that thinking with a lot of like trust building

#hw: intro #k. intro #fire tw #death tw

[rojaceartandgaming]

Finally fully explaining my Star Wars OCS! Which reminds me I should restart the fanfic based on them

The Krezek siblings - twins, Tolkaron and Ki'xan, and their younger sibling Xian - were born into an Imperial ruled galaxy to a traveling couple. Well, they mainly truely started to travel and evade who they could across the stars when the elder duo's force abilities bacame clear. They knew that their children wouldn't be safe with them, knew that the Inquisitors would be on their tail. Luckily, they met a wandering Jedi who had survived the fall of the republic, who reluctantly agreed to watch over the three and train them in the ways of the force. To keep them safe.

It's unclear what happened to their parents, but one can assume they were killed

Hidden in exile, the twins trained. Xian showed no real ability in the force, nor even an interest, but was still a fighter. They just sort of learned and did their own thing whilst the other two worked on their training.

It all went well until the Empire caught up with them and removed their master from life, forcing them to run and continue their learning elsewhere. The twins were about 17 at the time, Xian 13 due to a recent birthday. Who let the thirteen year old have a blaster? No idea. Me I guess.

--

Tolkaron, in their travels, had found an ancient Sith Holocron. Already a bad sign. He had been tempted by the dark side before, and things got worse from there. It came to a head when the twins' bickering turned to a real fight. There - both of them scarred for life - parted ways.

--

Ki'xan lived and lives a life in exile. Traveling the worlds, evading those they can. During the rule of the empire they often aided people in need or discretely aided the Rebellion. She still harbors anger towards his twin, and has vowed to end him or save him, if the latter is at all possible. They're more of a Gray Jedi. Now as the war is over, he intends to focus fully on that goal

--

Tolkaron managed to find a lone Sith, not long into his solo travels. How? I don't know, I need to make them as an oc. It'll be fun. That Sith became his master, but Tolkaron harbored resentment towards himself and his master. He regrets causing his family to be ripped apart, and longs for the past. He hated the Empire, and cared not who he needed to cut down in his ever-constant pursuit of knowledge. Now, their master has recently been found dead and with the war being over, they intend to find their siblings.

--

Unfortunately the two force users kind of accidentally left Xian behind. Good job. 10/10, OCS of mine. They ended up not really ever caring about the light side vs dark side chaos, nor the rebellion vs the empire. They preferred the gray area and got a taste for the chaos it brought. Despite their young age, they became a clever and fast - and wanted bounty hunter. They love a good bit of chaos, and really the war ending didn't affect their life much. They don't like that their cybernetic arm is fitted wrong and makes their arms all uneven.

#star wars #star wars ocs #sith oc #jedi oc #bounty hunter oc #sith #jedi #bounty hunter

[signedaiko]

Royalty [Tarn x Reader x Overlord]

Reader is Cybertronian Femme | MTMTE Based

Recommended Song - Dernière Danse by Indila

'You have got to be kidding me.' It had been thousands of years since you had last heard anything from this mech. Why now?  A large ship paced below my own smaller one, housing only a crew of 30 or so cons. I would recognize the peaceful tyranny from anywhere, I was more so unsure of why they were here. Tarn was not one to warn anyone of his endeavors if he intended harm.  I had more reasons to be worried when I noticed Deathsaurus ship pull over top and another much smaller one behind me. Something was up for certain. Standing in the front navigation section of the ship I waited for any kind of hail or notice.  Beep! Beep! The incoming call on the front radar flashed, and I was quick to answer. A cross-section of three faces appeared, mine along the bottom part. Tarn was accounted for on the top, to the left was...Deathsaurus, and to the right...Overlord? This was more than strange.  Hiding my discomfort behind my mask, I tilted my helm upwards. "Hello, Tarn." Quick and to the point would suffice, my patience was running thin. "Happy to see I was invited to the little group chat." A jestful throw, I couldn't help myself. Deathsaurus seemed to crack a small smile, and I had my own forming behind the faceplate, I knew he was the least of my worries tonight. No one else had spoken yet, and I was beginning to contemplate pressing the panic button.  "I have a proposal for you, y/n."  ~~~~~~~~~ It didn't take long for my ship to lock itself into place atop the tyranny, latches keeping it from floating off. There was business to attend to, so I dropped my crew off on Deathsaurus' ship first; they had plenty of friends there and it would hopefully help manage the rising stress levels visible on the ship's AI health data.  When I climbed into the great Tyranny, I was face to face with none other than Vos. We had met before, in not so similar circumstances. I still had some holes hiding under my faceplate courtesy of him.  His unfamiliar tongue broke the silence and he moved to rushed me over to where I was presuming I would meet the rest.  One step at a time, I got there faster than I'd of liked. The smaller purple con didn't seem to care for my discomfort and rushed me into the large room. A table was in the middle, and around it? The entirety of the DJD,  the murderous Overlord, and the sweet Deathsaurus.  All eyes were on me,  the grip my own servos had behind my back became near painful as they pulled in an attempt to reduce stress. I had encountered each on their own before, why was it so hard to do now? "Y/N! Come join us." Deathsaurus smiled and motioned for me to stand next to him, which I did in haste. He was the only one I trusted enough here, I had been a part of his crew long ago; we were good friends now.  "So," There wasn't much to speak about, the deal was already sealed. I supposed Tarn just wanted to intimidate me into staying with them, "You got a new arm."  The words bounced around my head as my arm instinctively moved into my vision. It looked near identical to my other one; aside from its newer paint and finer shape. It was more the insinuation behind the words that bothered me.  'Wouldn't have needed it had it not been for your mistake.' I bit my tongue, careful y/n.  "I didn't exactly have a choice." That's where the wall between the conversation finally worked, and Tarn turned to his crew to begin discussing something about security. My optics finally trailed up the largest threat of the room, meeting his red ones that framed a smirk.  He treads carefully to a door, and I followed suit. The door closed nimbly behind us and freed me from the nervous breakdown I was about to have in there. It was so terribly awkward when you sat in a room full of old acquaintances, friends and enemies alike. What kind of high school reunion was this? "Never expected you to have made it so far, y/n." Overlord found his voice, purring out my name while he led us on our stroll. I used to know him well. "And clearly you took to some changes."  His remark wasn't wrong. Last we met I was a scientist under

the cons, a shy nobody with a bright colour palette and hope for a better world. Now? I looked dull in comparison to then- however, I myself glowed brighter than any star now.  "Seems I made a name for myself out there, and you did too?" Less of a question than a statement, but I wouldn't help but wonder what he had done to get here. I've heard whispers of his designation over the many years since we last spoke.  A shift of air caught me changing stance, pressing a blaster to the mech's stomach; his servo inches from my neck. He had become predictable too.  "Feisty~!" His grin looked sick, he looked like a psycho. I wasn't about to play cat and mouse with him though, his games were for children. My servo pulled something from a compartment I had on myself,  dangling the device before his very optics.  "And to think I was going to give this to you." I teased, swinging it back and forth. I would have my own fun. His servo moved away from my neck to snatch the device, and for once I could have sworn he was impressed.  "How?" The device was a kill switch; many existed! But this one was for a particular person, a certain one that stood before me. I knew he would want it; even if it could no longer harm him.  "By stealing it from Megatron." A sharp voice cut through, it was angry. We both turned to see Tarn and his crew behind us, Kaon's hands were crackling with electricity.  "You would be mistaken," I dared, stepping closer to the DJD all to everyone's surprise. I had survived them once, I would do it again. "For he gave it to me."  My servo moved to my faceplate, pulling it off with a click and a hiss. Below my optics was my mouth, and nothing more. But on the inside of the plate? A special insignia sat, revealed to the rest.  "By Primus..." I heard Overlord take a sharp intake of air, before a deep chuckle reigned, "This whole time we have had royalty onboard?" The insignia of the Royal Sciences Division, or the R.S.D. It was a Decepticon logo, however, the top of it had a golden crown decorating it. The symbol of a long-forgotten crew that served right by Megatron, awarded for the advancements made by mechs and femmes of every flavour.  It didn't take long for the tension to drop, and I had finally stopped right in front of Tarn, looking him straight in the optics.  "Consider yourself lucky." A smile formed, servo pushing my mouth guard right back into place where it belonged. In the world of war, I outranked everyone in the room. I did not want to reveal it so soon but... It was better now than after the torture.  Considering the silence of my dismissal, I stalked back over in the direction of my ship, removing myself from the room. Overlord watched my figure disappear with a sudden glint in his optics, a hunger I failed to notice.  It seemed both Tarn and Overlord had something new of interest.

----------------

Art by - Exodus Requested by - Perth Word Count - 1,318

#transformers #idw #x reader #transformers x reader #oneshot #transformers oneshot #mtmte #mtmte x reader #lost light x reader #maccadam #more than meets the eye #tarn #overlord #tarn x reader #overlord x reader #tarn x reader x overlord #tarn oneshot #overlord oneshot #mtmte overlord #mtmte tarn #idw tarn #idw overlord