#that's my emotional support background star wars character | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

qqueenofhades · 2 years

Text

“Obi-Wan Kenobi” as Queer Text: Love, Violence, Masculinity, and Their Deconstruction

Right, so. This meta has been swilling murkily around in my head ever since I finished the series last night, and I finally figured out, more or less, how I wanted to put it into words. This builds on my previous metas (here and here) about the show’s constant and conscious rejection of all the Badass Toxic-Masculinity Tough Loner Action Hero tropes when it comes to Obi-Wan, and how that deeply informs how his relationships with Leia, Anakin, Tala, Reva, and other characters are conceptualized, acted, and written. Since the show is designed to reward complex and multi-layered emotional investment and a deep knowledge of Star Wars, its characters, themes, and dynamics, this is another case where I am excited to get my teeth into the source and do some proper Literary Analysis (TM). As ever, in the usual tradition of queer-focused critical hermeneutics, this is not intended to impose one singular or ultimate reading or interpretation on the text, but to open up possibilities for conversation. Whether you agree with my conclusions is, of course, up to you, but I thought it was worth putting all of this in one place.

As most of you probably know, I am an academic historian in real life who works on premodern and early modern queer history as one of my primary subject areas, and hence that is the background that informs this meta. One of the chief challenges in this field of study is how to identify queer experiences at all: is it by careful inferences of language, deliberate omission, pointed metaphors or religious/literary signifiers, official records or narratives, or something else entirely? Obviously, premodern queer people didn’t have the extensive micro-labeling vocabulary that has developed today, but they still had rich experiences and a variety of ways to record those experiences, whether through themselves or (far more usually) third-party chroniclers who are not necessarily interested in telling us anything useful about the queer experience or queer individual -- rather, they often (though again, not always) want to efface or remove it from collective memory. However, premodern queer people themselves also engaged in this project of linguistic reclamation, so that they used the same words as heteronormative society but imbued them with different meanings and references. Some of that is discussed below.

First, to briefly sum up my previous metas: Obi-Wan, as a main character and a hard-bitten protagonist of a sci-fi action series, rejects almost every single stereotyped character trait that you would expect from him. He’s emotionally available (indeed, he spends most of his time trying to get AWAY from all that emotional availability, the poor man), he’s soft, gentle, not fond of confrontation, prefers to defend rather than attack, and spends much of his time being led by and reacting to the agency of powerful female characters (including in Tala and Reva, powerful women of color). He likewise runs around after young Leia, and has to take care of her, rescue her, and provide the paternal nurturing that her biological father can’t. However, I LOVE how this series emphasizes the importance of adopted families and the strength of their love and care for their children, whether it’s Bail and Breha with Leia or Owen and Beru with Luke. There’s absolutely no question that the series beautifully upholds and ferociously affirms that your chosen family is your real family, that the Organas and the Larses are Leia and Luke’s real parents as much as their biological parents, and that Reva’s grief and anger over her chosen family/classmates/friends being murdered in the Temple is an absolutely valid reason to seek revenge on Anakin/Vader (and indeed, to ultimately turn away from it). As queer people are often unfortunately used to choosing their own families and having to form new support networks in the wake of rejection from hostile birth families, the fact that the series leans so hard into their affirmation is a quiet but lovely example of its consistent queer subtext.

Next, Deborah Chow (the series’ director, who also worked on The Mandalorian and its similar story of a tough lone-wolf warrior being forced to bond with and nurture a small Force-sensitive child), openly conceived the central emotional conflict as being not a fistfight between two macho soldiers who hate each other, but the tender, gentle, and terribly traumatic aftermath of a love story:

As I’ve said before, it doesn’t particularly matter how you interpret Obi-Wan and Anakin’s relationship, but the point is that their love and the terrible consequences of its loss was intentionally foregrounded, allowed to inform the entire narrative, and underscored by some of the most gutting emotional moments in all of the extant Star Wars canon. This isn’t the usual “oh well if the fans read into it, we’re glad they got something out of it” straight-person cop-out. This is the director of the series telling us explicitly that she too saw it and directed it intentionally as a love story, and that the interpretation that queer fans (such as myself) have of it as such is completely valid. Just going off my own personal interpretation here, wherein I see Obi-Wan and Anakin’s love for each other as romantic but not necessarily sexual, there are a multiplicity of queer perspectives that are made possible as a result. Obi-Wan grieving and still being desperately in love with Anakin (which honestly, I think is the only conclusion you can draw from canon), but also being asexual, is a different spin on the usual “gay” love story. Affirming Obi-Wan as a biromantic asexual, if you see him as in love with Anakin and probably also Padme, but not sexually involved with either one, is just one possibility of a nuanced queer story. Especially with all the nasty ace-exclusionist discourse that certain bad actors in the queer community continue to perpetuate, the categorization of Obi-Wan as an asexual hero who nonetheless certainly has nothing “wrong” with him, and saves the day repeatedly with the sheer depths of his love, compassion, and care for others even in the darkest of hours, is a very powerful statement.

Likewise, Vader’s toxic masculinity (his anger, hatred, and constant desire to punish, manipulate, and murder everyone around him) and its destructive consequences are explicitly framed by the narrative as bad, and that they will never lead to happiness, self-fulfillment, or lasting peace, even if you gain some temporary, transient power from it in the meantime. Vader himself is so transparently miserable that his constant taunts to Obi-Wan to “finish what he started” read as a desperate plea to the one person left in the entire galaxy who still loves him, to just put him out of his misery. Yet instead of doing that, Obi-Wan (after being trapped in a literal and emotional pit) gets himself out of it with the power of love (his love for Luke, Leia, and Anakin himself), and then when he finally has been able to physically overpower Vader and break the helmet keeping him alive... he freezes. Because inside is Anakin’s face, Anakin’s real face, and it’s the first time Obi-Wan has seen it in ten years. Please excuse me while I sue Ewan McGregor for emotional damages real quick. Because that look.... the tender, disbelieving smile, the gasp, the instant of joy before the terrible realization hit... I’m sorry. I can deal with none of it.

And then Obi-Wan goes on to do the least Toxic Macho Asshole thing possible: he cries openly, he apologizes to Anakin for everything, and even then, he wishes more than anything that they didn’t have to go back to being mortal enemies who are beating the shit out of each other. And even in the depths of his own hate and darkness, Anakin/Vader offers Obi-Wan a sort of twisted absolution, relieving him from the burden of guilt that he’s been bearing for ten years. Don’t be sad, Obi-Wan, he says. You didn’t kill Anakin; this isn’t your failure, this isn’t your fault. I did it. I killed Anakin Skywalker, not you.

Seeing as Anakin in ROTS was in the place of blaming Obi-Wan for everything, and told him explicitly that this was his fault, this is a terrible dark tenderness on Vader’s part, even if it’s born out of hatred. Obi-Wan has spent so long blaming himself for that, and to hear Vader say that it’s not his fault, is... oddly affirming, because it comes from the one person who has the least reason to lie. Obi-Wan can let go and walk away (as indeed he does) because there’s nothing left of Anakin Skywalker in Darth Vader’s mechanical shell, and he can go back to his chosen life of protecting and watching over what does remain of Anakin’s light and goodness: i.e. the twins. I’ve also mentioned before how Obi-Wan and Anakin remind me very much of medieval knights, who were encouraged to love each other more than anything else, but there was some concern that their relationship would then turn sexual. (See my gay knights meta.) Obviously, there’s a correlation between Jedi knights and medieval knights, who both lived in a religious order of warriors dedicated to a particular chivalric code and certain moral precepts of justice and authority. These medieval knights were also seen as “brothers” in a holy partnership (the ritual that some LGBTQ historians, including John Boswell, proposed as a potential form of “medieval gay marriage” was called adelphopoiesis, or “brother-making.”) So when Obi-Wan calls Anakin his brother and his friend, he is also alluding to the ways in which these words were used throughout history to convey a broader spectrum of male relationships and feelings than homophobic heteronormative modern-day society now allows for them. Likewise, Obi-Wan and Anakin remind me powerfully of “Poem” by Langston Hughes:

If you know Hughes, a Harlem Renaissance-era African-American poet and writer, you are probably aware that, as with most historical figures of unclear sexuality, biographers argue over what he “really” was or how he identified. This is, in my view, rather pointless. Hughes was deeply attracted aesthetically and romantically to men and wrote poems for them, but he remained closeted due to “respectability politics” and the fact that, as a Black man who had obtained entrance to white academic and intellectual circles, it was already bad enough for them that he was, you know, Black; being openly queer as well would not be possible. So if you have the subtext of a queer man who may or may not have ever fully acknowledged his own sexuality writing a poem mourning the loss of a “friend,” it’s easy to understand the unspoken love, longing, and grief that might not have any more complicated or specialist vocabulary available to it. It’s the same, at least in my view, with how Obi-Wan uses it when he talks to/about Anakin. Because it’s clearly so much more than any ordinary friendship, but at its heart, that is still what it is. I loved my friend. He went away from me. There’s nothing more to say.

Anyway, the themes of race, power, and queerness bring us nicely to Reva. I reblogged this meta before the show was released, which criticized the new SW media’s willingness to add villains of color, seemingly for token cosmetic diversity, without addressing the particular reason (both in- and out-of-universe) that the Empire is traditionally made up of white British-accented men. I totally agreed with it, and I was watching carefully to see what they did with Reva and how they handled her. I still think there’s a little more that they could have developed/fleshed out, but overall, I absolutely loved her and the way in which her arc was used as the unpredictable element in a story where we otherwise know how everything turns out and where the characters are going to end up in order to set up A New Hope. I knew from the first scene of the first episode that Reva was one of the younglings in the Temple during Order 66, and I likewise figured right away that was why she had a grudge against Obi-Wan; she blamed him for not stopping Anakin and protecting her friends and family from being slaughtered. And of course, it turned out that I was right; her flashback scene in episode 5, when she’s speaking to Obi-Wan through the door, was absolutely harrowing. As was her ultimate realization in episode 6, when she’s about to kill Luke, that she is becoming Vader and doing the exact same thing he did, and that she has to ultimately reject and overcome it.

Reva was a fine line to walk as a character, because there was the risk of playing her too much as a Strong Angry Black Woman stereotype, and of course the fandom racists couldn’t resist pissing in their racist Cheerios about the fact that she dared to exist at all. However, the show also did something unusual in completely validating Reva’s anger. It allowed her to be right about being upset that Vader slaughtered her and her classmates and the older Jedi and institutional power structures that were supposed to keep her safe totally failed at that job. It didn’t play down or excuse that horror, and it ultimately served as the catalyst for Reva to turn back to the light side of her own volition and recognizance (when Obi-Wan offered his hand and helped her up from her knees in episode 6, telling her that she was right to choose mercy.... Tears, y’all, Tears). She was paralleled with the white-male-hero-Chosen One, Anakin, who of course totally blew that to hell and fell to the dark side instead. Reva starts out on the dark side, as a Black female antiheroine, and then goes through the exact inverse of Vader’s character arc; she ultimately overcomes obstacles where he failed and makes the choice to be better than she was before, whereas Vader can’t manage it almost until his death, when he saves Luke and kills Palpatine in ROTJ. This blunt subversion of white male heteronormativity, this unexpected positioning of Reva as the Chosen One (she did what Anakin was supposed to and couldn’t do), is likewise a deeply queer-coded challenge to the traditional structure of (white masculine) authority, again both inside the Star Wars universe and in our own.

This is also the case with Tala, in a slightly different way. I can’t tell you how fast I went “something’s not right here” when she was first introduced in episode 3, wearing an Imperial officer’s uniform, because we have indeed only seen white men wearing those. The very second that Tala, a woman of color, showed up wearing one, I was like .... hold on, what’s going on here. Of course, it’s soon revealed that she is the leader of a rebel cell hidden beneath the Empire’s very nose, and is using their own trappings directly against them. The scene where she shuts up the interfering junior lieutenant by ordering him to treat her as his commanding officer and call her sir... oh man, that was good. Likewise when she can’t get out of the next pickle, she straight-up kills the dude and then calmly goes back to advising Obi-Wan over the comlink. Tala often dresses and acts like a man, and not just that, the Toxic White Masculinity Power Trip that the Empire embodies. But it’s a mask, a deliberate “performance” of gender a la Judith Butler, to co-opt that power for the purpose of helping the oppressed, including and especially the people that the Empire is committing genocide on (i.e. Jedi and anyone tangentially connected to them). Tala is once again demonstrating the show’s philosophy that the Empire’s white-male-supremacist violence and pursuit of ultimate power is wrong, and that the real heroes are those people working to subvert it at any cost (including, eventually, Tala’s own life). She moves freely and gender-fluidly between “performances” of toxic masculinity for cover purposes, and her own authentic self as a committed and passionate feminine rebel leader, right in the Empire’s plain sight. Damn. Once again, this show did not have to go that hard, and yet.

Likewise, even with the more minor supporting characters of color (Roken, Haja) the series makes sure that Obi-Wan, the white male hero, supports and uplifts them. He tells Roken to continue as a leader because he’s good at it; he tells Haja that his word is good enough for him to trust, even when Haja points out that it’s coming from a con man and fake Jedi. I have also mentioned how we were all thoroughly head-faked out to think that the series would focus on Obi-Wan and little Luke -- NOPE, it was Obi-Wan and little Leia (who have had almost no meaningful interaction in other SW properties to date). By putting so much of the emotional resonance of the series on the shoulders of a young female child actor (and Vivien Lyra Blair absolutely killed it), which could have been mawkish, overly sentimental, cringe-worthy, or just flat-out bad if it was handled wrongly, they gave incredible depth to Leia as a character and the events of the original trilogy, and prized Leia as the ultimate heroine and fearless political leader that she is (we don’t talk about Bruno the sequels in this house, but yes). This is what I mean when I say that the show deeply respects and cherishes what Star Wars, at its best, has always been about. It didn’t reduce Leia, flatten her, minimize her, randomly destroy her life/relationships just for grimdark lulz (yes, sequel trilogy, STILL LOOKING AT YOU) or do anything but provide an absolutely affirming and deeply adoring portrayal of what the character has been for 40+ years, and why she has had such a deep impact on so many girls and women. I so wish Carrie Fisher could have seen it, because she would have loved it so much.

By having Obi-Wan interact with Leia and learn from her and take strength from her, as much or more than Leia learned from him, it also underscored the series’ deeply feminist ethos, and the way that Obi-Wan gets confidence to move forward in his life, and recommit himself to his purpose as a Jedi, because of his ability to love her as his own child (and he is indeed, yet again, the narrative foil and stand-in for Anakin, who has deliberately chosen to separate himself from any possibility of providing that fatherly love.) This is when he finally gets to see Qui-Gon again, who has apparently just been chilling in the desert all this time, not-so-patiently waiting for Obi-Wan to finish eating his breakup ice cream and blasting his breakup songs and, y’know, get on with it. Obi-Wan’s slow, painful, agonizing recovery from death and trauma and unbearable, savage grief isn’t made out to be cheap or easy or something that can be done overnight; after all, it’s been 10 years since Revenge of the Sith when the series starts. It respects the fact that he’s been grieving so desperately all this time, and it doesn’t cheapen it or mock it, but it also gently nudges him, and us, to start thinking about the next step we can take forward, despite that. It’s always deeply connected to Obi-Wan’s love: for Anakin, for Luke and Leia, for Padme, for Qui-Gon, for the Jedi, for what’s true and right and good. We see him struggle and be beaten up and burned to within an inch of his life, but he still continues. And once again, there is a queer resonance in that resilience, and our strength to persist, especially now, in the face of so many hostile forces that seemingly likewise want us to be erased, silenced, and forced back into the shadows. No. We stand up. We fight.

Anyway, tl;dr, Deborah Chow is the only person authorized to do any new Star Wars movies/TV shows from now on. I don’t make the rules.

#star wars #sw meta #kenobi #kenobi spoilers #obi-wan kenobi #anakin skywalker #obi wan x anakin #reva sevander #tala durith #leia organa #queer history

185 notes · View notes

incorrecttowerofgodquotes · 1 year

Text

Gundam: The Witch From Mercury Episode 8 Review

- The focus of this episode was the direction of our newly established company. With the two choices, war profiteering and medical work, it was nice to see them choose the better option. Our characters aren’t looking to fight in a war, they want to prevent it and help those who are struggling. It took Miorine quite a while to think of it, as well as taking time to research the tech’s purpose, which shows that while she is good at management, she’s still a kid.

- Shaddiq seems really focused on getting Miorine in his camp, which further supports my theory that he has a crush on her, or past her. Hell, he even brought up a time they worked together to try and convince her to rely on him. Dude’s down bad. He also has a harem of willing(?) women acting on his orders so he really is the Touga of the series. However, I doubt he actually cares for them. He seems more focused on those who seek to carve their own path like Miorine and Guel. This probably comes back to his time in the orphanage, where he had to stand out in order to gain Sarius’s attention. However while normally a character with that backstory would be a bootlicker, Shaddiq is constantly looking to rise higher and higher. His ambition will probably bite him in the ass in the future.

- I really loved the focus on the Earth House this episode. Each of them comes from different backgrounds, causing them to value different things. It was cute to see Lilique so into helping while Chuchu just sits around spouting curse words. Nika once again acts pretty sus saying she has no interest in anything but working on Aerial. Wouldn’t be surprised if she’s one of the girls Shaddiq monopolized.

- Time for our weekly Guel worshipping. It’s amazing to see his growth as a character in such a short amount of time. He went from destroying an entire green house due to a rude comment to eating his cup curry without flinching as water is being poured on him. Also, he seems to refuse to join any other houses, preferring the natural life. He probably wants to accomplish things on his own by his own merit, which might come from Suletta’s comment to him in Episode 3. But his relationship with Shaddiq interests me. Especially with that “fond of you” comment. I wouldn’t mind shipping Guel x Shaddiq.

- An interesting direction choice this episode is the contrast between Shaddiq and Sueletta’s conversations with Miorine. When Shaddiq talks to Mio, she’s isolated in her greenhouse with him standing outside, no stars in view. But with Suletta, the two are side by side, Mio leaning onto Suletta’s back, as they travel under the starry sky. This goes to show that Miorine trusts and relies on Suletta, while Miorine’s past with Shaddiq was just one of passing the time. Unlike Shaddiq who seems genuinely enamored with her, Miorine never saw it as anything more than just two people working together.

- Prospera continues to be the worst parent by manipulating her daughter. Her voice is just uncannily serene and void of emotion but Suletta eats it all up. Luckily Miorine can smell out Prospera’s bullshit. I wouldn’t put it past her to clone her daughter now.

- More Suletta=/=Eri theory fodder is that she does t recognize Cordo, who Eri affectionately called grandma. Of course she could have just forgotten, but I feel like if you directly bring up the fact that Suletta doesn’t remember someone from her past, it means something. Also someone on the net pointed out that the video was made in the year AS 101, 21 years before our current year.

- Finally, let’s talk about predictions for the next episode. I believe we’ll get a team battle between Shaddiq+Harem and GundArm. Sadly, GundArm only has two pilots, Suletta and Chuchu, and Shaddiq’s mobile suits have anti-GUND technology. Perhaps Guel will come join in just for fun. As to whether or not she’ll win, I’m actually unsure.

#gundam witch from mercury #gundam #g witch

27 notes · View notes

panthera-dei · 1 year

Text

I need to rant about something that happened to me today. (cw: mentions of trauma & emotional abuse)

My brother and I were playing a Star Wars game on his Xbox and we started riffing about how Supernatural characters would react. He started with Cas discovering a lightsaber, so I started mimicking what I thought Crowley would say if he met the Sith: that he likes their color scheme. My brother responded with Dean using a lightsaber to cut up all the hellhounds.

I, quite reasonably (in my opinion), said, "Nooo, not the dogs!"

He said, "They're not dogs. They're hellhounds."

I said, "But Crowley can command them, right? So he can call them off and Dean would only have to kill the bad ones."

Come to find out, my brother doesn't like Crowley at all because Crowley is a demon. I tried to explain my viewpoint, that Crowley isn't all bad and did a lot of good things, and isn't even the main villain of the show. Plus he's funny and enjoyable to watch.

I told him, "I understand not liking Lucifer because Lucifer really is a bad guy. But Crowley isn't an all bad character and he's a lot of fun."

The conversation switched back to Star Wars after that. But I don't understand why my brother is allowed to love Darth Vader and enjoy force-choking video game soldiers while I am not "allowed" to love a wisecracking British demon with a history of trauma who sometimes saves the world. What's the difference there?

And the truth is, Crowley is my comfort character. It hurts me that my brother is implying that I am somehow a bad person for loving my comfort character. I don't support all the things that Crowley did in the show. But I don't support what the Winchesters have done either. I don't see why Crowley's "species" should make a difference to me.

Plus, my brother doesn't know about or accept the fact that I also come from a background of trauma and emotional abuse, and so I don't think he could ever understand why I connect with Crowley in the first place.

And that's the end of my rant, I guess. I wish everyone could see the nonhuman characters of SPN the way I do.... As people who deserved better than what they got, who should have been loved and treated fairly. And as Very Good Dogs, not just mindless rabid animals.

#cw supernatural #supernatural #spn #crowley #spn crowley #castiel #hellhounds #papa of hellhounds #justice for monsters #just ranting #humancentrism

7 notes · View notes

countlessrealities · 5 months

Note

scrapped ideas meme:

🗑️ ⚖️ 💚

Scrapped / on pause / WIP ideas meme

🗑️ a scrapped element of the blog

When I was developing the backgrounds for my OCs, there was a moment when I debated adding to SR's backstory a tragic / bad element, since he's the only one among them who, all in all, had a decent life without too much drama (for Ricks standards, at least). It would have also been in line with the kind of characters I usually write, because tragic backstories are my guilty pleasure xD

I eventually decided against it both because I wanted to try something different, but also because I wanted a character who could still fit Rick standards when it comes to ruthlessness and asshole-ness, but who also was capable of emotional intelligence underneath. SR is the kind of person who hasn't gone through extreme trauma, but he has enough tact that he can be a support for those who have (see his relationship with AR, for example).

Don't get me wrong, he's not a good guy, he has done terrible things and doesn't feel guilty about them in the least, but he has a loose moral code. And he actively tries to be a decent person with the ones he cares for.

I liked this balance between decency and Rickness, and I knew that it would have been hard to develop it if I had given him some big bad event in his backstory. So, he's the only one of my characters who still has his family, who remained in good terms with his Diane even if they divorced and whose Beth actually has a good family life (also, no Jerry in the picture, so maybe that helped xD).

⚖️ something stuck in limbo

I still haven't properly figured out how I want my Morty to feel about the whole Rick Prime ordeal. In the show, they don't really delve into the consequences of him finding out why Rick chose his original dimension specifically, nor how this changes everything that Rick has chosen to do after.

I'm debating whether Morty would see Rick taking him away after they accidentally Cronenberged his dimension as a sign that Rick had come to care for him or if he would see it as Rick wanting to keep something that of Rick Prime in the hope that he might get an interest. Knowing how forgiving Morty is, especially when it comes to Rick, he would probably pick the first option, but I'm toying with the idea that, deep down, he has doubts. And said doubts come out whenever he has one of his bad moments.

I just love both options, the idea of Weird Rick being something that eventually makes Rick and Morty closer and also more on the same level and the idea that instead it adds to the things that have been creating a rift between them. I'm really torn here!

Tho, knowing me, I'll probably end up figuring out a way to mix them because I can't choose xD

💚 for a coming idea that still needs development

I have this verse for Summer I never got to use, but that I'd love to develop sometimes. Basically, after the whole Space Beth reveal, she decides to ditch Earth and join her space mom's crew. You could call it her Star Wars like adventure verse, I guess xD

In this verse, she still is her sassy, mostly detached self, but she would definitely grow into becoming truly confident, into believing in herself and her skills. And she would do that on her own, not through a reflection of Rick's approval or anyone else's.

It's a version of Summer who has found what she wants to do with her life, what she wants from him and also where she belongs, even while still burdened with everything she has learnt through her experience with Rick and her family.

#[ ooc :: mun scotty on comm ]#[ ooc :: blog info ]#[ ooc :: about the mun ]#technodromes #[[ thanks a lot for the ask !! ]]#;; queue

3 notes · View notes

clonehub · 2 years

Note

Lbr, racist misogynists would read any show of emotion by a black woman as "angry", regardless of how Reva actually behaved. I've seen fans blame Disney for casting her as a character who embodies that harmful stereotype. But I'm not comfortable with the implications that Moses and Deborah Chow would willingly participate in that. As you said, they both highly educated, successful, award winning WOC; that's definitely not something either would do. What you share your thoughts?

youre right about racists misreading everything reva does regardless. i think that, since Chow has been a p succesful writer/director (?) up to this point, it's likely that one or both of them is aware that Black women are stereotyped as being more aggressive than we actually are.

reva's also ambitious (a trait I like in a female character regardless), which would be viewed as aggression and anger. reva's inquisitor status means she's gotta have hatred and anger in her. not automatically a bad thing--but her being played by a Black woman plays into this pattern of Disney putting their "rep" on the side of the FO/Empire and keeping the heroes largely white(washed) or alien. education doesn't always prevent someone from writing something harmful, though, so I'd hesitate to say that their accolades preclude bigotry of any kind. do I think either of them is doing it on purpose? Nope! Maybe another day, I'll get into why a Black actor might play characters that end up playing into common stereotypes. Maybe.

But, and I can't remember who said this but I just reblogged it--we have to remember that the empire is/was a metaphor for white supremacist fascism, as enacted for white people by white people. I saw some annoying post floating around that made the argument that because there were people of color who were N/zis in WWII (they conflated the entire Japanese state with individual willingness of the people to support N/zi germany's vile white supremacy, which is something else entirely) it "makes sense" that Reva (and trilla, and basically every background character in the FO in the ST) are people of color. it's "more accurate" that way.

(no its not. people of color can be white supremacists but the ones pulling the strings and making the plans and building the ideology were and are overwhelmingly white--and notice how star wars will never at any point take the metaphor far enough to examine that level and type of self hatred in a character. not that I want them to)

The other side of the coin is the resistance to having Black characters as protagonists. We had Finn, they dropped Finn, JB left, and now Disney LFL is pushing more PoC into the Empire despite, again, the Empire itself being visually representative of white white supremacists, not Every White Supremacist Ever. We had Rose, they dropped Rose, and now we have more PoC in the Empire and FO. We had Poe--

(that post also conflated the people shitting on Finn for daring to be a Black man in space with the people who are complaining now about how Disney still refuses to deliver on a Black character who's a hero, which.....lmao)

The balance is totally off. Star Wars as an overall story would work best if the Empire remained white supremacist in appearance and the heroes were more mixed, as both aliens and with human diversity. It's a better overarching story that way because it matches what we are literally living through right now. It certainly makes more sense than "a (conveniently) racially diverse fascist government is hurting and oppressing millions, especially these select special white people". I've totally deviated from what you were saying anon I'm sorry kssadfahdlka here's my thesis:

Reva's position as a Black fascist will do less damage if she ends up leaving the fascism, and her character arc has her become a good guy. I really can't see the pattern of Black people/poc in fantasy!racism government breaking if they don't do that or something similar. I speculated on Twitter what Reva's path might be, and this was partly because I want a Black character who is central to the story and a good guy. We don't have that. We. Do not. Have. That.

My fingers are crossed, anon. My position on these kinds of things is never to assume that the creators specifically had a goal to perpetuate racism, but seeing as its happened anyways, I address it.

#ask #racism tw #ask to tag #long post #my speculation is keeping my hope alive #this isnt to say villains can never be PoC #but in this iteration of star wars why are they only PoC?

27 notes · View notes

certified-anakinfucker · 1 year

Text

10 Characters, 10 Fandoms, 10 Tags

How to play: name 10 of your favourite characters from 10 different fandoms, then tag 10 people to do the same.

tagged by @kiwikipedia and @chiafett, i’m giving them both a gentle muah and an obligatory apology for mobile’s bullshittery

Cheerilee | My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Take a wild guess where I got this screen name from LMAO it has survived a loooooooooong time. I think I first took it when I was 11? 12? on a hellscape sns. Now I brought it back bc I like the vibes :) At the time I wanted to be a teacher like her (and my mom), and plus her coat color was probably my favorite color at the time. I just loved her a lot.

Christophe Giacometti | Yuri!!! on Ice

He got subjected to the “fuck you he’s mine” treatment, but really I just. Adore him. He showed up like a whore who was DEFINITELY seeing Viktor so long ago and now they’ve turned into the closest friends anyone could ask for with the most beautiful sense of “I love you but you’re going to pay for that” rivalry. He is so pretty. I kind of want to bring him back for SW but I dunno what he’ll be doing :(

[Redacted] | [Data Expunged]

I like my men pathetic and miserable and they can’t do jack nor the shit without causing a cascade failure on an unimaginably catastrophic scale and bringing about destruction to everything he’s ever loved BECAUSE he loved so hard and now everyone sees him with such a sour (bittersweet at best) taste in their mouth and he’s resigned himself to the background in so many things he used to be the proudest of his prowess in but he’s so pretty and dainty and and and and and-

Anakin Skywalker | Star Wars

Me and the scrungly blorbos ass-up in untreated trauma from abandonment issues and being thrust into high positions of power without proper support despite others insisting that we ARE being properly supported at all measures but there are people scared and jealous of us and we keep refusing to admit how deeply it effects our daily lives and relationships until it inevitably destroys what good we do see around us and we have to make the decision on whether to learn and grow from this or just shrug and keep it trucking in the trenches. Neither of us made the right choice here and that’s banger. We’re doing great wdym?

Jedediah | Night at the Museum

Can’t believe I had to split up Jedediah and Octavius for this but I just genuinely admire him. He is so cool. Maybe it’s the free-spirited gay cowboy gender.

Loki | M*rvel

Shut up he’s hot

Wheatley | Portal (2)

Don’t speak to me he’s so so so stupid

Jazz | Transformers

This is entirely Mikey’s fault and I will make sure she knows this daily. Jazz is so just like me fr

Honorable Fandom Mentions

Basically, fandoms I only dipped a toe into but not deep enough to pick just one favorite!

Hades (Game)

WHERE IS MY MOTHER NYX. WHERE IS SHE. I deeply admire anyone’s ability (namely @purgetrooperfox) in sitting through this game.

Red Dead Redemption / 2

What if I turned Micah and Dutch into mulch? What if Arthur lived an amazing life instead? This game makes me feel so many emotions what the fuck I should play it someday 🥲

Tags <3

i’m dumb and wasn’t paying much attention to who was already tagged so. @milf-maul @jekyllnahyena @spaceydragons @sithbian @friedennic @walk-ng-d-saster @kemendin @grandninjamasterren @perasperaadastrawriting @kkrazy256

#cheeri was tagged here #kiwi youre so lucky i love you /lhj #hi leoooo im borrowing u for a callout #terra i keep trying to @ your name and getting sent back to #‘omg wait kkrazy256 is TERRA??? the very terra im talking to rn?????’#i refuse to elaborate on who the redacted is #and i refuse to elaborate on marvel loki #i absolutely will not elaborate on wheatley. i will not do it

7 notes · View notes

yubsie · 2 years

Text

We all know I'm going to get super attached to Owen Lars during a Kenobi, right? Like you're all just assuming I'm going to do that given that he has no powers and an Inquisitor problem, right?

#Kenobi trailer #Star Wars #Owen Lars #we all know who i am as a person #excuse me that's my emotional support background character

10 notes · View notes

problematicpervertpod · 3 years

Text

recs on recs on recs

Yaoi/Manga I’m reading/have read. Please support the artists on official websites. If you have recs or want to chat about any of these get in my messages right the fuck now my dudes. Also spoilers, also this probably doesn’t make sense to anyone but me, also I think I’m funny sorry in advance.

Dangerous Convenience Store

Tags: Ongoing, self aware lead for the most part, gangs, smut, love triangle, possessive, not rapey, seme is like the fucking hulk compared to uke, college, age gap, good art, muscular bodies, seme is adorable/romantic in sp chapters, sexual awakening, meeting the gang (in two ways!), FAINTS OF CUTENESS/HOTNESS, the memes after every chapter got me gagged, HAHE hahahahahahahahahaha, OMG DO I GET SOME CNC?! (update: short lived), we stan a vocal man (Ahjussi), thigh fucking, my mans be like my thighs hurt fuck my ass instead DECEASED, ass smacking, these memes are so good god damnit, rimming

8/10, I live for Ahjussi (Am I spelling this wrong..)

The New Employee

-love love love

Tags: ongoing, we stan supportive boyfriends, healthy relationship, boss/employee, smut, office setting, good art, 10/10 will re-read, muscular bodies

Love Shuttle

Tags: completed, ABO, enemies to lovers, possessive, coworkers, fake relationship, strong omega, the art sucks but I like the story, art gets better after the 1st season, alphas eyes change colors when happy/anxious, muscular bodies, 7/10, update 10/10 art is meh but fml this storyline is basic af in the best way and it’s the fluff/smut I need, when you’re caught by the folks *cringe*

Hold Me Tight

Tags: ongoing, boss/employee, bodyguard, gio can’t feel heat until felix comes along, uke is strong af, horny bastards, smut, possessive, tragic childhood, moving in together right away, rich seme, felix in a bunny costume though *heart eyes*, dialogue is great, rape in a technical sense but the vibe is written like both characters are all good after? Ex. hospital scene…dub con, ART IS GREAT, hand holding during sex, 10/10 will re-read, muscular bodies

Yours to Claim

Tags: ongoing, love triangle, Dom/sub dynamics, smut, main is big switch energy, reincarnation, jealousy, manipulative, possessive, self aware lead for the most part, toxic af, GREAT ART, college, rich semes, 10/10 will re-read and not even finished, SONOFABITCH that cliff hanger!! Season 3 come thruuuu (I have to wait until November? *cries* BUT MAH LOVE TRIANGLE!!, I want a THROUPLE GOD DAMN IT

The Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation

Tags: obsessed with this story, will the incense burner scenes make it?? No tags because I'll never forget this one haha wangxian 5ever, send me all fanfics/fan art you have about this story, love Dark Wangji, Jadecest, ABO/omegaverse, Bottom Wangji/Top Wei Ying, and honestly anything regarding this fandom

Bj Alex

Tags: completed, great art, 11/10 will re-read, cam boy, fanboy, seme is an asshole, uke is so sexy, jealously, rich seme, enemies to lovers kind of?, CHANWOO IS MY BOY FOR LIFE, Chanwoo MD supremacy, BDSM (like really really), fuck I love Chanwoo, college students, rich seme, emotional rollercoaster, uke soft body, mean seme, college life, that one nosy bitch ass guy trying to expose my boys needs to fuck right off, seme split/fake personality, dub con

Anti PT

Tags: ongoing, 11/10 re-readable, porn with feelings, love triangle, jealousy, attempted non-con, personal training wink wink, main love interest is actually the best, second male lead is a god damn creep, first time, smut, great art, sex addict/constantly horny uke, I WANT A HWI,

Related: https://www.anime-planet.com/manga/anti-pt/recommendations

Payback

Tags: ongoing, both are psychopaths tbh, revenge, gangs, uke sells himself to seme, violent seme, entertainment industry, brunette supremacy, what this motherfucker gonna do? hehe , great art, muscular bodies, dead dove do not eat, my mans must be GOOD looking/animal magnetism cause everyone losing their fucking minds, okay this is a comedy I’m dying, he tried to scare him with wanting to be a top but my psycho said REVERSEUNO BITCH I’M A VERSE (wait jk apparently *sigh*), anonymous masked sex (sad n’ kinky)

My Suha

Tags: ongoing, wow this gets dark, possessive af like holy shit, terrible people all around uke, rape, boss/employee, office politics/family politics, smut, characters that are punchable, dead dove do not eat, *velociraptor noises*, avoided this for a while but I’m back because nothing can be more emotionally devastating than Banana Fish, TIE HIM UP, FUCK HIS FACE ALKSJD:ASKD, FUCK SUHA UR SO HOT that dirty talk though YAS, glad I picked this back up lmao, GOD DAMN IT just when the package arrived then this red head fucker *screams*

Shame Application aka Dirty Vibration

Tags: completed, friends to lovers, model seme, cute af uke, love triangle, entertainment industry, smut, kink, all kinds of sex everywhere, realized feelings, mutual pining, jealousy, rich seme, blonde seme, big brother 1984 always watching, 10/10 would re-read, porn with plot, they were roommates!, ~straight~ seme, first times, great art, remembering some cringe but considering the story it’s par for the course

Will You Subscribe

Tags: ongoing, season 1 completed, enemies to lovers, cam boy, office politics, boss/employee, hiding a secret, public sex, stalkers/creepy men, emotionally stunted characters, mutual pining, idiots in lust, lingerie company, slut shaming, jealousy/possessiveness, season 2 bebeh, HOLDING HANDS *velociraptor noises*, LMAO okay my mans is not THAT old how tf does he not know netflix and chill, BUNNY COSTUME (quickly becoming my new fav trope in manga, A+ gang), oh we stan a good boy, wtf is wrong with wanting to do cam work, ‘I wish my marks could become permanent’ *omegaverse wink*, *works for lingerie company* *doesn’t understand where bf gets sexy costumes* like wut kind of fuckery…, cross dressing ftw, roleplay, classic BL miscommunication trope

Hyperventilation

Tags: completed, high school crush, unrequited love, mutual pining, smut, quickie (short story), class reunion, apparently furry with the extra chapter turning my man into a bunny but c'est la vie! https://myreadingmanga.info/korean-bl-animation-hyperventilation-engsub/ this is the animation of the same story, different endings but same in tone (this site is spammy AF but the English subs are so hard to find for this) 8/10

Unmei no tsugai ga omae da nante

Tags: only one bed, ABO, office setting. Coworkers, enemies to lovers, competitive, equality in the omegaverse, dubcon, real dicks and not lightsabers, fated pair, art is cute af 8/10

K’s Secret

Tags: buckle up buttercup, dead dove do not eat, angst, pining, somnophilia, dub con, non con, boss/employee, manipulative, stalking, forced relationship, tragic childhood background, weird art but gets better, uke: don’t threaten me with a good time but seriously stop threatening me, possessive & obsessive, seme is like the fucking hulk compared to uke, wow were going full psycho stalker hm?, dating a narcissist is all fun and (mind)games, con non con… ? honestly who tf knows, domestic!, OW MY HEART, the t/n WAP note sent me, ch 51 translated by gen z, do special ep= furry? Wait there’s a maid costume, bunny costume, directors friends keeping it real, rough translations 8/10

Enthusiasm

Tags: ongoing, dead dove do not eat, uke buys seme, masc boys, muscular bodies, fight club, master/slave, rich uke, revenge, real dicks not lightsabers, rough sex, cuckholding, daddy issues, suicide, wow the end of ch 5 punched a hole in my heart, penile implant life, rough translations makes the storyline wonky, nvm back to lightsabers *star wars noises*, HAD ME FEELING SOME TYPE OF WAY I CAN NOT, shibari, possessive, wait this is cute *velociraptor noises*, angst, no kithes for you “bestie”, OBSESSED, honestly choke him pupper, STAY THE NIGHT ALKSDJA:SLDKJAS:LKDJA:SLDKj, problematic but I’m riding for these two,

Ichimai Goshi Fetish

Tags: completed, short, fetishes DO start in childhood don’t they *ruminates*, author: describes ML as a beautiful 2D character meanwhile: ML IS 2D character, fellas is it gay to kiss the homies?, “real dudes don’t interest me” is a MOOD, comedy, jealousy, college setting, dialogue is A+, not lightsabers but not dicks either, first time, when you’re fucked so good you think you’ve died, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4uEq5Nx6ko, hero/villain roleplay. Fluff n smut 10/10

My Purrfect Boss

Tags: completed, tooth rotting fluff because blondie is so FUCKING cute little sensitive soul, golden retriever boyfriend, pure comedy, DECEASED, MY MAN JUST DID THE SLOW BLINK, office setting, boss/employee, ~wasted~ (red dead redemption meme), FFS SO CUTE, he put a ring on it right away beyonce would be proud af, he protecc he attack but most importantly he hit it from the back, jealousy, honeymoon phase of dating, the ex is a snake (update: oh wow literally), I’m picking up abuse/PTSD vibes based on how Kang reacts to his ex :(, classic BL miscommunication plot, immediately no meme audio (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6XWSGfYnps) , I WILL STRAIGHT UP MURDER CHA WTF!!!!!!, gang rape, spiked with drugs that force heat, me rn:*screaming/rage*, psychotic ex/abuser, HE PROTECCC, actual relief after that scene jesus fuck, okay YES kings I see you, okay this is giving me cuteness aggression, hi yes I’d like to adopt a cat and a dog please 9/10

Following Namsoo to the Bathhouse

Tags: completed, same author as, “My Purrfect Boss”, A+ comedy once again, JUNIOR, gay awakening, “fap myself to death” DEAD, facial expressions are ridic, my minds telling me no but my body, my bodyyyy’s telling me yaaaaa, ya boy is literally losing his mind over this, actual lightsabers lmao, FLUFF, permasmile, 6969, THINKS THEY’RE GOING TO EAT RAMEN, dense gay, own your skin wtf okay hannibal calm down, everyone is officially cray, ah I also am barfy when drunk, denial really is something hm, classic BL miscommunication plot, when people pleasing too far, happy ending 🥺🥰, side story: our crazy gets his very own crazy (ashton Kutcher from spread vibes), public sex, sex sparkle 9/10

Alien in my Closet

Tags: ongoing (maybe completed but def ongoing on the site I use), not rapey at all?? You’d think it’s impossible in this medium ffs, anti pt vibes, cute art, fluff ‘n smut, red head!!, they were roomates!, sex toys, bsdm, D/s (brat)dynamic or maybe owner/pet, bondage, *tiffany hadish voice* this is noiceeee, con humiliation/degradtion, SANTA CLAUS, edging, marking, one lotus please (he’s clearly read the 4 agreements and karma sutra), con non con, exhibitionism, the wrist thing stays on people, Katoptronophilia, roleplay, is it stalking when you bring your friends?, lotus: welcome home cheater, the chin on the head thing gives me cuteness aggression, the twins are my favs, when ur crush vanilla af 😭, haesung: experiment on me daddy, no dick until halfway through/fingering supremacy, bedroom sessions has me gagged, voyeurism, wait they haven’t kissed this whole time I forgot (audio: https://www.tiktok.com/@ryley/video/6976701880277748997?lang=en), sunbae is sus, YES FINALLY A FUCKING SWITCH COUPLE AKJSDHALKSJDHASKLJDHALS KJDALKSJD (update: sort of), there’s a missed opportunity for an anal probe joke, damn it okay maybe sunbae is chill, 3 musketeers, my heart*implodes*, *velociraptor noises*, 12/10 would re-read such fluff my heart

On Doorstep

Tags: completed, age gap, reese has ptsd, jimmy going from 0 to 100, jimmy really got down on his knees at work, ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) deepest part you say, real dicks, ride him like a rodeo, quickie/short story, porn with plot

Gorani Jeon

Tags: ongoing, omegaverse, no alpha though, animal hybrid, art is beautiful like it's drawn on paper not a screen, 40 inch weave yours came in a pack, historical (non-modern), lord send me a sexy man pls, the memes after each chapter are golden, taking the phrase licking wounds literally, is that an eggplant or are you just happy to see me hehe, ahhh so inhibitors do exist here, vertical 69, here lays Bau fucked to death by Ran, WHY HE TOUCHING MY MAN, these chickens are dope, stomp on his dick, that’s what I call a happy meal, fucked right out the front door I’M DEAD, mpreg, i need a tiger+mountain god spin off (whoops dad/son my bad), slice of life, cute fluff 8/10

Room to room

Tags: completed, college setting, A+ dialogue, absurd size difference, unrequited love, sexsomina, dubcon, angst, death by a thousand cuts emotionally, insecurity, body envy, pining, friends to lovers, they were roommates!, homophobia, sexual assault, PTSD, gays in denial, the tattoo 🥺 ow my heart, truly this is 90% smut, “going from unrequited love to fwbs is shittier than I expected”, dowan *bad blood by t swift* when he sees garam, ch 22garam reminds me of my ex and that’s not a compliment, I’m not gay but my boyfriend is vibes, triflers need not apply, spanking, 😭😭😭😭😭 my heart hurts, is anyone getting a bit of a puppy play vibe? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vni9ZWmDXis, handcuffs, lots of head we stan, dowan’s gotta a touch of a foot thing or maybe body worship thing, asdlfgkjs ;dlkfgjsd;flkgj;sdflkgj;sdlfgjs;d/gkdf SO CUTEEEEEEEEEEE, roleplay. They broke the bed no use of crying over spilled milk ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°), side stories delivering man in uniform and sex toys AND puppy, asdlkjaslfkasdjfl;askdfjasdf the shirt thing is so hot, watersports, I take it back this is 98% smut 9/10

Mistake Lover

Tags: completed, when ur bff is back on their BS, love triangle, coworkers, i swear all these ukes look the same to me at this point (which is very cute), GE!!!! (wangxian flashbacks), wait no smut?.... Paused

Yagi to ookami no hatsujou jijou

Tags: completed, quickie/short story, literally on my reading list because a comment said “nice cock 10/10”hahahaha, animal hybrids, scifi/aliens, me during chapter one: am I a furry? No. Am I? Relevant audio https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=noJNIqvDfoo, hotties when human GOD DAMN, bi king, okay I stan this girl changing gears take your opportunities honey!, does blondie have a tinder or how is this happening? (update: called it), feminization, dubcon/noncon, marking, heats, idk about 10/10 cock but not lightsabers, translation is ruff (get it?), a yankee hahaha, literal wound licking, googles chimera, *claps* yes king selfish call his ass out, tail holding caaaayoooot, not that isn’t usually copious amounts of cum but really this is a lot 8/10

Make Me Bark

Tags: completed, $250 a month rent?? *cries in Californian*, god damn it these grey haired 2D men are really hot fml, “next months rent is a looming concern but I hope it’ll get better” followed by apartment on fire is how I feel about reality, rare characters that smile way more than they frown, sex toys, kink, puppy play, owner/pet dynamic, sugar daddy/baby, college setting, harness, muzzle, leash, tail plug, shirt thing!!, soaked briefs, playing barbie IRL, omg meet cute at the adult store, intercrural sex, possessive/jealousy, ah fuck yes I saw this panel on IG but it didn’t have the source but now hehe, whipping, choking, spanking, *bookmarks*, simp city, childhood friends, side couple cute af, yeonsoo: sorry I’m an anti romantic, size queen, mens lingerie, domestic, mutual pining, these bestie pairings are *chefs kiss*, skinny but muscular bodies/no ridiculous size differences, “does he have a big dick?” “probably” “well tell him to come” GAGGED AJKSDHALSKDJHA this dialogue pure comedy, exhibitionism, human auction, maid costume, men in heels, topping in a dress, girl at the bus stop HAHAHA, ffs this is so cute, side stories: it’s a small world afterall, dynamic role reversal, pink haired boy is guru, SCREAMING AKDJA:SLDKJA:LKDJA:LSDKJLAKDJA:LDJAL:SKDJASLKDJA:SLKDJLAKSDJLASDJ:LASJD:ALSKDJASL:DJ:ASLJDPUTARINGONIT!!!! 11/10

Gurume no fukurami

Tags: completed, quickie/short story, food fetish, feeding fetish, age gap, throuple-eqsue? There’s 3 people involved, paused ch 1 pg 30

Under the Green Light

Tags: ongoing, thank you IG for rec’ing this, brunette supremacy, neurodivergent?, lmao @hag, this statue is everything I wonder if it’s based on a real piece?, we went from talking art to being pinned to the ground REAL quick, translations rough but not as rough as my mans here, draw me like one of your french girls vibe, sass master, these dicks are ridiculously huge which is saying something for this genre, i love a verse/switch, “first time he’s asked someone to stop so his self-esteem is hurt” HAHAHAHA, stealing bae’s shirt, facials galore, car sex/public sex, jin not into praise kink clearly, sort of slut shaming jealousy, marking

Walk on Water

Tags: completed, for being about porn it’s not that smutty (i take it back), “don’t even think about running away” got me like https://giphy.com/gifs/VABbCpX94WCfS, actual dicks (lightsabers later must be the cleaners not the OG), muscular bodies, blonde seme, brunette uke, k mcqueen is everything, honestly haven’t loved a couple this much since chanwoo x MD and I LOVE THEM, jealousy, orgasm denial, the angles/frames of the art in this are insane (11/10), emotional intimacy CUTENESS HASIHDLASKDHJLAKSJDH, i wanna lick lick lick you from your head to your toes, dirty talk A+, bestie you turned out to be Judas you judgy fuck how dare you touch my man, Ryan is 50 shades of fucked up bb needs therapy, Chang and yeowoons sexual tension is *chefs kiss*, I ship it/all my ships sailing, woof non con but expected tbh, YEAH BABY YEAH *Austin powers voice*, fml I don’t want this story to end, meeting the Hets ™ would make me nervous too, spiderman kith, mirror sex sjkadfhasldjkfh, 34+35, JOI but with a partner? Not D/s, promises are made to broken hehe, that feeling when you understand the title, omg the fan art is so cool!! 15/10 would re-read seriously I can’t explain how well the artist used angles/how she portrayed the scenes was fucking MASTERFUL

Woof Wolf

Tags: that's my best friend (saweetie), red heads, werewolf au, college setting, students, shoot a shot in your mouth while I'm riding, facials, marking

Sexual Awakening of an Ex Delinquent

Tags: completed, quickie/short story, sexual coercion/non con/dub con, tiddies, bondage, nipple play, edging/orgasm denial, candy in ass wow, food kink, kink in general, rich seme working class uke, lightsabers, big dick Jesus fuck, exhibitionism, public sex, men's lingerie, Blondie is a sweet baby angel, self hatred/homophobia, sexual narrating that has me like oof 😣 that's not how this works but okay, the sweet spots thing is a great line, man is a slave to the sweets, lmao at the meme at the end of ch 9 fucking facts, kidnapping plot, rapey guys all around this story, tattoo/back story reveal has me like *nods head yes*, my throats broken has me gagged, crazy amount of sfx noises that distract from the art (I really appreciate cleaners I realize), first times, rushed ending feels, would rate 6/10 not terrible but probably won't read again.

With Your Tail Yes

Tags: ongoing, IG rec, quickie/short story, on man brunette looks EXACTLY like a different character by another artist like for real duplicate, home boy pulled Elle Wood’s Bend n Snap and we are HERE FOR IT, lingerie/cross dressing, okay compilation of short stories, great artwork but wtf these are far too short (maybe uploaded wrong..?), *immediately makes deal with the devil because yum*, ah okay previews THEN stories, human animal hybrid situation, lightsabers, fucking imagine your crush delivery the sex toy you ordered online HAHA *dies*, buys toys because men ain’t shit is a VIBE, you know he’s always wearing matching sets because he’s 100% that bitch, dub con/non con, knotting (unexpected), exhibitionism, public sex, good ol’ fashion blackmail to get your lover to stay with you trope, sexual assault/attempted rape, victim blaming, shibari, leashes, D/brat dynamic sort of, copious amounts of cum, lube? What lube?, marathon sex, first time, 75 hours?? Immediately no meme, 7/10 mostly for art/concepts but not execution

Heat and Run

Tags: ongoing, IG rec, omegaverse, friends to enemies to lovers, multiple couples as main to sides then sides to mains, my heart dropped because I thought the first sex scene was incest but then realized I’m mixing up all the characters derp, dense gays, this is america (the shooting comment WOOF reality feels bad man), blondes have more fun, real dicks, dubcon/CNC dealers choice, mutual pining, idiots in love, big alpha energy BDE, there are moments I feel Hayoung on a spiritual level and not sure that’s a compliment hahaha, orgasm denial/edging, istg if he bonded without Hayoung permission *jenna marbles BOIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII YOU BETTAH NOT*, also I was hoping the idol was him but realizing it’s probs his sis, *deep sigh*, BDIRL, wow racism, oh no oh no no no no no meme audio, listen everyone needs to get into therapy to break that generational trauma is all I’m saying (not excusing abuse at all, trauma isn’t a free pass), NO ONE WANTS TO PLAY A GAME WITHOUT KNOWING THE RULES :ALKSDHJALKSDJA:SLKDJTRUE, matthew singing bo burnham: I’m problematic *background singers ‘he’s a problem!’*, i ship it yolo, JAEHO STAN (no means no!), mpreg, god damn it I am so worried about him getting roofie and the party scene hasn’t even started ABO WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TOO ME, OH THANK JAEHO, dayummmm that clapback was real fuck him UP, me clapping: MARK HIM MARK HIM, GOD DAMN IT WITH THESE ONGOING FUCKING CLIFF HANGERS FML, marked via knotting? Okay that’s new, but also like normal marking I think, fucking til bottom pees trope

Heaven Officials Blessing

Animated series season 1 complete. Live action currently filming (same director as Untamed too UGH SO HAPPY)

Tags: ongoing, same author as my fav ever MDZS, just finished season 1 animated on netflix and can no longer avoid this because I LOVE THEM, all the memes on IG make sense now, Prince voice: Dearly Beloved (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXJhDltzYVQ) we are gathered here today to dive deeper into a fandom I will never escape, ART IS AMAZING (https://tenor.com/view/incredible-talented-lady-brilliant-gaga-gif-14857187), group chats are always chaotic tbh, wait a minute meme audio: bride = bottom? How tf did I not get that the first time round *sigh* always hoping for a verse couple, the asst. Boys I ship hard, the sass, fuck this is going to just be pure angst isn’t it *straps in, has fluffy manga queued*, even if no smut 11/10 gege porn, not subtle, god FUCK this ART IS SO FUCKING GOOD THE TALENT skjas;ldkfja;, 🥺, traumatic cliff moment *mdzs flashbacks*, HC smirk is my new favorite thing, no fucking but lots of touching, size difference, horror, gore, wuxia, great side characters, my ear feels tingly too lmao, SOMEONE BETTER GET THESE MF SNAKES ON THIS MF PLANE (cliff), umbrella moments got me uwu, gimme at least didi pleaseandthankyou, FUCK I LOVE THIS ARTIST she keeping us WELL fed with these extras DAYUM, wind/earth master ship please sail, CALL ME DADDY IM DEAD, HC has LWJ energy like you are not qualified to talk to me LOL, WAIT this totally counts as there was only one bed trope, also I’m already excited about omegaverse ff (send me recs please please please)

4 week lovers

Tags: ongoing because apparently I want to torture myself, mutual pining/”unrequited love”, college life, friends to lovers, blackmail ur crush into sex trope, public sex, I was going to tag possessive body language but possessive in a general sense apparently (starting strong yessss), sure jan @unrequited love dialogue, THEY WERE ROOMMATES *cackles*, sus haha, rough translation, pure comedy, shirt thing!, casual abuse :( (back story, traumatic childhood), I’m getting TharnType vibes (but not quite…), that note is precious, cry during/after sex, great angles, dialogue A+

Burlesque Night

Tags: completed, quickie/short story, stripper/body guard, coworkers, lust at first sight, magic mike vibes, fridays = getting fucked on stage O-O, well that was traumatizing af, took a bullet, real dicks, LDR, CUTE, I’m not in love with you… sure jan, OH WOW MASTER dlksaj;alsdkja;lsdkja;sld, gay awakening/first time, the art detail is *chefs kiss*, disappointed but not surprised :( :( :(, we stan a yes and lover, shirt thing, still not sure wtf the vertical anus thing is but full circle moment haha, you know what fuck it I’d re-read this 9/10

My one and only cat

Tags: ongoing, cat hybrids, god damn it I’m totally in furrydom ffs, ah well here we go, idol hot = loneliness wahhh /s, so hot he literally transforms other beings, omg a cat cafe CUTE, fuck that cat is cute *so fluffy*, stalker status, comedy, real dicks, I think the uncle would be supportive/jealous even I hope they talk about it I’m dying to know his thoughts, big tiddies, if this ain’t the cutest shit FLUFF/SMUT, copious amounts of cum, ate it with the panties on, CAKE, xmas, his milkshakes bring all the boy(cats) to the yard, trifling bitch

Imitation Mate

Tags: completed, omegaverse, alpha x alpha. Class rivals YAS, childhood frans, enemies to lovers omg this is all the shit I want, manipulation 1000 but yolo I ship it

Mr. 100% Perfect

Tags: ongoing, so relatable, OCD?, hoarder, when I read the title I thought mental illness and I was right, masks ugh RELATABLE, getting back together w ex, woof sibling drama/manipulation, suicide attempt, omg their communication regarding the psycho is REFRESHING, OMG JEJU ISLAND I see it in every fucking kdrama ever but this is the first time I’ve seen it mentioned in a manga *hm* interesting, furry furry everywhere, eye contact, finished reading season 1 pause for an omergaverse cause, okay I’m back and season 2 starting STRONG #1 men are gross #2 mans just went right to a blowie while mf was trying to pee lmao i can NOT the germs barf, fuckboi extraordinaire stressing over a textback is *great*, that istg face is perfect, HYUNGGGG, hand on his heart OW MY HEART, vibe check LOL, here for this plot dev, END OF SEASON2 NOOOOOOOimnotready. Head bonks CUTE

The origin of species

Tags: ongoing, omegaverse, sex tape, blackmail, i already don’t like this teacher, size difference, ‘JUST DIE’ hahahahahaha, I’m in love with noona, wait Ahjussi means uncle/mister? Dangerous convenience store has a new meaning to me now, DECEASED @they won’t, copious amounts of cum, alcohol to have intimacy *sighs in early 20s*, also WTF THEY ARE FUCKING AND THERE’S NO PHERMONE STUFF! What’s the point of being ABO without smell *swaggy p meme???*, wait okay ch 11 it begins, stockholm syndrome but since childhood I’m fairly certain *looking at you teacher I don’t trust these mfs*, dubcon obviously, also the can’t be knotted thing has me *cardi b meme that’s weird that’s sus* obvs poor bb about to get preg af, five word horror story: I won’t hurt you again *why tf you lyinggggg why u always lyinggg meme*, white collar crime, what’s the point of a contract when there’s no actual choice

How to Chase an Alpha

Tags: ongoing, lowkey been avoiding this one not because I think it’ll be bad I just..idk the brain is a weird thing, page 2 and I love mains attitude fucking gagged sass me bb, starting with rough translation but it be that way sometimes, GROUNDS HIMSELF BY TOUCHING HIS BLACK CARD I CANTTT, pheromone city fuck it UP, MC is a MOOD, mutual pining, when u and bae both hire PI’s to get info on each other, R-E-S-P-E-C-T, shirt thing, fucking chuffed about the rival fucking bring it, funny art, cheated on ugh mah heart I saw it coming and it still hurt, pure comedy this airport scene is so funny to me wtf, LDR, good ol murica fuckboi, LOVE HIM RIDE FOR UR MAN/MORALS, liams a little rapey rapist hm? No one’s ever said no… well being flooded with pheromones isn’t consent my dude, istg liam = I love it when they struggle, obvs jealousy/possessive tag but such is ABO, cat suit, BUNNY suit, sexy costumes, god damn it I love them that proposal/mpreg so cute, imprinting AW, ugh baes fam is so cute I needed that bc I wanna strangle wooyoungs dad, THE SECETARY is my fucking fav never stops being A+, SEC+LIAM?? Here for it *i ship it*, FUCK SO CUTE 12/10 re-read, fluff n smut, excited for how to chase an omegaside story hyung needs love!, JINI is mood, sales king I’m dying, that collar is ~hot~ btw

Egoism

Tags: completed (because jesus I can’t with ongoing, theheartbreakTM), UPDATE FML THE HEART BREAK IS REAL also no smut, omegaverse, hey stepbro, starts with rape, possessive/jealousy (isn’t all ABO?), age difference (6years, alpha is younger *can I get hyung plz lord*), HYUNG, woof this dad SUCKS, child abuse, rape culture *sigh*, I wanna get jacked like rick and summer and beat tf out of the dad, me n my cat, TELL EM HONEY I love this MC, traitor indeed, beta x omega btw, fated pair, coercive sex, didi going to be his own demise, BREAKUP/TIME SKIP NO this is BL hell, the rona is mentioned in this, ALL I WANT IS TO HEAR YOUR STORY WAHHHHHHHHHH also YES MY SHIP IS GOING TO SAIL I CAN FEEL IT, okay honestly frustrating a bit but also liked it yah 7-8/10, won’t re-read unless I’m looking for hurt though cause the comfort is BRIEF

Yarichin bitch bu

Tags: ongoing, reading because I watched this anime after seeing it mentioned in the comment section of -im-being-harassed-by-the-sexiest-man-of-the-year, anime was 2 eps a fucking wild the way this is uploaded SUCKS, no reality porn what plot rape-y ridiculous and now I need to read the source apparently haha, I need to know much more about yuri and blue hair guy ASAP (they have the spin off*adds to list*), high school setting, smut, studentsxstudents/teachers, photography club my ass, sex toys, kinky, crossdressing, gay awakening, unrequited love, jealousy, fake relationship, two faced people, OCD, COMEDY, rich people problems, hoarder, inferiority complex, one bed, toono is a dumbass in this love triangle or denial might be a better word, they are cousins my dude stop shipping it (I say to both toono and myself LOL), I wanna see Yuri’s face laksdjf;aldskf, vibrator #18 line is fucking iconic, yaguchi is about to get real interesting (BPD?), lies/manipulation, oh toono you sweet summer child, YURI i can’t wit chu, wait did he just punch the student because he won’t kiss him or???, dubcon/noncon obvs, finally my verse couple but they’re not a couple (yuri/tamu), they all care about each other is a weird way awwww, love confessions to pet vibrator scene are ICONIC MY DUDES I CAN NOTTT, lowkey living for Yuri’s drooling at this point, Jimi gives me such bad second hand embarrassment, Yuri the switch verse bb I’ve been looking for need more!, internalized homophobia, blackmail, MIDDLE FINGER IN THE AIR YAS KING, the heartbreak of ongoing/hasn’t been updated in years

Yarichin bitch bu dj wa

Tags: not completed I think, years old though, see above you know what it is, so cute omg, FIRST KISS AW, degradation kink?, MY VERSE COUPLE I’ve finally found you, biting, choking, rough sex, sex toys, they had fun together for another two hours DECEASED

Fucked by my Best Friend

Tags: ongoing, friends to lovers, body swap, Porn what plot, cannon threesomes in past maybe??(MFF for sure but MMF??), beach life, revenge, he became a HOT woman so honestly get over it, sloppy seconds, first off you’re both sluts second lmao this is going to be wild hm?, fellas is it gay if you kiss the homies, classic did you cum guy jfc, that’s how you get preg dumbass, ah the joys of being a woman /s assault in der clrub, *DEEP SIGH* @ you almost being raped turns me on, YES TURNING BACK DYING, gender has nothing to do with this LOL but true. Also yes cannon threesomes/orgies, googles frotting, mans like narrating playtime, intecurial sex public sex, lingerie, this is the closest thing to straight manga I’ve read hahaha, THE SCIENCE OMG FUCKING RIDIC :you need a mass amount of semen within you SURE JAN, possessive. Objectification, she trying to fuck without Shion LMAO, 34+35, do you think he’s on r/nofap, dry orgasm honestly impressed with mans rn ngl, spit as lube, anal fingering, just helping the homies find their prostate, bottom shaming (disappointed but not surprised), bis/gays in denial smh, question if he has a wet dream will he turn into a woman?, shirt thing, lol at female orgasm =anal in switcharoos mind, paging doc perv, shion is enjoying dressing up hm? Same dude, biggest reality gap is believing shion got admitted to a college HAHA, bad anatomy all over the place dude, rui is a dedicated exhibitionist, HE SO TIGHT BECAUSE THERES NO LUBE team no lube over here apparently not even a courtesy spit, yandere territory sort of?, Mayu with the dick wet comment is *chefs kiss*, THE HEARTBREAK OF ONGOING WAHHH I can’t believe I read all this but I can? 8/10 problematic possessive porn

#yaoi #manga #enemies to lovers #friends to lovers #gay #lgbt #pornwhatplot #recs #book recs #manga recs #yaoi recs #ships #yandere #uke #seme

113 notes · View notes

oonajaeadira · 3 years

Text

LOSING MY RELIGION: CHAPTER 3: THE ADMIRER

(Image: The Mandalorian Ep. 6, Star Wars/Disney)

Pairing: Post Season 2 Din Djarin / force sensitive reader. Soft. Super soft slow burn on both sides, internal struggles. Alternating POV.

Warnings: None. (It’s not in the story, but I imagine Din probably checks out your ass when you’re leaning forward to look at the engines out of the front shield of the Crest. He just doesn’t realize he’s doing it. So. That’s in your head now.)

A/N: I promised more Din POV this time. This should cover said promise. I’ve been rewatching the series and realizing how much thinking/calculating Mando does. And though he seems quiet and arm’s-length with certain characters, I’m re-discovering how much he’s actually willing to talk and banter when he likes someone. Thank you for reading and sharing and supporting, I super appreciate it!!!!

Summary: You’re very transparent about how much you like the Mandalorian’s ship. Din has some difficulty understanding how much he likes you.

TAGLIST: you can always request to be on the taglist for this or any of my work. If you’d like to be on taglists for upcoming fic, please sign up here –> TAGLIST

MASTERLIST - LMR MASTERLIST

←-Previous Chapter 2: The Recruit

__________

PART 1: DIN DJARIN

Din’s vambraces and gloves lay discarded on the ground by his feet. He’s elbow-deep in the Crest’s port-side landing strut compartment as he messes with the trunnion; there’s something in here that is ill-fitting or damaged and he’s trying to figure out which. It’s not going well. His hands aren’t telling him what he needs to know. If he could just get his head up and around the strut to see what he’s feeling, that might tell him more, but the space is too small for his helmet to get through. He’s so close--even though he knows it’s not going to be effective, he tries one more angle, reaches a little bit further, makes a clear clang of beskar on metal, but it’s no use and he pulls his arms out of the compartment with a sigh.

The Raydonian sun’s only been up for an hour or so and there’s still dew on the grass in the shadow of the ship. For a moment Din just takes in the way it glistens, wondering when he was last waiting around in one place long enough to actually see dew. Or even notice it. With the crowd at the cantina last night, he’s guessing this is a late-night/sleep-in kind of place, and the Crest is parked a good distance from the settlement gate. There’s no reason for anyone to come this way until sunset and he’s mostly shrouded in the foliage here. He can just take the helmet off. And he will. In a second. Right now he’s thinking, distractedly rubbing a blade of plucked grass between his fingers, feeling the way the dew mixes with the axle grease on his bare hands.

Last night was...it was...well. It was unexpected.

Little bird. “Curious. Penchant for flying. But too much fear deep down to be a substantial fighter.”

You’re absolutely as Ahsoka had promised, if not exactly what he’d envisioned. Based on his interactions with your kind so far, he thought you'd have the cool head and steady core of a Jedi. But you were surprisingly...lively. Brave. But brave in a way that was earned rather than inherent. Sure, you were ruffled at the beginning, soft and covering it with a tough front, but then you walked into your fear and defeated it. Quickly, without mercy. It was admirable. He thought you might take longer to decide, ask more questions than you did, need more from him personally. But the minute the holo dissolved and you turned to face him, fear or no, you accepted the outcome. You were going to do what was right, even if it cost you everything.

Good.

Beyond that, for someone with your background he expected you to have high emotional walls, keep people at a reasonable distance. Normally, he’d prefer that. But what he finally got from you was assertive warmth and trust. Although you wielded them like weapons in their own way--weapons that could potentially get underneath armor and wreck a person from the inside. Not that it was unpleasant. He’s willing to face that kind of assault. Shouldn’t be too challenging. He’s had some recent practice thanks to the kid.

He’s got the whole day to wait. There’s this landing strut problem. And he’s going to run a diagnostic on the generator. He probably has time to give the ancillary systems some attention, the water filter in the vac head needs changing for sure. Then what? Waste time until sundown, he supposes. If you don’t show up, how long does he wait to come find you?

You’ll show up. You will. And when you do, Din won’t be alone on the ship. He’s low-grade looking forward to a break in the silence, but there’s something gnawing at him about it and he’s not sure what it is. He never had to think much about the comfort of anyone but himself, certainly not a quarry. Hells, he usually sacrifices his own comfort in favor of efficiency. He’s had some passengers for short bounces from here to there, and for that the jump seat did its job. Even the kid….well. Grogu wasn’t a guest. He was family. But you, you’re going to be living in the Crest like Din lives in the Crest. Eating there. Sleeping there. Sharing space. For a little while, anyway. He doesn’t know what that means. Hasn’t put much thought into it.

Other than the fact that someone will be around, so the helmet stays on, full stop. So if it’s gotta come off for him to get inside the landing gear hatch, it’s gotta be now. Din looks down the road to the gate to confirm he’s alone. Then he flicks the blade of grass aside and lifts the beskar off his head, setting it in the dew with his other castoffs. A breeze moves through his roughly-chopped curls, and he lets the now-familiar sweet and floral air hit him for a second before consigning himself to the cloud of grease and hydraulic fumes he’s about to jam his head into. It’s good that he opened up the ramps to let the breeze circulate inside the ship. You’ll be shut up in there for a few days before you get new air; maybe he can trap some of your home in there for you.

Now that he has eyes on it, he can finally see what’s causing the trouble up in the trunnion. Looks like it’s taken a good hit. How in hells did something bang up this far? This will take some work. Damn. Well. There goes his morning. At least he has more to keep him busy while he waits.

______

PART 2: YOU

“These cultures have been going for about five days, and the blue ones for seven. I’ve just been recording observations once every couple of days, no real schedule. My bet is that the blues will die out soon, but we’ll still see growth from these other ones.” You point out the data chart to Mala who clearly knows all of this already. “You don’t have to rehatch any of them if they die, I’ll just start a new batch when I get back.”

Mala makes no other response to you than a raised eyebrow and a “Mm-hmm.”

“If anyone comes in with a variant rash, maybe make a note of that.”

“Mm-hmm.”

“I think the Nylot boy is coming in today and possibly the K’teer twins, but I’m going to miss the rest of my follow-ups. Most of the records are pretty detailed, but if you want to take a look over them before I head out, I can answer any questions.”

“Mmmmm-hmmmmmm.”

“Do I need to tell you again how extremely amazing you are for taking all of this on?”

Mala crosses her arms and settles into one hip. “If you want to heap praises on me, I will certainly stand here and listen. I mean, you seem to think I can handle the clinic without you--and I can, you’d better believe--but you also seem to have a problem walking away from it.”

You drop the data chart on the exam table with a dramatic groan. “I know. It’s going to be fine. How much can you really kriff up here anyway?”

Mala scoffs. “Maybe I’ll burn it all down while you’re gone. Or just change the lock codes.”

“Oh! That reminds me! I did put a security scan up, so I have a new code. Here, take this. Just in case you need to get into my place. Or need somewhere quiet to escape. Or...just wanna check in there now and then? I don’t know.”

She plucks the key card out of your hand, “Would you just stop? Everything here is going to be fine. I’ll take care of it. Doesn’t matter how long it takes. Everything will be waiting for you here.” Mala links her arm through yours and shakes you a little. “Just go do what you have to do. Go have fun.”

“It’s not a vacation, Mala.”

“No. I know. ‘Fun’ was the wrong word, sorry. I’m sure whatever you’re flying off to do is more serious than watching sunsets and drinking spotchka. But there is a light in your eyes I haven’t seen in a while and it looks good on you.”

You smile at her a little sadly. “I’ll begrudgingly admit that I’m excited for this. Scared, sure. But really, stupidly excited. I wish I could tell you why. I wish I could tell you everything.”

“Pfffssht.” She smirks and swipes a hand broadly through the air. “You don’t have to tell me anything, schutta. I saw that man. Tall and broad, yes? You’ve been completely seduced by that big metal chest.” She pokes you in the side, causing you to flinch.

“You realize that Jedi and Mandalorians are ancient adversaries, right?”

“Is that why you took him up to a room at Geoffin’s? To conquer him? I heard you were up there a while. Rumor is, you might have been up there all night. Nobody saw you leave.”

This sets you off and you crumple in embarrassment. “Oh. My. Krififng. Stars. Where did you hear that!?”

“Old Lady Ree ambushed me on the way here this morning. Digging for her daily gossip. Don’t worry, you know I didn’t say anything.”

You knew there might be talk this morning, even so, it’s a little mortifying to have it confirmed. But Old Lady Ree is a walking social foible and you giggle anyway as Mala digs harder into your discomfort.

“But maybe?” She pokes you in the ribs a second time. “You said he was nice…”

“Stop that. And I did not use that word. I said he was trustworthy. I trust him. And I meant that in every sense, you insufferable woman.”

“Hmm. What’s his name again?”

Ugh. You hate it when she gains a point on you. “He didn’t say.”

“Oh, that’s right. Huh. Mr. No-Name from Maker-Knows-Where sounds really trustworthy.”

“It’s not like that. He didn’t offer the info. He’s...part of a religious order. For lack of a better term.”

“Well, so were you, and I’ve seen you put your hands on some pretty men. What’s to say he won’t take advantage?”

You really can’t stop a nervous laugh at this. “You, my dear, see what you want to see and make up stories in your head. And you forget I can hold. My. Own. But seriously. He’s got a code: religiously carries weapons, doesn’t flaunt individuality, doesn’t show his face. That sort of thing. But I’m sure it won’t be long before he does the very tedious and very formal Mandalorian introduction with lineage ad nauseam. I’ll know when I know.”

“Tsk. Boring-- Wait.” She blinks at you. “So you haven’t even seen his face?”

“Do I need to?”

She tilts her head, lekku shifting to the side, looking at you seriously for a moment. “Don’t you want to?”

“Yes, of course I do,” you admit, “that’s natural. But it’s not his way and in the end, he’s going to do his job better with it on because that’s how he’s used to functioning. If that’s the case, I do not judge.”

“Hmm. I just think it would be lonely being shut up with someone when you can’t see their face or their eyes--or use their name--when you’re talking to them, that’s all. Although.... There is something fun about the mystery.”

You bite your tongue, but you don’t disagree with her. You certainly don’t tell her how much time you spent thinking about this in your bed last night, trying to turn it off and go to sleep.

Mala wears a number of beaded strings on her wrist, handmade bracelets from her daughter. Sitting at your feet and taking one of these strings, she slips it onto your wrist, like a teenager swearing an oath of friendship. “If you get lonely.”

For an instant, you almost regret going. Almost. “Listen. I promise you. If the hyperspace gets to us and we just get so lost in the moment and the helmet comes off and he’s beautiful and the pants come off and that’s good too and our brains fall out of our heads and we find ourselves in each others’ arms, interstellar winds whipping through our hair,” gasp, “I will stop right in the middle of all the breathtaking drama and excitement and send you a holo message so you can tell me just how right you were.”

“Excellent. That’s all I was really asking for.” She smiles up at you. “Take care out there, yeah?”

“Hmm. I’ll think about it.”

“I know you’re scared. Turn the confidence up to 10. Play strong and you’ll be strong. Don’t worry about things here.”

It’s like she just found your long-lost activation codes; you feel your engines roaring to life. “I can do that. That, I can do.”

______

When you linger at the clinic a little longer that afternoon, triple-checking that everything is left in order, Mala physically forces you out the door with more rallying cries. By the time you get home the sun is getting low and your heart is racing. But you’re already packed for the most part. Just enough time to take a real shower--since you’ll most likely be relying on a sonic for a while--and change into some travel gear. Cloak. Good boots. Lightsaber. Done. Are you forgetting anything? It feels like there might be something, but it can’t be that important, probably just lingering anxiety. Taking one last look at your little home you shut down the power, lock up, and go.

A couple of people you know pass you on the main road through the settlement. They comment on the bags, and that’s fine. You’re going off on one of your camping trips to do more field study on the Raydonian fauna. Y’know, for herbal salves. This is accepted. Normal for you. No questions asked. Your shadow stretches out long ahead of you on the ground, each footfall meeting its counterpart, each one bringing you closer to lift off, to stars, to the potential of a new warrior comrade, to a kid that needs your guidance. And thank the stars you’ve kept up with your training. This is exhilarating. You’re already enjoying this.

At the east gate, you can just see dual engines poking out among the trees right around a bend in the road, and the excitement rises another notch in your gut. Not many ships dock on this side. This is the only one you can see today, so this must be it. As you clear the bend, the Crest II comes into view, the last of the sunlight illuminating it against a twilight background, and the sight of it stops you in your tracks.

______

PART 3: DIN

Din looks over his stash as he cleans a spare blaster, then replaces it in the weapons locker. There’s far fewer weapons here than he’s ever had, but he’s slowly building his collection back up, sometimes pilfering them off quarries he brings in. Occupational bonus. Some of them are fast favorites, but kirff, he misses that pulse rifle. At first he thinks it would be great if he took in a quarry that had one, and then realizes how he really would not like to be on the receiving end of it. Never mind. In the end, it made things too easy anyway. He’s come to enjoy a challenge.

Speaking of challenges, the sun’s almost gone and he wonders where you are; it would be best to lift off before it gets too dark. Stepping out onto the ramp, he’s blinded by the setting sun only for a half second before the visor compensates and reveals you standing out there, bags at your feet, gazing up at the Crest. Hmm. Punctual. Good. Like most people he transports, you’re probably judging the ship’s ability to fly.

“We should get going.”

You don’t even startle, don’t even look his way. “This is a Galactic MPC gunship. Where in the galaxy did you dig this up?”

“Some junkyard on Navarro.”

His answer also goes unacknowledged, you only have eyes for the ship, circling around towards its nose. “It’s in good shape for its age. Second fleet issue, R-series compatible--what in hells? Are those...black-market cannons? Damn, Captain. You fixed her up nice. I’m impressed. I wouldn’t have taken you for a classics type.”

Even though he’s never been one to let something trivial like a personal compliment inflate his ego, your approval of the Crest II is something different. It hits a soft spot dead-on, generating a rare response, even if it’s to diffuse said compliment. “It serves its purpose. Pre-Imperial means it’s disconnected from the networks.”

“Pre-Imperial means it’s pretty badass.”

Din moves back up the ramp, stopping to scoop up your bags more out of a need to get moving than courtesy. Although he supposes you deserve the courtesy too, after that. “You ready?”

“You gonna give me the tour?”

You’re not even hiding your glee here. He’s going to have to get used to that. But it’s a nice break from the sarcasm he usually suffers over his ride. “Sure. Though there’s not much to see.” He points out a few key areas. “Ladder to the cockpit, refresher through there, bunk.”

“What’s this panel?”

“Weapons locker. You shouldn’t need anything in there.” He sets your bags down by the storage crates. “Three bags? Sure you didn’t forget one? Or five?”

“It’s mainly just the one. The other two are camping supplies and food--which you told me to bring, I’ll remind you.”

“Camping supplies.”

“Yeah. I didn’t know what you had, so I brought some cooking pots and a couple of hammocks.”

“Hammocks.”

“They’re for sleeping? It’s like a bed? That hangs?” You turn to look up at the hull. “It looks like you have some cargo net points; I can just hang one across the rear ramp. I’ll be out of the way back there.”

“I know what a hammock is. There’s a bunk.” He hits the panel to reveal the personal cubby.

And he receives a pointed look back at him. “Where’s yours?”

“We can switch off.”

“What about the kid we’re transporting? And what happens when we’ve got a few nights to kill on Chalacta?”

“A few nights? You’re planning on staying a while?”

Your face shifts with this and you stare sadly at him for a moment. When you do speak, you disarm him a bit with the softness of your tone.

“It’s my experience that parents don’t just hand over their children when you show up to take them away. It’s not easy for the kids either. It may take a little time.”

That hits hard. Hadn’t thought about it so thoroughly. In his experience, foundlings have been abandoned or orphaned--or quarries--just pick ‘em up and go. Take ‘em toward their new homes, not away from their old ones. Even if this assignment puts you in touch with willing families, of course there’s going to be negotiations with this. Of course that’s why you’re coming with him--to do the talking. To do your job. Of course.

He nods. “Sure.”

Thankfully, you cut the heavy mood and put that warm smile of yours back on. “But hey, thank you? It’s sweet of you to offer up your one and only bed. It’s nice to have the option. As long as I’m not putting you out, I may take you up on it.”

You meant nothing more than to show gratefulness for his hospitality. Din knows this. He sees it in your expression, hears it in your voice. But he’s still playing catch up after that emotional stumble. He hears you say “as long as I’m not putting you out,” and it takes several microseconds for his brain to understand it properly. He knows you mean “as long as it doesn’t inconvenience you.” He knows.

But you just called him sweet. And you’re very close and very warm. And you’re standing together next to the open bunk compartment. Something in him translated “as long as I’m not putting you out,” to mean “as long I’m not kicking you out when I get in with you.” And in the time he’s doing this mental double take, he’s been staring down at you silently, his helmet conveying a less confused and more stoic look than he’s actually wearing on his face.

He’s silent long enough that you tilt your head questioningly at him. “Are you going to show me the cockpit?”

Again, Din knows exactly what you’re asking. And it was earnest, no shred of innuendo. But he’s still re-orienting and this question rolls down the same neural pathways as the last comment, slamming full force into his basest processing centers.

He sighs, realizing now that you’re actually here, that you are already more distracting than he anticipated. “Yeah.” Gripping the ladder harder than usual, he climbs up, giving himself a few seconds to move away and shake it off.

Focus.

But still. He’s not going to give up the satisfaction of impressing his new partner with his ship if you like it so much. Once he gets to the top of the ladder, he stands to the side, allowing you to get your bearings and pass your judgements as you move to the control panel. It’s genuinely pleasing to him that you feel so at home and, for the first time, the sight of someone other than himself in his pilot’s seat doesn’t rankle him.

Hovering your hands over the controls, you look back at him and wordlessly ask if you can touch. He nods permission. “You know how to fly one of these?”

He watches as you flip switches and look out the forward shield to see one of the engines roar to life. “Oh, that’s pretty. I mean, I’m no expert, but I can pilot in a pinch. Only because it’s pre-Imperial; that’s what I know. Automators in the newer ships throw me off and I can’t handle them well. Haven’t been in a pilot seat much--” the smile on your face flickers just slightly before coming back “--I mean, it’s been a while. What model astromech do you run? Please say it’s an R2; I really love a good R2 unit.”

“I don’t.”

You swivel around to face him and he notes how relaxed you seem in a pilot’s seat. How relaxed you are today in general. Different from last night. He has no doubt that you’re good at convincing people to fly away with you. “You don’t. As in, you don’t have an astromech at all?”

“I’m not a fan of droids.”

“You do everything manually.”

“Yep.”

“I don’t know whether to be inspired by your skill, or by your hubris.”

“I have landing auxiliaries and a navcom. I don’t need droids.” He leans past you to punch a few coordinates into the nav. He’s let you have your tour, but the sun’s set and it’s time to get in the air. “I’ve charted a path for Chalacta after we gas up at the Southern settlement. That’s about four days’ travel, but the fastest routes take us either through Hutt space or the Inner Rim. I’d like to avoid both, so that could add a day.”

“Raydonia pays backwater stocking fees. If you have enough fuel to get us over to Botajef, it’ll be cheaper to fill up there. Then we’d be able to use that as a jumping off point to the Perlemain Trade Route by way of Columex. You just have to compensate for the switch at Bogano.”

When he turns his visor to you, he knows he’s not hiding his surprise, but he couldn’t care less. “You know that passage? It’s a rough one.”

“But a fun one. Exploratory Corps, remember?”

“Botajef it is.” Din grins behind the beskar as he punches in the new route, then spins your seat to face the panel. “You wanna take her up?”

There is a moment when it looks like you might start the sequence. Din tracks your eyes running over the route of switches and levers, but no. Shaking your head slowly, you get up from the pilot’s station and move past him. “You’re the pilot. I’m going to strap in and let you do your thing.”

Then you throw him off again.

Because you touch him.

Not with purpose. It’s simple and throw-away, your hand on his arm for just a second, in the unarmored space between the vambrace and the pauldron. He knows you’re just steadying yourself as you squeeze past on your way to the jump seat, a hand to keep you from bumping into each other, knows it’s second nature for you, that you have no attention on that hand and all attention on where you’re moving. But it’s not often that someone touches him without violence. If they do, it’s a tap on the beskar or a handshake at most. Never something...gentle and passing. The beskar does tend to send a “hands off” signal...one that doesn’t seem to work on you, apparently. You’re the second person to ignore it. The kid was gentle with him, but the kid was innocent and needed care. The kid saw through the beskar. He thinks maybe you might too. But this is a completely different thing and for a moment, this unimportant, everyday gesture is his entire world.

If your touch was a sound, it would have been a whisper that left his ears ringing.

He doesn’t register how he got into the pilot’s seat.

There’s the clicking of switches, the low hum of the ramps closing. The ship pressurizes as the engines flare up. Soon there’s the clunk of the landing struts coming up--not as loud now after his hours of morning work--and then the colorful nighttime landscape of Raydonia is pulling away beneath the ship as it rises to the stars.

Din has some work to do to navigate out of orbit--the bioluminescence of the flora here distorts natural depth perception and there’s some slight compensation needed. But he uses the reflection off the front shield to check in on you as the ship ascends. He sees your eyes on him as he works the levers, watching him with a calculated stare. He’s not sure what that’s all about. But it’s when the ship jumps into hyperspace and you lean your head back to watch the warped star field stretch out around you that a warmth spreads through him.

You’re both home now.

As long as he can get a handle on this it shouldn’t be a problem for him, for you, for the whole damn assignment, right? You’re just...new to him. That’s all. These days, women aren’t much of a distraction for him. Maybe more when he was younger, but he was trained to fight and survive, to hunt and evade being hunted, to keep under wraps, avoid vulnerabilities. Women aren’t what he knows. They’re usually too much effort for him to get tempted. He’d rather just concentrate on his work. That’s what he knows. Outsider girls are usually too delicate or preoccupied with a life he has nothing to do with, bounty hunters are too brash and cruel. Within the Tribe he’s always been on such a low social shelf that he reckoned he’d never win over anyone there. But you’re something in between, walking a path parallel to his that he didn’t even know existed until recently. Someone else with a code, a sense of duty, someone who can take care of herself but who also needs him right now...he’s discovered there’s something deep in him that craves to be needed...

And it doesn’t hurt that you really like his ship.

But--he reminds himself--more importantly, you’re his partner. You have a common purpose, and that demands his respect. He’s already checking off the emotional boxes of “protection and providing” with this assignment in general. It’s why the job was attractive. No need to further complicate things, no need to get too deep in the weeds here.

A few minutes later, as if you can tell he’s come back from being off in his head, Din feels the light tap of your foot on the back of his seat. “So what’s your story, Captain? What’s in this for you?” He swivels around to face you, but the gearhead fangirl is gone and she left behind the all-business woman he first encountered in the cantina. “I assume you’re not getting a hefty commission out of this.”

“No. Ahsoka Tano asked me to find you and help you.”

“I understand that, and I maintain she’s got good judgement. But what brought you to her?”

Where does he start? The bounty? The mudhorn? All the trouble on Navarro? He really doesn’t feel like revisiting the whole thing in detail. “I...took a foundling under my protection. He had powers I’ve never seen before. I was tasked with bringing him to his own kind. Ahsoka helped. Luke Skywalker took him on to train him.”

He waits as you nod and look around the cabin, processing this and formulating your next question.

“Why did you ‘take him under your protection’?”

“The Empire had him. They were using his blood. He was helpless. Tiny.”

“Hmm. So you have a soft spot for kids. Or just vulnerable people in general. A bounty hunter with a heart.”

He doesn’t respond to this. You didn’t ask a question. But it feels like a question. He has an ingrained, codified instinct to avoid answering personal questions and this feels like a personal question. Why don’t you just ask what you need to know? Why does it feel like you’re trying to pry off his helmet?

“It’s a long ride to Chalacta. I’m not asking you to take off the helmet. I just want to know a little about the guy under it, that’s all.”

That...was a little uncanny. “What’s your deal with helmets?”

“You ever heard of Order 66?”

“No.”

“Well I’m willing to tell you about it. But I’m offering it up for trade.”

When you slowly let the warm smile slide over your face yet again, he sighs with the reminder that you’re weaponizing your kindness and that smile works on him. But he’s not angry about it. He respects that you’ve found a weak spot he didn’t know he had and he’s more than willing to concede to you when you take advantage of it.

“I was a foundling. Orphaned in a Separatist attack. The Mandalorians took me in. Trained me in their fighting corps. It’s my duty to repay in kind.”

“Mmm.” There’s a quiet moment, but you don’t look away from him. He can tell that you’re formulating more questions...and grateful when you leave them unasked.

For now.

“Order 66 then.”

And for the rest of the ride to Botajef, Din learns about the Jedi purge. How the Clones turned on you and your brethren. That you were at the Temple on Coruscant when a general went rogue and killed a bunch of kids. How you smuggled some of them out and spent more than a year evading the Empire, taking them back to their estranged families or otherwise finding safe places for them. The guilt you carry--a lot of the kids that were killed were only at the Temple because you helped to convince their families to give them to the Order. How you and others like you hid yourselves away not only for your own safety, but for the overall preservation of the Jedi as the Empire stamped out all memory of your religion. And the only reason you’d ever go and seek out force-sensitives again is because you will fight tooth and nail to keep them from being weaponized by the Empire. Din learns a little about the Force. A little about the Jedi doctrine. A little about the belief that emotional attachments were the reason for all of this and just caused deeper feelings of betrayal when your allies turned against you and hunted you at every turn.

“I see.” His voice barely comes through the modulator. There’s a lot for him to unpack here. It’s yet another story of the Empire’s cruelty. But not just any story, yours. The killing of a powerful people. As he parallels it with the Mandalorian purge, the final pieces of his new bond with you fall into place. “I’m...sorry for your loss.” He points to his helmet. “I understand now.”

You shrug. “Fear is my constant companion. But fear leads to the Dark Side. It’s my duty to conquer my fear. I fake it every day. All the time. So no worries, I told you I’ll get over it--you’re making it easy. Just. Y’know. Don’t pop out in front of me in the dark.”

He nods slowly, doing his best to convey a promise to you. Maybe he could--

The control panel starts to flash, signaling a drop out of hyperspace and approach to Botajef. The ground control is communicating clearance as Din turns back to the panel. That went by fast.

“How long do you think it will take you to fuel up, Captain?”

“About half an hour.”

“Okay. When we’re down, I’m going to jump out quick. There’s something I forgot to bring.”

“Don’t wander off.”

“It shouldn’t be hard to find a pack of Sabacc cards at the port. Do you play?”

“Not often.”

“Well, I do, and I’m pretty good at it. Like I said, it’s a long trip. And I can’t wait to take you down.”

Din feels his face flush.

The helmet has come off in front of people more than once now. If he was being honest and truly playing by the rules, he probably shouldn’t have put it back on. But he still believes in the oath he took so long ago. He is still committed to walking the Way and can’t see what’s really stopping him from doing it even if there are three people in this galaxy who know his face--a convict, a Jedi, a child. Would it change things so much if there was a fourth? You can keep secrets. Your story got to him. For just a second, he was tempted, considered taking the helmet off for your comfort, but--

“I can’t wait to take you down.”

--if you keep saying things like that, he’s glad to have it. If you keep saying things like that, he’s going to need it.

And if you keep saying things like that, this is going to be an interesting couple of weeks.

______

Chapter 4: Resonance --->

TAGLIST: you can always request to be on the taglist for this or any of my work. If you’d like to be on taglists for upcoming fic, please sign up here –> TAGLIST

MASTERLIST - LMR MASTERLIST

Tag list: @bookloverkat @dee-vn

418 notes · View notes

accidental-spice · 1 year

Text

27 notes · View notes

highsviolets · 3 years

Text

INTERVIEW NO. 1: RACHEL @djarinsbeskar

hello hello! i am so happy to announce that rachel — aka the immense talent that is @djarinsbeskar — has agreed to be my first interviewee for this new series! thank you to rach and to each one of you for all of your support. to read more about the project, click here, and to submit an author, click here.

| why rachel? |

Rachel captured my imagination from the first time we interacted as mutuals-in-law. She’s bursting with energy and vivaciousness, with a current of kindness just underneath everything she does. Her work is no exception. Oftentimes gritty, raw, and exposing (in … ahem…more ways than one), Rachel challenges her readers to dig deeper into both the story and themselves. Her smut brings a particular fire as it’s laced with need, desire, and mutual trust that leads us deeper into the characters’ identities and how physical affection can mimic other forms of intimacy. She’s a tour de force in this fandom and an absolute joy.

| known for |

Engaging with and encouraging other authors, cultivating inspo posts, attention to world building & character development

| my favorites |

Stitches

Boxer!Din

Full Masterlist • Ko-Fi

| q & a |

When did you start writing? What was that project, and what was it like? Has that feeling or process ever changed over time? Why?

I can’t remember a time I wasn’t writing. I was an avid reader, as I think most writers are—and I remember, after picking up Lord of the Rings—that I could live so many lives, experience so many things, all from the pages of a book. I could make sense of the world through words and ink and paper. And it offered me a level of peace and clarity I wanted to share with others. So, I started writing.

My first project I remember to this day, was a short story about a dog. I had been so heartbroken when I learned that dogs were colourblind. I must have been about seven or eight at the time, and I was fixated on this idea that dogs couldn’t see the vibrant hues that made the world beautiful. It was something I wanted to change—and with all the righteous anger of a child not getting their own way, I sulked over the fact that I couldn’t. Until I wrote it down.

“How do dogs see colour?”

And much like my writing today, I answered myself.

“Dogs don’t need to see colour. Dogs smell colour.”

And so, I wrote a story, about a puppy being brought on different walks by its owner. And with every new street it walked down—colour bloomed with scent. Colours more beautiful and vibrant than we could ever hope to see with our eyes. And it gave me solace and helped me work through an emotion that – granted was immature and inconsequential – had affected me. To this day, I still smile seeing dogs sniffing at everything they pass on their walks. Smelling colour. It gave me the key to my favourite thing in life. I don’t think my process has changed much since then. Much of what I write is based on a skeleton plan, but I leave room for characters to speak and feel as they need to. I like to know the starting point and destination of a chapter—but how they get there, that still falls to instinct. I think I’ve found a happy medium of strict planning and winging it that suits me now—and hopefully it will continue to improve over time!

When did you start posting your writing, and on what platform? What gave you the push to do that?

I mean, fanfiction has always been part of my life. I think anyone who was growing up in the late 2000’s and early 2010’s found their way to fanfiction.net at some time or other. The wild west compared to what we have now! My first post was for the Lord of the Rings fandom on fanfiction.net. It was an anthology of the story told through the eyes of the steeds. Bill the Pony, Shadowfax—it was all very innocent. That was probably in 2010 when I was fifteen. I had been wanting to share writing for a long time but was worried about how it would be received. I didn’t really have a gauge on my level or my creativity and – one of the many flaws of someone with crippling perfectionism – I only ever wanted to provide perfection. That was a major inhibitor when I was younger. By wanting it to be perfect, I never posted anything. Until that stupidly cute LOTR fic. It was freeing to write something that no one but me had any interest in, because if I was writing for myself then there was no one to disappoint, right? And that was all it took. I had some pauses over the years between college and life and such, but I’ve never lost that mindset when it comes to posting.

What your favorite work of yours that you have ever written? Why is it your favorite? What is more important to you when considering your own stories for your own enjoyment — characters? fandom? spice? emotional development? the work you’ve put into it? Is that different than what you enjoy reading most in other people’s fics?

I don’t think it’ll come as much of a surprise when I say Stitches. While not original, I mean—it follows the plot of the Mandalorian quite diligently, it is the piece of work I really hold very close to my heart. Din Djarin as a character is what got me back into writing after what must have been five years? He inspired something. His manner, his personality—he resonated with me as a person in a way I hadn’t felt in a long time. And gave me back a creative outlet I had been missing.

It’s funny to say out loud—but I wanted to give him something? I spent so long thinking about his character that half my brain felt like it belonged to him—how he reacted and responded to things etc. and of course, like every dreamy Pisces—I wanted to give him love and happiness. So, Stitches came along. Personally, when writing—it’s a combination of characters, emotional development and spice (I can’t help myself) and when we can follow that development. With Stitches, it’s definitely the spice that is the conduit for development—but I adore showing how the physical can help people who struggle to communicate emotions too complex for words.

I don’t usually read for Din, as most people know—but I do enjoy reading the type of work that Stitches is. Human, damaged—but still with an undercurrent of hope that makes me think of children’s books.

You said, “much like writing today, I answered myself.” Could you talk about that in relation to Stitches?

So, I’m endlessly curious, it has to be said. Especially about why people are the way they are. Why people do A instead of B. Why X person’s immediate thought went to this place instead of that place. And I’m rarely satisfied with superficial explanations. One of the most exciting parts of writing and fanfiction especially, is making sense of that why. There can be countless explanations, some that are content with what is seen on the surface and some that go deep and some that go even deeper still.

Stitches is almost a – very long winded and much too long – answer to the questions I was so intrigued by about Din Djarin, about the Mandalorian and about the Star Wars universe as a whole. I often wondered what happened to people after the Rebellion, the normal people who fought—the people in the background. What did they do next? Did some of them suffer from PTSD? What was the galaxy like right after the Empire fell? That first season of the Mandalorian answered some of those questions, but I wanted to know more. So, I created a reader insert who was a combat medic—and through her, I let myself answer the questions of what happened next.

Regarding Din as a character, I wanted to know what a bounty hunter with a code of honour would do in certain situations—what made him tick, what made hm vulnerable. I wanted to explore the discovery of his identity. Din Djarin didn’t exist after he was taken from Aq Vetina. He became a cog in a very efficient machine of Mandalorians—and it was safe there. I wanted to see what – or who – might encourage him to step into his own. Grogu was that person in a familial sense, but what about romantically? What about individually? There’s so much to explore with this man! So many facets of personality and nuances of character that make him so gorgeous to write and think about.

Talk to me about the Din Djarin Athletic Universe. How does Din as all of these forms of athlete play off who you see him as in canon?

The Athletic Universe! How I adore my athletes. Despite being in a modern setting, I have kept the core of Din’s character in each of them (at least I hope I have!). I like to divide Din’s character into three phases when it comes to canon because he’s not as immovable as people seem to think he is. We discussed this before, how I see Din as a water element—adaptable, but strong enough that he can be as steadfast as rock. But I digress, the first phase is the character we see in the first episode. Basically, before Grogu. There’s an aggressive brutality to Din when we see him bounty hunting. He works on autopilot and isn’t swayed by sob stories or promises. He has the covert but is ultimately separate. Those soft feelings he comes to recognise when he has Grogu are dormant – not non-existent – but they haven’t been nurtured or encouraged. This is the point I extracted Boxer!Din’s personality and story from.

Cyclist!Din on the other hand—is already a father, a biological father to Grogu. And his personality, I took from that moment in the finale of Season two where I believe Din’s transformative arc of character solidified. He was always a father to Grogu, but I do believe that moment where he removes his helmet is the moment, he accepts that role fully in his heart and mind. And that is why I don’t believe for a second, that removing his helmet was him breaking his Creed. In fact, I believe it was the purest act he could do in devotion to his Creed—to his foundling, to his son. The Cyclist!AU is very much the character I see canon Din having should Grogu have stayed with him. This single dad who isn’t quite sure how he got to where he is now—but does anything and everything for his child without thought. It’s a natural instinct for him, and I like exploring those possibilities with Cyclist!Din.

You also said, “he has the covert but is ultimately separate.” What does it take for him — and you — to get to that point of being ‘not separate?’

I mentioned this above, but one of the biggest interests I have in Din as a character is his identity. He’s a Mandalorian, he’s a bounty hunter, he’s the child’s guardian but those are all what he is, not who. I think Din is separate while being part of the covert because he doesn’t know. I don’t think anyone can really be part of something if they don’t know who they are or, they struggle with their identity. It’s curious to me—how you can deceive even yourself to mimic the standard set for the many. In the boxer verse, he identifies himself in relation to his boxing—and every part of his outward personality exhibits those qualities. But when he’s given a softer touch—an outlet of affection, and comfort—we see the softer side of him surface. It’s very much the same with Stitches Din. Identity is like anything, emotions—relationships, bodies. It needs nurturing to thrive, an open door—a safe space. At least, that’s what goes through my mind when I think of him.

Who is your favorite character to read?

Frankie because there are so many ways his character can be interpreted and there are some stellar versions of him that I think of at least once a day. Javi because he reminds me of kintsugi-- golden recovery, broken pottery where the cracks are highlighted with gold. I also adore reading for Boba Fett, Paz Viszla and the clones!

Is there anything else you want your readers to know about you, your writing, or your creative process?

Hmm... only that I am quite literally a gremlin clown who is always here to chat Din, Star Wars, literature, book recs and anything else under the sun! I like to hear people's stories, their opinions etc. it helps me see things from alternative points of view and can truly help the writing process! Other than that, I think I can only thank readers for putting up with my ridiculously long chapters and rambling introspection. Thank you for indulging me always! ❤️

#pedro pascal #din djarin #the mandalorian #the mandalorian x reader #din djarin x reader #din djarin x f!reader #the mandalorian x f!reader #the mandalorian x you #din djarin x you #djarinsbeskar #chat with cris #author interview series #tuserdaniela #userastrid #usernobie #userhai #pedrostories

81 notes · View notes