#dyn: i guess i expected more from you

[angorwhosebabyisthis]

having a lot of thoughts as usual about sdmi and its portrayal of the cycle of abuse, and how pericles, cassidy, and ricky's foils and parallels to each other there are all both fascinating and deeply tragic.

in particular today i'm thinking about how ricky is an abusive mentor toward marcie, and tries to be abusive toward velma and fails because she has a support system and hasn't been worn down yet, and velma being an example and continuing to extend marcie support and a hand out of her situation is what gives marcie the courage to leave even when it's dangerous to do so, and how pericles spends the series--present day and past--systematically isolating ricky and dismantling his support system one by one, and how everything cassidy stood for was refusing to continue the cycle with everything she had, and how she felt so so guilty and violated and betrayed when ricky manipulated her into it anyway, and how she was willing to die to make it right, and how marcie standing up to him to great effect with her new support system leaves him utterly stunned, and how after that he starts trying to stand up for himself against his abusive mentor and break the cycle, and how he tries to take up cassidy's convictions as his weapon to do it with because cassidy was crushed under the wheels of the cycle but marcie proved it was possible to break,

and how he couldn't do that with his own abuser because pericles has spent his life building a steel cage around him, and tightening and tightening and tightening it without him even realizing it until it was too late, and how fucking devastated he is when it's finally demonstrated him that the door to the cage is closed for good,

and how when he is made complicit in his abuser reaching through the generations to make sure cassidy died for nothing, and that this little girl who gave him hope by defeating his attempt to continue the cycle couldn't escape him after all, it breaks him.

fucking kill me, man. god.

[greyshadowfaux]

how did lambert tell aiden he was a little? or did aiden find out when he dropped? how did he react?

Lambert didn't tell Aiden anything, so it was a bit of a shock.

With a sleepy purr, Aiden stretches his limbs, fingers tracing along the mattress. The other side of the bed is cold. Frowning, he sits up, blinking against the sunlight streaming through the dirty window.

The room is empty, though traces of Lambert’s scent linger, mingling with Aiden’s own. Strewn about the floor Aiden can see Lambert’s armour, his boots, his swords, messy bastard, but no sign of the man himself. Most mornings, Aiden resorts to bribing Lambert with coffee to get his ass out of bed. Even then, Lambert needs three more coffees or a good fucking before he becomes coherent.

Morning person Lambert is not.

Sniffing the air and breathing more deeply, Aiden tilts his head. As he expects, he’s met with all the usual scents of Lambert; dirt, leather and musk, as well as the spend drying on the rumpled sheets. But there’s something else lingering in the air. Something softer, sweeter.

No, it can’t be.

Lambert would have told him.

Kicking back the covers and stretching widely, feeling the bones in his spine pop as he flexes, Aiden clambers out of bed. Pulling on his boots (because Kaer Morhen is too fucking cold to go barefoot) Aiden goes in search of his lover. Passing Eskel in the hall, Aiden stops abruptly, his eyes narrowing as the scent of sweetness clings to Eskel’s clothing.

‘Where’s Lambert?’ He doesn’t beat around the bush. Manners come after coffee.

Eskel looks like he’s just been caught snorting fisstech. His eyes widen, and Aiden hears his heartbeat skyrocket. ‘Fuck, uh.’ Eskel scrubs a hand over his beard, looking guilty. When it becomes clear that Aiden is waiting for more information, Eskel finally offers. ‘He’s in with Vesemir.’

Aiden narrows his eyes further.

‘Why?’

‘I guess you were bound to find out sooner or later.’ Eskel says with a sigh. ‘Follow me.’

Stopping at a door two hallways over, Eskel catches Aiden across the chest, stopping him from barging right in. He can smell Lambert on the other side and he’s itching to bust in and ask the bastard what the fuck is going on.

Eskel lets out a low warning growl, and Aiden feels the hairs on the back of his neck prickling at the danger. ‘If you laugh at him I’ll slit your throat.’

Aiden has no intention of laughing at Lambert, ever (unless he does something really stupid, like wearing Vesemir’s hat again) so he nods solemnly. This seems to appease Eskel, and he knocks once, then pushes the door open.

The soft, sweet scent hits Aiden in the face like a slap.

‘Lamb.’ He breathes, stepping around Eskel’s bulk to get closer. The pup is sitting on the fur by Vesemir’s feet, small stuffed animal in his hands that he’s bouncing around on the floor. In nothing but a diaper, his cheeks flushed from the warmth of the fire, Lambert looks softer, more at ease than Aiden’s ever seen.

Sitting on the edge of the bed and looking rather exhausted, Vesemir runs calloused fingers through Lambert’s hair as he plays. As Aiden speaks, two pairs of yellow eyes snap up to stare at him. Vesemir lets out a warning growl before Lambert bounds forward on his knees, crawling across the rug. ‘Kitty.’

Plopping back onto his bottom, Lambert stretches out his arms expectantly, looking up at him. Aiden doesn’t hesitate. He crosses the room in three strides, scooping Lambert into a cuddle. Breathing in the softness of Lambert’s scent in his regressed state, Aiden noses against his neck. With a giggle that is much too sweet for his usual sullen self, Lambert nuzzles back. Aiden’s handled littles before, in the Dyn Marv caravan, but not for a long fucking time. Lambert is a comfortable weight in his arms, and Aiden smiles.

‘Kitty.’ Lambert says again, more assuredly.

‘Oh Lamb,’ Aiden hears himself whispering, keeping his nose to the scent gland of Lambert’s neck, breathing deeply. He knows Vesemir is listening to his every word. He continues anyway. ‘Sweet little Lamb. I didn’t know. Why didn’t you tell me?’

With a happy chirrup, Lambert licks under Aiden’s chin, bouncing a little in his grasp. ‘Kitty.’ He says again, now rubbing his face into Aiden’s scent gland. The touch makes Aiden shiver, and Lambert giggles. ‘Nice kitty. Pretty kitty.’

The pressure against his gland makes Aiden purr, a sense of contentment and safety rolling over him like a wave. He tightens his grip on Lambert, pulling him closer, one hand under his diapered bottom, the other on his upper back. Lambert wriggles again, making the same happy noise, and Aiden melts.

‘Oh Lamb. I love you so fucking much.’

‘Good,’ Vesemir grunts, getting to his feet and nudging Lambert’s toys aside with his foot. He points to a sturdy looking table at the far end of the room, a selection of creams and powders set on a shelf above that Aiden recognises as baby products. ‘You can change him. Breakfast is in an hour.’

[khruseos]

Tag drop: Damon Salvatore

[namjoon-koya]

Trust

A/N: I tried making this extra fluffy!

Pairing: Mandalorian x Reader.

Warning ⚠️: violence, blood, fluff.

[———————————————————]

“Ryan.”

“Nope.”

“Luis.”

“Nope.”

“Romeo!”

Mando gave you a look, you already know what that look meant you let out a sigh “okay that was a terrible guess.” He groaned “it was.”

It had been a few days since Mando had asked you to be his crew member, at first you were definitely going to say no since you didn’t know him but something about him made you more drawn into him.

“If I guess it right can I have your blaster?” You asked him “nope.” You crossed your arms in frustration, Mando let out a light chuckle at your expression.

“You definitely look like a Romeo though.” You jokingly said as you nudged his shoulder a bit.

“No I don’t.”

“Yes you do, doesn’t he?” You said placing the child in your lap he only cooed “see? He agrees.”

This time Mando let out a much louder chuckle, you couldn’t help but just stare at him you’ve never once heard him laugh when you joined him to be part of his crew so it was new to you “what?”

“Nothing!” You quickly said before turning your attention to the child.

After being on the ship for so long Mando had finally landed on another planet, but you doubt you three would stay there for too long “wait here, I’m going to go check it out.” He said as he walked off the ship.

You still sat in your seat with the child, you had really gotten attached to him. Everywhere mando went the child wanted to follow but if he was with you he stayed in your comfortable warm arms.

Finally Mando came back and give the all clear. You set the child down as he quickly went to go follow Mando you couldn’t help smile it was really adorable to see a bounty hunter have a child follow him.

The planet seemed somewhat peaceful from the looks of it, but you both always needed to be careful especially since Mando told you that the guild was after him and the child.

“What do you think?” Mando asked you “well.. I was just thinking about how peaceful it was.” You said giving him a small smile he nods in agreement.

You felt a small tug on your pants and saw the child look up at you “are you hungry?” You asked him as you picked him up.

“There’s a small town nearby.” Mando says as he walks over to you “let’s go then.”

The both of you walk side by side as you held the child in your arms “do you think anyone in this town knows about him?” You asked him.

“I doubt but we can’t take any risks either some might be here tracking the child already.” Mando warns as you continue to walk.

Finally the both of you make it to the small town “here I’ll watch over him this time.” He reaches over and grabs the child out of your arms “o-kay I’ll be right back then.”

You quickly jogged over to a nearby market to order food. The child usually wasn’t a picky eater... you completely witnessed him eat a frog one time.

After you were done getting food you were about to go back to Mando but noticed he wasn’t in the same spot before. You slowly walked as you looked around trying to find him “he would never leave like that..” you muttered to yourself.

You skim through the crowd trying to find someone wearing a metal helmet but you didn’t see anything until the corner of your eye caught something.

You saw Mando, but he seemed deliberate about his movements raising skepticism in you.

You quickly and quietly walked over to Mando, whatever he was doing you didn’t want him to see you investigating. Once you saw what was happening you felt your heart stop, someone was holding their blaster right at Mando and the child.

“I knew I’d find you sooner or later Mando, now hand over the child.” The man ordered but Mando continued to hold the child close to him the man let out an unpleasant snicker “fine it’s your funeral.”

You Immediately ran to Mando pushing him out the way but in the process ended up getting shot by the man. A burn ran through your body as you let out a painful whimper, you pressed your hand down on your hip and saw blood.

Your vision started to become a blur as you were loosing too much blood, the last thing you heard was Mando shouting and the sounds of blasters going off.

Once you regain conscious you saw that you were in the ship and in Mando’s bed you tried getting up but a pang quickly shot through your body making you lie down quickly.

You detested showing weakness, you tried getting up again as you ignored the pain in your hip but the pain was too much you sink to your knees, you lean against the wall letting out a heavy sigh.

You heard footsteps approaching “hey! What are you doing?” Mando asked as he quickly helped you back into bed “I-I was going to go find you.” You said wincing.

“I’m here.” He says in a soft voice.

“What happened? Is the child okay? Are you okay?” You kept asking questions he had to hold up his hand to make you stop.

“The child’s fine, and I’m alright.. thanks to you... why did you do that? You could’ve gotten killed.” Mando muttered the last part, he didn’t want to imagine it he lost too many important people to him in the past it would pain him more if he lost you.

“I just.. you and the child you both are important to me.. so I didn’t hesitate to push you both out the way I’m sorry if I made you worry Mando.” You places your hand on his helmet even if he wore that thing you knew where his cheek was to caress it.

Mando took your hand in his as he gently grasped it “Y/N.. my name is Dyn.”

“W-What I thought you weren’t going to tell me.” You said surprised. You didn’t really expect him to tell you out of the blue, Mando- Dyn has taken his secret identity serious.

“Y/N- I trust you.” You felt your cheeks redden, Mando was really telling you his feelings even if it wasn’t a clear way you knew what he meant.

“I trust you too.. Dyn.” When you said his name you smiled at him “I appreciate you telling me your name.. buuut now you owe me a blaster.” You say to him laughing “hey, you didn’t guess my name I told you so it doesn’t count.” Mando said gently poking you.

You let out a giggle before hearing a small laughter you see the child staring at the both of you “I think he’s happy too.” You said before turning your attention back to Dyn.

“Trust me.. so am I.”

[no-goddamn-cilantro]

I got a bug, so I decided to write this ridiculous nonsense.

Adventures in Babysitting

The ship hummed softly as the power-down sequence began, and Rocket was quick to hop out of the pilot's chair and make his way back to the makeshift child seat Gamora insisted he use. Something-something safety, something-something, blah-blah-blah, whatever.* Groot's safety is and always will be number one, but it's insulting that she thinks a glorified bucket with a seat harness is going to do shit. Rolling his eyes to himself, he lifts the "baby carrier" by the handle and disembarks, wincing in the bright sunlight on Peter's home world.

He probably should have told Peter he was going to come, see if the guy had any family to visit. Ah well. Too late now, time to meet his old pal to drop off the kid before getting down to business.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dyn Jarren was, to put it mildly, exhausted. After Sporog, there had been nine other planets, either too hostile or where they were too easily found. Nine.* So he'd decided to... Branch out a bit. Hit the next Galaxy over- he had contacts there, a Mandalorian covert hiding away on the moon of some backwater planet called Terra where the locals had barely managed to intrude on the dead rock, let alone notice the comings and goings of the refugees on their own moon. One of these Terrans had even gained that most precious of commodities years ago, the Mandalorian's trust.

There were three shootouts, a target's gills getting infected with fishrot, and said Terran actually convincing the target to be encased in Carbonite willingly. It was a wild four days, but the man was trustworthy, never having breathed a word of what happened during his "spirituality retreat."

Landing in a tucked away copse of trees near his contact's current location, he hefts The Child into his arms, turning his head to shush him gently.

"None of that. It's faster if I carry you."

Without another word he disembarked down the gangplank and set off at a brisk pace, following the coordinates in his helmet's display.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Keanu was sitting in the sunny Northern California early afternoon, dozing off if he were to tell the truth, at the rather larger home than he really needed that had been rented for the next week. He wanted plenty of room for Rocket and his young ward to explore and relax though, so this was his best option. It was secluded, no neighbors for miles, with a dense forest to the back and miles of vineyards in lieu of the missing neighbors.

A coo only a few feet from him caused him to jerk fully awake suddenly, eyes opening to see a man he'd never expected to see again and- was that a child?

Standing, he greeted the unexpected guest from outer space with a pleased smile.

"Mando! Man, wow, it's been like- six years? How are you? And who's this little guy??" As he approached his face broke into a more intimate grin as he made eye contact with the tiny green child, delight lighting up his face as The Child gifted him with another coo.

The Mandalorian, for his part, gives a neutral hum that borders on pleased. "This is The Child. We're currently hiding from parties that want him dead- or worse. I was hoping we could lay low here for a while- is that alright with you?"

Keanu, for his part, is astounded at that story, but the only question that passes through his lips is, "Mando, have you not... Named your kid?"

Despite being able to see exactly none of the Mandalorian's face, he can practically feel* the other man's blush. "... It hasn't been important so far."

"Mando!"

"Keanu." Unexpected, deadpan snark from his friend, but he rolls with it. Abruptly, he remembers his manners and invites them hurriedly, offering food and beverages. Dyn declines both for himself, but soup for The Child if he has it. Keanu does and quickly begins heating some on the stove. While that's working, he tries to figure out how to tell the bounty hunter about his other, expected visitor.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As it turns out, the Mandalorian wasn't terribly fussed about his having other guests, so long as they didn't try to harm either the man or the* child, though the Terran man was subjected to a hard stare he couldn't see but could definitely feel when he mentioned his other guests were "a little unusual-looking."

Rocket, true to form, didn't bother with knocking, though Keanu was openly relieved he used a door at all for entering the abode. The bipedal raccoon, on the other hand, was distinctly and obviously uncomfortable. With a blatantly false smile across his snout and speaking through his teeth, Rocket jerks his head a few times back towards the living room from the doorway of the kitchen where he'd abruptly halted.

"Hey, Neo, need to talk to you real quick. In here. Away from the bounty hunter."

The implacable stare of the helmet followed them out of the room and until they turned the corner, Rocket leading his friend halfway up the stairs leading to the bedrooms. Before Keanu can speak, Rocket is standing- somehow- on the railing and gripping the collar of his jacket, pulling him close to mutter threateningly in his face. "I don't know what that guy has told you, but I don't have any more bounties on my head. I went straight, we all went straight, we're doing good now. I won't let some Mandalorian asshole with out of date information skin me for credits, you got it?"

"I'm not here on a bounty."

Both man and raccoon in the stairwell jump, looking down at the Mandalorian standing with crossed arms. He continues, unperturbed by the blatant hostility of the raccoon that scampers down the stairs to stand eye to... Well, hip, until he takes advantage of the banister again. "I'm just laying low for a while. Needed a place to hide. Keanu mentioned you were coming." At the last sentence Rocket glares back at the man, before Mando dryly adds, "We were unexpected. You weren't."

Keanu decides that he needs a strong mug of tea.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So once helmet-head and his little goblin child are settled in the dining area, Rocket goes to collect Groot and his- bucket, no, carrier- from where he'd left him napping in the sun. He is completely unsurprised that his own little monster child has managed to escape the prison of the child seat and is frolicking in the yard after a butterfly or some shit. Rocket allows himself the barest moment of tender enjoyment of watching Groot just be happy, before he knuckles up and shouts across the open lawn.

"Hey Groot, come meet your babysitter! I don't got all day, hurry it up!" The tree person- is he a shrub right now? He's small enough to be a shrub- comes scampering across the yard, stopping in front of Rocket, crossing his arms, and indignantly huffing.

"I am Groot."

"Yes, you do. I can't leave you on the ship by yourself for a couple of days."

"I am Groot!"

"Because I'm the adult and you're not right now."

"I am Groot?"

"Keanu. Don't give me that look, that's his real name."

"I am Groot."

"Look who's talkin'! You think either of us have room to be critical of someone else's name?"

"... I am Groot..."

"That's what I thought. Now c'mon, he's waiting inside and he made you food, so be grateful."

He takes his ward's hand, leading him inside. More to himself than anything, he mutters, "But Keanu is a weird fuckin' name..."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The second meeting with the children present goes much smoother than the first. They sit and share a meal- with the exception of Dyn Jarren, who answers endless questions about Mandalorians, his helmet, his weapons, and anything else Rocket can think of to annoy him with, with a remarkable amount of patience- if not without more of the snark Keanu witnessed earlier. The fathers then send their children to play, with stern warnings about not leaving the yard that are, the Terran is sure, going to be completely ignored. He has to grip Mando's sleeve to get him to sit and stay after some noises of play begin and the man slightly panics.

Rocket, for his part, decides to refuse to be this much of a worrywart over Groot upon observing the bounty hunter's near-palpable anxiety over his foundling.

Keanu decides to get into the practicalities of the next few days, asking what each child likes to eat, when they're supposed to sleep, and what discipline they're used to, ready to take notes.

Both Mandalorian and raccoon stare at him blankly after the first question. He tries again, starting with what he thought was the easiest question.

"what time do they generally go to sleep?"

"Uhhh, Groot just sorta passes out when he's tired. Usually about... 9ish? I guess?"

"Does he nap during the day?"

"How'm I supposed to know, I'm workin'! He just sleeps when he's tired."

"Mando?"

The bounty hunter's shoulders drop slightly in what might be classed as defeat. "He sleeps all the time in about two hour chunks, then he's up for about five." When the Terran blinks at him in what looks a lot like confusion, he sighs. "I've tried getting him to sleep longer, but unless he ends up using his abilities, it's just not happening."

Keanu nods in what appears to be deliberate lack of judgement, making notes on either side of his page. Rocket snatches the paper almost as soon as he's done with his bedtime notes, barking a laugh at the name given for The Child.

"Mando Jr.? Really, bounty hunter? You couldn't come up with anything better?"

"... I didn't come up with it."

"So what's his real name?"

"... It's not important. That'll do for now."

And so the conversation went, discipline being a similarly baffling subject for both of them. When it came to food though, they found surprising common ground.

""Frogs.""

Keanu made a continue gesture after they both looked at each other in surprise, before Rocket jocularly punched Dyn on the shoulder. Dyn, for his part, just seemed exhausted. Keanu could relate.

"Soup. Small bits of meat... Mushrooms. Insects if he can catch them."

"Groot'll eat anything, kid's a trash compactor. We done here?"

Keanu is more than happy to finish out the conversation there, releasing them to go check in on their kids before headed out. Sometime in the last few hours, Rocket had decided a Mandalorian was pretty good backup for what he was doing and asked if Dyn would like to come along. The bounty hunter had sighed heavily before nodding his agreement.

Which brought them back around to the sitter conversation that now had Keanu reaching for the tea kettle again.

It was going to be a long three days.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Keanu, for his part, was pleased to discover Groot had no problems retreating to his and Rocket's room at 9pm for bed. The Yiddling, as was the name that seemed to stick for the sitter, was another story.

He whined, he grizzled, he even squealed a time or two. The Terran just kept calmly holding the kid and bouncing gently, singing half-remembered lullabies to the child as it slowly, eventually, tired itself out. Keanu very gently lowered the child into the crib he'd acquired from the bounty hunter's ship before they left, taking the three steps back to his bed to collapse backwards into the sheets and blissfully drop off after hours of soothing a fussy toddler who could move things with his mind.

For two hours. Then the crying began again.

It was a long night for everybody, and the sitter was more than happy to go start the coffee pot just as the first fingers of sunlight began to creep over the treetops behind the house. By the time he had breakfast prepared for the two children under his care, the kitchen was bathed in golden morning sunlight. The two ate well, then his little tree-like charge turned to him with a stubborn tilt to his head.

"I am Groot."

"A nature walk? Why?"

"I am Groot!"

"I somehow really doubt the forests of Earth are your ancestral home."

"I am Groot!"

"... You know what, an excellent point. You two can find all the frogs you like and I won't have to attempt to catch any for you. We'll go in a little bit, okay? I need to pack you both lunches in case we're out for a while, and I need to put together that thing."

"That thing" was, in fact, a jogging stroller for doubles. A quick overnight delivery after the arrival of not one, but two children in his care necessitated it, and it had arrived promptly at 8am. He cleaned up after his little charges, helped them both wash their hands in the sink, and then sent them to play for a while as he carefully read the instructions for assembly.

One hour, two bandages, and a hurried, "don't repeat that!" tossed in a nosey Groot's direction after some overheard profanity, and the babysitter had the stroller ready. He packed two quick lunches based on the Yiddling's preferences- as his was the more specified, and Groot really would eat anything, including the plate- and got them all out the door, a bag of essentials that he resolutely would not call a diaper bag tucked into the very-convenient compartment beneath the seats of the stroller and took them down the path that had a trail head right there in the backyard. Keanu decided Groot really did have an excellent idea with this.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Two hours later Keanu was smugly pleased with both the nature walk and the double stroller. Both kids were passed out asleep in their stroller seats, snoring gently with the remains of their lunches clasped gently in sticky fingers- twigs? Claws? Fingers was just easier for Keanu's exhausted but triumphant brain- and resting lightly in their laps. He was now taking a leisurely stroll back to the house, enjoying the peace as much as communing with nature.

And so that's how the three spent the next several sleep-deprived days. Breakfast, stroller, wander through nature (one extremely disturbing frog-hunting hour around a pond that he's never mentioning to another living soul except for maybe their parents) lunch and afternoon naps, playing tag and other such games in the yard, dinner, and then a fraught bedtime with the little Yiddling.

When their parents returned, Rocket was nearly bowled over by an excited Groot, being squeezed happily by suddenly very long toddler tree arms. The Mandalorian was passed The Child by a tired but very happy Keanu, who reported to both parents that they were good kids and behaved. Mando was surprised in equal measure by both the Yiddling- he was keeping that name for him, thank-you Keanu- falling asleep in his arms immediately, and the sitter in question's flabbergasted stare that soon melted into a soft, gentle smile.

As they each departed for their ships after what was decidedly a warmer and noisier splash than The Mandalorian had wanted to make on this planet, they were both secretly pleased at just how comfortable their children had been with the Terran, and at how well they'd been able to work together.

Perhaps they'd have to do this again sometime.

[shadowmaat]

Mandalorian: The Prisoner

Spoilers will abound for ep 6 of the Mandalorian, so consider yourselves warned.

It’s always a bit weird when you realize that your opinion on something is actually in the minority. I’ve been questioning my own interpretations of The Prisoner- which I disliked- because so many others are talking about how it’s the best ep so far and I just... uh...

Putting aside my biases, I can admit that from a character-building perspective it’s a good contrast to see the kind of people Dyn used to run with and compare it to the kind of person we’ve seen him to be in the show. You can draw a lot of good, meaty conclusions from that and build a better picture of him.

My problem is that I really, R E A L L Y  hated the characters we were introduced to. Faux Benevolent Old Boss? Sure, whatever. Ladder-climbing Junior Boss? Yeah, I guess. Both a bit standard and bland, but they fill their roles well. And they are both human males.

The grievance I have is with the portrayal of the alien characters. 

I understand that the “Crazy Sexy Bitch” is a pretty standard trope and probably regaining its foothold thanks to the popularity of Harley Quinn, but I loathe it. I don’t find it funny or interesting and there was ZERO done to add any twists to her or make her original in any way. Sure, you can prattle on about how there’s only so much time you can take to develop a guest character in 40 minutes, but they could have done SOMETHING. Including starting with a better base or at least not using a race that already has its origins rooted deep in misogyny.

It’s canon that female twi’leks were frequently sold into slavery- especially sexual slavery- and they’re frequently reduced to nothing but sexy pinups. Oh, there are exceptions, of course, and I’m really hoping that the franchise as a whole is going to keep moving away from that and providing us with great characters like Hera, but Xi’an felt like a step backwards into the Bad Old Days.

This isn’t about whether or not there really are people like her in the “real world,” as much as it’s about the show choosing to represent that kind of character in an ep. I wouldn’t have liked her even if she’d been human, but as a twi’lek- or any other race that is coded as POC it really rubbed me the wrong way and made it impossible for me to enjoy the character. Or the ep.

Same goes for Burg. You take a race known for its blatant resemblance to the Devil, make him big and bulky, and turn him into a Dumb Violent Brute. I found it very cringey. All he does is stomp around looking for a fight, fight, or be mad that he isn’t fighting. That isn’t fun to me.

Quin wasn’t a lot better with his whole “stab anyone in the back including my own sister as long as I get to survive” shtick, but whatever.

The point is I just wanted the show to do better. I wanted it to put a little more effort into making good characters, even for a one-off ep. Xi’an’s Crazy Sexy Bitch routine could have been an act: something the universe expects to see because of what she is and so she uses it to her advantage to get people to underestimate her. She could have been the brains of the operation, carefully pulling strings and manipulating people and situations without anyone (except maybe Dyn, now) realizing it. Burg could have been a race not particularly associated with being brutish. Hell, make him a gungan; a well-spoken one who has fought hard to make it where he is when the whole galaxy thinks his species is a joke. Make him smarter, too; every move is calculated for an effect. Build up the idea that no one is exactly what they seem, even if they’re all still very bad people.

I’m also getting more and more uncomfortable with how male-dominated the series is. Sure, there are ladies in most of the eps, but they’re primarily “filler” characters. IMO Cara Dune is the only one who felt like a fully-realized person and she was still only in the one ep. She could very well show up again, but unless she’s joining the cast as a regular for S2 then her presence doesn’t add as much as it should. And frankly, even if she is added as a regular, it’s leaving it a bit late. Star Wars as a whole needs to do better with this shit and that goes double for the Mandalorian. I love the show, but that means I also expect more from it and want it to be even better than it is.

[whimsical-musingss]

Heavy Pasts

Summary: there was a day, every month, when you wouldn’t get out of bed as you dwell on your past. There was a day, every month, when the Mandalorian would go quieter than usual; more closed off, dwelling on his past.

Warnings: mentions of past abuse, mentions of murder and fighting. Slight angst but it gets better...I think.......I hope...............

GIF isn’t mine!

He knew of your past. You didn’t have to say it, but he knew. Every time you two engaged in a fight, your hand to hand was familiar. He didn’t know which league you came from, since he couldn’t find a signa, but he had guesses.

Monthly, you were reduced to dust as you were collapsed in your cot. The Mandalorian had no idea how to handle those days, especially when the baby wanted you and tried to play. You never reciprocated, only stared off.

It wasn’t only a day, but there were nights when you actually sleep. The demons and nightmares wrench you awake, and you’re screaming, throat hoarse. Every time, there were footsteps from the cockpit, and the Mandalorian would stand there. Every time, you would frantically scoot back on your cot, blaster ready.

You would lower it immediately when you recognize it’s him. The nightmares clouded your thoughts and made you go insane. If it wasn’t him, you would shoot, no hesitation.

He never asked. You never spoke. The next morning you would act like nothing ever happened, and he would act the same. You picked up baby, who miraculously never woke up during your shrieks of terror.

It made you reckless, and he noticed. Every fight you became more ruthless and deadly. Your skills as an assassin was shown, using fatal hand to hand combat. You said it was because you were trying to protect baby. He knew it was because you lost control of yourself.

He’s seen assassins fight: sly, cautious. You weren’t like them. Whether you abandoned their techniques and adapted your own, you were different. Elegant. Graceful. He knew if you fought him hand to hand, he would loose. And he would be just fine. Anything to feel.

You stumbled inside the Razor Crest. It was late, and the Mandalorian put the baby in the cradle and shut it closed. He wanted to say so much to you as you collapsed on your cot, curling up so your in a fetal position.

He wanted to ask if you were okay. If you wanted to talk. His words evaded him, so he’s left standing over you.

“What is it?” You ask. If he didn’t know you were a highly trained, professional assassin, he would have never guessed. Your voice was soft as you sat up. There was some dirt on your cheek and forehead, and he wanted to try and remove it gently with his hands.

You sit up gingerly, still gazing at him. You knew he was familiar with your past and that you were an assassin for a league. Sometimes you wondered if he actually knows what league. But then again, you had no signa. You burned it off your skin once you had left.

It was time to tell the truth and you knew it. There were too many secrets, so much left unsaid, and it pulled you away from Mando. You understood that he might think of you differently, perhaps hate you, but he’s Mando. You couldn’t fathom it.

“Mando? Can I tell you a story?”

He was grateful for your words, filling up the empty silence. The curt nod provided you the okay to keep going. You invited him to sit down on the cot next to you. The thin mattress sinks as he sits down, your thighs and arms almost touching. He was silent, waiting for you to continue on.

“There once was a girl in the league...where she was raised, and trained. She dreamt of an outside world where there the violence she’s known all her life never existed,” your voice, for once, was shaking. He wanted to reach over and grab your hand.

“Ever since she could remember, she was at the hands of her instructors. If she didn’t perform with upmost excellence, she would be...corrected,” your voice broke as you shrug off your jacket that was always zipped up to your neck. What Mando saw what the tank top revealed were laceration scars over your back and chest. It suddenly clicked that you were talking about yourself and your past.

“That’s just part of it. It was more than just floggings. They would have other assassins train against one another, leaving their opponents dead. She...they...were ordered to strike to kill. It was a sport for some instructors sometimes. But she’s earned a lot of scars from her sisters and brothers. And she killed a lot of them too. That’s what she dreams about now. Killing them again.”

You fell silent, staring at the wall in front of you. Mando was surprised and speechless. He never thought you would open up to him like this. There were tears threatening to spill over your cheeks. Some escape, and he desperately wanted to brush them away.

“But the she met someone,” her voice was lowered, her head tilted so her eyes can meet his. “He’s stoic, but deep down, he is caring. He is beautiful, and I don’t even know what he looks like. But he saved me, from that life, and I owe him. But...I don’t know if I should fight this. I’ve never known what I’m feeling right now...and it’s frightening.”

Your hand was slowly moving towards his helmet-his face. He backs away, recoiling, not knowing what your intentions were. In his surprise, you place a hand on his helmet, where his cheek would be.

“W-what are you doing?” He’s not trying to push you away, he’s just curious. You move closer to him, taking his hand with your free one. “I’m not afraid of what I’m feeling,” you say, softly. “Because I’m with you.”

He melts inwardly at your gentle words full of emotion. You feel him relax under your touch, his shoulder relaxing.

“Aren’t you afraid of what’s underneath? What you can’t see?” His voice isn’t gruff or strict as it usually is. It’s soft, and you smile.

“I already see you,” you whisper, and if you could see him now, he’s smiling, but desperate and confused. How were you not afraid of loving a shell? Of what you can’t see?

“Mando?”

He’s pulling away, slowly, not to frighten you. You watch in amazement as he slowly takes off his gloves, revealing hands of battle. Worn, scar covered, callouses. Something that isn’t armor or thick fabric.

“You don’t have to do this,” you counter, but fall silent once his fingertips graze your cheekbone, then down to your chin. You sigh at the feeling of his skin, his raw self. He watches you lean into his touch, kissing his other hand.

His breathing is shaky. You hold your breath as Mando’s fingertips trace out facial features, mapping them, memorizing them. How they feel with his actual hand, not a gloved one.

“Mando,” you sigh, butterflies everywhere in your stomach, clouding your thoughts, erasing your past just for a moment.

“Dyn.”

You hum in response, only half listening. He repeats, “Dyn.”

“Dyn?” You ask, and he nods.

“My name is Dyn. Dyn Jarren.”

“I love it,” you smile, wider this time, and Dyn smiles as well with you. “Dyn,” you repeat, and look up at him. “Thank you for trusting me.” His helmet shakes back and forth. “Don’t have to thank me,” he says, but she nods. “Dyn, your life is based off of the Way. Trusting me enough to tell me your true name is...it’s wonderful.”

He can’t help but smile at your cordial words. His mind, however, is still dwelling on your story.

“About your story,” he begins, and you shake your head. “It’s okay,” you say. “You’re a silent man, Dyn. I’m not expecting any words. You, being here, is enough.” With that, you slowly move into his arms, your head resting on his shoulder. His arms shake as he slowly takes you in his arms.

He’s under some sort of spell. He never would have believed to be holding her, confessing to her. She’s now the only person to know his true name. And he’s never felt this more alive. He feels like a star being born, bursting with light and energy.

And you’re his focus.

[fillianore-moved]

this is just a very long and unfortunate list of incorrect quotes i’ve compiled for the fe3h squad + my oc (aka cassia montal, who’s the assistant teacher at the monastery and is romancing jeritza)! i just needed a way to develop her and all the relationships there more, and this is the result, so it’s completely self-indulgent, lazy and frankly pretty silly, but still i had fun and developed her and her relationships a lot during this process! @highoverseer and @koroleyva i’m tagging you two because idk anyone else who’d care at all for this flaming pile of trash packed into a fe3h package uwu 🌷🌼🌸

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byleth: how long have you been sleeping with cassia?

jeritza: that’s disgusting. and wrong. i don’t even get… why would... i…i’ve never had sex with anyone, anywhere. it’s none of your… you have… the nerve, the audacity… cassia is my colleague, technically. and she is terrible, face-wise. and how… how... do i know, frankly, that you’re not sleeping with her? maybe you are. maybe you’re trying to throw me off? hmm? check and mate.

------------

cassia dies.

annette is sobbing

dimitri is heartbroken

edelgard is trying to do a satanic ritual with hubert to bring her back

claude is stapling memes to her coffin

-----------

byleth: you dropped your dyn- dy- dyna… mite…

byleth: uh… what else have you got in there?

cassia: oh… gunpowder, nitroglycerin, notepads, fuses, wicks, glue, and… paperclips. big ones.

cassia: uou know. just office supplies.

-----------

cassia to annette: when you turn 18, people are gonna try and tell you to buy drugs or cigarettes because you can. no. you know what else is legal to buy at 18? blades. get yourself a damn sword. a big knife is also okay.

----------

cassia: we both look very beautiful tonight.

jeritza: you know, if you- if you’d just said I look beautiful, I would’ve said “so do you”.

cassia: i couldn’t take that chance.

-----------

dorothea: you need a hobby.

cassia: i have a hobby.

dorothea: staring at jeritza’s face isn’t a hobby.

cassia: you’re right. it’s a profession and i excel at my job.

-----------

cassia, looking in the mirror at 3am trying to practice self love: you’re doing great you stupid bitch..

-----------

manuela: i didn’t want to do this, but i know one way we can get the money.

cassia: you’d make a decent prostitute.

manuela: i’d make an amazing prostitute, but i was actually talking about this guy I know.

----------

byleth: admit it! you like cassia!

jeritza: oh, come on. i mean, am i attracted to cassia? sure. do my days feel better when I’m around her? yeah. does she get me in ways no person ever has? indubitably. do i fantasize about her? sure, of course, but only in two positions. but do I like her? the answer is no.

-----------

cassia: when have i done anything rash or irresponsible?

claude: i keep a list if you wanna see. it’s alphabetized.

-----------

byleth: whose turn is it to give the pep-talk?

cassia: (sighing) felix’s…

felix: fuck shit up out there, but don’t die.

------------

annette: is anyone else scared?

cassia: not really. i’ve already lived longer than i expected.

------------

flayn: what is the best way to kill someone?

byleth: kindness.

cassia: If we’re being stealthy, potassium cynaite. otherwise, anything from a knife to a bazooka works...

-----------

cassia: *crying*

byleth: i would like to join you in acknowledging the difficulties of your life

cassia: you are the WORST at this comfort thing

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claude: if edelgard, dimitri and i were drowning, who would you save?

cassia: you morons can’t even swim?

edelgard: teacher, it’s a hypothetical question.

dimitri: yeah, who would you save?

cassia: my time and effort.

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annette: The cookie isn’t sweet enough, and the texture is runny because it’s not fully baked. if I have to rate this, i would give it three points.

cassia: i made it myself…

annette: it’s out of three points.

----------

edelgard: if I ask you a boy question, will you promise not to be weird?

cassia: i promise.

edelgard: so, there’s this guy-

cassia: you can do better.

-----------

cassia, torturing a prisioner: we have ways of making you talk…

cassia: flayn, what are you doing here? you’re not allowed in here

flayn: (hands her a drawing)

cassia: did you draw this? this is so good! i promise we’ll hang it in the entrance of the dungeon so everyone can see it before they get tortured!

----------

sylvain: i rarely give compliments, teacher, but that shirt looks great. i bet it would look even better on byleth’s assistant’s bedroom floor.

jeritza: …

cassia: sylvain, are you … hitting on jeritza for me?

-----------

cassia: it’s hard being byleth’s assistant teacher sometimes, but i love the my students and that’s all that-

caspar, in the background: teacher cassia! I tried to make spaghetti in the coffee pot and accidentally broke it!

cassia: *inhales*

-----------

post time-skip, black eagles route

cassia: i need some peace and quiet...

edelgard: i’ll be quiet!

hubert: and i’ll be peace!

-----------

jeritza: everything’s going to be fine. it’s just a crush.

cassia: hey, jeritza!

jeritza: i love you.

-------------

post time-skip, blue lions route

dimitri, talking about cassia: i know you think my judgment’s clouded because i like her a little bit.

dedue: you doodled your wedding invitation

dimitri: no, that’s our joint tombstone.

dedue: ... my mistake.

------------

post time-skip, hubert’s support

edelgard: (whispering to hubert) start with a compliment! tell her she looks thin.

hubert: (to cassia) you seem malnourished.

------------

post time-skip, edelgard’s support

ferdinand, watching cassia train: she can’t be good at everything. maybe she’s a bad kisser.

edelgard: no, she’s good at that too.

ferdinand: what?

edelgard: what?

------------

sylvain: I'm grounded?

cassia: yes, you're grounded.

byleth: you disobeyed an order.

dimitri: and now we're going to bury you until you learn your lesson.

cassia:

byleth: dimitri, that's not how grounding works.

-----------

dorothea: i promised byleth we wouldn’t do anything illegal.

cassia:

cassia: Why would you lie to our resident parental figure like that?

------------

linhardt: i slept for almost 12 hours but I might still be tired so let’s go for 12 more just in case

cassia: linhardt that’s a coma

linhardt: sounds festive

------------

cassia: don’t worry, i have a permit.

seteth: …this just says ‘i do what i want.’

------------

cassia: there are no mistakes, just happy little accidents

cassia: ... and lorenz

------------

post time-skip, golden deer route

cassia: this is it

cassia: this is the darkest timeline

hilda: we just ran out of alcohol you dramatic little bitch

-----------

post time-skip, blue lions route

felix: cassia?

cassia, sighing: jeritza used to call me cassia…

felix: because it’s your fucking name

----------

cassia: WHO THE FUCK ATE ALL MY MACAROONS?! IM GOING TO KI-

annette: it was me.

cassia: KISS YOUR HEAD SO SOFT BABY, YOU KNOW I LOVE YOU THE MOST RIGHT?

---------

post time-skip, black eagles route

edelgard: so what are we gonna do?

cassia: i don’t know... pizza maybe?

edelgard:

hubert:

ferdinand:

edelgard: about the war, cassia

----------

during a mock battle

ferdinand: start waving your white flag!

hilda: THE ONLY THING I WILL BE WAVING IS YOUR DECAPITATED HEAD ON A STICK IN FRONT OF YOUR WEEPING MOTHER.

cassia: ... Yikes...

----------

cassia: hey flayn, do you think I could fit fifteen macarons into my mouth?

seteth: you're a hazard to society.

flayn: and a coward. do twenty!

----------

byleth: your trainee said a swear word in class.

cassia: i’ll talk to them about it..

cassia, to lysithea: what the fuck, dude...

----------

rhea: this was a 100% successful trip.

byleth: we lost cassia.

rhea: this was a 100% successful trip.

----------

sylvain, flirting with a girl: so, are you from heaven?

cassia: yes, she's a ghost...

cassia: she died fifteen years ago...

cassia: like that pick-up line of yours.

----------

dedue: felix lost cassia…

dimitri: how do you lose a woman?!

ashe: you forget to cherish her.

-----------

cassia: you like me? you like my personality?

byleth: i was surprised too.

----------

lysithea: [covers cassia’s eyes] guess who? she’s sweet, she’s adorable~

lysithea: and she’s gonna be really mad if you get it wrong!

----------

ignatz: i lose at everything. i even lost my glasses.

cassia, staring at the glasses on top of his head: i’ll help you find them for five gold...

-----------

jeritza: what are you, a cop? fuck off!

cassia: jeritza...

jeritza: okay, sorry, one more time.

priest:

priest: do you take this woman to be y--

-----------

rhea: cassia, can we speak privately for a minute?

cassia: ooooh, someone’s in trouble!

cassia : no, wait.

cassia : it’s me.

----------

cassia: wait, stop, think!

caspar: no, no, and no.

----------

bernadetta: i’m just worried about hurting their feelings!

cassia: hurting their feelings…? you just walk around all day caring about peoples’ feelings?

bernadetta: yes, of course. don’t you?

cassia: no.

-----------

byleth: you’re smiling, did something good happen?

cassia: can’t I just smile because I feel like it?

dorothea: seteth tripped and fell in the courtyard.

------------

claude: i trust cassia.

hilda: you think she knows what she’s doing?

claude: ... i wouldn’t go that far.

-----------

cassia: oh, yes, i’ll live.

cassia: but i won’t enjoy it.

-----------

cassia: you piss me off so much.

rhea: i literally just said “hello.“

cassia: yet here i am, boiling with rage.

----------

cassia: don’t worry, you’ve got everything you need to defeat them.

marianne: the power to believe in myself?

cassia: no, a knife.

cassia: stab them.

----------

petra: i’ve never done anything wrong in my life

cassia: i know this and i love you

----------

ignatz: *trips on nothing*

cassia: ha, you’re so clumsy.

(5mins later)

cassia: *aggressively punching the air* what’s your–fucking problem huh?? what–did he ever–do to you??

-----------

byleth: now we’re going to compliment the person to our right.

cassia: *looks at seteth fondly*

cassia: nothing brightens up a room like your absence.

------------

shady guy, coming up to cassia: if you care about your student you’ll come with me..

cassia: which student?

shady guy: lorenz hellman gloucester

cassia:

cassia: *turns around and walks away*

-----------

cassia: did it hurt?

jeritza: *rolls eyes* let me guess, when i fell from heaven?

cassia: no

jeritza: what?

cassia, grinning: did it hurt when you fell for me?

jeritza: ...

------------

marianne: does this make me a bad person?

cassia: marianne, there is not a force in history that could make you a bad person...

-----------

cassia: you and me? we both want the same thing.

cassia: but we’re gonna have to work... near each other.

seteth: you mean together, cassia?

cassia, turning around angrily: did you hear me say together??

-----------

cassia: annette’s at that very special age where she has only one thing on her mind.

manuela: boys?

cassia: murder.

----------

cassia: *hugs dimitri*

dimitri: what's this? what's happening?

cassia: it's going to be alright.

dimitri: why are you squeezing me with your body?

cassia: it's a hug, dimitri. i'm hugging you.

-----------

cassia: claude, can we talk, one ten to another?

claude: i’m an eleven, teacher, but continue.

-----------

mercedes: oh fiddlesticks.

cassia: look, i understand this is a tense situation but let's watch the fucking language.

-----------

linhardt: i’m busy.

cassia: do you think drinking 36 glasses of wine consecutively would make my battle senses and crest powers even more heightened or would I just die?

linhardt:

linhardt: i’m on my way.

------------

cassia: we’re engaged

jeritza: IN COMBAT

jeritza: *pulls out his sword*

------------

manuela: why does everybody always assume I'm having a stroke?

cassia: age.

dorothea: diet.

------------

leonie: i sort of did something and i need your advice. but i don’t want a lot of judgment and criticism.

cassia: ... and you came to me?

------------

cassia: what do we say when life disappoints us?

dimitri: called it.

cassia: NO--

------------

cassia: *sees someone do something stupid*

cassia: what an idiot.

cassia: *realizes it’s sylvain*

cassia: oh, that’s my idiot.

------------

cassia: ferdinand, we tried things your way.

ferdinand: no, we didn't.

cassia: i did it in my head and it didn't work.

------------

manuela: between claude, ignatz, lorenz, and raphael - if you had to - who would you punch?

cassia: no one! they are my golden deer! my students! i wouldn't punch any of them.

manuela: lorenz?

cassia: ... yeah.

------------

cassia: you need them to think that you are stronger than you actually are.

ashe: that’s what you do, right?

cassia: oh, no. my power is no illusion. i can fucking demolish you.

------------

cassia: before i do anything, i ask myself, would rhea do that? and if the answer is yes, i do not do that thing.

------------

flayn: do you really think we should stay outside or do you just not want to deal with this right now?

cassia: two things can be true...

------------

cassia: name a way to be nice to others.

dimitri: don't kill them.

cassia:

cassia: setting the bar a little low, dima, but I'll allow it.

-----------

cassia: remember that time you made me lick the swing set?

dorothea: no, i said "cassia don't lick the swing set!" then you said "don't tell me what to do!" and then you licked the swing set.

-----------

cassia: what are the signs of depression?

byleth: why are you asking?

cassia: manuela was doing laundry earlier and she dropped a sock and i heard her say “why has the goddess forsaken me?”

-------------

cassia: i just realized. i had a terrible childhood.

manuela: yeah, i know.

cassia: what do you mean, “you know”?

manuela: look at the way you stand... people who had good childhoods don’t stand like that.

--------------

cassia: you have to learn to love yourself.

marianne: but don’t you hate yourself?

cassia: yes, but this is about you, stay focused.

--------------

hilda (with lysithea probably): REMEMBER THE PACTS FORGED BETWEEN OUR PEOPLES LONG AGO.

cassia: stop it, it's 4 in the morning.

hilda: YOU PLEDGED ETERNAL SERVITUDE.

cassia: i did not.

hilda: IN EXCHANGE WE WOULD COME TO YOUR AID IN YOUR HOUR OF NEED.

cassia: i'm not feeding you.

hilda: REMEMBER THE PACTS.

--------------

annette: hey, can you do me a favor?

cassia: i’d kill for you, but go on.

-------------

in the garden

mercedes: annette, can you grab that hoe?

annette: *grabs cassia’s arm*

mercedes: wait, that's not what I meant...

------------

flayn: hey cassia, can i go get some candy?

cassia: what did seteth say?

flayn: no.

cassia: then why do you think i’ll let you?

flayn: because seteth’s not the boss of you.

cassia, internally: it’s a trap it’s a trap it’s a trap

-----------

dorothea: if I die, my ghost is gonna haunt you!

cassia: then your ghost is going to see some disgusting stuff.

------------

hubert’s support in a nutshell

hubert, in the margins of his notebook: mywife is soft nd ilikeher

hubert: my wiwwwfie wife is visiting a noble family with the empress and i miss her

hubert: MY EWFIE IS HOME MY WIFE

------------

felix: see? this is my “i don’t care” face.

cassia: that’s your normal face.

-------------

cassia: of course, i care about everyone in this house equally!

claude: we were attacked while you were away.

cassia: is marianne okay???

-------------

cassia: if edelgard jumped off a cliff, would you?

hubert: *stares into the distance with a blank expression*

cassia: hubert!

hubert: well- er- i mean, it depends.

cassia: DON’T JUMP OFF A CLIFF!

hubert: well, i wasn’t planning on it.

cassia: but if edelgard did, you would!?

hubert: *stares into the distance yet again*

cassia: HUBERT!

-------------

lysithea: if i run and leap at cassia, she will almost certainly catch me in her arms.

lysithea: COMING IN! *runs at cassia*

cassia: NO! I’M HOLDING COFFEE!

cassia: *drops the cup and catches her*

------------

leonie: why are you helping me so much?

cassia: because my life is a mess right now and i compulsively take care of other people when i don’t know how to take care of myself.

------------

hubert’s support, post time-skip

dorothea, barging into the library: you two ARE having sex!

hubert: really? cassia, why didn’t you tell me? i would’ve put my book down.

------------

cassia: we have fun, don’t we?

ashe: i have never been more stressed out in my entire life.

------------

cassia: why are we laying on the ground?

sylvain: you got knocked down so i laid next to you so everyone would just think we were chillin’.

------------

petra: i did something terrible.

cassia: it’s okay, i have a shovel.

petra: wait, what do you think i did?

cassia: it doesn’t matter, no one will ever know.

------------

seteth: time for bed.

flayn: cassia says that I can stay up as long as I want, and YOU need to die.

seteth:

seteth: what the heck, cassia-

------------

ingrid: i think rhea is in trouble!

cassia: alright... struggling to give a fuck, if i’m honest.

------------

marianne: i made a friendship bracelet for you!

cassia: i’m not really a jewelry person.

marianne: oh, you don’t have to wear it.

cassia: no, back off, i’m gonna wear it forever.

-----------

manuela: i’m playing a new drinking game. it’s called “Every time i’m depressed, i take a drink.”

dorothea: that game exists. that’s called alcoholism.

manuela and cassia: *take a swig simultaneously*

--------------

during hubert’s support

cassia: i love you. you’re the best thing that ever happened to me.

hubert: i’m the best thing that’s ever happened to you?

cassia: yes.

hubert: … now i’m starting to feel a little sorry for you.

--------------

cassia: alright, listen up you little shits.

cassia: not you, bernadetta. you’re an angel and we’re thrilled you’re here.

--------------

cassia: do you ever wanna talk about your emotions, felix?

felix: no.

sylvain: i do!

cassia: we know, sylvain.

sylvain: i’m sad...

cassia: we know, sylvain.

--------------

cassia: since when is babysitting them my—

cassia: oh, my god, that’s exactly my job.

[dd20century]

Charles Harrison: Better Living through Superior Design

Editor’s Note: Thank you to my co-worker, Dan Thomas for alerting me to Charles Harrison’s contributions to Twentieth Century design in an article that Mr. Thomas published in our company’s online newsletter.

“My best efforts resulted in products that did their job as expected -- you look at it, right away guess what it is supposed to do, and that's exactly what it does.” ---Charles Harrison

Here at Design and Desire in the Twentieth Century, the purpose of our blog is to highlight the designers, architects, photographers, and artists of the past century whose talents have impacted the world of the Twenty-first Century. Many of the artists we’ve featured here, while not famous themselves, designed remarkable iconic items or buildings. What about the talented designer whose output may not be remarkable in and of itself, but whose body of work has influenced everyday life so greatly that we have taken his or her achievements for granted? Charles Harrison is undoubtedly one of those designers. 

“Chuck” Harrison‘s Early Years

Charles “Chuck” Harrison, product designer and the first African-American executive at retailer Sears, Roebuck and Company, was born in Lousiana in 1931. During his childhood, Harrison suffered from dyslexia, and his design career would be influenced by a desire to produce user-friendly intuitive products that could help users. Harrison’s father, Charles Alfred Harrison Sr. (1) was a professor of industrial arts. Harrison junior would akso become a design professor later in life. Both Harrison’s father and grandfather were master carpenters and “Harrison credits his interest and ability in design to their influence.” (2) 

As a young man, Harrison earned his undergraduate degree in Fine Arts from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) in 1954. There Harrison met his future wife, Janet Eleanor Simpson (3), and designer Henry P. Glass, who became Harrison’s mentor and advocate. Harrison served in the United States Army for two years, and then after his discharge, earned his Master's in Art Education. (2)

Charles Harrison, GAF ViewMaster for Robert Podall Associates (1958). Image source.

Harrison’s Professional Successes Despite His Facing Discrimination

The 1950s in the United States was a challenging period for African-American professionals seeking employment in their chosen fields; Charles Harrison was no exception. In a 2006 interview with The Washington Post, Harrison said, "It was very tough, ... I uncovered every rock in Chicago. People wanted to help me. I stumbled around."(4) Harrison’s former professor from SAIC, Henry P. Glass gave Harrison his first design job. (2) Like many designers unable to find full-time employment, Harrison picked up free-lance jobs; some were for Sears, Roebuck and Company, his future employer.

In 1958 Harrison joined the staff of Robert Podall Associates. It was there Harrison redesigned the View-master toy giving it the look and feel that children of the 1960s and 1970s came to love. (5)

Harrison’s Career at Sears, Roebuck and Company

In 1961, Sears, Roebuck and Company hired Harrison; during this period Sears was one of the nation’s leading consumer retailers and provided Harrison the opportunity to see his designs in use by millions of American consumers. (4)

Charles Harrison, Electric Portable Hand Mixer for Sears (1969). Image source.

In his thirty-year-plus career at Sears (3), “Harrison redesigned the electric sewing machine into the product we know today. In fact, he designed 8 to 12 different sewing machine models every year for 12 years.” (4) In addition to sewing machines, Harrison developed designs for everything from riding lawn mowers and power tools to blenders and fondue pots. (4) All told, Harrison designed over 600 products for Sears. (5) Perhaps Harrison’s most revolutionary product was the plastic trash can, which was quieter and more sanitary than its metal predecessor.  (1,3)

Charles Harrison, Plastic Trash Bin (ca. 1965) for Sears. Image source.

Charles Harrison’s Later Years

In 1993 Sears underwent a corporate restructure and eliminated its “entire design department,”(1); Harrison was the last designer to leave. During his retirement, Harrison taught design at “The University of Illinois at Chicago, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and at Columbia College Chicago.” (2)

Harrison published his biography in 2006, A Life’s Design: The Life and Work of Industrial Designer Charles Harrison and earned the Smithsonian National Design Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2008. (4,5)

Harrison died on November 29, 2018. His design sketches can be viewed in the University of Illinois’ digital design collections. (2)

References

Hales, L., (11 October 2006). Chuck Harrison, Adding Dimension to Design. The Washington Post Online. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/10/AR2006101001459.html?noredirect=on

Wkikpedia (2018). Charles “Chuck” Harrison. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_%22Chuck%22_Harrison

Gibson, E., (10 December 2018). Pioneering African-American Designer Charles Harrison Dies aged 87. Dezeen.com.  https://www.dezeen.com/2018/12/10/charles-harrison-designer-obituary/

Harriot, M., (5 December 2018). Charles ‘Chuck’ Harrison, the Most Important Person You Never Heard Of, Dead at 87. The Root. https://www.theroot.com/charles-chuck-harrison-the-most-important-person-you-n-1830891199

Gambino, M., (January 2009). Intelligent Designer, Smithsonian Magazine. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/intelligent-designer-99915628/

[redvelvetreel]

Red Velvet Reel 4.6: A Crabapple A Day

                                          [Fic Directory]

Pairing: [Married] Spicyhoney (Underfell Papyrus x Underswap Papyrus)

Summary: Pancake finally gets their checkup through the Mini MeDi, a non-intrusive magic and soul scanner, and they're doing well. Undyne gives advice and then embarrasses herself.

Characters: Edge (Underfell Papyrus) & Stretch (Underswap Papyrus) & Red (Underfell Sans) & Blue (Underswap Sans) & Undyne (Underswap Undyne)

Contains: Mpreg/Skelepreg! Awkward & Anxious Swapdyne!  Iatrophobia (fear of doctors)!  Informational discussions of monster pregnancies including length & development phases, Non-intrusive prenatal diagnostic equipment and examination using videogame logistics, a lot of pseudo-magic-science fudging game aspects, a lot of headcanons.

Rating: Teen and up! (I guess?)

Note:  Hello! This is still a queued post! I’ll try to edit the links as soon as possible, but since I only have mobile access right now, it’s a little tough… But I’ll get to it eventually! Thank you for your support! <3

Undyne passed the screen over for Edge to hold. He took it gingerly, looking at the interface with renewed uncertainty.

“This is the Magical-Medical Diagnostic Display, the MMDD, better known as mini MeDi! I designed it, and Allie built it!” Her gills flared and she sounded proud, excitedly leaning over to point at several icons. It seemed fairly standard, with icon demonstrating monster stats like HP, DEF, ATK, MGC, etc.

“It’s somewhat based off of a BATTLE interface, combining the CHECK command with soul and magic type readings. That’s why it’s all black! If I were to use it on you, your body would show up like a white silhouette and your soul would look black. Like so.” She moved his hands to hold the machine up, pointing it at herself. Edge supposed it did look like the magical barrier that occurred during a BATTLE that drained color of everything but magical attacks.

“The HUD...” Undyne crushed a hand to her mouth, gnawing at her knuckles for a moment, “Wait, let me back this up...”

“So, monster pregnancies are measured in percentages, so little Pancake is literally going to have a load bar showing how far along they are. For simplicity, we divide these load points into quarters- the first quarter is roughly 25%, second quarter is about 50%, third quarter is close to 75%, and the last quarter is 98% or so!”

Edge frowned, “Why 98%? That completely disrupts the pattern...”

Undyne blinked, surprised, “Um, yeah...” She looked at the floor, twiddling her thumbs, “Well, at 100% they’re- they’re done. Um, they’re born and we’d just... check them directly... I thought it was clever, but, um, you’re right in that it’s not even...”

Edge never had the same kind of patience Red had with Alphys, or Stretch had with this easily discouraged Undyne apparently, but he was getting tired of her insecurity. Maybe if he just yelled something positive at her, she would become inspired and stop being so gloomy?

Stretch gave his hand a squeeze as though he could hear his thoughts, and spoke before Edge had a chance to say anything, “I think it’s cool and I like it. So, Pancake’s probably closest to the 25% benchmark, yeah? What does that mean?”

Undyne perked up at the subtle encouragement, continuing emphatically, “Well, 1st quarter is the souling stabilizing itself and becoming their own monster. Although from the beginning the Souling has always been there, it’s not until 25% when they establish a soul signature that’s completely independent of its parent. So, when I use this machine on you, Mr- erm, Col- uh, Gen- uh, Sir! Pancake won’t appear as a separate soul signature quite yet. They’ll just be this…  amorphous magic that’ll come up as an unidentified object with a little loading bar.”

That all seemed reasonable enough, but Edge still tensed when she made a move to take the machine. Stretch, ever sensitive to the shifting atmosphere (and the claws digging into the back of his hand,) cleared his throat, “How about a test run first, huh?”

“I’ll volunteer-“ Stretch started to stand up, but Edge reached out to grab the back of his shirt, grip tight to keep him from getting up.

Stretch didn’t miss a beat, “To operate it! Dyn-Dyn, I just point this thing at you and tap your body outline, right?”

“Uh,” Undyne clearly hadn’t been expecting that, but turned to face him anyway, “Yes, exactly!”

“Okie dokie.” Stretch held the machine up, pointing it at Undyne, glancing at Edge. His husband, almost reluctantly, tapped the heart quickly, jerking backwards as though he expected to be electrocuted. The screen readout changed, with Undyne’s silhouette becoming black and a variety of stats coming up.

“Oh, wow,” Stretch murmured to himself, “That’s really cool, I had no idea your soul signature was 20% Integrity, but that makes sense.”

“Yes!” Undyne looked pleased, “Soul signatures and magic are an imprecise science, but you’ll usually find at least trace amounts of all 7 major soul types. That’s why Monster souls appear white! It’s a fascinating area of study, and the actual makeup of your soul changes given your emotional state! Since I was just-“

Edge never thought he’d ever be bored in a doctor’s office, and yet... He focused on the little machine in front of him, poking Undyne’s soul directly a variety of times to no effect. If she wasn’t reacting at all, still talking about soul types, then maybe it really was just a diagnostic tool.

He looked up just as Undyne finished explaining something about green magic, turning the screen around so it faced her instead. It was with great effort that Edge convinced himself to finally let go, dropping it onto her lap in a way that had her scrambling to keep it from tumbling onto the floor.

Taking deep, steadying breath, Edge released his death grip on his husband’s fingers and the examination table, “You may proceed, Doctor.”

Stretch remained where he was, discreetly massaging his hand and flashing Edge a reassuring smile. Undyne held the machine up, clearing her throat as he finger hovered over the screen, “I’m going to hit this button so the machine will start scanning you, ok? Most monsters don’t really feel anything, but some monster’s report it feels like a prolonged CHECK. I promise it won’t be painful for you or Pancake. In 3… 2… 1… Moon time!”

“Moontime? Seriously?”

“I-! It’s-! YOU WOULDN’T UNDERSTAND!”

“I wouldn’t understand?! Who sat through that whole concert…”

Edge couldn’t help cringing, but true to her word, it didn’t hurt. It was deeply unsettling and uncomfortable, like someone was trying to peel back all the layers of magic, coding, and intent that made up his entire being- but it didn’t hurt.

“Agggh!” Undyne sounded annoyed, turning to the screen in front of her with a huff, “Stop distracting me! You’re making me look incredibly rude and unprofessional in front of Edge! It’s-”

“Oh!” She looked surprised, before immediately schooling her expression into something more professional. “That’s! Unexpected!”

“What is?” Edge’s voice was calm, but he bodily shoved Stretch off the examination table and towards the screen, keeping uncomfortably still for the machine, “Is something wrong?”

“No, no, no- nothing bad! It all looks really good!” Undyne relinquished hold of the machine to Stretch as she scribbled something down on the clipboard, eyebrows furrowed in concentration.

Stretch grinned, trying to resist running his finger along the display, “Pancake’s officially at 12.5%! They don’t have much in the way of stats yet, predictably, but they’re ‘In Progress’ and also PBST_NORMAL!”

Edge wasn’t sure what that meant, but normal was encouraging, and no special indicators meant nothing was wrong, right? He returned Stretch’s smile with a small, tentative one of his own.

“Exactly! You’re just a lot further a long that I was anticipating!” Undyne tapped her pen against her teeth, “How, um, long has it been?”

“3 weeks and 4 days,” Edge forced himself not to shift uneasily, even as Undyne continued taking furious notes, “I have it marked on my calendar, if you need a precise calendar date.”

“3 weeks? Hm... And 12.5% is half a quarter...” Undyne gnawed on her pen, “So your quarters are 6?”

She looked to Stretch, who was trying to hold the screen and take a picture with his phone at the same time, “Hm? Oh, 6.5 would be a closer estimate, no?”

“Then, with 4 quarters, that’s 46. Roughly 184 days.”

“184,” Stretch confirmed with a nod, before his face fell almost comically, “184 days?! That’s! So soon?! Edge!” He turned to his husband, “That’s like no time at all?!”

Edge made an educated guess, “Until Pancake’s at 100%?”

“Exactly!” Undyne took the screen back, typing something onto it as she glanced down at the paper several times, “I’m just calibrating the machine to these parameters, and if my math and your estimates are correct-“

“They are.” 

“Then the full length of this monster pregnancy should be 184 days, about 6 months. But, magic is unpredictable, so it could be earlier or later depending on a couple of different factors.”

“Like what?” Stretch asked, looking a little nervous as he played with the strings of his hoodie, “Like LV and EXP?”

“No,” Undyne answered quickly, trying to smile reassuringly, but it came off as forced, “Queen Toriel was also concerned, but in the few observed cases, LV has not significantly affected the Souling. There haven’t been any cases or studies on the impact of a raise of EXP or LV on a Souling, but I wouldn’t, um, recommend it...”

“Is that all for today, Doctor?” Edge crossed his arms impatiently, the feeling of a prolonged CHECK starting to grate at his nerves.

“Yes-“ Undyne quickly turned the machine off, clearing her throat, “Overall your stats are excellent- but your DEF is unusually low, so that’ll definitely be something to keep an eye on-“

“Is there anything I should do to address that?” Edge cut in.

“Nothing in particular...” Undyne tapped at her cheek in thought, “There are consumable items that can raise DEF temporarily, but they won’t have a long term impact. Not unless you increase your consumption to a daily basis. You might want to consider equipping armor that has a higher DEF, at least +3, to neutralize it.”

Edge looked troubled, worrying at the ratty, frayed bandana around his throat.

“It’ll probably be fine without it though!” Undyne backpedaled immediately, glancing at Stretch in dismay, “It’s just a precaution- Soulings in their first quarter are still feeling out their magic, so they’ll initially mimic your stats. They end up balancing themselves out in the third quarter usually- well, there’s a slight chance they won’t- but they’re more sensitive to that in the second quarter anyway- but then again-“

Edge unequipped his bandana without another word, tucking it into his inventory. His face was inscrutable as he turned back to Undyne, “I will address that. Anything else?”

“Uh-Pancake’s development is coming along well, so I won’t need to see you until the end of this quarter-“ She said in a rush, unnerved by Stretch’s surprised expression, “Just, um, keep doing what you’re doing and it should be fine. Make sure to get as much sleep as possible.”

She took a deep breath, positively jumping as Edge stood up with a nod, “Thank you, Doctor. We’ll keep in touch.”

Undyne sat ramrod straight, clutching her clipboard to her chest, “Yes, ok, thank you, love you, bye.”

Edge smiled to himself as Undyne let out a mortified sound, half-collapsing onto the floor. He shared a glance with Stretch as he let the door close, careful to never once give either of them his back.

“Ohmygod-!” Undyne wheezed, latching onto Stretch and shaking his shoulders roughly, ��Your husband is the scariest, most intense, sexiestmonster I’ve ever met?! It felt like he was going to eat me- but that I should thank him for the privilege?  I’m 100% a lesbian in a loving and committed relationship, but damn!“

“Yeah, uh,” Stretch laughed, gently patting her hands, “He’s got that effect on people, heh. He’ll be flattered-”

“OH MY GOD NO!” Undyne’s grip got tighter as her face went pale, “You can’t say a thing! I’m going to have to face him in a few weeks! How can I when I know he knows I think he actually kind lives up to your hype?! WHAT IF ALLIE HEARS?! No, no one must ever know!”

“Ok, ok, Doc. Thanks for today, by the way- you’re my hero, the Undying Doctor.”

She blushed, pulling her hair over her face bashfully, “You didn’t know naming conventions between doctors and wrestlers were different back then either!”

Stretch winked, before becoming uncharacteristically serious, “But I had a few more questions. Specifically, what symptoms are coming up? And talk to me a little bit more about that DEF thing too... “

[Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3] [Part 4] [Part 5] [Part 6 - Here!] [Part 7]