#and finding a jedi to take grogu in was din's mission the entire season

[ravenalla]

Okay I swear this will be my last rant post before the next episode airs but I have to get it off my chest cause I keep seeing the argument made that people disappointed Din gave the darksaber away are forgetting the lack of plot in the previous seasons, which I very heavily disagree.

I can’t speak for everyone, but at least for me when I’m saying I’m disappointed Din did not become Manda’lor I am not saying I hated the adventure of the week side quest format they had. That’s what I liked best about the show! It was great in season 1 feeling like Din was just the random guy off on his own adventure with this baby he found, I would have loved for it to have kept that small space western feel. Season 3 becoming this big interconnected universe with a corrupted New Republic plot connecting to the sequels is what I was most worried about just because I personally don’t like that direction. The more they’ve tried to go the Andor route and make this show about the Galatic politics, the worst it’s become imo (we literally have two white dudes writing a plot point about droids liking being underclass and serving the soft democratic people that is ruled with the help of a former Nazi, but ohh it’s okay it’s Jack Black and he’s funny and the Space Nazi and the Space Nazi doctor are really sorry for what they did, look the New Republic is just as bad as the fascist imperials 🥺🥺)

What some people are not getting is that the darksaber is ALL. DIN. HAD. LEFT. There was no driving force or goal for him after episode 2, they reunited him with his child in a spin-off show, they have him redeem himself fairly easily without any emotional impact, and now they took away the opportunity to do one last interesting thing with him. Din does not have his own actions or thoughts throughout most of the season, and when he does it’s just retracing the character development they already gave him in previous seasons (i.e. the whole droid fiasco). He’s a plot device, meant to further Bo-Katan’s character and help her with her goals or have him in danger so she can save him. It was okay if Din did not become Manda’lor, but they can’t just make him having the darksaber out to be a huge deal, show him trying to learn how to train with it, and give it up so stupidly through a loophole just so Bo-Katan can lead again when she has done nothing to actually earn it or apologize for the way she disrespected Din’s entire culture again and again. She was a terrorist who has done a 180 into suddenly being an honorable character just because of a few action scenes, no introspection or interesting conflict between her and the covert about their differences, nothing about her actually thinking about her past mistakes, just the covert being there to look like dumbasses who settled on a dangerous planet where their children get eaten so Bo can lead missions, look a million times more competent in comparison, and suddenly be the one who deserves to lead.

There doesn’t have to be a big plot each episode, but it’s not being executed well like it was in the first two seasons. The goal was getting Grogu to a Jedi, and we were given the interesting side adventures on that journey. Din needs to find somewhere he can lay low, he goes to Sorgan and becomes tempted by a domestic life. Din needs credits, he takes a job with some old acquaintances and sees what kind of slimy person he could have been. Din needs to find other mandos to help him find a Jedi, he runs into a small town desperate for help with a Krayt Dragon and showcases his pride in being a Mandalorian but his respect for other cultures and his willingness to do the right thing. He travels to a planet ruled by an former Imperialist because the Jedi he was searching for was there and helps her to save a town both for their sake and his need to give his son the best life he can have. See the pattern? They were side adventures, but they weren’t a random hodgepodge of ideas, they fit the story and the tone, giving us interesting side characters and helping to develop our main characters. Din showed his leadership, his growing kindness, his frustrations, his annoyances, his fears, Grogu becomes more adventurous, vocal, and attached to who he’s starting to see as a father figure. They both aren’t talkative characters, but they had feelings and personalities we saw. They had moments between them that wasn’t just exposition for the plot or a push towards an action scene, it showed their lives and values, their relationships. Little moments like Din being happy to hear Grogu’s name, Cobb sharing his story and why he valued the armor, Omera talking with Din about his life and wondering if he could stay, Frog Lady wanting to get her eggs safely to her husband and Din comedically trying to make that happen. The story was driven by these characters decisions and their personalities.

Season 3, on the other hand, has taken away all the life of these side adventures in its goal to tie in a larger Star Wars narrative that connects to other shows. They are not character driven anymore, and instead the characters are being twisted and molded to do and say stuff that’ll get us from point A to point B instead of the other way around. The point of Din breaking his creed is not to see what that would mean for his identity or how he wants to live with Grogu by his side, the point is to take him to Mandalore so that he can ultimately get trapped and fall down a hole so Bo-Katan can see the Mythosaur. The point of Bo-Katan’s crew leaving her and her staying in a random castle for no reason doing nothing all day isn’t for her to recognize her past failings or show us what their relationship was like and what it meant to her, it’s to have an easy offscreen explanation so that she can come to the covert without anything challenging in the way. The point of Din’s coverts staying on a monster-infested planet where Paz’s son is kidnapped isn’t because it makes sense they’d be there or that Paz suddenly even has a son we’ve never seen before, it’s so they can put in CGI monsters they thought were cool and have Bo save the day so they can have a flimsy reason she does need to be leader again. The point of spending time with the covert and having random pirates attacking Nevarro wasn’t to develop the other mandalorians as actual characters, it was to have them accept Bo easily so that she can “walk both worlds” and give Carl Weather’s character more screentime. And so much more.

Things are happening, but it doesn’t matter whether they make sense or fit the characters anymore, because all the side quest are focused on is bending over backwards trying to make you believe this Bo deserves the darksaber narrative. Before that it wasn’t like the Covert was planning to take back Mandalore, Din wasn’t planning to take back Mandalore, Bo didn’t tell anybody what she saw so there was no real stakes for anybody. Nobody in the main plot has had any purpose as more than side characters besides her. Din may have been the main character, but the people he met on his journey didn’t just do stuff to contribute to his own character or finding a Jedi. Omera had her own goals, Cobb had his own goals, Fennec had her own goals, Boba had his own goals, and they all still worked well with the narrative without diminishing each other, Din developed on the way by learning from the other characters and them him. What the fuck does Din want this season? Paz? The Armorer? The answer is whatever will make it easiest for the plot to retake Mandalore and have Bo be the Manda’lor for these writers, despite it being shown previously they have no reason to care or like Bo-Katan.

Like, some character moments are there. Bo is changing. I’m not saying that’s not happening at all. But it’s being done in a way that is sabotaging every other aspect of the show to force this plot that they wanted, the sidequest are feeling duller because they aren’t for these characters to have fun adventures we get emotionally invested in that simultaneously furthers the actual main characters goal, it’s let’s just have a CGI dragon, let’s have Lizzo and Jack Black guest star, let’s have Zeb from Rebels be in there for no reason. Unless again you count Bo as the main character, but like honestly she’s not even having natural character development. She went from being an antagonistic ex-terrorist to suddenly being kind and charitable with hardly any buildup or insight into her feelings. It doesn’t feel organic. I know she lost everything, but they still made it seem like she blamed Din for it only to have her rescue him once and completely abandon that hostility. The best we really have gotten is Grogu remembering his past while with the armorer and setting up his future as a Mandalorian, but even that feels cheapened when the armor he was given isn’t even talked about with the person who he shares the symbol with him that signifies their relationship, making me think it’s just another merchandise decision.

We wanted Din to learn to rule because, even if we did have to say goodbye to the adventure of the week type format, it would have been in service of his character evolving into something he doesn’t think he deserves or is good at. It would have been the next step in his journey, accumulating everything he has learned, the growth he went through using both diplomacy and his skills as a fighter time and time again. Instead, they chose to really quickly ditch any of the conflicts he had so they could have him free to do this instead. If they had waited one more season, this could have possibly been done well imo. Din’s arcs could have been brought to a meaningful and satisfying conclusion, and then you could have made him and Bo-Katan become co-leads. It wouldn’t have mattered as much then if they decided to focus a little more on her. But instead they essentially abandoned Din’s story they’ve spent two seasons creating to go ahead and tell her own.

The side quest aren’t what people are complaining about. It’s that they have no meaning for our characters other than having everybody circling around Bo most of the time or creating some big connection to the sequel triology and setting up the Star Wats MCU, which wasn’t the style of writing this show did. I don’t care how many ways people want to argue against it, Din is not the main character in this season, which is not what they have been selling us all year, and he doesn’t even have any engaging story or arc as a side character either. That is the problem, and that is why these side quest and the lack of an actual plot do not work.

[dindjarindiaries]

The Mandalorian Season 3 if The Mandalorian Season 2.5 Didn’t Exist

Here’s what I imagine The Mandalorian season 3 looking like if Din Djarin and Grogu didn’t appear in The Book of Boba Fett. For the sake of this creation, there’s no time gap between what we see in TBOBF and what we see in The Mandalorian season 3 (bear with me!).

DISCLAIMER: This is just for fun. I enjoyed the way the story was told in both TBOBF as well as The Mandalorian season 3.

CHAPTER 17: THE APOSTATE

It begins with Din going after Kaba Baiz. All of that remains the same, with Din using the Darksaber, injuring himself, and returning Baiz’s head on Glavis. When he gets to the covert’s location, something there—a cryptic message, an inscription, etc.—redirects him to their new hideout on the planet we see in season 3. Din’s forced to find bacta spray on Glavis for his wound on his own, making this episode even more lonely.

Din then takes the public transport to Tatooine and finds Peli to get the N-1 Starfighter. This entire sequence stays the same until Din’s test flight is over. He decides he has to go to his covert so he can ask the Armorer to make Grogu’s chainmail. He bids farewell to Peli for now and makes his way to his covert.

There, Din reveals he possesses the Darksaber, and the Armorer continues to tell him the history of it. He offers his beskar spear for her to make into armor, including Grogu’s chainmail. Paz Vizsla has still overheard much of this and when the Armorer tries to train Din with the saber, Paz challenges him. They duel, Din wins, and he’s forced to reveal that he’s removed his helmet. Then comes the episode title: Din is ruled out as an apostate.

As Din reflects on this inside the N-1, he looks at the Grogu-shaped bundle of armor and decides that visiting his son is just the kind of comfort he needs after such devastation.

CHAPTER 18: THE CHOICE

Din makes his way to Ossus and meets with R2. R2 guides him to the future sight of Luke Skywalker’s Jedi Academy before the droid shuts down. Din’s given a bench to rest on while he waits.

Meanwhile, Grogu sits and trains with Luke. He’s taught a lesson or two and is taken through a difficult yet brief flashback of his past. Luke comforts him in the aftermath.

Din awakes from his brief rest when Ahsoka alerts him. She tells Din of Luke’s plans to make the Jedi Academy and then takes him on a walk near the place where Luke and Grogu are training. He tells her that he wants to see Grogu and is set on giving him his chainmail, but Ahsoka changes his mind and insists that seeing Grogu will only make things harder for them both. Din, wanting to do what’s best for Grogu, asks that she delivers the armor and he leaves Ossus to head towards Nevarro.

Din’s stint on Nevarro is intercut with Grogu’s training. While Grogu works with Luke, Din talks with Greef Karga and rejects the offers of both a cabin and a position as marshal. He assists with the pirates and requests to have IG-11 for his mission on Mandalore. The Anzellans can’t fix IG-11 and Din sets out to get the part. He narrowly escapes Gorian Shard’s antics.

While that happens, Ahsoka gives Luke the chainmail from Din, and Luke sets both that and a lightsaber in front of Grogu. He gives Grogu a choice: take the lightsaber and become a padawan, or take the chainmail and return to the Mandalorian.

The episode ends with Din talking with Peli on Tatooine once again, though another ship joins them. Peli thinks it’s the New Republic after her (for no reason Mando, don’t sweat it), but it’s revealed to be Grogu. Din and Grogu have a sweet and emotional reunion.

CHAPTER 19: THE MINES OF MANDALORE

With Grogu having returned and R5 tagging along thanks to the lack of IG parts, Din and Grogu head to Kalevala in hopes of uniting with Bo-Katan Kryze. She’s not pleased to see them in her palace and she openly shares her distaste for Din’s people and his Way. Din asks why she’s given up her hopes of retaking Mandalore and she tells him it’s because of the saber driving away her forces. Din leaves her on her own and decides to head to Mandalore on his own, which isn’t far from Kalevala.

From here on to the end, everything from the episode of the same title is the same. Din tells Grogu how to navigate the galaxy, they land on Mandalore, Din gets in a skirmish trying to save R5, he gets captured by the cyborg, Grogu gets Bo-Katan for help, and Bo saves Din both then and in the Living Waters. It ends with Bo-Katan seeing the Mythosaur.

CHAPTER 20: THE COVERT

Din awakens after nearly drowning and tells Bo he didn’t see anything in the Waters. They leave Mandalore and find themselves getting chased by TIE Interceptors. On Kalevala, Din transfers to the N-1, and he assists Bo-Katan in defeating the TIEs. They’re too late in realizing it was a diversion for them to destroy Bo’s home.

Din leads her to the covert, where Din earns his redemption from the Armorer. Surprisingly, Bo earns the very same thing.

We go on to see Mandalorians training on the shore. Din has Grogu enter a training match with another foundling, one that he uses both his Jedi training and what he’s learned from Din to win. Just after the foundling walks away, he’s taken by the raptor, and everything that happens in “The Foundling” goes on to happen, ending with Bo telling the Armorer about the Mythosaur.

CHAPTER 21: THE PIRATE

This episode stays just as the same. There’s just a briefly added mention of Doctor Pershing by Elia Kane when she’s standing in the room with Carson Teva, something about his old lab being on Nevarro and that makes the planet untrustworthy. Best to let those pirates take care of it.

CHAPTER 22: GUNS FOR HIRE

This episode stays the same, but there’s an added mention by Din of his job on Glavis. It’s not detailed and it’s quick, but it’s some comment about how his last job didn’t go so smoothly (Kaba Baiz) and he hopes this one will make up for it. This will make the success of this job directly compare to that on Glavis and will show how Din’s work has become more efficient following his reunion with Grogu.

CHAPTER 23: THE SPIES

This episode stays exactly the same.

CHAPTER 24: THE RETURN

This episode stays the same, but at the end, Grogu has the silver shifter knob. It ties everything back to season 1.

[stairset]

Oh in that one post I forgot to bring up that when Luke shows up to get Grogu in The Mandalorian he rather explicitly says that Grogu needs Din’s permission before he can go with him and I think that alone should make it clear that the Jedi do not take in younglings without the consent of their current guardian. So there ya go. 

[221bshrlocked]

sweaty hands, reluctant hearts

Pairing: The Mandalorian (Din Djarin) x Fem!Reader

Words: 13685 (god this wasn’t supposed to be this long I’m actually sorry this time)

Warnings: Angst and Smut (my fav). Hurt/Jealous Mando -> Touch Starved/Rough Mando -> Fluffy Mando -> Shy Mando. Penetrative Sex. Oral Sex. There’s lot’s of sweat because exertion yall. Breeding Kink 😏. Slight Exhibitionism. Overstimulation and slight slight non-con because of oversensitivity. Umm, squirting 🙃. Dirty/Sweet talk. Spanking (ass and hoohaa).

Summary: He never thought the day would come when he’d hear you saying you wanted to leave him. Yes there was an understanding between the two of you that you were hired to help him care for the Child and to somehow keep the Razor Crest alive and working. And he knew it made sense for you to find work elsewhere now that the Razor Crest was destroyed and the Child was with his own kind. But he just assumed you weren’t going to leave considering it’s been a couple of months since he’d given the kid to the Jedi and you never brought it up. It hurt hearing you say those words, especially when he realized he wasn’t meant to hear them and that you were confiding in Cobb Vanth of all people. Turns out, all Mando needed was to see the Marshal eye-fucking you as you fixed the new ship and overshared your thoughts for him to snap and finally make a move. Hopefully he can change your mind...

A/N: Yall, this is post Season 2 so sadly Grogu is not here, hence the angst! Umm, this was a lot to handle because you know, that gif here. Enjoy ☺️

It’s been months since the events that transpired on the cruiser. Months since he’d given away a piece of himself to an unknown being. Months since he’d sat down and re-evaluated his life’s mission. He wasn’t sure why he’d chosen to return to Tatooine of all planets but he needed some time to think of his next steps. So much has changed over the course of the past year and it took the Mandalorian longer than usual to realize that he can’t use bounty hunting to fill the void in his heart. 

One thing he did know for sure, however, was that he couldn’t have managed to survive the emotional and physical changes without your presence. Somehow, you’ve managed to make his life easier and by a whole lot. He has never felt this grateful for having a companion, maker, didn’t even think it possible to ever consider another as such. He’d spent years and years living by the Creed and never once doubting his way of living, but he found himself questioning everything about himself when you came in. It wasn’t that he was suddenly open to the idea of taking his helmet off or anything, it was more of a passing thought on what it would be like if he were to open up to you more, perhaps even share with you more than his name and an abridged version of how he became a Mandalorian. 

He mulled over how he would approach the topic with you, finding himself growing more nervous when he considered how you’d react. You’ve never given him any inclination of ever thinking of him as more than your boss and he knew he needed to figure out a way to make this seem natural and not forced. Frankly, he found it interesting how you managed to read him better than anyone he’s ever met, and he wished he could ask you how you’d done so when he never took off his helmet. 

Mando pushed the thought aside for now, cursing to himself as he dragged the giant piece of scrap you’d requested for him to pick up from Peli. He wanted to argue with you then, tell you that the only reason for coming to this awfully hot planet was to take some time off, if that was even possible, and avoid falling into the temptation of another mission. But he couldn’t find it in himself to say any of these things, mostly because you were the one that managed to procure the new ship for him and you were also the one that told him the two of you were in serious need of rest. He’d only realized the ship needed fixing when he landed and you told him you would get right on as soon as he picked up the necessary pieces from Peli. He felt a little out of the loop when he’d gone to her and found her giving him everything you’d requested for, and he knew you must have contacted her before you landed or else she wouldn’t have been this quick. 

As he made his way through the quiet “streets” of Mos Pelgo, he thought back to what Peli said to him an hour ago. Had he not considered her as a friend, he would have responded rudely when she bugged him about you. As much as he wished to humor the idea that you looked at him as more than a colleague, partner, whatever it was the two of you were, he didn’t want to grow any more false hope, especially now that he’d already given up the one thing that managed to crawl into his heart. 

Mando saw that you’d moved the ship behind the cantina and he chose to blame the heat for the way his skin crawled with goosebumps because no, he didn’t suddenly feel calm at the thought of you. 

He shook his head from the intruding thought and was about to say something to you when he saw who was standing nearby. If there was ever a time where he didn’t wish to see Cobb Vanth, it was definitely now. The bounty hunter put down the scraps of metal before moving closer to where the two of you were standing. He was sheltered behind a shack of sorts and allowed his heart rate to return to normal before listening in on you. 

“I don’t believe you sweetheart.” The Marshal threw back his drink and shook his head when you shrugged your shoulders at him and Mando felt his stomach twist at the endearment. Since when were the two of you on such a close basis?

“Believe whatever you want Marshal, I was only answering your question. Besides, it’s not like I’m actively looking right now.” Mando watched as you swiped the sweat rolling down your face with the back of your hand and swore when he felt the fabric of his pants grow tighter around his crotch. He felt dirty watching your every move, but he couldn’t take his eyes off of the way your muscles gleamed under the excruciating sun rays. He cursed the day you bought that garment and he recalled back to the first time he watched you work in it. Mando had almost tripped over the child that day because he never expected to see you walking around with the chest binding so visible to his eyes. It was worse when you reached up high for something because if his eyes lingered long enough, he could see your undergarment peeking from the low-hanging pants of the overalls. 

The bounty hunter had to take a few deep breaths to move on from the inappropriate thoughts he was having and he narrowed his eyes at Cobb when he saw him walk closer to you. 

“Are you ever going to tell him?” The Mandalorian watched as your expression shifted slowly to a more sombre look and he was familiar enough with you to know that you weren’t too happy with that question or the answer you were going to give Cobb. 

“I- I don’t know. I wish I could tell him about how I fe- what I’m thinking about but I can’t...and I also can’t just say ‘Hey Mando, I had a blast taking care of the kid and getting hunted by the kriffing Empire. I fixed the ship for you so see you later.’ It’s not right and I didn’t realize it would be this difficult to come to terms with what I have to do. But I can’t keep doing this, it’s not fair.” 

Whatever the Mandalorian thought you were going to say, that certainly didn’t make the top of the list. He almost fell back when he registered the meaning behind your words. You wanted to leave. You’ve been wanting to move on for a while and you weren’t sure how to tell him. You were confiding in Cobb Vanth of all people and relying on his opinion to decide what you were going to do. A thousand thoughts flew through his mind and he tried to see if he’d done anything wrong. Besides the whole thing with Gideon and Bo Katana, there wasn’t really anything he’d done that would inspire such a reaction from you. Not that those weren’t enough to change your mind about staying with him but it was all in the past now. 

The sound of laughter broke Mando out of his haze and he turned towards you again, watching as you slithered down the ship, clenching his fists tightly when he saw Cobb grab your hips to help you down. He was torn between strutting towards the two of you and punching the daylights out of him and remaining where he was to listen in on your conversation. He had no right to do either, but he needed to know.

“I hate to ask you this question because it defeats the whole purpose of this entire chat but...have you thought of how he’d take it? Should you decide on-” You pointed to something on the floor and Cobb leaned down to grab it for you, handing it and gauging your reaction to his question as you continued to work. 

“Why else do you think I’ve been putting this off? Of course I’ve thought of how he’d react. But I deserve more than...ugh, I don’t mind this, I swear I don’t, but I also can’t just sit back and pretend I don’t want more.” You motioned violently to the ship and to what you were doing as you spoke, shaking your head at the man smiling smugly in front of you before throwing out the tools and snatching his drink from him. 

Mando couldn’t stand to be near you, not after what he’d heard and certainly not after taking in your body language and the way Cobb was practically undressing you without shame. He stepped back, leaving the scraps where they were and heading to the cantina to take his mind off of what he’d just witnessed. He walked in and paid no mind to the patrons scattered across the room, handing the man behind the counter more credits than he cared to count and asking him for his strongest stuff. He didn’t bother to address the judgmental stare he was receiving and took hold of the bottle before walking out again. 

It was close to sunset and the Mandalorian walked until the edge of the town before deciding to continue until he reached a small hill filled with large boulders. Sliding down one of the rocks, he sighed deeply before taking off his helmet, the hissing sound instilling a sense of guilt deep in his chest. He was ashamed at feeling such an emotion towards what he based his entire life on. But he couldn’t take it anymore. His anger rose as he opened the large bottle in his hand, throwing it back until he felt the stinging drink burn his throat for a few seconds before aggressively setting it on the floor next to him. 

Mando wasn’t able to put what he was feeling into a proper string of thoughts but he did know it was an odd mixture of hurt and anger with a tiny bit of sexual frustration. He couldn’t get the image of you sweaty and heaving as you worked on his ship out of his mind, shutting his eyes and throwing his head back to meditate back on the way your muscles clenched and pulled every time you molded two metal scraps together or how they positively shined when you carried things across the sand. He’d tried his hardest to set all of these feelings and rather inappropriate thoughts aside but he couldn’t any longer. Not when there was a chance of you leaving him, and perhaps to someone like the Marshal too. 

Perhaps it was unwise to deny his heart’s desires for so long and Mando was sure that he’d met his breaking point because he couldn’t stop thinking about you. Normally, he was able to distract himself and force his mind to stray away from conjuring up the filthiest images of you wreathing and crying beneath him as he drove his cock into your heat. But he had no hold over his mind at this moment, not that he was to blame. He went from shutting his own self out to opening the floodgates, and there was no going back. 

He sighed heavily when his thoughts shifted to what you said about him and he took a long sip from the bottle before turning his attention to the setting suns. He didn’t know what he could even say if you ever approached the topic with him. You’d been wanting to leave for a while now and somehow managed to hide it from him. All those nights spent running from Moff Gideon and other bounty hunters and you haven’t complained once, choosing to keep it to yourself. He wasn’t sure if he was hurt because you felt the need to hide something like this from him or because you were awfully understanding of how these complaints could distract him. 

And then there was the whole thing with the ship. He had assumed that the two of you sort of shared it now but it seemed that you never saw it as belonging to you but only to him. And you went out of your way to fix it now when you didn’t have to. Mando didn’t notice his tears until he licked his drying lips and tasted the saltiness across his mouth. He wiped his cheeks and laughed at himself. When had he become like this? First it was the child and now you. 

He wished he could take it all back, to have never met the kid or you. His life was simple and not complicated and now, now he was faced with the prospect of losing you as well. The bounty hunter dismissed the thought as quickly as it came because he knew deep down that it was better to have had the two of you in his life, even for a short while, than to have never known you. It wasn’t ideal but since when was his life ideal?

As the suns set beneath the sky, the Mandalorian looked down and saw that the bottle was still almost full. Not wanting to finish it now, because he might actually need it later when you decide to leave, Mando stood up and slowly made his way back into town. He needed to sleep, not to rest but to put a pause on his rather depressing thoughts if only for a little bit. When he saw the town come into view, he took a deep breath and put his helmet back on. 

The town was quieter than usual and the Mandalorian found himself going straight to the ship instead of joining the others. He’d spent the past few days enjoying his nights in the corner of the busy cantina, watching as you won one Sabacc game after another without breaking a sweat while everyone groaned in annoyance at how well you were kicking their asses. But he couldn’t trust himself tonight, not around you and certainly not around the Marshal. 

Trying not to bring too much attention to himself, Mando walked past the cantina towards the ship, already thinking of how relieved he’d be once he used the refresher. Going up the ramp, he was about to walk to the small, private room near the cockpit to grab a change of clothes when he heard a loud shriek that sounded a lot like his name coming from the opposite end of the ship. Mando quickly turned around and shut his eyes in exasperation when he saw you approaching him far angrier than he’d ever seen you. He set the bottle down and turned his attention towards you, raising an eyebrow to himself when he saw your chest heaving beneath the chest band. He averted his eyes quickly, refusing to think of you sweaty and breathless under other circumstances. Maker, he couldn’t go no like this.

“Where in the kriffing hell have you been? You were supposed to bring the parts from Peli hours ago and I have to find out from some kid that you just left them on the ground and walked away to- hell, I don’t even know what was more important for you than bringing me the scraps so I could fix the ship? Really, Mando, I understand that it’s been a little weird and difficult lately but I barely ask for anything and, ugh, maker.” You held back from voicing more of your thoughts, afraid that you’ve already gone far with asking him where he was. He didn’t really need to tell you what his business was but you’d assumed the two of you have come to an understanding regarding such matters, at the very least to ensure everyone’s safety. 

Mando stood there in silence and took a deep breath before turning around and walking into his room, afraid he’d give himself away if he tried to respond to you.

You furrowed your eyebrows in frustration when he quietly walked away from you, anger rising in your chest as he came out and made his way past you to the refresher. Before you could think twice of what you were doing, you were sprinting past him and standing in front of the open door, pushing your fingers into his beskar-clad chest as you hissed at him.

“I’m not sure what happened or why you’re giving me the silent treatment right now but this is not how we deal with our problems okay.” Mando took a few steps back as you continued to shove your finger into him, trying his hardest to not grab your wrist and push you against the nearest wall. “We talk things out and we come up with a way to fix things and compromise if need be.” Mando’s back hit the wall, and he threw his head back to avoid your gaze, unable to hold back the chuckle that rose from beneath the helmet at your words. 

How ironic.

“Did I say something funny?” You narrowed your eyes up at him and wished for once that he’d remove that god damn helmet so you could gauge his reaction.

“You mean we should talk things out like you and Cobb Vanth today? Or would it be different?” Mando’s chest tightened when he noticed the surprised expression on your face, knowing very well this was not what you expected to hear from him. He was a rational man, never once letting his mind give away to such simplistic thoughts but you’d struck a nerve and he could no longer hide his jealousy. Yes, it was jealousy. As much as he hated to admit it, that’s what he was feeling right now, what he’s been feeling all day long. It was childish and unlike him but it wasn’t going to do him any good if he continued to ignore it. 

“I’m dying to know if that’s what you mean. You obviously don’t have an issue telling him about how difficult it’s been working with me and how you can’t keep doing this.” It was your turn to take a few steps back when you saw his shoulders push out and make him taller than he already was. He continued to walk towards you, throwing his clothes to the ground and almost apologizing when you tripped on your feet when he was only a foot away from you.

“How about this, let’s start with what you apparently wish you could tell me but can’t seem to find the right words to do so. What was it you said to him? You deserve more than taking care of a kid and constantly escaping the Empire and other bounty hunters? Or wait, how can I forget...it’s not fair dealing with this mess of a ship and you’re looking for somewhere else to go?” You swallowed the lump in your throat as the Mandalorian repeated back the words you voiced perhaps a little too loudly earlier today, already feeling your eyes fill with unshed tears at harsh his tone. 

“I- I didn’t…you weren’t meant to-” You tripped over your words and almost flinched when he cut you off. 

“What? I wasn’t supposed to hear you say any of those things? A little strange don’t you think, since you seemed to have a lot to say about me to the Marshal.” Mando should have stopped himself from saying the next few words but his heart was torn into a million pieces and it wasn’t fair for him either.

“Well guess what, sweetheart, the Razor Crest blew up. Moff Gideon is taken care of and the Empire isn’t after us anymore. Every bounty hunter knows better than to so much as look at me and...and the kid isn’t around anymore for you to take care of. He’s gone, I lost him. So if you were worried about hurting me, you’re a little too late for that.” The Mandalorian barely held himself back from pulling you into his arms when he saw tears rolling down your cheek, clenching his fists tightly when he noticed the way you hugged yourself and frowned at him.

“Din-” It broke him to hear you use his name, especially now of all times. He hasn’t heard you say it once in the past few months, even when the two of you were alone. It was the twisting of the knife, and he bit his tongue to distract himself from saying something he couldn’t possibly take back.

“Do what you want, I won’t stand in the way. Besides, I’m sure he’ll be more than happy to help you out with whatever it was you were telling him today. After all, you deserve more right? Deserve someone more than me...someone who’s willing to share a lot more than his name.” Not bothering to wait for a response, Mando stepped away and walked back to his room, not caring about the clothes on the ground or how hurt you must have been feeling from listening to him. 

He softly shut the door behind him and moved to his bed, throwing himself on it and hanging his head low to catch his breath. This was not how he saw the night going, not remotely. He was hoping to ask you about this tomorrow in a less hostile manner and without making it seem like he was blaming you. But something about your words struck a nerve in him and he wasn’t able to hold back anymore, not when you were suggesting things you yourself weren’t willing to follow.

Din wasn’t sure how long he sat there in silence but the hissing sound of the door opening brought him back from his haze and he opened his eyes when he heard you walking towards him. You’d never once come into his room, not even when he occasionally gave you permission. You sniffed twice before approaching the bed and standing right in front of him and he was reminded of when the child would cry to try to catch his attention. 

“Din, it was never my intention to hurt you. I was trying to do the opposite..thought I was doing the right thing by thinking about this before I could talk to you but I’m realizing now that I’ve hurt you.” Din noticed the way you were ringing your fingers nervously and held himself back from taking your hands into his to try and put you at ease. 

“I- I only spoke with Cobb because he- because he noticed the way I was looking at you. He noticed how I can never seem to focus on anything or anyone else when you’re around. He- he could tell I was having a hard time coming to terms with how I feel about you...how I’ve felt about you for a while now.” Din’s heart skipped a beat at your confessions, unable to properly register what you were implying because he could never even humor the idea that you’d have feelings for him. He raised his head and finally looked at you, frowning when he saw how red your eyes were from crying. 

“The last thing I want to do is to leave you, please believe me. But I wasn’t sure if you even wanted me around after...after everything with Moff Gideon and the Jedi. As far as I knew, you brought me on to take care of Grogu and fix the Razor Crest. We’ve barely spoken ever since the cruiser and I just thought that I was only around because you couldn’t find the time to tell me that you don’t need me anymore.” Hearing you say that you thought he didn’t need you caught Din off guard and he wasn’t able to hold back anymore, instantly taking hold of your hands and pulling you towards him until you were standing in between his legs. You swallowed the lump in your throat and maintained your gaze on his visor, hoping that he could see how truthful you were being with him and maybe respond, if only with just a simple word. 

“When I said I deserved more, I was just- I swear I wasn’t talking about your Creed or wanting to see you. As much as I wish that was possible, I would never...could never ask you for something like that. I was only telling him that I might need some time away to maybe forget how...maker, to perhaps try and set aside my emotions because the last thing you need right now is for me to lay that on you. I don’t want you to think that you owe me anything because you don’t, gods you don’t owe anyone anything, not after what you’ve been through. But I could feel myself becoming more attached to you, especially after everything that happened on the cruiser. I want more with you but I don’t want to push you towards anything you’re not ready for.” Before you could wipe the tears away from your cheeks, Din was raising his glove-covered fingers and softly skimming them over your skin, and he hadn’t realized how harsh and loud his breathing was until he felt you rest your hand on his chest.

“There’s nothing between me and Cobb. And you should know by now that he’s...friendly, with everyone.” You smiled shyly at him before leaning into the hand resting on your cheek, nuzzling further into his palm when he swiped his thumb against your lower lip. There was so much Din wanted to say but he couldn’t find the right words that would convey what he was feeling. He was having a hard time wrapping his mind about your admission and the fact that you have been returning his affection for a while now. 

Din didn’t realize how long he was quiet until you cleared your throat and let go of his hand, stepping away from him and looking around to see if you should just leave. Before you could head to the door, however, Din was standing up and moving towards you, his eyes searching your face for any signs of discomfort before he made his next move. Your chest was rising and falling a little quicker than he liked but he quickly realized it was probably because of how you were coming to terms with what you just said to him. 

You watched as he took his gloves off and set them on the small table behind you, suppressing a gasp when you felt his warm, calloused hands wrap around yours before bringing them to his helmet. He could tell you were letting him control all of your movements and found it difficult to accept just how much you were willing to give to him.

“As much as I hate to admit it, I have been thinking about this for a while.” Din smiled when he saw your eyebrows furrow in question at his words. “Taking this off.” He saw the moment you understood what he was saying, not expecting you to pull your hands away from him and taking a few steps back until your back was against the wall.

“That’s...that’s not what I- Din, I wasn’t lying when I said it wouldn’t matter to me if-” He smiled at how defensive you suddenly were and stepped towards you once more, and you found it annoying that he barely kept a foot between you two, his natural scent hitting you like a blaster to the gut. 

“I know.” Din cut you off before taking your hands into his once more, rubbing your knuckles to put you at ease as he continued. “I’ve had a lot of time to think about this and- it’s not that I’ll walk around without it now, far from it. It’ll only be when we’re alone, when no one is around.” He hoped you could read in between the lines because this would be the closest he’d come to admitting how important you were to him, for now at least.

“Besides, it’s nothing you haven’t seen before.” 

That definitely snapped you out of your haze and you tilted your head to the side before asking home what he was referring to. 

“I’m not sure what you’re talking about.” Din raised an eyebrow at your response. Have you already forgotten?

“On the cruiser, when I- before Grogu went with the Jedi.” His hands tightened around your fingers as he said the child’s name and you were momentarily distracted before realizing what he meant. 

“Din I...I never saw you.” 

For a split second, it felt like someone had taken Din and carbon froze him before throwing him on an ice planet. 

“What?” He held his breath, unable to move a muscle until he made sure he heard you correctly. 

“I never saw you. I turned around when you reached for your helmet. I didn’t...it was a moment with you and Grogu. It didn’t feel right to look at you.” You tried to maintain a semblance of control on your voice but it cracked a few times as you admitted to him. As much as you yearned to see him without the mask, you didn’t think it proper without his clear consent. 

Din’s sudden intake of breath made you nervous and you hated how for a moment, you wished you didn’t tell him because there was now a high probability that he wouldn’t take the mask off. 

“Cyar'ika, please.” you shivered at the low tone of his voice, finding it harder to focus on anything but the touch of his skin. Once again, Din slowly brought your hands to the sides of his visor, pushing the palm of your hands on the beskar and softly nodding at you. A sudden sense of relief washed over him when he saw the slight nod of your head. 

Din found it endearing how your whole face scrunched up in focus as the two of you slowly pulled the helmet off of his head, the soft hissing sound as it unlocked making your hands dampen with sweat. As you raised the visor along with him, you couldn’t help but shut your eyes as soon as you saw the skin of his chin. Unbeknownst to you, Din was watching your every reaction and felt a little nudge in his chest when he saw how tightly shut your eyes were. When the beskar was off completely, Din took it from your hands and placed it next to him, swallowing the lump in his throat when he turned back and saw you were still refusing to look at him.

He reluctantly took your hands into his and placed them on his chest, hoping that you’d finally open your eyes without him begging you again. 

“I’m sorry I- maker, this is..this is probably more intense for you than it is for me and I’m not making it any better with my nervousness and- okay. Okay.” You took a deep breath before allowing your eyes to flutter open, unable to exhale as soon as you laid your gaze on him. Din was probably unaware of how nervous he looked and it took you a few longer seconds to realize you needed to breathe again. You weren’t sure what you were expecting, the long nights where you imagined what he could look like fading into thin air because nothing, absolutely nothing, prepared you for what you were currency seeing. 

His features were somehow soft but a little rugged, and you found yourself committing every inch of his skin to memory, filling your mind’s eye with every minute facial expression so you could dream of him when you fall asleep. It was oddly not surprising at all that he had a stubble, the scattered dark and slightly graying hairs across his jaw and above his lips making him seem older than he probably was. And you weren’t sure if he knew he was furrowing his eyebrows and then you realized he most likely didn’t because he was so used to wearing his helmet that he never had to learn how to control his facial expressions around anyone. And it was endearing how his nose flared as he continued to breathe heavily under your gaze, and if it weren’t for the fact that this was a serious moment, you would have leaned over and kissed the curved bridge of his nose and the scrunch of his eyebrows to put him at ease. 

Din wasn’t sure what he thought your reaction would be and he felt his chest tighten with every long moment you spent without so much as a comment. 

You were unaware of how long this dreadful moment must have been for the Mandalorian and you continued to study him in hopes of finding answers to questions you’ve wished you could ask him ever since he hired you. There were heavy bags under his eyes and you wished you were more persistent with him when it came to his resting schedule but he always seemed to wave you off whenever you told him he needed to sleep. Though you knew this stress had to do more with Grogu no longer being here and less with how often he slept. You had half expected to find his gaze harsh and far off but when you did finally meet his eyes, you found them filled with unshed tears and a multitude of emotions that you knew would go unexplained until he had the strength to voice them. They were a deep and beautiful shade of brown, ones you knew you’d never be able to turn away from now that you’ve had a proper look at him. And you couldn’t help but notice how their color reminded you of a Nightbloomer just after you picked it from its roots. 

All of that, however, could not compare to when you finally let your eyes descend to his lips. They were a darker shade of pink, and you swore you saw them parting as soon as you looked at them. His lower lip was trembling and you wished more than anything to swipe your thumb against it if only to feel the soft skin melt at your touch. You wished that was as far as your mind had gone but the longer you looked at the curve of his mouth, the more you wished you could lean forward and mold your lips with his. It was even worse because you had a feeling that the stubble of his mustache would cause the softest of burns on your lips. 

Din could no longer take the loud silence enveloping the room and he swallowed nervously when he saw how focused you seemed to be on his lips. He had some idea of what you were probably thinking because he was thinking the exact same thing but he wasn’t sure if he should be the one to make the first move. This reluctance evaporated when he noticed the way your eyes instantly moved to his neck as the cartilage moved and returned to rest when he gulped, and he realized that you may have been having slightly more inappropriate thoughts than he originally thought.

He was about to voice his worries when he saw your hands move from his beskar-clad chest to his face and he couldn’t stop himself from looking down apprehensively at the digits moving closer to his skin. You misunderstood his nervousness for uncomfort and immediately ceased all movements, returning your focus on his eyes to look for any inclination as to what he wanted. 

“Can I- mhmm, may I touch you?” Your whispered question was too loud for the two of you and Din parted his lips to say something but noticed how dry his throat was and realized he couldn’t trust his own voice. Nodding slightly at your request, he waited with bated breath as your fingers rose to his face and found himself shaking with anticipation at the prospect of finally feeling your touch on the most intimate part of him. 

When you were only a few inches away from him, Din felt his heart thumping wildly at his chest and he immediately shut his eyes when he felt the feather-light touch of your fingers on his cheeks. The harsh yet shaky intake of breath almost made you lose control and you had to remind yourself that, besides Grogu, you were the only one to ever touch him so intimately and so softly since he was a child. As much as you wished to wrap your arms around his neck and pull him closer so you could lay as many kisses on his face as you could, you knew it would be too much for him and that he needed you to go slow with him. He was practically shattering under your attention and you hoped he would allow you to do this as many times as possible in the coming days. 

Din couldn’t put a name to what he was experiencing at the moment but he knew he didn’t want you to stop touching him, ever again. He decided that he’d spend every moment with you alone without his helmet and with yours hands skimming some part of him. The longer you kept your palms on his cheeks, the calmer his heart beat and it wasn’t until a few moments later that he realized his eyes were shut. As they slowly fluttered open, he was met with the most beautiful sight in the world: your own deep irises staring at your own thumb as it softly passed over his quivering lips. 

“You’re...beautiful.” 

It was a simple truth and you wished there was a more sincere word you could use to describe what he was to you, what he meant to you but your mind was overflowing with images of waking up next to him every day and kissing his eyes and cheeks and nose and lips and anywhere else you could reach. 

Din’s hold tightened around your waist and you watched as he leaned forward until there was barely an inch between the two of you. 

“Mesh'la, I would really like to kiss you.” The request barely passed his lips yet you were already standing up on your tiptoes and pressing your lips to his, finding them as soft and gentle as you imagined them to be. Din was afraid his heart would give out any moment now because nothing could have prepared him for the taste of you, let alone the boldness with which you were claiming him. He sighed into you, unintentionally parting his lips and pushing you harder into the wall when he felt your tongue sneak into his mouth and explore him. Din wasn’t sure what he should be doing but then you were moving your hands to the nape of his neck and tangling your fingers into his hair and he all but lost it. As you gently tugged on his hair, Din found himself mirroring your actions and before he knew it, the kiss was no longer innocent and sweet but hungry and needy. You sucked on his tongue and tilted your head to the side, wanting to commit every small detail to memory so when you shut your eyes at night, you’d kiss him in your dreams. 

Reluctantly, you pulled back for a second to allow the two of you to breathe but Din didn’t like that, chasing your mouth and molding his lips with yours once more to be certain that yes, this was happening, and that no, this was not a dream. You moaned into the kiss, finding his desperate need to claim your mouth again more of a turn on than you cared to admit. And then his hands were slipping inside your overalls and holding you against his chest, the warmth of him stretching down to where you wished you could feel him. 

This sudden intrusive thought and the harsh grasp of your hips snapped you out of your haze and you realized you should be slowing things down for his sake. Against your will, you gently pushed his chest away and tried to think of anything but the way he was heaving above you from the intensity of the kiss. When you looked at him and saw panic and hesitation etched on his face, you returned your hands to his cheeks again and lowered his head until it was resting against your own. 

“There’s nothing I want more than to feel every inch of your skin against mine right now...but- but I don’t want to push you to do something that- maker….that might be too much for you?” You pulled back and waited until he opened his eyes again before continuing. “I feel like you just made a dramatic decision by taking the helmet off in front of me and- and you’re probably feeling a multitude of emotions right now and I don’t want to make you think that I-” 

Din didn’t like what you were saying, frowning down at you as he grabbed the back of your neck and violently pulled you towards him again. You were surprised by the sudden shift of his touch, fisting your hands in his cowl as he devoured your lips once more, not really giving you a chance to say anything else. Biting your lower lip, Din abruptly ended the kiss and pressed his lips across your skin, nipping and licking at your jaw as he pulled your hair down until he had access to your neck. You gasped his name and felt his stubble scratch deliciously at your shoulder. As you moaned against the wall, Din couldn’t back anymore and bit down hard on your shoulder, smiling when he heard your breath hitch at his rough ministrations. 

“Din, oh gods, Din please.” You weren’t sure what you were asking of him exactly and you hoped he’d at the very least continue what he was doing. 

“Cyar'ika, I want to have you. I’ve spent many nights dreaming of your lips, your touch, y-your skin against mine as I-” Din hesitated and it wasn’t until you felt his fingers slipping beneath the chest band that you finally registered his voice. Fuck, how had you not notice it a second ago? You thought the vocoder was what altered it, made it deeper perhaps. But no, it only made it sound more intimidating. You weren’t sure what made you clench your thighs together, the way he spoke to you of his desires, or how strained and gruff his voice was as he whispered his secrets to you. You gulped loudly and hesitantly met his eyes, finding the soft brown irises barely visible, his dilated pupils letting you know what he was thinking. 

Licking your lips, you nodded at him and fell into a fit of giggles when he leaned down and picked you up as if you weighed nothing, quickly moving to his cot and laying you down on your back before moving away. You were about to ask him what he was doing when you saw his hands swiftly move through the beskar armor. For some reason, watching his hands expertly take off the cuirass and move to the beskar of his thighs made your heart skip a beat and you wouldn’t dare move a muscle, afraid to miss the show he was unintentionally putting on for you. So busy marveling at his deft fingers, you didn’t notice Din slowing his movements and looking at you, eyebrows raised in curiosity when he saw how hard you were breathing. 

You broke out of your trance when you saw he stopped moving, embarrassment washing over you when you realized Din had caught you shamelessly staring at him as he came closer to revealing to you more of his skin. You’d expected him to move on, or at least pretend he hadn’t just caught you licking your lips while staring at his fingers but no, it seemed that Din was very much enjoying the effect he had on you because his smile grew when he saw your eyes look past him, pretending to focus on something else behind him and not his hands. 

You never lost his attention though, and he maintained his eyes on you as he removed all of his armor and took his boots off. You tried to be a little more subtle but gave up when he leaned down over you and pushed you into his covers. You wanted to ask him why he was still dressed but bit back the inquiry, afraid he’d misunderstand and move away all together at your question. He captured your gaze and didn’t blink once as he slowly undid the buttons holding the overalls and you realized you would have preferred him to keep the helmet on because that meant you wouldn’t notice how passionate and direct his deep brown irises were. You’d expected him to be intense considering how touch-starved and lonely he was, but you never once thought he’d be this vigorous? Ardent? Maker, there wasn’t a single word that could describe the way he was looking at you right now.

Din kneeled at the foot of the bed, waiting until you finally noticed what he was doing and raising your hips before he pulled on the pants of the garment. He slipped your shoes off and finally removed the article of clothing that made his cheeks blush and pants tighten whenever you wore it. He would eventually tell you that this is how you came to him in his dreams almost every night, all spent and sweaty in that gods-forsaken fabric that gave him the perfect view of what you were wearing beneath. 

His focus shifted from your face down your damp skin and he breathed in deeply at the sight of your undergarment. Din almost choked on his breath when your legs parted for a moment, giving him a glimpse of the growing wet patch at the center of the flimsy material.

The Mandalorian wanted nothing more than to worship your body, kiss every part of you and whisper his devotion against your skin as he pleasured you over and over again. He’d spent countless nights imagining what he’d do to you if you were ever naked and willing in his arms and he was damned if he didn’t make sure you were thoroughly spent once he was done with you. He wanted to hear his name fall from your lips and he wanted to swallow your sighs and your moans as he sank into you all night long. And by the gods, he wanted to mark your neck and your arms and your waist, and nothing made him harder than picturing you doing the same to him, biting and nipping at his skin so he could wake up in the morning and watch the evidence of your lo- your touch on him. It didn’t matter that no one else would see those bruises but him and you. He just wanted you, in any way possible, sinking beneath his skin.

And then he heard his voice calling for you over the comm link just outside the room and something snapped deep in his chest. He looked up from you to the open door of his room and listened to the Marshal’s words. Your eyes widened in shock when you saw several emotions pass through Din’s eyes, the most prominent of which was anger, maybe hurt. Of all the times Cobb would ask you to join him for drinks, this was most definitely the worst of them. It didn’t help either that he was laughing over some inappropriate joke one of his friends was saying about your sabacc skills. It wouldn’t be the first time this happened and it certainly wouldn’t be the last but then Din was clenching his jaw tightly before looking down at you and you knew he wasn’t too happy. In fact, you had a pretty good idea which emotion won out and you hated how much it affected you, how wet you became as thoughts of the Mandalorian claiming you as his flooded your mind.

Before you could try and reason with him, attempt to tell him that it was just a game and that the Marshal’s friends were probably just teasing him, Din was standing up and stripping of his long-sleeve shirt, revealing his perfectly chiseled, bronze skin that had your mouth watering within moments. You noticed the few dozen scars littering his beautiful torso and wished you could kiss each one of them, the old ones and the fairly new ones, until they didn’t sting with pain. But Din had different plans for you and he didn’t give you a chance to question him as he took hold of both of your wrists and slammed them above your head. His hold was painful and it should have scared you how quickly his mood changed but you said nothing, looking into his dilated pupils as his nose flared and he growled at you.

“Keep yours hands there,” Din warns you with a piercing look and you gulp loudly before nodding at him in understanding. He removes his hand and kneels on the bed, eyes narrowing at you before they sought after your most private areas. He wasn’t sure where to begin. He’d given this much thought but now that he was here, he realized it was a more difficult decision than he anticipated. He’d longed to wrap his lips around those hardened peaks always teasing him through the chest band, lick them until you cried for him, perhaps begged him to stop because you were sensitive. But then he continued down the lines of your navel and found your parted legs much more inviting. 

Now that Din knew how you felt, there was no reason for him to feel jealous. But he couldn't stop himself, wanting to be certain that you knew as well as he who you belonged to. He hated himself for having such primitive thoughts about you. You were your own person that much was made clear early on. But he could hope at your words, couldn’t he? He could hope that you were now his, and that he was yours. Maker, he was always yours. He just couldn’t admit it to himself, his heart reluctant at opening up to another. 

Din was lost in thought longer than you liked and you moved your feet towards him, nudging his thigh in hopes of reassuring him that you were right here, in his bed, beneath him and at his mercy. Din’s eyes focused on your again and he looked down at the soft gesture, hands instantly grabbing at your ankles. You jumped at the sudden movement, trying your hardest not to whine at the painful grasp because somewhere deep inside of you, you wanted nothing more than to be marked by him. By his teeth, lips, fingers, any part of him. You didn’t care where you’d bear his touch, you just wanted to see it, touch it in the privacy of the refresher when he wasn’t around. 

Din saw the needy look you were throwing him and he knew that you were willing. Willing to go as far as he wanted, willing to completely submit your body and soul to him, willing to do whatever he wished of you.

Before your eyes could flutter closed, Din was pushing your legs wide open and falling in between them while maintaining his gaze on you. He almost smiled when your stomach shook at how feral he probably looked. Leaning forward, he closed his eyes as his mouth latched onto the wet patch forming on the soft fabric of your undergarment, moaning into your cunt as he savored the taste seeping through. You were surprised by the boldness of the action and wished for him to lick your skin instead. But there was something erotic about the desperation behind his actions, wanting to taste you so much that he didn’t care what he was licking. 

The thought was gone as soon as it appeared because you felt two fingers stretch beneath the waistband right before he ripped it off of your body, shoving the torn fabric in his nose and taking a long whiff of it before humming in approval. Your eyes widened in surprise at the filthiness of his action, hands shaking above you when he threw your panties expertly into his helmet. The thought of knowing that your scent could potentially stick to the inside of his helmet as he walked around twisted your insides and you whined shamelessly at him, wishing he could just take what he wanted. 

“Your sounds belong to me,” Din spoke with a commanding voice as he sank in between your thighs again, his tongue dragging across your folds so deliciously hard until he pulled away, leaving a trail of saliva behind. “Your arousal belongs to me,” his hands went to your thighs and he squeezed, knowing fully well there would be bruises dawning your beautiful, smooth body the following morning. Again, you fought to keep your eyes open, wanting to commit every second to memory but finding it difficult to focus on him and not the pleasure zapping down your back. “And I will be damned if this cunt,” Din let go of one of your thighs, pulling his tongue away from your core right before the palm of his hand landed a slap straight on your clit, “doesn’t belong to me either.” You cried out his name, legs shaking violently at the pain shooting through your clit. Din didn’t give you a moment to relax back down on the covers, spanking the outer folds of your pussy twice more consecutively before he replaced the harsh touch with his cooling tongue. Tears trailed down your cheeks as he fucked you with his tongue and lapped at you like you were the only source of water on this gods-forsaken planet. He rotated between soft, quick licks to long, harsh ones, occasionally sucking on your clit and grazing his teeth on the bundle of nerves until he was sure you were going crazy. 

“D-Din oh maker, please. Stop I- slow down.” His touches were far from gentle and the pleasure blurred into pain as you tried to reach that delicious peak you’ve longed for ever since you harbored feelings for the man above you. But he was making it difficult, his needy and erratic movements making it near impossible for you to dive into the lake of pleasure. You should have known that the Mandalorian was as intense in bed as he was in every other aspect of his life. You shut your thighs around his head, wanting to push him away as his teeth continued to graze against your wet folds and nip at the pulsating nub. 

“M-Mando...I can’t.” You couldn’t take it anymore, hands moving to his hair and fisting in the beautiful brown locks as you tried to push him away. As soon as Din felt the tight grasp on his hair, he snarled at you, pushing up on his knees and bending your body along with him until the only thing resting on the bed was your neck and your shoulders. You cried out for him, begging him to give you release but it only drove him mad with lust. His eyes locked on yours, daring you to look away from him as his fingers dug into your butt cheeks and pushed your cunt into his mouth. 

Din pulled away for a split second, biting your inner thighs to grab your attention.

“You will take what I give you ner Cyar’ika.” You saw a hint of darkness in his soulful brown eyes, and shivered at the mere implications of what he had in mind for you. Din sucked and licked at your folds like a crazed man, feeling your legs shaking on his shoulders. He pulled away for a second, and you had no time to beg him to be gentle as he slapped your heated core three times again, hissing when you shut your eyes and bucked against him, your juices drenching his face and chest, leaking down your back as he smiled before taking your cunt into his mouth one last time to prolong your pleasure. You were too busy trying to remain sane to realize what had just happened and Din slowly lowered you back onto the wet covers before letting go of you. You were panting beneath him, stomach fluttering from the force of your release and chest heaving as you tried to fill your lungs with air. 

When you opened your eyes and looked at Din, your eyes widened in horror when you saw his glistening skin, finally realizing what he'd just done to you. You flushed under the scrutiny of Din’s gaze, gasping as he wiped his mouth and jaw with the back of his hand as he looked down and chuckled at the wet spot beneath his knees. You quickly shut your legs and tried to crawl away from him but Din was faster, grabbing your ankle and pulling you back to him, the show of strength already making your cunt clench around nothing again.

“You do not run from me Ad’ika...nor hide from me ever again. I own your body, your skin, the cum still leaking out of this sweet cunt.” His words were filthy and you didn’t know how to react to this new possessiveness he was showing. He pushed open your thighs and fell in between him, bringing his chest flush against yours and kissing the breath out of you, not bothering to be gentle as his fingers twisted and pinched at your nipples. You clawed at his back, wanting more of him but not knowing if you would be able to take any more of what he was offering. 

He pulled away suddenly, his jaw clenching tightly as he took one look at the hands wrapped around his back. 

“Did I not tell you to not move your hands sweet girl?” He whispered against your lips, breathing in the air leaving your lungs as he pecked the corner of your mouth before flipping you over on your stomach. 

“I- I’m sorry...it was just t-too much and-” You couldn’t finish the rest of the sentence, screaming against the covers as you felt Din’s palm land on your ass. You looked back and saw him eyeing your reddening skin, looking up at you and smiling as he treated the other side with the same kindness. Four more times his hands smacked your ass and you were ashamed at how aroused his violent actions made you. When he snuck his fingers in between your thighs and swiped haphazardly at your folds, you moaned and bit into your wrist. 

“Filthy sweet girl,” Din whispered more to himself than you before he fisted his hand in your hair and pulled you flush to his chest, the slide of your dampened back against his sweaty chest bringing him more pleasure than he would have liked to admit because not a few hours ago, he was picturing your sweaty, glistening skin beneath him. And now that he had you here, he was going to make the best of it. 

“Mando, oh Mando-” As much as he loved hearing you scream his nickname in the throws of passion, he wished more to hear his given name fall from your lips. 

“My name...scream my name sweet girl. Let the stars know who pleasures you Cyare.” Din kissed your shoulder before biting into the sweaty flesh, the hand in your hair letting go right before wrapping softly around your throat and pressing you harder against him. Your hands twisted back to try and grab his hair but he immediately took your wrist and twisted it until it was behind you, between your back and his chest. 

“Ahh Din…” You wanted to beg him to allow you to touch him, tell him that you were yearning to touch him as much as he was in need of touching you. But you had a feeling that this wasn’t true, and that this was his way of being certain that you weren’t going to leave him. That you were his. 

If only he knew that you have already belonged to him. Long before tonight.

You felt each breath leave your lungs as Din tightened his grasp around your throat and you parted your lips to moan his name, only to feel his tongue shamelessly licking into your mouth. So distracted by the desperation in this kiss, you didn’t notice the fingers trailing down your chest and digging into your skin until the palm of his hand softly cupped one breast. Din teased you with feather light touches, flicking at one nipple before moving to the other and circling around it until it hardened. He continued to swallow your noises, sucking on your tongue to quiet you as he pinched your nipples. You twisted in his arms, wanting to reach for him again but knowing that he would probably pull your hand away. 

When Din pulled away to allow you to breathe, you panted and finally opened your eyes, not daring to look away as he kept you motionless with his gaze. Din watched as you tried to form a coherent thought, waiting until you parted your lips to speak to him before reaching down and cupping your quivering cunt as he broke the silence.

“This belongs to me,” your breath hitched when Din pressed the palm of his hand against you, not quite applying pressure on your clit but just enough to hold your focus. “Only I get to touch you, kiss you, watch you as you come undone in my arms.” You nodded briefly at him, continuing to hold eye contact as he began to increase his actions. “No one else will ever have you Cyar'ika. No one but me.” He slipped two fingers past your wet folds and rubbed against your walls, humming in approval when he felt you flutter around him the harder he shoved his fingers inside you. 

“I’m yours Din, y-yours. Whatever you want, oh gods please more...need more, Din you make me f-feel so good.” Din keened at your words, curling his hand until his palm was passing deliciously over your clit as his fingers picked up the pace. 

“That’s right sweet girl, you’re mine. Mine to fuck, mine to take whenever I want...mine to-” Din hesitated for a second, unable to voice his heart to you even though you’ve bared your soul for him. “Pal'vut at kar'taylir darasuum...kriffing gods you’re wet, so wet for me. Come on, cum for me again ner Cyare. Show me how good I make you feel. Show me how needy this little cunt is, fuck- I...can’t want to have you wrapped around my cock little one. Can’t wait to sink in this pussy, my sweet tight cunt, mark you with my seed, over and over again...fuck a load in you all night long till you can’t feel anything but my cum dripping down your thighs. Shit, I need you to cum, now!” Your mind became foggy with pleasure, unable to focus on anything but the words whispered into your ears as his thick fingers fucked into you. You grabbed the wrist of the hand wrapped around your throat, digging your nails into his skin as you came around his fingers. You almost fell forwards but Din held you flush against him, continuing to drive his digits into you and rub at your clit with this thumb until you were sobbing in his arms. 

“Beautiful,” Din kissed your shoulder as he slowly inched his hands away from you before laying you down slowly. His eyes took in the flushed, wet skin of your back, chuckling with pride when he saw your legs shaking as little sobs escaped your lips. Your breaths came in shallow and quick, and you tried to silence your whines by biting into your wrists but then you felt Din slide his hand back and forth on your back as he laid next to you and you shivered under his touch because from the way he was moving closer to you and touching you, there was no way he was done just yet. 

“You’re all I think about, every waking moment. It’s difficult to focus on anything else when you’re always in my mind Cyar'ika. I- I burn for you, for your lips to caress mine every moment, your eyes to never leave mine as I brand you, your skin against my own as you mark me with your touch. I- maker, I cannot think of a life without you here, with me…” Din thought he would have to force himself to say such things but he found it remarkably easy now that he had you here, responding so openly and shamelessly to him.

“Din,” you turned your head and shifted towards him, kissing the hand resting between the two of you before leaning your forehead against his and shutting your eyes. “I’m not going anywhere. I’m staying right here, for as long as you’ll have me.” Din ceased all movement at your words and he looked away from where he was stroking your back, meeting your eyes and furrowing his eyebrows before you felt him grab your arm and pull you on top of him. You surprised gasp died in your throat when you felt Din wrap his arms around your back and bring you against him until you could feel his chest hairs tickling your nipples. You could feel his cock jutting against your core through his pants and as you rested your hands on his chest and looked to him, you saw the frown ease from his expression, replaced with something akin to reverence. 

“I will have you until my dying breath Mesh’la. Let me show you how much I want you.” The force of his declaration hit you instantly and you pressed your lips against his just as you felt him rid himself of his pants. Din’s hands were roaming your back and you felt bolder with every caress, combing your fingers into his hair and pulling on it as he squeezed your ass and bucked into you. The growl emanating from his chest shot straight to your core and you raised yourself from him for a moment.

“Din, I want you. Crave to feel you inside me. Please, do it fast and don’t- don’t be gentle. Show me, show me how much you lo- want me.” Din’s heart skipped a beat at your words and he wasted no time, taking hold of his cock and teasing your clit with his leaking tip before slowly inching inside you. You shut your eyes and dug your nails into the back of his neck as he continued to sheath his dick deeper in your cunt. You could feel every ridge and pulsating vein dragging against your inner walls, finally allowing your lungs to breathe as you felt him nudge and twitch against that soft, spongy spot in your core. 

Neither of you moved for a few moments, with Din trying to wrap his mind around finally becoming one with you and feeling you clench so sweetly around him. He was torn between fucking up into you without mercy and taking it nice and slow until he pushed you over the edge again. But then you were gyrating your hips and sighing his name on his cheek and he knew what he wanted. 

Planting his feet on the damp covers, Din held you flush against him with one arm while resting his other hand on your thigh, nuzzling into the crook of your neck as he snapped his hips up before sinking into you again. You let out a surprised sob and rested your forehead against his shoulder, whispering more pleas against his skin and begging him to move. 

The usually quiet man breathed the sweetest wishes in your ears, thrusting up into you with immense force that made you clench tighter around him. “Ni copad gar an te ca'nara Ad’ika, ni vercopa be gar anay ca. You have made a home for yourself inside my heart.” Din felt your shaky breath blow on his neck and it drove him mad with lust because he wanted to have you reacting to his touch so wantonly every minute of every day. His grip only tightened around you and he prayed you wouldn’t mind the bruises that would surely color your skin in the next few hours. He wasn’t planning on being gentle tonight, perhaps later, but not tonight, and he was going to ensure his touch would be visible for anyone that would speak with you tomorrow. Thoughts of the Marshal passed through his mind’s eye and he growled, pumping his cock into you harshly for some reassurance. You cried out his name over and over again, feeling your skin heat up at the declarations of love he was peppering on your skin because even though his words were gentle, his touches were far from it.

The squelching sounds of your cunt flooding Din’s thighs as he drove himself into you should have embarrassed you but you could tell he enjoyed knowing how wet you were for him from the way he continued to quicken the pace just to hear your juices flowing over him. His grip on you was becoming more painful the more you moved against each other but you couldn’t find it in yourself to let him know. He was letting go, showing you how much he wanted you, how hard he was for you, and you weren’t about to make him feel conscious over his affection.

“Maker...oh Din, Din I- you feel so good inside me. Filling me up like no one else. Could feel you so deep, gods, could feel you everywhere Din please- don’t stop. Don’t fucking stop, I need it. Need you, want you- want you to mark me, d-do whatever you want with me.” You had no hold over your own speech and weren’t sure if you were making any sense but Din moaned each time you praised him.

“Good girl, sweet girl...taking my cock so well, kriffing hell. Your- your pussy is squeezing the fuck out of me..could feel every tight inch of you stroking my cock Cyar’ika. Ah pfassk...you’re- you’re perfection.” Din moved the hand around your back up to your neck, pulling on your hair and pressing his lips with yours as his cock throbbed inside you. You whined as his tongue roughly swirled around your own, barely able to breathe as he continued to snap his hips against you and suddenly feeling a rush of relief as his navel rubbed at your clit until you came around him. Din broke the kiss, screaming expletives in his tongue as the force of your orgasm pushed his cock out of you. You shuddered as you gushed on his dick, wrapping your arms around his neck when he forced his cock into your tight cunt again. 

You were so overcome with emotions, so lost in Din’s scent mixing with your own, and his touch leaving bruises on your skin, that you didn’t notice the faint sounds of footsteps coming up the ramp and halting in the middle of the ship right in front of the door. But Din noticed, managing to look up just in time to see Cobb standing in the middle of the ship and staring with wide eyes at the scene unfolding in front of him. 

Something completely otherworldly took over the Mandalorian and he quickly sat up, expertly moving the two of you around until he was kneeling on the covers with you straddling his thighs. He smiled against your shoulder, allowing your hair to hide his face as he grabbed both of your hips and fucked up into you. 

He could vaguely see the Marshal and was surprised that he hadn't dropped the bottle of drink in his hand just yet. You wailed into the night air, arms keeping you stead in Din’s arms as he forced you on his pulsating dick over and over again. 

“Tell me...tell me Cyare, tell me how much you love it when I fuck you. How much you need my cock like the filthy little cockslut you are. Go on sweet girl, grind that little clit on me. Fucking tell me ner Ad’ika.” Din smacked your ass twice, chuckling when your moans grew more lewd with every touch he laid on you.

“I- I- ahhh love your cock...oh maker, no one fucks me like you. N-no one makes me c-cum like you. Fuck me harder D- ahhh,” Din bit down on your shoulder to prevent you from saying his name, looking through the mess of your hair and watching as his audience remained incapable of moving. 

“I own this pretty little pussy. Pffassk- ride me harder Mesh’la. You’re such a good girl, could feel your cunt drenching my thighs, the smell of you is driving me mad. Fuck- keep that pretty mouth open to me when I’m fucking you, let me hear you scream for me.”

“Please- please...fuck me harder, ruin my pussy. Gods- I..I’m so close please. Tell me you own me, tell me I’m you’re sweet girl. Please- I want to be good for you, want you to cum inside me Din...cum inside me. I need it, need you to fuck me like you own me and mark me, make me yours Mando. Cum in me, please-” 

“Ah fuck you’re my sweet little girl aren’t you? Wanting me to fuck a load in you, cum in you all night long and keep my seed in that tight cunt? That’s it sweetheart, I’m so fucking hard for you. Could feel you clenching around me...be a good girl and cum again ner kar'ta. Fuck, yes yes you feel so good wrapped around my cock Cyare you’re going to make me cum. Spill my seed in that tight, wet pussy, fill you up till you can taste it in your throat. Shit, and- and I’m going to keep fucking you sweet girl, till my cum is sliding down your thighs. My little fucktoy- come on, come on love, cum for me. Cum on me, drench me again. Mix your juices with me.” Din watched as Cobb finally had the mind to leave and he almost laughed at how the man almost tripped on his own foot as he sprinted out of the ship. He pushed you on your back and spread your thighs open, resting his weight on the arms around your head as he thrust in a few more times before he felt you clench around him. Leaning down, Din took a pert nipple in his mouth and sucked on it, growling into your skin as he came deep in your pussy, painting your walls with long strings of his seed until he couldn’t breathe. He’d never cum this hard before and was sure to tell you when you had the state of mind to pay him any semblance of attention.

Din continued to lazily push into you, your words from earlier replaying in his mind as he felt you quiver around his softening cock. You were still coming down from your high and twitched occasionally when you felt him throb inside you. There was a pleasant kind of warmth washing over you and you sighed happily when you realized he was still bucking against you to push his cum in your belly. 

“D-din...you’re filling me up so good. Feel so full ah- gah.” He laughed when your body shook, wrapping his arms around you and flipping you around until you were laying on his chest. You kissed his jaw and his neck, moaning in unison when you felt his dick rub against that sweet spot inside you. 

“That’s because I’ve never cum this hard sweet girl. You’ve milked me dry Cyare. Could feel you sucking my seed out of me.” He was amazed at your obvious embarrassment, wanting to tease you about it but choosing to wait for later instead.

Din rubbed at your back, kissing your forehead as he whispered sweet things in your ears and smiling when you nipped at his neck some more. 

“Promise me you’ll never leave.” Din’s quiet voice broke the silence and you pushed up to look into his eyes as you responded. “I’m not going anywhere, even if you tell me to go. I’ll stay here, always. I promise.” You kissed him gently and felt his pulse beneath your fingers calm at your words. 

Not much time has passed before Din had you on your knees in front of him, fucking your mouth and shoving you down on his cock until you gagged and his seed slipped from the corner of your mouth, mixing with your spit as it fell down your breasts. You lost count of how many times he brought you pleasure, and you made a mental note to ask him how he managed to fuck you all night long. You weren’t sure it was possible for a man to cum this many times over the course of one night but you had a feeling Din was not like anyone else. A man who has been touch starved for almost three decades must have had a lot of pent-up aggression that he needed to release. And you would gladly help him in any shape or form through that. 

And when he wasn’t pumping your cunt full of his cum, he was nuzzling into your neck and laying kisses across your arms, making sure he caressed every inch of your skin. You shouldn’t have been surprised that Din loved to snuggle with you but you did find it hilarious that such a big and scary Mandalorian whimpered when you licked down his neck as you nestled into his arms. You wouldn’t tell him just yet but besides his rough grasps and his filthy words, you loved to taste the saltiness of his skin and from the looks of it, the feelings were mutual because at some point in the night, he’d told you of all the times he had to lock himself up in the refresher and try his hardest to not think of your sweaty limbs entangling with his own as he kissed you.

By the time the two of you made it outside the following day, the twin suns had already been in the middle of the sky, scorching rays of heat on everyone across Mos Pelgo. You tried your hardest not to walk too funny, mostly because it made Din apologize every now and then, but it was difficult when you could still feel traces of his touch on you. You told him you needed him to stop making it obvious but realized he was apologizing out of regret not out of humor. It took you all of the afternoon to convince him that you were feeling more than okay and that you’d asked him for this. And when he didn’t seem to stop, you teased him and told him that you knew he secretly loved watching you wobble from side to side. 

This all, however, peaked when you walked into the cantina and tried to play Sabbac with Cobb Vanth and the others. You could tell that the Marshal was avoiding all conversation with you, going out of his way to pretend you weren’t even sitting on the table, let alone the room. You hoped that Mando hadn’t spoken with him or anything and decided to call it quits earlier in the night. When you did make it back to the ship and saw Din cleaning his weapons, you made sure the ship was secure before moving to sit on the bed across from him.

“Did you talk to Cobb today?” You gauged his reaction, already sensing that something was wrong when you saw him nervously clench his jaw before rubbing furiously at the beskar weapon.

“No, why do you ask?” Din wished he hadn’t already taken off his helmet because as soon as he responded, you knew he wasn’t telling you the whole truth.

“Din?”

He looked up at you and cleared his throat before speaking.

“He- he saw us...last night. I- I must have forgotten to raise the ramp and-” Din took a deep breath when you shot up from the cot and began to pace back and forth. 

“HE WHAT?”

“We were...I couldn’t- there wasn’t a chance I could…you felt too good around me Ad’ika I- I couldn’t stop. Not when you were clenching around me so tightly. Now when you were finally in my arms. I-” He stood up and walked towards you, taking your hands into his and kissing both of your wrists. You flushed at his words and looked up at him, only to find him blushing under your gaze. 

“You did it on purpose didn't you? You wanted him to see...to watch as you- as we...as I said-” Din didn’t let you finish the sentence, leaning down and molding his lips with yours as he walked you back to his bed. He pushed you down on the covers still holding your scents, his hold hardening the more you moaned against him. Before he could strip you of your clothes, you pushed him off and stuck out your finger in warning.

“Oh no you don’t. Go raise the ramp.”

“You’re giving me orders now Mesh’la?” Din raised an eyebrow at you as he got off of you and walked around the bed, halting at the doorstep to look back at you.

“Never…”

Translations:

Ad'ika - Little one

Mesh'la - Beautiful

Cyar'ika - Darling/Sweetheart

Cyare - Beloved

Ner - my/mine

Pal'vut at kar'taylir darasuum - mine to love

Ni copad gar an te ca'nara - I want you all the time.

Ni vercopa be gar anay ca - I dream of you every night. 

Ner kar'ta - my heart

[phantom-of-the-501st]

More Din and Grogu ramblings at 1 am!

So I was thinking about Din and Grogu reuniting in TBOBF and how I felt about the timing of it. As much as I loved it, there was a big part of me that felt like they should have reunited somewhere in the middle of Mando S3. I felt like we needed to see them apart for a while to really make that break feel impactful.

But looking at it, I think that actually, it might not be too bad if I reconsider the context of the show.

There's the entire arguement that the show is about Din and him being a bounty hunter, but really, I don't think it is. Instead, the show is about this growing relationship between Din and Grogu.

In S1 we see that growing bond as Din decides not to let the child stay with the client and instead tries and take him somewhere safer. In S2 Din's task is to help Grogu find a Jedi, but is that really the point of the season.

If you watch S2, yes there's Din's entire mission, but really you are following Din and Grogu as they navigate this growing relationship with the knowledge that they are going to have to say goodbye to each other. It's about watching them learn how to accommodate each other in their lives. It's about them deciding whether they want to continue to follow what they have been following for their entire lives or to break away from that and build a different life together.

And I think this is where them being together again from the beginning of S3 could be a good idea. Because so much of what happens to these characters and what they decide to do is dictated by how they want to build their lives around each other.

The best way to look at this is to break down Din's two conflicts for this upcoming season (based on where I think the story is heading):

1. Din learning to wield the Darksaber and whether or not he chooses to become the ruler of Mandalore.

2. Din deciding whether or not he wants to atone for breaking the creed and go back to wearing his helmet permanently, or choose to be more lenient with the rules.

Let's consider point one. Whether or not Din chooses to rule Mandalore is going to be heavily dependent on how that will affect Grogu. We know that Din will put Grogu above everything, so if he can't rule Mandalore and look after Grogu at the same time, then I think there's a chance he'd try and pass the Darksaber on. He needs Grogu there to establish whether or not this is a life he can live with the child present.

And point two. Once again, Din's decision is going to be heavily influenced by Grogu. Does he want to resort back to the creed or does he want to begin to take his helmet off more? Does he want the child to he able to see his face? That connection between him and Grogu is going to be very influential over this.

Overall, I think that Grogu being there from the beginning of S3 could be a good thing. Ultimately, this show follows the growing relationship between the two and how they navigate life to accommodate one another. With Grogu there, I really think that it could help Din with his choices and deciding where he wants to go, what he wants to do.

Grogu is a major part of Din's life, and Din is going to do whatever he can to build a life with the child, even if it means sacrificing things along the way.

Edit: It's also important to note how Din's presence will impact Grogu's decisions. Is there going to be a way for Grogu to train as a Jedi, while staying with Din? He's not really going to find that out if he is separated from him.

[evermorebytaylorswift]

one of my favorite overarching themes of this entire season is what a good, sweet man din djarin is. because yes, we have plenty of our badass mandalorian moments with the impeccable fight scenes that we all know and love, and we have plenty of the stoicism and swagger that we’ve grown accustomed to, and we see din “i take no excuses and get the job done” djarin time and time again, but we also have:

din “i converse with tusken raiders in their native language, make an effort to diffuse tensions that have been fueled by years of misunderstanding and discrimination, bring two groups together in an unlikely partnership with a common goal, and don’t form opinions on cultures that are based in racism” djarin

din “i really don’t have the time for this but i will help a town that has struggled with a krayt dragon for years, effectively putting myself in major danger to kill that dragon and risking my life in the process” djarin

din “i care so much about helping my son find people he belongs with (even though it’s clear he belongs with me) that i will bring a frog lady along to meet her husband and have her children even though traveling sublight is a major hazard to my mission” djarin

din “i’m so cold and tired but i will get to work on repairing this ship even though none of this was part of the deal so we can leave this planet and help the frog lady get to her husband safely” djarin

din “i will encourage the frog lady to come back to the ship with her eggs because although it’s warm here and would do her good to have a few minutes here, i can’t protect her here and i protect nearly everyone who comes on my ship” djarin

din “i just got rescued from drowning but the only thing i care about is my son because i love him more than i can even admit to myself and i will shake and breathe heavily in fear until he’s in my arms again” djarin

din “i will help these mandalorians take over this imperial ship and get their weapons back even though their leader reduced my creed to a ‘cult of religious zealots’ and openly mocked me, and i will go on with the mission even when it becomes increasingly dangerous and when the leader again throws my creed back in my face to taunt me into staying” djarin

din “i’m going to have my son help me fix my ship even though he’s just a child and drink soup with him, and then i’m going to help my companions break into an imperial unit and blow it up while i internally break down because i just left my son at school for the first time” djarin

din “i’m going to help this jedi liberate a town and free the prisoners who are being kept in inhumane conditions because it’s simply the right thing for me to do” djarin

din “my entire heart melts when i finally have a name for my son and he coos happily when i use it, and even though this is breaking me i am going to prepare to hand my son off to this jedi i just met” djarin

din “i know there’s no way i’ll break into this force wall my son made but i will keep trying desperately anyways because i need to get to him to protect him, and i will do what i can to protect him by fighting when i realize he will not let me in to save him” djarin

din “i will use myself as a human shield twice taking tons of bullets from stormtroopers because i know the people around me could use the protection and i can take all the bullets even though it’s not an easy thing to do and even though it really hinders me” djarin

din “i will remove my helmet in a room full of imperials who would taunt me and hurt me and try to kill me if they knew who i really was because i have no other choice and i am now rearranging my priorities in the creed to put protecting foundlings first and keeping the helmet on second (which, by the way, only proves what a good mandalorian i am)” djarin

din “i will again remove my helmet to let my son finally see my face before we part for who knows how long because after all that we have been through and all the love we have shared, i want him to have a definitive picture of who i am to carry with him” djarin

din “this is the hard thing to do and the heartbreaking thing to do but as a parent i know that what’s best for your kid may not always be what’s happiest for you and i will sacrifice that to give grogu a place where he can train properly and be safe” djarin

he has been characterized as someone more human, raw, and real than the man we first met in season one, and i absolutely love that for him. there are a lot of flaws that we can pick apart especially about the finale that may affect all the buildup we’ve gotten for his character so far, but i am so happy that he’s been characterized so beautifully. i hope they don’t mess it up next season.

[cutieodonoghue]

the edge of hope (1/9)

summary: canon divergent au; when Din left Sorgan to protect the Child, he left the woman he’d fallen in love with, not knowing he’d also left behind something else. Or, Omera and Winta join Mando and Grogu on their season 2 adventures. Mandomera!

Read the first chapter below the cut or on AO3!

The Secret

Before Omera discovered she was expecting her daughter Winta, she had an instinct. It was warm, this feeling, tingling along her flesh in goosebumps in a way that mirrored a cool breeze. Even before she knew for certain, with signs and symptoms, she knew.

Just as she knew now.

She lay in her bed with the realization sitting heavy against her chest. It seemed to just happen, the knowledge that she was going to be a mother for the second time. Unprompted, but certainly not unwanted.

Her fingers fell to her middle, tracing a delicate circle over her bellybutton.

Would it be a boy this time? A boy with dark hair and eyes. A boy with a calm dominance like his father?

Or perhaps it would be another girl. Winta would love a baby sister.

She listened to the sounds of the night. Her palm settled against her still-flat belly.

Her unborn child’s father had left the planet of Sorgan only a few weeks ago, but it almost felt like it had been years. They’d grown close while he was in the village. So close, indeed, that she’d invited him into her arms and bid him farewell with the most tender of embraces.

Omera had never seen the Mandalorian’s face, but his voice she would never forget. A whisper in her ear, breaking, “I’m sorry. I have to go.”

She’d understood, of course, even though she’d tried her hardest to get him to stay. To settle down and raise his son in the village. To stay for her. It was selfish, but the way she felt for him was too strong to ignore - she needed to fight for it.

And perhaps now, she could understand why.

Omera didn’t know how to contact the Mandalorian, and at the time it hadn’t been important to learn. They’d just been two strangers brought together by the most incredible circumstances. Both of them were parents to children they swore their lives to protect. They were drawn together by fate and pulled apart by timing.

In another life, maybe she would have offered to travel with him instead of staying put. It was for Winta’s sake that she stayed. Sorgan was their home. Their people were on Sorgan.

It wouldn’t be wise to try and find a way to share her news, she decided, for sake of the Mandalorian’s mission. Protecting the Child was his prime task, and she knew that if they’d stayed, the Child would only be hunted each and every day.

Perhaps, Omera thought, when she knew for certain that this feeling that covered her like a warm blanket was true, she could make her way to the place where Cara Dune had mentioned she’d be.

For the time being, she would just have to imagine what life could have been, were it not for the forces acting against them.

-

Two Months Later

Din Djarin sat in the cockpit of his ship. The Child he’d been quested to care for rested in the seat beside him, almost suspiciously quiet. With the bounty off of their heads, they would finally be free to move on to their next task: finding the Jedi.

It seemed like an impossible feat. He didn’t know any Jedi, and he didn’t know where to begin his search. He only knew that the Mandalorians and Jedi were adversaries. Maybe, if he could find another Mandalorian, they would have a clearer picture of where a Jedi could be found.

But something made him stop short. His fingers hovered over the navigation computer as if frozen.

So easily he drove himself into the ground solving one problem that could lead him to his next trouble. It was how he’d made a living, before. 

“You and your boy could have a good life. He could be a child for a while. Wouldn’t that be nice?”

Omera’s words seemed to return to him every time he had even just a moment for himself. 

They hadn’t had enough time together. He’d found himself with an itch to run, to return to life as usual, and then a more paternal need to protect the kid took over.

He shut his eyes, thinking back to the way she’d felt in his arms that night before he decided to go. She’d been so kind. So loving.

“You were brought here for a reason,” she’d told him in a whisper, “and I know it’s selfish, but I wish it was for me.”

Since he left Sorgan, when Din closed his eyes to rest, he thought of the way her lips curled into a smile. He thought of her laugh, and the way she sighed when they were so intimately together.

Turning in his chair, he looked to the Child, who peered up at him with a curious quirk of his head. He cooed, thoughtful, and Din took a deep breath. This was his son, according to the Armorer, which meant that he would raise him as his own for however long it took to reunite him with his kind.

“Before we go look for a Jedi, I want to stop somewhere,” Din said. “We won’t take long. I just need to make things right first. Honor is an important part of my creed.”

He’d left Sorgan, and Omera, without a promise of his return, and he hadn’t intended upon revisiting. 

Things had changed so quickly, as they’d seemed to since the arrival of the Child in his life. 

He had almost died just a short time ago. He could still see that beckoning darkness when he closed his eyes. His entire clan had been scattered and slain. He and the Child were on their own. 

There was nothing stopping him from returning to Sorgan again other than his own pride. Yet, his pride was smothered by another feeling altogether: guilt. 

On a heavy sigh, he prayed that it wouldn’t be a mistake to return, that Omera wouldn’t cast him away after what he’d done, and entered in the coordinates for Sorgan.

-

Omera’s body began to swell much sooner than she anticipated. 

Her bump wasn’t very noticeable, but it provided her even more proof that the feeling she’d had was true: she was expecting a baby. 

There was gossip around the village about who the father might be, but she never gave them any hints. It wasn’t hard to guess. Their village was a small place where everyone knew each other almost too well.

Perhaps she had been too obvious about the way she felt while he was with them, and then for the days that followed his departure. She’d kept to herself when he left, feeling sorrowful in a way that didn’t make sense. They weren’t meant to be together, so why was it so difficult to let him go?

When she told her news to Winta, her daughter had screamed with delight and immediately cradled her small bump, giving it affectionate kisses and whispers.

Now that she knew that she truly was expecting, Omera often laid awake at night thinking about how she should get a message to the Mandalorian. She’d heard he had come to Sorgan a short while ago, taking Cara Dune with him in haste. 

It hurt that he wouldn’t have even bothered to visit, but again, she understood. The Child must have been in danger. Cara was a fighter, and a good one at that. 

With a hand on her belly, Omera sat upright in her bed. It was the middle of the night, and she was unable to sleep. She’d found herself too wound up thinking of all the ways she could tell the Mandalorian about this unexpected surprise that came from their union.

She’d need to tell him soon if he was going to be involved. If he’d want to be. She was sure he would want to know, if only to be aware of what paths lay ahead of him. 

Omera stood and wrapped a blanket around her shoulders. She checked briefly on her daughter, still soundly sleeping, before putting her feet into a pair of boots at the hut door. 

The outside was much cooler at night, but not unlivable. She stepped quietly to the chair on the porch and sat in it, her focus turning to the stars.

Sometimes, she liked to imagine her Mandalorian was doing the same.

Suddenly, she saw a ship break the atmosphere, flying steadily in the direction of a landing nearby. Something about the ship was familiar in a way that made her heart jump in her chest.

Could it be? Had he returned?

If it was him, all of her dreams would be answered. She would have the chance to share her news. Perhaps she could even share her feelings. Would he feel the same for her?

Omera sat on the porch for a few hours, gazing up at the night sky. She didn’t know if the Mandalorian had plans to return to the village, so she didn’t hold onto any hope that he would.

Instead, Omera soothed a hand over her middle and dreamt of the life she would have with two children in her care. It wouldn’t be easy, but she loved being a mother to Winta. She knew her heart would swell with love for the new child, too.

She wasn’t sure when she fell asleep, but she awoke to the sounds of the dawn. The sun barely kissed the horizon and the sky glowed with warmth of the coming morning.

Omera turned her focus to the hunger rising within her and walked toward the food storage, where she’d be able to get something small to eat before she’d wake Winta for the day.

“Omera.”

Her heart leapt at the familiarity of the sound that came from a voice modulator. 

Before her, she found the Mandalorian, just as she remembered him, holding in one arm his boy, still just as small as he’d been before. 

He was on Sorgan to see her again. He came back.

Omera wasn’t sure if he’d noticed the swell of her belly, but she was too overwhelmed to care.

“You’re here.”

The Mandalorian gave the slightest nod while Omera closed the distance between them. He stood just at the edge of the village, far enough out that his presence wouldn’t have caused a scene.

“Is your boy safe?”

Again, he nodded. “We’re no longer being hunted.”

Hopeful, Omera allowed herself to get a little carried away with her thoughts. Maybe he had come here for her. Maybe if they weren’t being hunted, that meant he was ready for the life she’d offered him here.

“Does that mean you’re back for good?”

He was silent. The Child cooed, looking up at the Mandalorian with curiosity. He met the Child’s gaze and shook his head ever so slightly.

“No. I have been given a task to find his kind. The Jedi.”

Omera’s eyes widened. “He’s a Jedi?”

“Yes.”

She studied the Child, a soft smile filling her face. “I knew he was a special boy.”

The morning sounds were pretty in her ears, suddenly brighter in sound than they had been in the time the Mandalorian had been gone away from Sorgan. The warm glow of the sunrise seemed fuller, too.

“I want to apologize,” the Mandalorian said. “For leaving the way I did.”

“You needed to protect your boy. Any parent would have done the same.”

He nodded. He seemed quieter than he’d been before. She had to wonder what he’d been through these past few months. 

“I almost died,” he explained. “We were pinned down by stormtroopers in Nevarro. I… took my helmet off.”

Her eyes widened. He’d been so adamant before that it couldn’t be removed. “You did?”

“It was the only way. A nurse droid saved my life.”

Suddenly, she felt overwhelmed in a different way. While she was in the village, harvesting krill and living her life on Sorgan, he was out there, very nearly having lost his life. 

Tears found her eyes and she reached with one hand to place it on the cool of his beskar helmet. She wished she could touch his warm cheek, to comfort him in a way she’d never been able to, and likely never would.

“You’re free to stay here as long as you need.” Omera smiled. It took a conscious effort to be polite when she wished she could be something more. “Recover from battle. Prepare for the next leg of your journey.”

The Mandalorian surprised her when his hand found hers over his helmet. The familiarity of the feeling brought her back to his last morning on Sorgan.

“You didn’t have to come back here,” Omera said, still trying to understand why he’d come.

“I wanted to,” the Mandalorian told her. He paused, shifting on his feet just enough that she realized how close they stood together. “I wanted to see you.”

Omera took a deep breath and pulled her hand away from his. She could only imagine what seeing death like he had felt like. What sorts of things had he thought about as the realization came?

“Why?”

She could sense a struggle. He paused for a few beats longer than necessary, and when he spoke, it was softer, as if exposing a part of himself he was afraid of.

“I thought about you.” The Mandalorian averted his gaze, looking at his son in his arm. “I almost died, and all I could think about as I was lying there was you.”

Her heart skipped a beat in surprise. In his final moments, he thought about her. 

Now she understood why he had come back again.

Around them, Sorgan began to wake. She heard the families of the village chattering in the early morning, keeping their voices low, and she knew it would only be a matter of time before they emerged and found that the Mandalorian had returned.

They would be eager to talk to him and smother him in questions, but Omera was greedy and wanted time to talk with him alone. If nothing else, they desperately needed at least a few minutes to talk.

“Come with me. I’ll give you space to sit for a minute. We can talk.”

The Mandalorian nodded in agreement and followed her to the barn where he’d stayed before. 

She worried herself over clearing a place for him to sit and glanced over her shoulder at him, asking, “Are you hungry?” 

“If you can spare something to eat, we’d be grateful.”

He settled the Child into his lap when he sat down on a chair, and Omera lingered by the door, staring at him as if he would disappear if she looked away.

“I won’t go anywhere.”

Omera laughed to herself, embarrassed. “Sorry. I just… didn’t think…” 

She cut herself off, shaking her head. She was acting like a teenager in love for the first time and it was completely unbecoming. She was sure the Mandalorian could see straight through her. 

“I’ll go get you two something to eat and see Winta off for the morning. I’ll be back soon.”

She lingered a moment more, staring at the man that her heart longed for the most, and then slipped out of the barn, moving swiftly toward the home she shared with Winta. 

She felt giddier than she had in a very long time, and it wasn’t for good reason at all. She knew the Mandalorian would leave Sorgan again. It was always inevitable that he would leave. 

Biting softly on her lip, Omera entered her home and found that Winta had already risen for the day. She sat at their small table, nibbling on a meal she must’ve put together for herself.

“Morning, Mama.”

“Good morning, Winta. I’m sorry I wasn’t here when you woke up.”

“That’s okay.”

Omera lowered a kiss to the top of Winta’s head and took a deep breath of the morning as she sat beside her. “I have something to share with you.”

Winta quirked an eyebrow. “What is it?”

“The Mandalorian has returned.”

Her daughter stopped chewing, her eyes growing wide. “Really?”

Omera nodded. “I’m not sure how long he’s staying, so let’s keep it between us, alright?”

Winta agreed with an excited nod. “Does he have the Child?”

Omera smiled. “Yes. They’re in the barn. I wanted to get them something to eat. Would you help me?”

“Okay.”

Together, Omera and Winta prepared the Mandalorian and his son a small meal, and together, they approached the barn with a quiet understanding between them.

It wasn’t everyday Sorgan got a visitor, and it wasn’t everyday that their village played host, especially to someone like the Mandalorian and his Jedi son.

When they entered the barn, she found the Mandalorian sitting atop the chair, exactly as she’d left him. He looked up from the boy in his arms as she and Winta made their delicate approach.

“I hope it’s alright that I brought Winta.” Omera found herself feeling more nervous than she should. “She’s missed your boy.”

The Child looked at Winta, a familiarity in the way he tilted his head and cooed.

“Looks like he remembers you,” the Mandalorian told Winta.

Winta giggled with delight and waved at the boy, but kept her distance, just as Omera had asked of her. 

“Can I feed him?”

At the question, the Mandalorian leaned over, settling the Child on the floor of the barn. “Why don’t you take him outside? He would probably like to play, too.”

Winta’s face lit up. She nodded. “I’ll make sure he’s fed first.”

Omera watched as Winta lifted the small boy and carried him toward the threshold. And then, as if it were always meant to be this way, she was alone with the Mandalorian again.

She turned to him and extended the plate in her hand. “Here. I’ll leave this with you.”

He reached for the plate, but stopped short. 

“My name is Din Djarin.” The Mandalorian’s voice cracked when he spoke. “You can call me Din.”

Omera smiled softly, privately delighted over the fact that she wouldn’t ever have to think of him as just a Mandalorian again. He had always been more than that to her, and now she could call him by his true identity: Din. 

“Din.” She nodded her head with reverence for what he’d given her. “I’ll go do some things around the village while you eat, and I’ll be back. We can talk, if you want.”

Finally, he took the plate from her. “I would like that.” 

Omera’s heart swelled, unable to help itself. This was the man she’d longed for ever since the day he left Sorgan. Now, she would have the chance to speak with him again. To even just be near him again.

“I’ll see you later, Din.”

-

When Din finished eating, he waited for Omera to return. 

He wasn’t eager to insert himself in a place he didn’t belong, so he instead stood at the window that looked out over Winta and the Child. They played happily with a few of the other children in the village. It was truly where he seemed to fit in, amongst other children that saw him as an equal.

Sometimes, Din felt as if he wasn’t an adequate caretaker for the boy. They were always in danger, flying lightspeed through the stars, running or hunting. A place like Sorgan gave him a chance to breathe. To set his thoughts straight.

The Jedi was his prime directive, and he had every intention of finding one. The Child needed someone who could care for him in a way that he needed to be cared for. A Jedi would guide him and help him grow in ways Din would never be able to.

And yet, here he was: on Sorgan chasing after something from his own heart. He didn’t know what he was going to achieve with his return, but if he hadn’t made the effort, if he hadn’t been able to see Omera again… he wouldn’t have the peace to continue on his journey. Not after the way he’d left things.

“I’m sorry I took so long,” Omera’s voice came from the entry of the barn. “Are you decent?”

Din nodded, smiling a little to himself. She was not only beautiful, but caring in a way he rarely saw in his travels from planet to planet. 

“Yes. You can come in.”

When Omera entered the barn, he turned to her. She wore her hair down in a pretty cascading wave that settled against her back, and instead of a dress, she wore pants and a long-sleeve top. 

Omera looked different than the last time he’d seen her. There was a certain bright hope in her eyes that sparkled all the brighter when she flashed her teeth at him in a smile. Beyond that contagious look in her eyes, she seemed to glow.

She approached him at the window and studied him quietly. “I can tell you’ve been through a lot. Do you want to talk about it?”

He shook his head. It wasn’t Omera’s burden to bear. Everything he’d gone through had simply been a sobering reminder that his life was short. 

Death would always tease him. It was an inherent risk of doing what he did. It was part of the Mandalorian creed, a proud part of what he believed, but he’d never been so close before that he could taste it in his mouth and see it when he closed his eyes. 

“The Child and I are a clan of two,” Din told her. He looked out the window again, finding the boy toddling toward a ball on the ground. “Everything I do, I do for him.” Returning his focus to Omera, he swallowed at the lump forming in his throat. “But coming here again was for myself.”

Omera’s smile was kind. “You’re allowed to do things for yourself.”

He thought back to the last time he was on Sorgan, to the night before he left. 

It had been warm, the way they touched and explored more deeply, but it hadn’t been exactly delicate. They fumbled and laughed. Somehow, the hem of Omera’s dress ripped.

“My dress tore,” she’d whispered with a wrinkled nose. There was a lighthearted twinkle in her eye, unashamed and unconcerned about the predicament she’d encountered. 

Din had laughed in surprise, a little too loud for the quiet they were trying to keep. It had been so silent between them, the build up to that moment, with a passion building in touches and stares. 

Flashing him a playful smile while she'd laughed beneath her breath, Omera had pressed a finger over the place his lips were beneath his helmet. “Shh.”

Asking him to be quiet only made him laugh more, his chest bouncing with each gentle chuckle. 

Omera slid her palms against his chest and he settled his against her hips, holding her with strength and reverence. He didn’t deserve to be shown the kind of hope Omera offered him- still didn't.

“I love your laugh.” Omera had tilted her head affectionately, an equally as affectionate smile upon her lips. “It’s warm. Like the sunset.”

He'd considered it for a second, focused only on the beauty that had straddled his hips, and whispered, “Yours is like honey.”In the end, it had been perfect in a way that it needed to be.

Maybe it had been the encounter that terrified him into leaving, intent on allowing the kid to stay behind, to grow up in peace with Omera as his caretaker. 

His heart had never ached the way it did that night, as she lay beside him sleeping. It was like he found something he hadn’t realized he’d been searching for.

“I feel bad for how I left things with you,” Din said. He hoped she could hear his honesty. “I didn’t want to stay, even after… we shared what we did.” 

Omera nodded. His words hadn’t surprised her. “You’re destined for something more than Sorgan. I knew that then, too.”

Still, his chest ached. “You’re not upset with me?”

“No.”

She put her palm against his helmet and he felt his breath hitch as if she’d touched his flesh. In her eyes, he saw something change. She had something she was keeping from him. A secret. 

When she spoke again, it wasn't to share her secret, however, “I’m glad you came back.”

Din reached for her hand and took it, giving it a tender squeeze. “I wish I could say we can stay here, but I have to do right by the Child.”

“I know,” Omera promised. Her smile was soft and kind. It reminded him of the way sunlight felt on his skin. “We can have this day together again, and when you’re ready, one day you’ll return. Then, we can pick up where we left off.”

He wanted, very badly, to believe that things could end that way, but he’d almost died. The last thing he wanted was for his end to come before he could fulfill the dream Omera held in her heart.

“I… don’t think that will be possible.”

Her brow knitted and she shook her head. She lowered her hand away from his helmet. “Why not?”

“I can’t make a promise I can’t keep.”

“You don’t need to make a promise.”

“You shouldn’t wait for me.” The words came out on a crack, his heart at war with his mind. “You should do what’s right for you. Do what’s right for your daughter.”

Omera was silent. She tilted her head, studying him more, and then her eyes fell shut as she tilted her head down toward the ground. When her gaze returned to him, she shook her head.

“I’ll wait for you.”

Her words hit him in his gut harder than any punch or blaster fire ever had before.

“I have faith that you’ll return one day.” Omera searched his eyes. “I want to wait for you because it will be worth every moment spent apart.” With a soft sigh, she took a half step backwards. “That is, unless you don’t want to come back.”

Din studied Omera. He wasn’t sure why she felt the way she did, but he respected her heart more than he even respected his own.

“Come with us. We can find the Jedi together.”

Omera’s eyes widened in surprise. “What?”

“I’ve seen how you shoot. You can handle yourself. And if it would allow us to… be together, then I think it would be worth it.”

She took a step backward, shaking her head. “Din…”

Omera looked out the window, at the children. He followed her gaze, seeing Winta giggling with the Child, overjoyed to be reunited once more.

“Winta would come with us.”

For just a few seconds, his proposition sat between them and he very nearly thought that he should take it back. She finally looked at him again and in her eyes, he saw that secret once more.

“I want to say yes,” Omera told him. “But it wouldn’t be right to pull Winta away from her home.”

Consistency was the one thing he’d be unable to give them on the Crest, moving from system to system. Maybe one day, he’d be able to slow himself down enough, but as long as he had a mission, he’d never be enough for Omera and Winta.

He felt strangely upset that she didn’t want to join him. It was his path forward, not hers. She belonged on Sorgan. Why did he want her to come with him so much?

There were tears in Omera’s eyes, unshed, and her voice was quiet when she spoke, “You don’t know how badly I wish I could leave.”

Din nodded. It would be for the best, wouldn’t it? Having Omera on the ship was a strange idea to have to begin with. He liked traveling alone. 

“It’s alright.”

“No,” Omera murmured, “it isn’t.”

“Come with us, then.” This time, he was more purposeful, stepping toward her with every intention to sweep her into his arms as if he could hold her again the way he had before. 

He suddenly found himself wondering what it would feel like to look at her with his own eyes, not through the haze of his visor. The last time he’d had this feeling, he almost allowed her to pull his helmet from his head. 

When IG-11 had removed it, he’d felt exposed. Unlike himself. Unnatural, even. But the droid wasn’t a living being. He hadn’t broken his creed.

If he pulled his helmet off now, it would absolutely be broken. Who would he be then? 

Maybe the better question was: who was he now? He had practically begged her to join him on his path when it wasn’t her place. 

It was selfish. He was incredibly selfish. He opened his mouth to take it all back, to apologize, to hopefully set things right again, but Omera spoke first. 

“Maybe it would only be for a little while.” Omera’s head tilted slightly in thought. “We could come back to Sorgan once we found the Jedi. Winta would love the adventure.”

His heart leapt violently against his ribcage. She wanted to join him.

“We can do that.” 

Omera took a deep breath, contemplating him, and then gave a succinct nod. “Okay.”

There was no way this was happening. Was it? He’d come to the village on Sorgan with the intention to apologize, and all of a sudden, he would be leaving with Omera at his side, ready to fight with him as they looked for a Jedi.

“You’re sure?”

She laughed, sweet like honey. “Yes, Din. I’m sure.”

Din laughed out of sheer joy, something he rarely allowed himself. Almost by instinct, he took her face between his hands, pulling the crown of his head down to hers in a Keldabe kiss. He shut his eyes as they shared the intimate moment. 

In all of his life, he had never allowed himself to be given away so freely to another. Yet, here he stood. His heart had practically flown off of Sorgan on its own because Omera wanted to go on this journey with him.

Omera’s fingers curled around his hands and she sighed contentedly. Something in her sigh echoed the sentiment within his chest. They both longed to be together.

“We’ll leave tomorrow morning,” Din said. “That will give you time to prepare.”

When she pulled away from the close embrace, Omera wore a soft smile, but in her eyes, he again saw her secret hiding. Maybe, he thought, he’d ask about it later. For now, they had plenty to deal with.

-

It took a few hours to find the Razor Crest, Din’s ship, nestled quietly in the midst of tall towering trees. Winta had spent much of the journey playing with the Child, while Omera had spent her time worrying about whether or not she was making a huge mistake.

She’d thought about telling Din. More than once, she’d had the opportunity to share that she was expecting, and she knew that going on an adventure off of the calm of Sorgan would likely only cause her more trouble. 

It would only be a few weeks before she’d really begin to show, and she knew Din would know by then just by looking at her figure.

Her tongue seemed to get stuck within her mouth each time she parted her lips to say something. Maybe it wasn’t time yet. Maybe she would wait for a private moment, away from the children, and tell him then.

“Is this your ship?” Winta asked, in awe of the vessel that stood before them.

“Yes.”

“And we’ll be staying on it for a few weeks?”

Din looked at Omera. She smiled, reaching for the back of Winta’s head to cradle it in her palm, her hair soft to the touch.

“Just a few weeks. We’ll come back to Sorgan once we find the Child’s kind.”

Winta looked down at the baby in her arms. He made a little noise at the attention, pleased.

Together, they filled the ship with the goods the village had offered them for their journey. Once everything was on board, Omera helped Winta and the Child find the cockpit of the craft while Din did a check outside.

“Mama, does the Mandalorian know about...?” Winta asked in a quiet voice.

Omera shook her head. “No. And I would like to keep it that way, until I’m ready to share our news. Alright? Don’t tell him yourself.”

“I won’t,” Winta assured her. She smiled. “It would be nice if we could all be a family.”

Omera’s heart felt full even at the barest mention of the idea that had already rooted itself deep within her. She helped buckle Winta into a seat and bit on her lower lip. “It would be nice.”

The Child made a noise from Winta’s arms, a coo that sounded like a question. He reached out for Omera’s middle and she swore that he waved a hand over it, as if he knew there was life growing inside.

“Alright, everything looks good out there,” Din’s voice interrupted. His arrival brought Omera up onto her feet. She turned, careful within the tight space. “Is everyone ready?”

Omera nodded. “Where are we going first?”

“Tatooine. I’ve learned that there is a Mandalorian there. Hopefully, they can connect me to more of my kind.” 

As the Razor Crest lifted out of the marshland of Sorgan, Omera felt as if it was the beginning of a hopeful future. They would be given a home here, as unique and strange as it was, and they would be with the man she loved.

Once the ship entered space, Din turned, looking over his shoulder at the girl sitting over his shoulder. “Would you like to help?”

Winta’s eyes widened with delight. “Me?”

“Come here.”

Winta did as she was told and sat on Din’s lap. He taught her what to do with a gentle voice, one Omera knew he possessed but rarely used. She’d heard him speak this way to the Child just the night prior, as evening fell over Sorgan and he tried to get his son to sleep.

“Are you sure you’ve never done this before?” Din asked when Winta had pushed the lever on the console.

Her daughter laughed. “Thank you for letting me fly.” 

“You’re welcome, Winta.”

It was then that Omera realized deep within her heart that it would all be alright. 

They were brought together again for a purpose. Whether they traveled together for a few days or a lifetime, she counted herself lucky to have the opportunity to sit on the Mandalorian’s right hand side.

[something-tofightfor]

T'ad nayc or'atu (Two No More)

Pairing: The Mandalorian and his thoughts

Word count: 2759

Rating: None, really. Just very angsty. 

Summary: The Mandalorian’s got a lot of things on his mind. Some are things he’s known for years, and others ... well, they’re much more recent discoveries. 

Author’s note: This is my first attempt at writing something for a fandom that doesn’t involve a Ben Barnes character. I’ve been unable to stop thinking about The Mandalorian’s season finale since it aired ... and this is the result. I kept myself to a limited word count because I didn’t want to drag it out, but I overshot that by 700 words, so...

I have something else in the works for him, too... and I’m not limiting my word count on that one.

This takes place immediately (within a few hours) after the finale - and it contains spoilers from both seasons of The Mandalorian - so if you’re not caught up, you don’t want to read this.

Many thanks to @irishskyeomalley for pointing out that Din’s original pulse rifle wouldn’t exist at this point in the story - I appreciate you bringing that to my attention, and it’s been corrected. 

(Got the gif from a google search, but I *think* it originally came from @/bestintheparsec)

He has nothing now. 

 Nothing but the endless expanse of space, stretching out as far as he can see. 

 No ship. No purpose. No task to complete. No real reason to choose a specific destination, set the coordinates, and wait for whatever happens next, his eyes on the stars.  But most of all, nothing means no quiet coos or sighs in the dark, no tiny hands grabbing for his cape or his helmet, no need to turn his head slightly to the right, one hand reaching out for the small sphere to slowly twist it back into place atop the threaded end of the Razor Crest’s shifter. 

 For the first time in years, The Mandalorian has nothing driving him forward and urging him into action - and it’s shaken him to his core. 

His shoulders slump, though he isn’t wearing any of the armor he’s come to consider an extension of himself. His head hangs toward his chest, but it’s bare of the helmet that he’s kept on for the vast majority of his life. He can still feel those small fingers gently making contact with the skin against his jaw and cheek, though they’re replaced with his own now; bare and gloveless, as he cradles his own cheeks, as if keeping them there makes a difference. 

 It was the first time anyone - any thing had touched his face since he was a child, and the Mandalorian was barely able to keep it together while it happened on the light cruiser’s well-lit bridge. 

 Hours later? It’s impossible. He’s locked away in the cockpit of the small freighter he took from Moff Gideon’s light cruiser, hunched over in the pilot’s chair - and he is alone. 

 Cara won the argument over who got to take Gideon in; setting off toward Nevarro in the cruiser while Bo-Katan and Koska, Fennec and Fett went their separate ways. He doesn’t know - or care - who went where. The Mandalorian only concerned himself with replacing his helmet once the doors closed behind Grogu and the Jedi, the bridge as silent as could be as the man turned to face his allies - and Gideon. 

 From there, he set out to find a way off the ship, letting the others take care of the necessary arrangements. There was no reward to collect - Gideon’s capture, the destruction of the dark troopers, the seizure of a fully equipped light cruiser - all of those things should have been rewards in themselves, a bounty to turn in, credits and prestige to collect, a relief, but the Mandalorian felt nothing thinking of them, his thoughts consumed by feeling as though somehow, despite the fact that he was largely physically unharmed, he was on the losing end of the most important battle of his life.

 For as long as he can remember, he’s always had a purpose; direction leading him to his next quarry, the next location - meaning to an otherwise disjointed and difficult existence. It’s one that he knows, and knows well. 

 In fact, it’s all he knows. The creation of structure from nothing. Foundling to full-fledged member of The Tribe. No one to a feared Guild bounty hunter. It is The Way, but it’s also his way - or at least it was. 

 He has nothing now, but that wasn’t always the case. 

 The Asset. The Child. The package. The Kid. Grogu. In such a short time, the Mandalorian’s entire worldview changed; expanding from the way of life he’d known and accepted to something different, something more. 

 Something meaningful. 

 It happened slowly at first; gratitude for the help with the Mudhorn. Frustration at the way his small, wide-eyed companion was so curious about everything, slowing him down - and at the same time, hurrying him; the prospect of such a large reward motivating the Mandalorian to return to Nevarro, turn in the quarry and continue on. Simple. Routine.

 But unlike the hundreds of other assignments he was given, palm sized pucks passed over the smooth surface of the cantina tabletop, this quarry wasn’t simple. 

 He’ll never forgive himself for turning the tiny creature back over to The Client. Ever, even though he knows that he’s long been forgiven by the only person that matters. He’ll never understand how that’s possible - how, after nearly being responsible for a continued lifetime of torture and seclusion - and probably a slow and painful death -  he had a chance to redeem himself in the eyes of the Child - and, maybe in his own mind at the same time. 

 At first, he didn’t understand why he even took the chance, why he pushed his entire belief system to the side for that specific bounty and no others before it.

 Gratitude and frustration slowly changed into concern and contemplation, the Mandalorian thinking only about ensuring the large egg-shaped carrier stayed with him no matter what, or making allowances to keep the Child safe and close by at all times, even to his own detriment - and in a few cases, immense danger for the both of them. 

 Trust takes time, but when you don’t have time, what option is there? He survived for years on pure instinct - an ability to think and act exactly when necessary, to get things done, to guess what was coming and prepare for it.  Self preservation was key, but at some point, that need for self preservation shifted - the Mandalorian wasn’t only concerned for himself and his own well-being; he had to consider the Kid’s, too. 

 Mandalorians don’t have friends or attachments - at least he didn’t, but the insertion of the Child into his life changed that, too. It made the impossible seem possible, caused the silence and solitude of deep space to feel much less isolated. He wouldn’t admit it, but having a constant companion was something that the Mandalorian grew used to in the months that he cared for the Kid.

 He feels dampness on his cheeks beneath his fingers. Whether he’s currently crying or it’s remnants from earlier, he’s not sure. He knows the Armorer and the rest of the Tribe would be outraged to see him - a shell of himself, devoid of the armor and prestige that he’s earned throughout the years as a Child of the Watch and a member of the Tribe and then the Guild. In this moment, he’s nothing more than a man, one of trillions in the galaxy. 

 Has he shown anyone his face? Yes. Has anyone ever removed his helmet? Yes. Because the Mandalorian is someone - and he removed it twice himself. Once, out of necessity - the other time at the wordless request of the only thing in the galaxy he’d ever value more than his own code of honor.

 Grogu. Not the Asset. Not the Child. Not the package. Not the Kid. Grogu. His kin. 

 Even thinking the name brings on a fresh pang in his battered chest. His skin is littered in bruises from the fight with the single dark trooper; it’s a miracle his helmet wasn’t crushed from the force of the repeated blows. His body aches from dueling Gideon, the sleepy little boy awaiting the final outcome from his perch on the bench in the other room, the Mandalorian doing everything in his power to keep him safe and secure while fighting for freedom - and for both of their lives. 

 But none of it matters; the wounds will heal, the bruising and scrapes will fade. They always do. But until they’re gone, they’ll remind the Mandalorian of what he had, what he fought for, and what he lost. 

 Aliit ori'shya tal'din. Family is more than blood. 

 He thought he understood what that meant - growing up the way he did, but the Mandalorian never truly knew what a connection with someone was before Grogu. It was more than wanting to look after him; it was the need to understand him, the desire to protect him, find him someone like him, someone that understood him and what he needed to take control of his power - at any cost. Following the Creed - his personal creed - but in a way that wasn’t only about justice or brute force. 

 Or so he thought. 

 He has nothing left, but it’s about more than having no current purpose, more than not having his ship. He can still hear the Armorer’s words, telling him that he is as the Child’s father, that their destinies are no longer separate. 

 A clan of two. He sees the signet on his pauldron now as it rests on the floor of the cockpit, glinting in the low light as he stares at it through his fingers. Each day, that declaration became more real to him. The bounties, the missions, the journeys - they were all leading somewhere, and even though the Mandalorian knew his given task, he’s willing to admit that part of him never really believed he’d find the other Mandalorians, let alone Jedi … or Grogu’s kind. 

 And, finally lifting his head slightly, the Mandalorian realizes that that same part of him didn’t want to. It  goes against the Creed, it goes against his teachings, but it’s the truth - and if there’s one thing that he’s known for that has nothing to do with his reputation of never failing to bring in a bounty, it’s speaking the truth. 

 He told the truth to Greef and Cara. To Omera - even to Cobb and Peli, his voice always modulated but no less strong and certain. Only Grogu ever heard him waver, the Child teetering on the edge of sleep in the tiny compartment on the Crest as the Mandalorian prepared him for a new life with Ahsoka. 

 But the Jedi’s refusal to train him, her unwillingness to even try, despite Grogu’s obvious abilities gave the Mandalorian pause. What happened after is little more than a blur to him. 

 He remembers joking with Grogu about “Jedi things” as they climbed the Tython mountainside, remembers the fear he felt, deep in his chest at the initial glimpse of Fett’s ship, the anguish that began building with the appearance of the first assault ship and his inability to penetrate the force field that surrounded Grogu’s vulnerable body, no matter how many times he tried. 

 But none of it compared to the way it felt seeing his son clutched in the black arms of the dark troopers, speeding back up into the atmosphere. Throughout all of his years, the Mandalorian had never experienced that type of fear or devastation. By the time Mayfeld was on board with the plan, the Mandalorian was almost on autopilot; repeating that he wouldn’t be showing his face to save the boy, but knowing - deep down - that it would likely come to that. And he didn’t hesitate, lifting his helmet in the presence of other living things for the first time in decades, getting the necessary information and then enduring what came next, heart beating a thunderous rhythm behind his ribs the entire time he was exposed. Sending the message to Gideon had made him feel better, but it still wasn’t enough. Using the man’s words against him felt good to the Mandalorian - it felt right. But words aren’t actions - and so he’d done what was necessary again before setting out for the cruiser.  

 Even those thoughts weren’t as clear in his mind as things became the first time he’d seen Grogu again - handcuffed and sitting on the bench in the hold, sleepy eyed and visibly exhausted - but perking up at the sight of him. 

 The Mandalorian couldn’t ever remember feeling such relief, the emotion growing as he gently lifted him to his chest and turned toward the door. Taking Gideon down hadn’t been about winning, it was about making the man pay for the singular most important crime that he’d committed: tearing the Mandalorian’s clan apart, even for a short time. 

 The first time, their parting was the Mandalorian’s choice. The second? His fault for being too slow by just a few seconds. The third? 

 The Mandalorian’s cry of anguish fills the confined space, the man finally rising from the chair and lifting his right arm to strike the inside wall of the ship with his fist, bare knuckles instantly aching from contact with the metal. There’s no cushion from his gloves; no armor or padding on his arms to absorb any of the impact’s shock. The pain is there, adding to everything else, and it’s more than dull. 

 But he wants to feel it. He needs to feel it. Because the third separation is the one that hurts the most - and yet it’s the one that needed to happen. 

 He knows this. Knows that it was his destiny to reunite Grogu with his own kind, people that can understand him, train him, help him become stronger. They can keep him safe. That’s their way, the Jedi way. He knows this, but it doesn’t make things any easier, or cause the still-blooming ache he feels to subside. 

 The Mandalorian straightens up and inhales as deeply as he can; chest expanding without the weight and shape of the beskar restricting it. He closes his eyes and remembers the last glimpse of Grogu; huge brown eyes peeking over a black-caped shoulder as the hold doors slid shut. That’s who you belong with. 

 He said the words, staring into those eyes and willing the tiny, warm thing in his hands to understand - he wasn’t giving him up or abandoning him. He wasn’t trying to pawn off his responsibilities. He didn’t want to say goodbye. No, he was doing exactly what he’d spent many previous decades avoiding - putting the needs and interests of someone else before his own for the greater good. Doing what was best for someone he loves.

 As the Mandalorian looks through the front viewport of his temporary vessel, he takes another deep breath, letting it out in a shaky exhale. His fingers curl around the edge of the console, gripping it so tightly that his joints creak, but he doesn’t care. This is the Way. 

 Space is silent and dark. It’s endless and full of possibility. The Mandalorian knows that he knows almost nothing about the true extent of it. His bounties have limited him to the Outer Rim territories for most of his life, and it will likely stay that way. 

 If he were to tell anyone that he had nothing, they would disagree. 

 He’s got his life. He’s got his armor and weapons - beskar forged in capable hands, meant to last generations, his trusty blaster, and his newly acquired spear. He’s got people he can count on - Cara and Greef, Cobb Vanth and Fennec and Boba Fett. Peli - ornery to her core but her loyalty as certain as each day’s double sunrise on Tatooine. 

 He’s got newfound and unwanted responsibility; the hilt of the Darksaber hanging heavy at his hip. With Gideon out of the way, there’s no more running - no need to planet hop, never staying out of hyperspace for too long. He has freedom. That’s new for him, and something he hasn’t yet had the time to consider fully. 

 He’s got his memories, the feelings he let bubble to the surface during his time with Grogu unable to be shut away. The Mandalorian spent so long alone that it took time - too much time - to open up to the small creature, but now that he has? He won’t ever close himself off so wholly again. The Creed says that once a Mandalorian’s helmet is removed and his identity is no longer a secret, there’s no going back - but for this Mandalorian, that won’t be the case. 

 He can’t lie about it - and he won’t, if asked. Because the Mandalorian also has his word, and his word is his bond. The Mandalorian says what he means, and means what he says, no matter the situation. Eyes widening and lips parting, his right hand releases the console and reaches into his pocket, fingers curling around the small metal ball he carries there - the only physical remnant of the Razor Crest he has left.  

 He has nothing now, but there was a time when he had everything without ever realizing it - and that time will come again. He’s sure of it. 

 It only takes a few seconds to twist off the ridged knob on the shifter in front of the co-pilot’s seat, replacing it with the smooth, curved piece of durasteel. Glancing down at it, the Mandalorian’s lips twitch into a quick smile before his eyes close, and he gives a single nod to the empty space surrounding him. 

 “I promised.” 

 ---- 

Tagging: (a few people that I thought might be interested based on responses to earlier posts; If you want to be added to future Mando stuff, please ask!)

@the-blind-assassin-12​ @malionnes​ @its-my-little-dumpster-fire​ @pheedraws​ @alraedesigns​ @gollyderek​ @lloveyouinsecret​

[darth-schism]

Evidence to Suggest that Luke was NOT all that he seemed in TLJ

Luke Skywalker may have isolated himself because of his guilt/depression. But I also believe he did it for practical reasons, and that his “totally given up” act, was just that, an act. Evidence for this Head-cannon/interpretive take:

1. He made a map to his location

Not only that, but it was so specific, it was literally called “The Map to Skywalker.” The only way it would have gotten a name as tailored as that is if someone else had found him before Rey, or, if he told people about it himself. In any event, to whatever varying degree, Luke wanted to be found and/or influence the galaxy around him.

One piece of the map was  tossed around to all sorts of corners of the galaxy, while the rest of it was entrusted to R2D2. 

2. This was a deliberate combo to serve two different purposes

          - Keep Snoke distracted: The entirety of TFA was Kylo and Snoke obsessing over Luke’s location. Their preoccupation with it was evident and, instead of letting them focus on relentlessly attacking the New Republic, Luke gave them a reason to go on wild goose chases. Consider that Snoke doesn’t go ‘all in’ on trying to destroy the Resistance until after he realizes he lost the race to get to Skywalker. Which shows just how much stock he had put into that singular Jedi. What’s more, even if they had succeeded, they’d only have a useless fraction with no reference as to where in the galaxy Luke’s secret location actually was.      

          - Meanwhile, R2D2 would also play the role of a “given up/powered down” hero: But we see that, soon as the coast is clear, and some plot heroes arrive with the map, he assessed the situation, turned on, and sent them right to Skywalker. I think it’s safe to say that R2D2 was merely in ‘sleep mode,’ as opposed to ‘shut down.’ However, despite all this, the element of being powered down/unassuming was still crucial because... 

3. Snoke made it abundantly clear that when he found Skywalker, he’d blow up the entire landmass he was found, or even theorized to be, on

Luke would never put a population of innocents at risk of complete annihilation just because someone might to recognize him at a local market. So it’s no wonder he chose a place as isolated as he did (On top of that, considering his critical stance towards the Jedi Order by 28ish ABY, it wouldn’t necessarily be a heartbreak to him if the island did end up getting destroyed, or one to anyone else really, because of how obscure/unknown it was...or so he convinced himself).

4. He was picking his battles

If Luke Skywalker wanted to be found. Then why was he so dismissive of Rey? There’s no solid evidence here (aside from the whole existence of the map scheme), but I think there’s good reason to believe that Luke’s instant stand-offish behavior is one of caution and assessment not dissimilar how how Yoda and Kenobi put up an initial façade when they were discovered in exile (but more on that later). In any event, this approach would give him the means to offer personalized help to those who ended up on his doorstep. It honestly didn’t take Luke long to go from tossing his father’s lightsaber, to offering Rey the three lessons she needed to understand the force better. Although I believe Rey’s visit to Luke was far different than what others had probably been but (again) more on that later.

5. He was able leave anytime he wanted

The very clear image of Luke’s submerged X-Wing in the ocean painted a picture of cut ties, and a “no going back” stance. However, it wasn’t the first time that starfighter had been at the bottom of a water bed, and clearly it wasn’t the last. I’m inclined to believe that this is another part of Luke’s deliberate presentation of a hero who had lost all hope. But all speculation aside, there was nothing to physically stop Luke from leaving that island whenever he wanted. There’s nothing to say that he didn’t break form/character operate to find a way to undermine Snoke further.

6. He was actively protecting others close to him

There was a reason Luke getting Grogu at the end of Season 2 of The Mandalorian caused such a stir in Disney, and caused Kennedy to go for Faverau’s throat. All “who’s idea was who’s” arguments aside. At the end of the day it created two possible outcomes for this element of the Star Wars franchise: Either Grogu died in Kylo’s attack. Or there were survivors. Since killing the money making Baby Yoda isn’t necessarily on Disney’s to do list, it’s a reasonable bet that he survives the slaughter (unless he’s returned to Din’s side before Kylo goes ballistic, in which case he avoids it all together). But even if that does happen, this theory still holds a little water). Luke lying low, and operating in secret may have been the only way he was keeping himself, the galaxies citizens, and his few remaining students from getting hit with an orbital strike. 

7. He was never fully disconnected from the force.

Perhaps, somewhat disconnected, but it’s clear that Luke hasn’t cut himself off from the force as much as he, perhaps, wanted to admit. Luke is still able to effortlessly summon a weapon, keep control of the duel between himself and Rey, and gently lower his body to the ground when he loses his footing. Despite his stance on using/taking ownership of the force in TLJ, it seems as though Luke kept just enough around so that he could still fight. This theory is more optimistically minded than some of the others, but I still can’t help but think that Luke kept these reserves of power ready, because he already had to use them more than once during his supposed isolation.

8. Rey’s visit was different than the others who had come before.

“You went straight into the Dark. It offered you something you needed, and you didn’t even try to stop yourself.” 

“I've seen this raw strength only once before, in Ben Solo. It didn't scare me enough then. It does now.”

Other plot heroes/adventurers may have come, gone, or even convinced Luke to help them in secret. So assuming all, or even some, of the above is true, then that means Luke wasn’t just pushing to dismiss Rey, but also disillusion her. I think this is because Rey wasn’t there to get help with a specific mission, rescue, etc, but there to have Luke become the public symbol of hope again. And we’ve already listed the reasons why this couldn’t happen. On top of that, this push was done in a way that directly conflicted with all the “none theorized” reasons Luke had isolated himself. Luke knew he couldn’t accommodate this. He sensed the darkness in Rey. He sensed her connection to Kylo. In many ways his lessons also doubled as a means to properly evaluate Rey, and confirm his suspicions. In any event, all of this brought up an element of his isolation that no one else knew. He already had the, half truth, story as to what happened to his temple well rehearsed. But it was Rey’s visit that dragged out his greatest regret, which was his near attempt to take Ben’s life, due to both the mind bending fear Snoke had manipulated into palce, and the hypocritical, and self destructive Jedi philosophies that had been drilled in to his head. This was the final straw that made him want to destroy the Jedi texts. But it was also the push he needed to find inner peace, and think of the means to make one last public appearance, without endangering anyone.  

9. In no interpretation is Luke an attempt child killer 

This is more of a bonus point in nature. I think so many people were caught off guard by the narrative choice Luke undertook in this part of the film, that it painted the whole ordeal in a far more unfavorable light than it actually was. For starters: Ben was no child. He was 23 years old when he fell to the darkside. Luke was saw the images of planetary destruction, and the deaths of friends and family alike at the hands of an adult. But even at that, Luke’s ligthsaber had already lowered, and his face expressing that of shame and sadness, when Ben glances over, and decides to take up his lightsaber, and make the first strike. Luke doesn’t even ignite his lightsaber in response until after Ben swings it. The influence Snoke had over Ben, and the mental attack he lured Luke into suffering, to make this moment come to pass cannot be understated.   

 - This also means that Luke’s isolation lasted only 7 years. Not twenty, not even 10. Just 7. Which is less than half the time both Yoda and Obi Wan imposed on themselves.

10. He was following in the footsteps of his masters

I think Luke’s response to trauma is a little unfair in some ways. Obi Wan and Yoda witnessed genocide, and imposed exile on themselves for twenty years. Now, in film, we know that Obi Wan, while playing the part of a delusional hermit, worked to protect Luke as he grew up on Tatooine, and that Yoda, playing the part of a silly swamp kook, did...something...on Dagobah (?), waited for Luke to grow up so he could train him for a few weeks at most (?). 

Those are two pretty limited things, and yet they don’t catch near as much flack for “abandoning the galaxy to the Empire” as TLJ Luke does, after he also witnessed slaughter, and went into isolation for only 7 years. But, of course, we know Obi Wan did more during his time in the desert, and that Yoda did more during his time in the swamp. So why can’t Luke have also done more while on his island? Everything about the parallels here point to Luke, despite his own misgivings, applying what he learned from his master. All three Jedi isolated themselves because of their personal tragedies. All three greatly reduced their presence in the galaxy. But all three had no choice, and all three still did what they could despite their circumstances.    

11. Luke may have been overcome with grief. But he hadn’t truly changed

Now, I fully admit that this is a very optimistic way of looking at things. But some of these points also have more weight to them than others. I also cannot stress enough that even though I think some of what Luke was doing was an act, I also know it was equally proportional to the very real, emotional reasons, and struggles he faced. I also definitely do NOT think Kennedy/Johnson meant for any of these possible theories to have any validity to them. But with how they are presented, they also can’t be disproven. 

If Favreau doesn’t formally put the sequels in it’s own little pocket universe, then I really hope he takes the opportunity to make something like ^the above^ happen. It could easily be established in one to two episodes in a live action show. Lots of things could be done to make the sequels a more bearable set of movies to watch. And as much as I’m worried that hoping for this is simply too optimistic, at least now there is a justifiable interpretive take that has both in film evidence to support, and a lack of otherwise to refute.  

At the end of the day (and as usual) the important part here is to see that Luke hadn’t given up. Struggling, disillusioned, forced into a tough spot, willingly keeping himself scarce, etc. All bearable. But knowing he hadn’t given up is super important to the character and fanbase, so hopefully we get something that makes that cannon. In any facet really.  

AND IT WOULD GET MARK HAMILL BACK ON SET GODAMNIT! XD

*Reblogged with new gifs and information

[worlds-forgotten]

okay I think I’m ready to talk about the episode now lmao

SPOILERS AHEAD 

I want to stay positive! I’m not trying to make anyone feel bad for liking the episode, these are some personal opinions! Plus, I still liked the episode, but these were some of my thoughts!

We’ll start with the wtf stuff HJKHDSKFS

Literally ready to throw hands with Bo and the other lady (I forget her name? Did they even say it?) I was so angry when they started talking shit to Boba like stfu JDEWIJDKLS

Where is the dude that was with them? 

Boba saying ‘little one’ in a menacing tone,, sorry i had two heartbeats NDJKNFKEW

I can’t believe no-name lady had the gall to try and beat up an old man like really? Boba stood his ground but come on he has a senior’s discount he doesn’t have time for this

din just standing there watching Boba fight was so fucking funny hes like ‘k we’ll wait till ur ready’ 

Where did the scientist end up? The doctor? Did they leave him in the ship? He just peaced out 

WHERE DID BOBA GO?? HE JUST LEFT?? Like ‘lmao k bye’ he said he would help Din until he got his son back but then didn’t stick around for the climax? I’m confused

I loved the four ladies taking on the entire ship themselves!!! very sexy of them!! but I really hope Disney didn’t leave out the other Mando guy just so they could get brownie points for having a women-only scene (looking at you Endgame)

cara just beating the guys with her gun-

Din sneaking around was so cute lol 

I shit myself when the dark trooper was smashing the helmet I WAS SO SCARED IT WAS GONNA BREAK

use of the spear was very sexy 

I KNEW Gideon was gonna be in the room with the saber on Grogu like din honey use ur brain  

din turned to get grogu and i was like “okay here it is he’s going to get stabbed din the back and the baby will have to heal him” and then..no 

the fight was over so easy

VERY VERY underwhelming fight?? like the moves were really good and the visuals but

like i get beskar can’t be pierced but gideon went down so easily and then in the next scene Din just strolled in with the saber, the baby, and gideon in cuffs

we didn’t get to see a reunion!! angry 

i hate that gideon felt used as an extra person to explain the plot, like he was beaten so easily and then explained the legend and then that was kind of it. He didn’t feel like a big threat

bo stfu and take the saber 

Din just not giving a shit about the saber is so hilarious he’s like “,, i yield take it i dont want it’ 

Okay. Luke Skywalker. I love that chanel wearing baddie and that scene killed - it was so good - prime Luke, saving the day, looking amazing while doing it, and we are seeing him after the events of ROTJ! The character felt so HIM, but I can’t get past the bad deep fake (hello, Sebastian Stan is right there) and also, I wish they didn’t bring in a big name character. We have so many named people from books and shows it feels like it’s a bit of an extra money grab? Idk I’m feeling conflicted about it because Luke training Grogu is so so cool but I also wanted something different maybe? I’m not sure much to think upon

Din ,, crying :(

“dont be afraid” AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

when did this man have time to cut his hair and shave lmao

I know Din’s whole mission was to let Grogu go with the Jedi, but I wish Din could’ve had the chance to understand the Jedi more. He barely knows anything about them and doesn’t even know where to go to find Grogu again

like sending ur kid to boarding school and not knowing the address

WHERE IS THE BALL?? I THOUGHT HE WAS GOING TO GIVE IT TO THE KID

maybe he’ll keep it to longingly look at later

i would have liked like .. an ‘i love you’ or some declaration of love, but the face touch and helmet removal was really strong as well   

LMAO BOBA just showing up at the end with Fennec and just sitting down like .. okay now what? ur just gonna sit there JHEKFHEFKE but that was pure sex honestly  love them 

LIKE hello boba ,, u need an extra set of hands

too many questions left unanswered?? Din is Mand’alor?? HES ALSO HOMELESS AND JOBLESS AND HAS NO MONEY OR CLOTHES?? is bo katan gonna try and beat his ass for the saber? what are they going to do with gideon? 

anyways many thought head full

i sobbed harder than i have in a long time 

In conclusion - this episode felt a bit rushed for me - i wish they had taken a bit more time explaining things, building a bigger tension, and giving Din more time with Grogu. I’m excited to see where season 3 takes us and I will slowly go insane waiting for it to come out 

[thymewayster]

I...did not like the Mandalorian season 2 finale.

Or rather, I liked many moments but not the last two minutes.

***SPOILERS OBVIOUSLY***

Love Luke, his entire scene is incredibly awesome and I love seeing him, BUT like...he didn’t even introduce himself. He literally waltzed in, took Din’s son, and left without even telling Din, you know, HIS NAME or WHERE TO FIND HIM AND GROGU.

Also it was kind of a bit too deus ex machina for me. Maybe if he’d come midway through the battle of taking the ship instead of at the end

How did Luke even know where to go to find Grogu? Wouldn’t he have gone to Tython?

Din and Grogu got like, no interaction once Din saved him. Like Din defeats Gideon, and then cut to him carrying Grogu / escorting Gideon. You’re not going to show us Din and the baby finally reuniting??? They made such a huge deal about the little ball surviving and Din didn’t even give it to him??? WHY would you not have had at least a 30-second scene with Gideon handcuffed outside the cell while Din goes in, frees the baby, maybe takes off the helmet, has an emotional hug or SOMETHING, and gives the baby back the ball??

That would have been a better place for the face reveal honestly

You’re telling me that Din has now lost his covert, his ship, all his worldly possessions, and his track record of not taking off his helmet and he doesn’t even get to keep the baby??

Have we gotten any indication that Grogu actually wants to be a jedi? Because like, it’s already established how attached he is to Din, and he didn’t seem to want to stay with Ahsoka. He was reluctant to even do force-related things until Din was involved (anyone else remember him tossing aside the rock Ahsoka passed him??) But now he’s just like, cool, I know I just barely reunited with my father but now I’ve decided I’d rather go off with this jedi?

Din promised he would get Grogu out of here and he didn’t even leave the ship with Grogu

What was the point of capturing Pershing? Like is he still chilling on the Slave I or

Good things:

A+ spear vs lightsaber battle, very satisfying, wish he’d killed Gideon but I get that Cara wanted him alive and he’s okay with Bo Katan getting the killing blow

Din. Wielding. the Darksaber.

I actually think the conflict of Din vs Bo Katan regarding the darksaber has a lot of interesting potential (although why Bo Katan won’t take it as a gift now when that’s exactly what happened in Rebels is beyond me. Maybe she’s trying to make up for her failure from last time??)

I love that Din is basically Mandalor, but he is just. Not Interested.

R2D2 and Grogu interaction: Adorable

Boba Fett and Fennec Shand taking over the Tatooine crime scene: Excellent, you love to see it. (Although...is Boba replacing Din as the main character? Because I am NOT A FAN OF THAT.)

Boba Fett vs Koska Reeves

I actually loved all the Mandalorian interactions at the start. 

Assuming season 3 is setting up a lot of darksaber/Mandalore conflict, and I am super into that, but like...I am so confused what they are doing now for season 3

Boba Fett:

While I would have loved to see him interact with Luke, I think it’s hilarious he’s the only one not there. Whatever happened to guaranteeing the child’s safety? He just kind of peaced out. I guess he came back later to pick them up?

Flat-out cheered when I saw Fett sit on the crime throne

But like again...is season 3 all about Boba now?? Because listen, I love Boba Fett, but like...I like Din more.

Listen, I had seen the movies but I only vaguely cared about Star Wars. Then I saw the first three episodes of the Mandalorian, and I was HOOKED and then I sunk deep into the shows and auxiliary Star Wars stuff. And the idea that Din is effectively sidelined now makes me just kind of...lose interest in the entire franchise.

Basically, the only way I could find any satisfaction in any of this is if season 3 has Din pick up Grogu from Luke before the theme song even plays. Grogu’s learned how to control his powers a bit better, and now he can help protect his dad while they go out on bounty hunting missions, or possibly helping Bo Katan retake Mandalore, or possibly fighting against Bo Katan for control of Mandalore. (And by that I mean, Bo Katan just constantly following Din, trying to duel him for the Darksaber. Meanwhile Din is just constantly like, I didn’t ask for this, please stop trying to kill me.)

[deafblindshorty]

My convoluted and complicated theory involving Gideon, Palpatine, and the Dameron Family

So, in Shattered Empire, Luke tracked down two twigs of the Great Force Tree that was stolen from the Jedi Temple on Coruscant by Palpatine. Palpatine wanted to do some experiments with the twigs or something. Luke kept one and gave the other to Shara Bey (Poe’s mother). Shara, Kes, and Poe moved to Yavin 4 and planted that tree in their backyard. We don’t know what Luke did with his twig, but some people theorized that he took it to Devaron since he went on a mission there and promised to return someday. The tree has only been mentioned one other time: in Poe Dameron #27. Isn’t it weird that they introduced it only to never mention it again except in that comic?

Fast forward 5/6 years and Gideon and the Imperial Remnants are working on a secret project involving clones and the blood of Force-sensitives (Most likely on Palpatine’s orders). Now, why even bother stealing those twigs and experimenting on them if he was just gonna kidnap FS people and use their blood? In case those clones need a midichlorian/Force boost.

Here’s where Din and Grogu come in. Mando could be advised by either Ahsoka or Ezra or even Luke to seek out the Force Sensitive tree on Yavin 4 to help Grogu. They find it in the hands of Kes Dameron and Shara Bey. However, Gideon also tracked Din and Grogu there and attacks the farm. Poe takes Grogu into the forest to hide, but they are kidnapped by Gideon’s stormtroopers. Shara witnesses it and manages to sneak onto the ship the boys were taken on and contacts Kes and L’ulo. Kes, L’ulo, and Din race to the rescue. Goru uses the Force to get him, Shara, and Poe away from the stormtroopers, but it takes a lot out of him so he passes out. Then Shara and Poe overhear two Imps talking about Palpatine being alive on Exegol and creating strandcasts. They’re caught eavesdropping and she and Poe fight their way to a shuttle and manage to escape but are still being pursued. L’ulo and the Razor Crest catch up, but the shuttle was shot and their comms were down. The shuttle was shot again and L’ulo started taking out the TIEs. Shara managed to get her son and Grogu onto the Crest, but she sees a TIE about to fire on it and uses the Force to push them to safety (I have a theory that Shara is an Order 66 survivor). The shuttle was shot instead and Shara is killed.

Poe witnesses the entire thing, but it was so traumatizing that he completely blocked it out. He can’t remember a thing. 

Gideon wants to make sure Poe doesn’t remember what he overheard, so he sent a spy on Yavin 4 to keep an eye on Poe: Fontis of Devaron.

Fontis saw the Force tree on Devaron, heard about Gideon’s mission and told Gideon where it was. In Poe Dameron: Free Fall, he was a little shady. Poe would vent out his problems to him. He immediately knew the group known as the Spice Runners of Kijimi were trouble (and quite possibly that they were looking for a pilot). So, what does he do when 16-year-old Poe walks in? Yells for the entire cantina to hear “Well, if it isn’t the best pilot on Yavin 4, Mr. Poe Dameron!”

He knew the SROK were trouble and were looking for a pilot. So why did he put young Poe at risk? And when Poe took an interest in them, why didn’t Fontis stop him? He wanted him out of the way and was half-hoping he would get himself killed before he remembered what he overheard years ago. He also stonewalled Kes and L’ulo for a bit and told Kes he was no longer welcome at his bar, which was a bit suspicious and weird to me.

Years later when Kylo Ren interrogated Poe, he was preoccupied with the map to Skywalker to delve that deep in his mind, which is why he wouldn’t have known about Palpatine sooner.

TL;DR. Palpatine and Gideon will look for the Force Tree, Shara dies saving her family, Din, and Grogu and happened to overhear about Palptine being alive on Exegol, Poe hears it too, but is so traumatized, he lost his memory of that moment, Fontis was a spy sent to keep an eye on Poe to make sure he doesn’t remember, and Kylo was too focused on the map to bother probing the rest of Poe’s memories.

And yes. I am going to write a fanfic about this, but I want to wait until season 2 of Mando is over.

[smokeybrandreviews]

Beskar Brilliance

So how about that second season of Mando, though? My, goodness, was that a ride! I was a little on the fence about it with all of the controversies and Luna “quitting” halfway through but that sh*t really came together. I kind of just gushed about the first season before, mostly because i can’t be objective about Mando due to it’s ties to my beloved Star Wars, but i loved it. This second season? Even better! Instead of just glibly shouting my love bout this show from the rooftops, i think it would be better if i went through it, episode by episode, and detail why i loved this second season so goddamn much.

The Marshal

Always a pleasure seeing Timothy Olyphant in anything, even if all he plays nowadays is f*cking lawmen. Dude was outstanding in this episode, Boba Fett’s armor fitting on him like a kid wearing his dad’s sport coat. The action was exceptional and that f*cking Krayt Dragon looked real right in live action. You can tell Favreau has a real handled on the lore and is taking care to give his how a sense of true, Lucas, authenticity. Also, that little John Leguizamo cameo was lovely.

The Passenger

This episode was a slog for me. I didn’t mind the “controversy” about Grogu eating that frog lady’s babies or whatever but that was really the only redeeming aspect for me. I didn’t care for this episode at all. It felt like filler and, as an avid fan of anime, i have a general disdain for filler.

The Heiress

Bo-Katan in the house! That Katee Sackhoff casting was gold star! Seriously, the casting for this how has been exceptionally. They got that MCU touch. After seeing Boba Fett at the end of The Marshal, i kind of had a feeling we were going to go this way. The Mandalorian is such a generic name and you can fill this show with literally any of them and the title will hold true. Bo-Katan showing up with her own side mission just kind of solidified a Mando anthology series for me and i dig it. The episode, itself, was okay but the ramifications going forward are much more intriguing.

The Siege

The Macarons episode! Listen time Grief and Cara show up, it’s a good time. It was a delight just seeing the team back together for one hell of an adventure. It’s not quite as good as the one that follows, but it was enough to sate my Cara Dune action appetite. While i enjoyed the episode for obvious reasons, this one was another filler; A far more palatable one.

The Jedi

This was the big one for me. This was the introduction of my second favorite character in the entire franchise, in live action, for the first time AND she was portrayed by one of my favorite actresses, Ahsoka Tano! I actually wrote an entire post about this one episode a few weeks back so, long story short, best episode of the season. For a lot of reasons. Not just the utter Ahsoka bad-assery or Dawson’s perfect casting or Michael Biehn’s hilarious presence or the constant Kurosawa homages or the excellent ass lightsaber action I've LONGED for or even the name drop at the end of the episode. I loved The Jedi and look forward to the Ahsoka spin-off with great zeal.

The Tragedy

This episode was kind of lacks on plot but it wasn’t filler at all. The Tragedy feels like the start of a multi-episode climax and i am here for all of it! We get a return of Fennec Shand, played by the ageless beauty, Ming Na Wen, who was last seen dying in a desert on Tatooine. That feels kind of redundant to say because, you know, Tatooine is a whole ass desert planet. The best part of this episode, though, was the return of Boba Fett, portrayed by Temuera Morrison, Jango Fett, himself! And, boy, the years didn’t dull his edge at all! This thing was basically just a constant fight the entire time and i loved the f*ck out of it.

The Believer

Oh, Migs, how i love thee. Bill Burr is really good in this role and i always find that funny because he talked so much sh*t about the Star War before he got this part and just took to it like a moth to a flame. Great Star Wars characterization will do that and Migs has, arguably, the best in the entire show, outside of Din, himself. Plus, I mean, all that fatherly love. It was mad sweet to see.

The Rescue

Two Words; Luke. Skywalker. ‘Nuff Said.

Mando, as a whole show, both seasons, is exceptional. It’s full of heart, introduced a character that will go down as one of the best in canon, and expanded the entire Disney Star Wars universe going forward. This is easily the best Star Wars anything the Mouse House has dropped so far and i look forward to what Favreu and Filoni have coming down the pipe next. There are a tone of shows on the horizon, check out my post, Shadows of an Empire, to get a taste of the decadence. It’s a shame that the next season of Mando won’t be about Grogu and Din, though. I really liked these characters. Rumor has it that next season will be about Boba Fett and that just kind of tickles my fancy. Considering this show was supposed to be about Fett in the first place but that got killed because Kennedy is kind of a b*tch, it’s a little hilarious how this sh*t has come full-circle. The Mandalorian is excellent and should definitely be the benchmark for Disney Star Wars going forward. I don't know if retconning the sequel trilogy is necessary but if these shows keep sh*tting on those flicks in both quality and canon, it might need a bit tweaking.

[meta-shadowsong]

Quick response to Mandalorian season finale

Behind a cut because, well.

Okay, yes, I am in this show for Dadalorian and Found Family etc. But I am at least as invested in the plotline this season about various factions of Mandalorians and their, for lack of a better word, sectarian disputes. Which frequently result in barfights. Because Mandalorians.

(AKA that scene where they picked up Bo and her minion was. A Delight.)

(Also, I love my girl Bo-Katan. Even if she’s very much a blunt instrument/not a politician going at this in all the wrong ways and was Very Rude to Boba but tbh I wasn’t 100% sure she was going to show up in this episode and I would’ve been Sad if we hadn’t gotten to see them meet. Either here or next season.)

(Still Sad at the lack of Sabine, though :( )

Leaving aside anything re: Gina Caranno (because that has been discussed by people much smarter and better-informed than myself), I’m kind of thrilled that the strike team was Almost Entirely Ladies.

(On that note. Uh. Does anyone else kinda. That little “Anyone else, we can take” smirk. And I just. Uh. Bo/Fennec, anyone??????)

(I kind of already ship Bo with Ventress tbh but a) multishipping ftw and b) threesome??????)

(Hi I’m shallow sometimes lol)

Anyway moving on.

Also the sound/almost-music when the Cylons Dark Troopers were activating was Excellent I approve.

And that Visual of the one trooper Din set on fire. ...honestly that whole hallway fight sequence was pretty Brilliant.

And the sort of...almost casual layer of the scene in the elevator. Even if these women haven’t worked together before, just that, “sure you don’t need any help with that?” “I got it. Excuse me.”

And that whole thing where Gideon was trying to Manipulate Din and he was like “...dude, I legit just care about the kid. I’ll fight for/with Bo-Katan because she’s pretty badass and I Might As Well plus she gets me what I want but I don’t...actually...Care about her Greater Cause?”

(Side note, I’ve spent a lot of time writing Bo-Katan/figuring out how her head works and literally all she cares about is Mandalore and its survival. It’s why she broke away from her sister in the first place, and has informed every single thing she’s done since. A lot of why she makes the specific choices she does goes back to the Mandalorian Civil War and her experiences there--especially since all the evidence indicates she was not with Satine and Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon. The way that separation and their different experiences of that conflict probably contributed to the eventual destruction of what seems likely to have been a Very Close Relationship before that is fascinating to me. And the subject of a fic I’ve been working on off and on for a couple years now, lol.)

(...anyway, where I was going with this was--I mean, yes, Gideon knows everything in terms of facts, but he doesn’t always interpret them correctly. IMO, Bo-Katan’s desire to rule Mandalore is less about power (for herself) than it is about Mandalore. Especially given some of what she says to Sabine in Rebels--if there was someone else she genuinely trusted to take the throne and rule her world, she’d be willing to cede her claim and be one of their generals. Especially since she’s very much not a political animal. She’s an excellent war leader, but not so much in terms of actual Governance.)

(insert long ramble about the Parallels between her and Anakin, which I touched on in one of my fanfics, lol; and will probably do more with in my BB project which involves the two of them and Padme as the main characters)

(And, yeah, she does want to fight Din for the right, but if she thought Din would be a good Duke/King of Mandalore, I think she would seriously considering swearing allegiance to him? Again, witness how she handled things with Sabine. Also she would probs prefer to avoid a third (fourth?) civil war in her lifetime. But, I mean. I love Din but he is. He is not a Leader. Not like her people need.)

(And I think the way things played out with Sabine affects her decisions here, too--she did accept the Darksaber as a gift/tribute then, but proceeded to lose it. Maybe she does need to fight for it the way Maul and Viszla did (presumably; we don’t know how he got the Darksaber; it may be something he inherited/have been held by House Viszla for a while, even if they never used it to dethrone the Kryzes until now).)

(But, then again, I mean, this has been her life for at least a decade, so...well, maybe she wouldn’t quite step aside. Even if an Absolutely Perfect candidate came along. But WRT Din specifically--given who he is and what he’s capable of, while she absolutely wants him in her camp (and on a personal level isn’t super thrilled about having to fight him like this; she seems to genuinely like this kid), my guess is she doesn’t want him ruling. Not without some more actual leadership training/experience. Because, well, he’s been either a follower or a loner in everything we’ve seen him in, and given Bo’s opinion of (possibly experience with?) the Watch/the group who raised him, and the fact that he’s consistently shown himself to have super-narrow priorities and not really caring about much outside of them...yeah, she probs has some Concerns.)

(Plus, he clearly doesn’t want it. And you have to Want It on some level in order to be an effective ruler--that Wanting can be from genuine altruism/wanting to make the world better, like we see with Bail and Padme; it can be from single-minded determination to Make Things Right, like Satine and I would argue Bo-Katan (Leia falls into either the first or second category, depending on the point in her storyline); and it can come from a desire for personal power and advancement (as we see with Pre Viszla and, of course, Skeev Palpatine himself; to be fair, rulers in this third category tend to be bad in other ways lol). But someone who genuinely doesn’t want power generally kind of Sucks when they’re unexpectedly handed it. Which I could cite several IRL historical examples of. And, I mean, obviously, this isn’t the only factor in play for what makes a good ruler/leader (see above re: Palps and Pre Viszla), but it is a factor.)

(Also, to clarify: none of these are bad qualities/traits, necessarily? Like, traits are good or bad depending on whatever context a person/character finds themself in. And in Din’s current context, with his current life and mission--even in situations where he has to coordinate with other groups in the service of a larger goal--these are excellent traits to have. But for someone who’s responsible for an entire nation? Not so much.)

(One could argue that Bo has some Issues there, too, albeit different ones, which is why I think she might be willing to step aside and cede her claim to a Genuinely Good/Better Alternative, if she found one. She’s a war-leader, not a ruler, and the two jobs require overlapping but different skillsets.)

(..........honestly? I don’t think the show would go there, but I think the two of them as a team/partnership ruling Mandalore would actually be really effective? Either on an equal footing or with one as the Official Ruler and the other as a second-in-command/right-hand. She has the leadership expertise and the actual will and drive to pull this off, and he has the diplomatic skill, as we see with the Tusken Raiders, among others.)

(Not a romantic partnership, lol, that would be Weird, but a political and probably eventually platonically affectionate one. Especially with how Mandalore feels about family of choice/adoption, and the fact that they’re both kind of alone now (whatever happened to Korkie, anyway??) even if no formal adoption is likely in their case...)

(Anyway. Uh. Long tangent aside...)

(also if there’s anyone who didn’t see Gideon trying to decapitate Din when his back was turned...IDEK what you were expecting. Like. I am All About guys like Pellaeon in the Imperial ranks, and the fact that there might be a few people who would make that offer/deal and be on the level. To say nothing of my best beloved Alexsandr Kallus. But. Uh. Gideon is. Not one of them.)

(Also, I thought it was a Nice Touch when the spear started turning red--because, no, the Darksaber can’t cut pure beskar. But it does generate heat, as we’ve seen in, say, TPM. And beskar does melt.)

Also, called it on tossing the Cylons Dark Troopers out the airlock Not Working in the long term.

While it’s not Cool or Flashy like a bomb or slicing, the Cylons Dark Troopers pounding the doors down with their goddamn fists was Cool and Terrifying in all the best ways.

Side note--I think even if I hadn’t been spoiled (forgot to mute the spoiler channels on the SW Discords I’m on before going to bed, and checked on autopilot), X-wing + Grogu perking up would’ve probably clued me in and I would’ve been SHRIEKING. I was still vibrating super hard even though I knew who was coming, but it probably would’ve been slightly more XD

(and then a moment of HAHA GIDEON KNOWS WHAT’S COMING)

(and so does my girl Bo)

(and then the green ‘saber and the glove and other costume details and IF YA DIDN’T SCREAM BEFORE YOU SURE ARE NOW!!!!)

(Kind of cool that they waited until the last minute before showing his actual face though)

NO MY GIRL BO-KATAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(IF YOU DIE WHO WILL GET DRUNK AND SWAP WAR STORIES AND MAYBE HAVE VICTORY SEX WITH FENNEC)

(shut up i’m shallow)

(also I love her she’s legit one of my favorite characters in this series I don’t want her to die DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD:)

OH GOOD SHE GOT UP

(yeah that was my actual real-time reaction to her getting shot lol)

“Talent without training is nothing.” ::insert Obvious/Tired joke about Luke having all of three months’ training At Best::

(also, I mentioned this in my last quick reaction, as well as elsewhere, but I’m...still kind of uncomfortable with the continuing implication that the Jedi path is the only option other than Darkness. Not because it’s a bad one, either in the PT-era or with Luke’s reconstruction. But the idea that the only way to achieve the mindset/emotional stability/whatever needed to wield the Force without Falling is through adapting the Jedi philosophy sits wrong with me. especially the implication that you can only do so from an early age/in isolation from other influences or bonds; which is a word I’m using very specifically because there’s a difference between Attachment as defined by the Jedi and interpersonal bonds which they clearly have and I don’t want this to get derailed by that particular Discourse(tm) That doesn’t even super hold up on Earth, with a single species, let alone in a galaxy with trillions of beings of multiple different species. Basically, people and the galaxy--and by extension the Force, which is in part created/influenced by living beings--are way too complicated for there to be only one right answer.)

(Also, it...doesn’t really hold up with the core message of Star Wars, which is about Choice? If the only way you can be a Good Force Adept is by meeting this extremely narrow set of criteria, most of which are outside your possible control......but I should probably save this for a separate post, lol.)

(The point is, I mentioned earlier in the post how much I’m LOVING the throughline in this season about different factions/sects among Mandalorians, and I think it would be Great if we got more of that with Jedi/Light adepts.)

(Anyway. Uh. Back to the episode...)

That FACE MOMENT had me legit crying omg

ARTOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1!@@21!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

omg had they MET

I...don’t know what I was expecting from the credits but Welp. I wonder who the body double was...

(And before you ask, I didn’t really get the Uncanny Valley effect from Rogue One, not even Tarkin, so.....yeah, I guess I don’t always pick up on that, or it hits me from weird directions, lol. Because I sometimes get that from the Rebels animation, especially in stills/gifsets, because everyone’s faces are all so Smooth...)

.........Jabba’s palace, okay.

.......Bib Fortuna, Okay.

(those fingernails, however, are Not Okay)

YAY RESCUE THE GIRL.

Good on you, Boba, just shooting him in the face instead of letting him posture!

although why you want to rule Tatooine is...okay then.

LOL at Fennec perching on the arm of the chair, sipping her booze all casual-like.

Right! So that was an Experience! Overall, I liked it. Looking forward to how Din and Bo handle things moving forward, in particular! Because, like I said, I’m in this series for Dadalorian (so IDK how I’ll feel with it no longer being the Core Story since Grogu left with Luke) and in this season for the Mandalorian factions/sects and how they interact.

I’m also not sure how I feel about three interconnected series leading up to a Major Finale Event? Disney’s Star Wars has not had a super great track record with giving all the information needed to follow things in the core product (see: the ST worldbuilding lol, and also some of the cameos/appearances in this season, even), so I’m Skeptical of how well they’ll do explaining what is Necessary in each of the three series, in case someone only watches one or two.

What were your thoughts?

[aion-rsa]

Star Wars: The Mandalorian Season 2 Episode 8 Review – The Rescue

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This Star Wars: The Mandalorian review contains spoilers.

The Mandalorian Season 2 Episode 8

The core of The Mandalorian has always been the connection between Din Djarin and Grogu. After the first live-action Star Wars TV offering proved in its first season that a story about a faceless Mandalorian could have so much heart (something I hope remains true in the many upcoming shows), that connection became even more vital to the storytelling in the second outing. Instead of the twisted family relationships between the Skywalkers, Din and Grogu were a found family dream, propelling the Child into households everywhere. Unfortunately, at the end of season two, Din and the Child’s heartfelt connection doesn’t quite feel as central as it should.

This isn’t the smartest show in the streaming world, but it is still one of the most fun. Din finds the location of Moff Gideon and the captured baby with the help of Boba Fett, Fennec Shand, Bo-Katan Kryze, and her lieutenant Koska Reeves. Their two-pronged rescue mission goes surprisingly well, the squad of Mandalorians and Din himself taking out stormtroopers, dark troopers, and finally, Moff Gideon. But when Din delivers Gideon alive to his allies, it’s clear this is only less than half of the former ISB agent’s plan.

Stream your Star Wars favorites right here!

Gideon tries to turn Din and Bo-Katan against one another, using his knowledge of Mandalorian tradition to initiate a fight. To truly gain the throne, he says, Bo-Katan has to win the darksaber from Din in battle. It’s both a keen portrayal of the nature of power (someone always must be humbled, especially according to an Imperial who thinks of all of the good guys as “savages”) and a classic manipulative villain. Although Gideon’s plan is clear, it doesn’t work. Eucatastrophe appears in the form of Luke Skywalker, who in the best Jedi fashion, breaks all the rules to save the day.

Din’s hard choices — whether to give Grogu to the Jedi, whether to let Bo-Katan kill Moff Gideon, what happens now that she has to, by tradition, take the darksaber from him by force — take a back seat. Instead, the energy of the final minutes is sapped by a cool but uncanny Luke, Mark Hamill’s welcome presence digitally de-aged far enough that he sometimes looks like his sketchy Battlefront avatar. That game keeps ahold of its medal as the best inter-trilogy appearance of Luke, too. Where his dialogue in the game emphasizes his kindness, on the show he’s first a warrior and then a plot device, interchangeable with the general concept of a Jedi.

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Not to say I don’t want to see more Luke, but that bit of fan service sprinkled this episode with sugar when I wanted more substance. Frankly, I didn’t find the CGI appearance too off-putting on its own, although it’s even worse when Luke turns away from the camera toward the end. Luke’s voice doesn’t sound the same anymore, and his eyes don’t have the same spark. I wonder if it would have been better or worse to have cast fan favorite Sebastian Stan or another look-alike. The ambiguity itself speaks volumes.

Luke’s presence is clearly a case of Jedi ex machina, but I was so delighted to see him that I can’t present that as an entirely bad thing. (There’s even a bit of “we called it” pleasure in there.) But as elsewhere in the episode, the build-up goes on a bit too long compared to the payoff. Luke’s dialogue is sparse and lacks emotion. As usual, the music does a lot of work here, diverting from the Star Wars method of leitmotif to give Luke a new, mystical and melancholic introduction.

Even the long-awaited fight between Moff Gideon and Din wass more setup than payoff. Surely some of the time spent reminding us the beskar steel was strong, crafting a meticulous order of operations for how tough various types of metals and glass are, could have been traded for a more dramatic setting than a single hallway. The darksaber fight was cool, with the blade setting the wall on fire and Din using some impressive footwork, but the combat didn’t travel, didn’t tell its own story with acts and beats the way the best Star Wars duels do.

I’m also torn on the fight scenes with the infiltration team. More often than not I ended up wondering whether the cool stunts were going to get the good guys killed, their eagerness to get up close and punch seemingly unnecessary and unsafe when the stormtroopers have blasters. But at the same time, it was great fun to see a team succeed with such competence, the good guys well matched with the bad. It was especially exciting because it’s a team of almost all Mandalorians and all women, armored and weighty. Moments like Cara Dune’s gun jamming reminds us Star Wars is a janky universe, its heroes subject to inconveniences as well as epic stakes.

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Like last episode, the relationship between Din and the Child drives the titular Mandalorian’s every action. His love for the baby is the whole reason he puts himself in so much danger, goes to such physically taxing lengths. But they don’t actually interact very much in the end. Even the baby plaintively reaching for Din while handcuffed doesn’t reach the tear-jerking emotions of the scene where Din laughs just seeing Grogu responding to his name. The emotional connection between the two has been well established already, but this is the finale: it shouldn’t coast on the good will from the rest of the season but should make the connection even stronger so it can twist the knife even further later. The very beginning promised some neat characterization between the good guys. There’s a lot to say about the relationship between Bo-Katan and the other Mandalorians. The scene where she and Boba meet is delightfully prickly, everyone willing to fight at the drop of a hat. Bo-Katan dismisses Boba as a clone. Boba, perhaps comforted by Din’s quick acceptance , resents her self-proclaimed right to the contested throne. Koska being so willing to fight on her leader’s behalf gave some great heat to the scene. I love the idea that the two groups have such a deep fissure between them since it illustrates exactly what Bo-Katan is trying to unite, how hard that will be, and why not all Mandalorians might agree with her. It’s also just fun, a sort of Chekhov’s gun of that many people in Mandalorian armor being in the same dingy room together.

There was plenty to love in this episode. I gasped out loud when Moff Gideon nearly shot himself, winced when it looked like the dark trooper would smash Din’s helmet in, and felt that old, old love for Star Wars when it became clear the X-wing held no ordinary pilot. Seeing Luke in the flesh was a delight despite the flaws, reminding me of how much I love the central fantasy of Return of the Jedi: a super-powered nice person can save the day on both strength and kindness. Bo-Katan, Fennec, and Cara were wonderfully cool and central, too. Din showing Grogu his face was touching and long-awaited.

But Din letting the Jedi — any Jedi, but especially one he doesn’t know — walk away with the baby feels wrong. Maybe next season, we’ll see a repeat of the show’s beginning: Din having second thoughts and going to retrieve his son again. The tease at the end of the episode suggests a lot more Boba Fett in season three, a not unwelcome prospect due to Temuera Morrison’s good performance and one that might have made filming during the pandemic more feasible. But I’m left lukewarm about this episode. Even as it wowed with individual moments, the arc of “The Rescue” overall drifted too far from Din and Grogu. Surely some of the time devoted to build-up, shiny plot threads, and cameos could have been traded for a little more time with the iconic duo.

The post Star Wars: The Mandalorian Season 2 Episode 8 Review – The Rescue appeared first on Den of Geek.

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[cc-morgan]

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But what if the mandalorian fic had the chapter naming scheme from the show, and the same number of chapters... the story as a whole is supposed to feel kind of like a single episode of the show, like a monster-of-the-week type situation that could fit between the seasons. the chapters aren’t self-contained stories, but I love the idea of borrowing the format as a tribute!

Sneak preview under the cut!

Chapter 1: The Gift

Din has a job that will help keep the lights on while he looks for other Mandalorians who might be able to help him find a Jedi. When he reaches Baroonda, his plans are delayed. He finds a gift for Grogu while stocking up on supplies.

Chapter 2: The Message

Grogu shares an important message with Din through unconventional means.

Chapter 3: The Witnesses

Din is still unable to make progress on his mission. He takes Grogu to the beach, where they meet a number of other beachgoers.

Chapter 4: The Guardian

Din is on the hunt. A strange droid blocks his path. 

Chapter 5: The Exile

Din meets his target face to face, an inventor fleeing the harsh pragmatism of a former client who does not want the inventor of their product to live.

Chapter 6: The Impostor

Grogu has been waiting for Din to return. But the person who returns in Din’s armor isn’t Din. So far, Grogu is the only one who knows that.

Chapter 7: The Faithful

It’s up to Grogu to steer the impostor towards people who might possibly be able to help. No past encounter is unimportant.

Chapter 8: The Mandalorian

If a person has spent his entire life covering his face, can he be recognized?