#plus they could both have voice modulators

[proudace]

I think it would be hilarious if random Gotham citizens heard snippets of Jason and Bruce’s fights

Like, someone’s just walking out a building, maybe the end of their shift or whatever, and just hears

“You want me to be a dumbass so bad! I read Jane Austin!” And the rest is muffled by wind

They look up, catch a glimpse of shiny red and the cowl’s ears, and are left wondering whether the criminal gang leader, or the personification of Gotham’s vengeance read Jane Austin in their spare time

[f0rg3t-me-n0t]

Under the Stars

Din Djarin x Reader

Summary: When Din calls you by a new nickname and starts to act strange you can’t help but wonder why.

Words: 5,1 k

Warnings: fluff, angst, strangers to friends to lovers

A/N: With the start of the new season I just had to write something for my boy Din <3

Masterlist 

~~~

„Cyar‘ika? You coming?“, you heard Din‘s modulated voice asking from the outside.

You were currently packing up some things to take with you to the town and looked up as you stuffed the last things into your bag.

„Yeah! Give me a minute!“, you scanned the Razor Crest for anything you could have missed.

Just then it hit you. 

That nickname was new.

You furrowed your brows as you remembered how everything began.

~~~

At first, staying with the Mandalorian hadn’t been quite voluntary. 

You both had met on Nevarro when he had been on the lookout for a mechanic to repair his Razor Crest. Pretty fast he had found your boss‘s place who then had assigned you to the task. You had always had a thing for older starships, so it had just been natural for him to choose you.

The Mandalorian hadn’t really been talkative. He had only explained to you what was wrong with the Crest, then he had left the ship in your hands while he had gone off to run some errands in town. Of course, you had started with your work immediately and it hadn’t taken you long to notice your client’s little companion, a cute little green guy. The Mandalorian had left him alone in the Crest and so you decided to look after him as well. Both of you had gotten along right away, so you had taken him with you to the engine so he could watch what you were doing.

Only hours later the moment that should turn your life upside down finally had come. While you had worked on the final steps of the reparation the Mandalorian had suddenly stormed into the workshop, nearly a dozen other guys on his tail. When he had noticed that his little companion was with you he had panicked. He had almost yelled at you for it if you hadn't shot one of his attackers with your blaster and saved his life. You always had one with you as there were often customers who caused problems. Also, it was just safer that way. A big fight had broken out and you three had just barely escaped after you had fixed the ship in a hurry while he had held off the enemies. 

Directly after the attack Mando and you had made a deal: You would take care of the ship and his little companion when he wasn’t around and in return, he would provide you with a place to stay, safety, and everything you required. Plus, he would drop you off on your planet when it was safe for you again. After the fight, not only a bounty had been placed on him, but also on you.

In the beginning, you had been in a lot of distress. Everything had been so different from what you were accustomed to. It also hadn’t helped that Mando wasn’t really up to conversations, but what, or more precisely who had made you feel better had been Grogu. The little guy was a ray of sunshine and soon you and he had grown to be best friends. He loved to watch you while you repaired stuff and one of his favorite things was going to the market with you. You always bought little trinkets or snacks for him even though Mando always made his point to only get the bare essentials. Still, you couldn’t help but disobey. Grogu had won your whole heart with his happy personality.

In contrast to this, warming up with the beskar-clad warrior had taken a little more time. You always had to initiate the conversations first and it had been really hard to get any information about his life out of him in the beginning. 

Everything finally changed after you had saved Grogu during an attack on Corvus. Some bounty hunters had surprised you while you and Mando had taken care of some issues with the Razor Crest. The warrior had managed to take out most of them, but then one had shot him in the shoulder and had tried to escape with the child. Luckily you had been able to get ahold of him at the last second. Afterwards, you had patched up the Mandalorian and he had been incredibly thankful to have had you with him. He had even started to use a nickname for you, burc‘ya, which meant friend in Mando’a, and told you his real name: Din Djarin.

Since then, your conversations felt a lot more natural and you didn’t feel like you were only working for him anymore, no, instead you felt like a part of their small union. Joking around had become a daily thing and the both of you knew that you had each other's back. It was like you were a little family now.

A few months after that event you had decided to help Boba Fett on Tatooine. He had become the new Daimyō of Mos Espa but the citizens hadn’t really accepted him. In order to solve that problem he had wanted to unite the crime syndicates in peace but the pyke-syndicate just had to be the odd one out. A massive fight had been on its way and you and Din hadn‘t wanted to let Boba down. In fact, that hadn‘t been the only reason. You both had been looking for some distraction, too. Grogu had left to train his force abilities with Luke Skywalker a few months ago and since then it just hadn’t been the same. The new task had done both of you really well and you had even forgotten that you missed the little guy. 

At least for a while and finally the day had come when everything had escalated. The other crime families had betrayed Boba Fett and had started to attack his soldiers throughout Mos Espa. Din and you had been doing the best you could to support him but it had been getting really hard with all those enemies and Scorpenek droids until suddenly someone you knew just too well had shown up. 

Him.

Peli Motto, a friend that hat helped you once with the Razor Crest, had arrived with Grogu in tow. The small one had saved the day not only with this surprise but also by lulling Boba‘s rampaging rancor to sleep and finally the three of you had been united again.

~~~

That had only been two days ago and you were still incredibly glad that your little friend was back.

„Alright. Come on.“, you held your hands out for Grogu who had been watching you and he didn’t need to be told twice.

Without hesitating he jumped into your arms by using his new abilities and you caught him while laughing.

„Okay. Let’s go. Your pops is getting impatient.“, you stepped out of the Crest and Din turned around to you. 

His helmet tilted a little and he put his arms on his waist like he was admiring the both of you, then he nodded towards the city. 

„This way.“, he said. 

He set into motion and you caught up to him.

„This is the way.“, you murmured jokingly with your best Mando impression.

Grogu giggled and you felt Din‘s stare on you. You cleared your throat as you straightened 

„Sorry, that was…“, now you felt a little silly. „…dumb.“

Instead of getting a lecture about his codex, as you had expected, you heard Din snort quietly instead.

„It’s okay, cyar‘ika.“, he answered. „It was quite funny, to be honest.“

There. Again.

„Really?“, you cocked an eyebrow.

„Really.“, he nodded and put his hand on your back to get you both back to a faster tempo again. „Just don’t make it a habit.“

„Okay.“, now you smiled a little, maybe even more at the feeling of his hand on your body than him telling you the truth.

It went silent for a while, but it was that comfortable kind of silence. Soon you reached the border of Mos Eisley.

„So…what’s the plan?“, you spoke up.

„First we should get those droid parts to Peli. It’s a gift to thank her, after all, she brought Grogu back to us. She’ll be happy about another little helper.“, your friend told you, his armor clanking as you both made your way to Peli‘s hangar. „Then, I thought, we could go to the market. We should stack up on food and other things. What do you say?“

He looked at you and Grogu babbled excitedly.

„You heard your son.“, you chuckled.

It was decided. Peli was very happy to see you again, probably the most to see Grogu. However, she eyed the droid parts with some skepticism at first. You quickly got to work putting it back together and when the little helper turned out to be a better worker than her current droids, Peli was satisfied, too. You talked a little more, then it was time to go to the market.

„Do you need anything?“, Din asked, when you entered the area.

Colorful stands with all sorts of things surrounded you, music, fresh and delicious food, you name it. Everything could be found here.

„Hmm…“, you pondered. „I don’t know. But maybe I could stroll around a little. It’s been a while since I last had the time to do that.“

„Sure.“, to your surprise the Mandalorian nodded. 

He rummaged through his pockets, then he handed you a little bag with some credits.

„Wait, really?“, you were baffled. „Since when are you so generous?“

Din shrugged.

„Since Grogu’s back.“, he said. „Also, Boba Fett gave me a little something as a thank you.“

„Oh.“, you couldn’t quite realize his words.

Only when he closed his hand around yours with the money you seemed to understand.

„Enjoy yourself.“, Din said. „I’ll get us everything else.“

With that, he left you both alone. You stood still for a few seconds before you began to move toward the stands.

„Unusual, but I’m not saying no.“, you murmured, and as soon as you saw the first fried foods you were in your element. 

You got yourself and Grogu your favorite snacks, then you both made your way through the market. As you walked through the food area you got a few ingredients and alcohol for tonight's dinner. To celebrate the recent events, you wanted to make Tiingilar, the traditional Mandalorian stew, which the child and Din loved so much. Aside from that, a few other small items, mostly for Grogu, ended up in your pocket.

After that, you decided to take a look at the stands with clothing and fabrics. For a while now you had wanted to buy a new cloth for covering up. Your recent one had to be at least ten years old by now and was riddled with holes and tears. Still, it was a little hard for you to let go of it. It had been a gift from your late mother before she had died but to be honest it wasn’t much fit for its original usage anymore. Maybe you could use it as an accessory to hang on your belt, but that’s it. 

Sighing you looked at the prices of a few shawls you liked. All of them cost too much. You had used most of the credits for the things you had already bought and now there wasn’t nearly enough for a new cloth. A quiet curse fell from your lips and Grogu looked up at you. He cooed at you, worry in his eyes, but you gave him a small smile.

„It’s alright. Maybe next time.“, you told him, then you went on to the section of the market where they sold cheaper stuff. When you finally ran out of credits you rejoined Din, who you'd seen at a gun stand.

„You done?“, he wanted to know, when he saw the both of you.

„More like: all gone.“, you laughed and gave him the empty bag back.

Chuckling he took it and put it away. 

„Well, at least it seems like you had fun.“, he said.

„Very much.“, you were grinning from ear to ear and the child cooed. 

For a while Din only looked at you in silence, but it didn’t bother you. Instead, it felt like he was smiling at you, too, and it just made you incredibly happy.

„Okay, let’s get home then.“, he cleared his throat, placed his hand on your back, and led you out of the crowd so you wouldn’t be separated.

While walking back to the Crest you talked a little about this and that and about what would happen in the next few days. When you arrived at the ship you helped Grogu into the little capsule he was usually in, so he could take a nap. It seemed like the visit to the market had been somewhat exhausting for him, but that was just alright with you. Now you could prepare the stew in peace instead of watching out for him while doing so. He liked snatching raw meat pieces from the cutting board way too much. 

You collected a few utensils for the cooking, then you joined Din outside. He was putting a fire together and you saw that he had already prepared a place for you to sit. 

„Thanks.“, you said while you took a seat.

He just waved it off as nothing but you still appreciated this act. It showed you that he cared about you, even if he didn’t say it or more precisely didn’t like to admit it. You had been noticing it for three or four months now. Sometime after the incident on Corvus he had started to support you a little more with your tasks. Whether it was buying a little pouch for your tools or letting you sleep in his bunk bed that was a little bigger than your hammock after a peculiarly stressful day, just random little acts of kindness.

You watched Din while you were chopping the veggies and the meat and when he was done with the fire he sat down next to you. Like he didn’t notice your gaze on him he pulled out his blaster and went on to clean and polish it. As you chuckled to yourself quietly you put the vegetables in a pot and started to roast them over the fire. 

„What?“, you heard the beskar-clad warrior ask.

You looked at him.

„Oh, nothing.“, you smiled and stirred the food. 

His helmet tilted like he was giving you that one specific look when somebody doesn’t believe you.

„Well.“, you shrugged now. „It just seems a little funny to me that you're cleaning your gun again. You already did that yesterday.“

At that, he averted his gaze from you.

„It fell down into the sand when you tugged Grogu in.“, he told you.

A lie. His blaster was always tightly secured at his waist.

„Sure.“, you snorted. 

It went silent as you grinned to yourself, still, you were a little suspicious of Din’s behavior. It was like he was nervous. Normally he would’ve already talked to you while making the fire, but today that hadn’t been the case. Instead, he seemed a little tense.

You breathed out and added the chicken to the roasted vegetables. After it had browned on all sides you added all the other vegetables, the liquids, various seasonings, and the couscous, then you covered the pot and stood up. Just as you tried to enter the Razor Crest you heard Din’s voice.

„Y/N.“, he said your name. 

„Yes?“, you turned towards him. 

The Mandalorian was standing now, too, something in his hands behind his back. He got closer to you and cleared his throat.

„I…uh…I got you something from the market.“, he told you.

Your eyes widened a little in surprise, even more as he pulled out one of the shawls you had looked at in Mos Eisley.

„How did you know?“, you murmured as you took the cloth from him.

For a few seconds, you let your gaze wander over the material then you looked up at Din.

„I saw you looking at some of them after I had done the errands.“, he explained. „When you left without buying one and seemed a little upset about it I decided to get you one.“

Now a smile started to spread on your lips.

„Thanks, Din. That’s kind of you.“

„No problem. Really.“, again he tried to not make a big deal out of it.

„Still. You didn’t have to do that.“, you said while removing your old cloth and putting it on your belt as you had thought about.

You wrapped the new shawl around your neck, then you slowly spun around for Din.

„What do you think?“, you asked.

„Mesh‘la.“, he said softly, and you frowned a little since you only understood a few words in Mando‘a. „It suits you.“

„Oh.“, you grinned now. „Well, thank you, dear sir. I’ll take good care of it.“

Finally, you had managed to get a little laugh out of Din, too, and after you had thanked him for a second time you went inside the crest and to the small „bathroom“.

Smiling like an idiot you admired yourself in the mirror and couldn’t help but blush. At first, you hadn’t wanted to admit it to yourself, but a few months ago you had started to get this weird feeling in your stomach every time you had been around Din. You had waved it off as being a little unwell, but that hadn’t been the case at all. You hadn’t felt bad or sick around the Mandalorian. Not even the slightest bit and eventually, you had realized what it had been, when Din had saved you from a few bounty hunters and had gotten really close to you in the process of it. You had fallen in love with him, with the man who had always struck you as cold and unapproachable, but after the incident on Corvus everything had somehow changed between you.

Now, nearly four months after this realization, you were still scared of telling him. First of all, it sometimes was still really hard for you to tell what was going on in his head and secondly, you didn’t know whether Mandalorians were allowed to have a partner or not. After the fall of Mandalore, a lot of information on its citizens had been lost and you just couldn’t seem to find a thing about this kind of topic. But what kept you from admitting your feelings to him the most was the fear that he might reject you and you would have to leave both him and Grogu. Of course, he had told you that he would drop you off on Nevarro as soon as it was safe for you again, but somehow you didn't want that anymore. You felt incredibly comfortable in your small group and honestly couldn't imagine life without them.

A worried sigh fell from your lips as you averted your gaze from your reflection in the mirror and you started to chew on your lower lip.

No. It just wasn’t the right time for telling him right now. Not when you weren’t sure about his own feelings.

You washed your face with cold water to calm yourself down a little, then you woke up Grogu. The stew wouldn’t take long anymore, so you took him outside with you and saw Din staring into the fire. The child babbled excitedly at the smell of the food and you chuckled.

„He’s hungry.“, you said while you sat down next to the Mandalorian. „Here, I’ll check on the stew.“

You handed Grogu over to Din who only nodded, then you lifted the lid of the pot and stirred the contents. 

„Yup. That’s good.“, you observed and took Grogu‘s small bowl to fill up first. „Here you go, buddy.“

You handed him the food after Din hat sat him down between the both of you. Happily, he started to gobble it up right away. Laughing you prepared a portion for Din and yourself, then you gave him one of the apple ciders you had bought at the market, too.

„To us being united again.“, you said. 

„To our little team.“, Din clinked his bottle against yours and you turned away from him so he could take a sip in privacy.

While you were eating you did the same. You were used to it since you had been doing it ever since you had been staying with him. Respecting each other was really important to you, so you always made sure that you couldn’t see his face when he needed to lift his helmet or get rid of it. Even when he had revealed his face to Grogu before Luke Skywalker had taken him with him you had looked away. 

„That’s really good, cyar‘ika.“, Din told you after his first bite and you thanked him.

It occurred to you, that he had used your new nickname again and in your mind, you made a little note to ask him about it later when Grogu would be asleep. 

As you enjoyed your meal you tried to do some more small talk with him but today he just felt off. He only replied in short sentences and you always had to initiate the conversation so after a while, you gave up with a small huff.

After everything was devoured the three of you sat in silence for some time until Din got up and offered to do the dishes. In return, you entertained the child until it was tired enough to go to sleep.

„Okay. Let’s get you in your bed.“, you said as Grogu yawned for the fourth time now.

You stood up and carried him to his little capsule inside the Crest.

„Sleep tight, little one.“, you covered his body with the blanket and kissed his head, but he had already dozed away and didn’t respond anymore.

Smiling you watched him for a while, then you went outside again. You laid down at the fire and stared up at the stars until Din returned. He seated himself and tilted his helmet towards the sky, too. In silence, you both searched for star constellations and other planets like you always did. Normally you would talk while doing that, but again, not so today. You began to ponder what could be going on and when you didn’t find an answer you had enough.

„What’s wrong, Din?“, you asked your companion.

You looked at him and through his helmet, your gazes met.

„It’s nothing.“, he said. „Don’t worry about it.“

Sighing you sat up.

„You’ve been acting strange all day.“, you replied. „It’s not nothing.“

“I just have to get used to Grogu being back. That's all. Really.”, Din turned his head away from you again and looked into the fire.

You weren't happy with that answer.

„What about yesterday? You were acting completely normal then. Yeah, Grogu was gone for a while but not that long for you to need to get accustomed to it again. Hell, to me it feels like he’s still our little guy from back then. Nothing has changed.“, you didn’t understand why he would say something like that.

„Everything has changed, cyar‘ika. Everything.“, now Din was the one to sigh.

You weren’t having it but gave in nevertheless. He didn’t seem like he wanted to argue with you about it.

„Alright.“, you huffed and crossed your arms in front of your chest. „What’s up with the new nickname anyways?“

With that, it went silent. Din just looked at you, unreadable through his helmet.

„Why?“, he asked after a few seconds.

„Well, what does it mean? I know that burc’ya means friend, but I’ve never heard that one.“, you said.

Silence. Again.

„You don’t have to say it if you don’t want to.“, you finally said, after a few minutes had gone by. „I just hope it isn’t an insult.“

You chuckled and hoped your joke would lighten the mood. In fact, Din now reacted, but in a very different way than what you had expected.

„I would never insult you, cyar‘ika.“, he answered harshly, then he took a deep breath and his voice got softer. „It…it means sweetheart.“

That you were baffled was an understatement.

„It means…“, your lips parted. „What?“

You couldn’t quite realize what was going on.

„Cyar‘ika means sweetheart…or darling.“, Din repeated himself and turned his head away from you.

„You call me sweetheart?“, you whispered.

When he didn’t react you put your hand on his.

„Please look at me.“, you chewed on your lower lip looking at him, hoping to finally understand the situation.

Slowly his gaze met yours again.

„Yes.“, he finally said. „You see…that’s part of everything. Yeah, the little one is still the same, even with his new abilities, but when he got back…I…I just realized how much he means to me. How much you both mean to me.“, he took a shaky breath. „I always thought I would be that ice-cold bounty hunter, always alone, even in death, and then Grogu showed up. He turned my life upside down and a few months later you joined us. At first, you were...well...like a burden that I had to worry about as well, but over the weeks you've become so important to me. I noticed that you cared about Grogu and me. You helped us both out of trouble several times and I am infinitely grateful for that. And after Grogu was gone, I realized all the more how much you mean to me. It broke my heart to let him go, but you somehow managed to keep me from falling apart completely. And Grogu's return made me understand that. I...I‘ve fallen in love with you. It scares the shit out of me to admit it, but I can't hide it from you anymore. Not when I might have to let you go again in a few days.“

After this confession, it was like your heart had stopped beating. 

You just looked at him in utter surprise and couldn’t seem to form a coherent sentence in your head anymore, so you just managed to say: „Why would you have to let me go?“

„Because…“, he sighed. „I got a message from Nevarro, from Magistrate Karga. He told me that we should visit sometime soon…and that the bounty on us has been withdrawn. You can return to your home again.“

He pulled away from you and you widened your eyes, breath getting caught in your throat. Shakily you scooted closer to him and cautiously laid your hands on both sides of his helmet to turn him towards you again.

„But I am home, Din.“, you told him. „I‘m with you and Grogu and that’s all I need.“, you bit your lower lip now. „I‘ve fallen for you, too, so…I won’t leave. Never.“

Through his helmet you could hear his breath hitch, then, ever so slowly he leaned into you until your forehead softly met the cold beskar.

„Dank farrik.“, he cursed quietly.

You chuckled.

„What?“, you whispered amusedly.

„I’m just very relieved.“, now you could hear him laugh a little too and you closed your eyes, grinning from ear to ear.

„Me, too.“, you said. „I…I was also really scared to tell you about my feelings. With that helmet of yours, it’s hard to read you, you know…and I didn’t know if the creed allows romantic relationships.“

You looked at Din again and backed away a little, your hands leaving his helmet.

„It does.“, he told you. „Still, I can’t show you my face. Even if you were a Mandalorian.“

Slowly you nodded.

„That’s completely okay with me.“, you then said. „I just want to be with you.“

Again you tried to lean into him, forehead against his helmet but this time he stopped you. Confused you looked at him.

„I can’t show you my face but that doesn’t mean that I can’t take off my helmet.“, Din’s voice had gotten a little hoarse and you gulped. „I want to kiss you. Is that okay?“

„Please.“, it was only a whisper but you meant it more than you had ever meant something.

With that, Din grabbed your new shawl and softly tied it around your head so you couldn’t see him anymore. As you nervously waited for his next move you could feel your heart rate increase again, especially as you heard the hiss of his helmet when he took it off.

Next, suddenly his naked hands were gently cupping your face. You hadn’t even noticed that he had taken his gloves off. Wincing you sucked in your breath but soon relaxed into his palms. His skin on yours felt incredible, so different from what you had thought. Of course, other humans had touched your skin before him, but this was something special. Din never revealed his skin, only if it was necessary.

Shakily you took a deep breath.

„Can I touch you, too?“, you asked.

„Of course, cyar‘ika.“, he said. „Please, touch me.“

He craved this just as much as you and so you cautiously let your hands travel up his body, towards his neck and finally you felt the skin of his face. Your breath hitched and you couldn’t help but smile. He felt soft underneath your fingertips, a little rougher at his jaw, where he seemed to have grown a stubble. Curiously you traced his features. At first from his cheekbones to his forehead, then from his nose to his jaw again, and finally, your thumb brushed over his lips.

„You’re beautiful, Din.“, you told him.

„Please, let me kiss you.“, he suddenly whispered.

You nodded eagerly and your fingers wandered to his hair, soft short locks in which you buried them. Slowly you could feel Din lean in until his breath ghosted over your lips. Weakly you breathed out and then, finally, his mouth was on yours, softly and incredibly gentle. Carefully his lips moved against yours and you arched into him. 

Never had you imagined it to feel this good and, fucking hell, did you need it.

With more passion he deepened the kiss now, his tongue gently meeting yours and a groan escaped his throat. His hands tugged at your waist, moving you even closer towards him. Fireworks seemed to explode in your stomach as he helped you onto his lap and it only intensified, when he withdrew to kiss your neck instead.

You suppressed a moan and just then you heard his whisper close to your ear.

„It’s okay. Let me hear you, cyar‘ika. You’re mine and I am yours now.“

[hannahmanderr]

for the ship scene ask thing have you done Savant Par yet?

(TechHunter AU: a spin on a No One Knows AU in which Tucker takes up a role much like Valerie's and begins to hunt ghosts - only he doesn't know that one of those ghosts happens to be his best friend)

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

Danny thought that staring down the end of an ecto-blaster held by his parents was one of the worst feelings in the world.

Turns out, staring down the end of an ecto-blaster held by his best friend was the worst feeling in the world.

He could barely control his panicked breathing as he pressed his back further and further into the brick wall, frozen in fear. Somewhere in the back of his mind, a voice yelled at him to just phase through the wall you idiot! But it was drowned out by the other, louder voices telling him that this was capital-B Bad and just how screwed he was.

"W-what do you want?" he asked. Hopefully the waver in his voice was more imagined than anything, but he doubted it was true.

The blaster didn't move an inch. "You've gotten away with this far too long, Phantom," the figure on the other end of the gun said. His voice was distorted by the voice modulator in his helmet.

Danny knew it was Tucker. Had known it was Tucker. He'd recognized the voice back before the modulator had been installed.

Now though, it sounded nothing like his lifelong friend. It only made the situation that much more terrifying, especially when compounded with the fact that he couldn't see Tucker's face through the tinted visor he wore.

He swallowed. "Gotten away with what?"

Apparently that had been the exact wrong thing to say. He grunted as the blaster was jabbed straight into his chest.

"Don't play dumb with me! You know exactly what you've been doing!" Tucker yelled. "It ends tonight. I'm here to make sure of that."

Danny's heart and core both began to race. Flashes of all the opportunities he'd had to tell Tucker and Sam of his secret began to flood his mind's eye, but he shoved them to the back of his mind as far as he could. "L-listen! Can't you - can't we talk about this for a minute?"

"Why should I? You don't deserve it. Not after what you've been doing to Danny."

Well now that caught his attention.

"I haven't been doing anything to Danny," he said quietly. Did it count as the truth if he was Danny? And he wasn't doing anything to himself?

The blaster was pushed even farther into his chest. "You might as well just drop the act, I already know your dirty little secret!"

Danny's stomach dropped. "You - you do?"

"Of course I do! You don't think I've seen how tired he is all the time? The bags under his eyes? And how he keeps getting all those random bruises and stuff? It's so obvious, I can't believe I didn't figure it out before."

"Please, Tucker, I can expl-"

"What did you just call me?"

Danny froze again. "I - Tucker, you have to let me explain, I swear I didn't mean to hurt you!"

"No, no." Tucker shook his head. "You've known? This whole time? Who I am?"

The danger in the question was palpable. Tread carefully, Fenton. "I mean... yes? I, uh... saw you take your helmet off once?" Yeah, that seemed mostly plausible. Especially if there was any shot his own secret was safe.

Tucker stayed quiet for a long moment. Danny wished he could see past the visor. It was unbearable, not being able to see his face.

"Danny found out," he finally whispered. "He found out and he told you, didn't he?"

"Um..."

"No, wait. Wait. You forced him to tell you, didn't you?"

"What?" Danny yelped as Tucker's other hand slammed into the wall, right next to his face.

"Because that's all he is to you, isn't he?" Tucker growled. "He's just some puny little human that you can mess with because you're the big, bad ghost boy."

Well, if there was a plus side to this, it was that his secret was safe after all. "It's not like that at all! He's - I'm not messing with him!"

"Well let me tell you something," Tucker continued, as if Danny hadn't spoken. "That boy you think is your personal plaything? That you think you can do whatever you want with? He's worth way more than you could even dream of."

Danny found himself at a loss for words. His heart and core continued to thud frantically and disjointedly. "What do you mean?" was all he could bring himself to say.

"I love him is what I mean!"

Time stood still around them. The full force of Tucker's words hit Danny like the brick wall behind him. The kind of love Tucker had to be talking about...

... it wasn't just brotherly friend love, wasn't it?

His heart broke into a million pieces.

Tucker's breaths were uneven and shallow. "I love him," he repeated, quieter this time. "And... and if you think you can keep hurting him like this..."

The blaster whined, and an uncomfortable heat built up against Danny's chest.

"... then let's just say the only way you'll get to him is over my dead body."

For some reason, the words finally kickstarted his brain into gear. Barely giving himself the time to consider whether it was a smart choice or not, Danny turned himself intangible and fell through the wall behind him. He scrambled to his feet and emerged on the other side of the wall before taking off into the sky at top speed.

Only the wind and the fading echoes of Tucker's furious shouts rang in his ears.

He didn't stop flying until he was on the other side of the city. He didn't even bother to check where he was before collapsing onto the roof of one of the buildings, curling into himself and letting his tears flow freely down his face.

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

~~Send me a ship and I'll send you the first scene that comes to mind with them!

[aestheticpearl]

𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐧!𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 — 𝐝𝐢𝐧 𝐝𝐣𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧

(no use of y/n)

a/n: everytime i rewatch the mandalorian i think about if din had a friend that was also a mandalorian, so here are some headcanons

first meeting

you were the apprentice to the armorer and had met din when he first brought the case of beskar to her so she could forge it into something of great purpose. you struck up a conversation with him asking about his armor and the damage that it seem to have. 

“so who rocked your shit?”

“mud horn”

“woahhhh that’s so cool”

you were definitely younger then him and he easily picked up on that, you had so much energy. he thought it was funny how bright eyed and bushy tailed you were for the armorers apprentice. it was nice to meet someone who had a little more positive outlook on life.

how you started traveling together

after din returned to the underground tunnels clearly injured with a small group of people. he asked for the armored to come with them. she declined and told him to take you instead, much to your shock.

“what? i’m not leaving you!” she turned to you.

“you must. i will stall them, if you remain with me i can’t protect you. you must go with din djarin.” she says, at the end you hear her voice soften. “i will be fine” you nod and turn to the small group.

“we have to go now”

life on the razor crest

din wouldn’t admit it out loud but you traveling with him made his life so much more easier. you helped a lot looking after the kid and your forging skills came in handy every now and then. he trained with you in hand to hand to brush up on both of your skills.

“you’re pretty good at this” he says bluntly.

“i’m better at defense but thank you for the compliment” you say as you block another one of his strikes.

the small child watches both of you closely with his big eyes. he sure is funny looking.

babysitting

“remind me why i can’t go with you again?”

“cause someone has to watch the kid, it’s far too dangerous for both of you”

you’re practically pouting at the statement and so his the child in your lap. you pet his small head with your gloved hand and he coos out at you, telling you that he enjoys the affection you’re giving him.

“i could handle it”

“i’m not risking it, plus the kid likes you”

you let out a sigh and look down at the small child smiling up at you, dang it he is too cute. you give your pinky that he grips tightly with his little three fingers hand.

“he’s lucky i like him too”

patching each other up

“you need to focus on patching yourself up”

“you are in far worse condition than me”

you point to the large gash in his side that you’re trying to tend to but he seems to think the cut on your leg is far more important than the near fatal injury he possesses currently.

“din please just let me help you so i can’t help myself” you say through gritted teeth, you hope that your voice modulator doesn’t pick up that you sound in pain.

“fine but you’re letting me help you after”

“deal”

getting separated

maybe you should’ve stayed on the ship this time, you’re definitely lost and your com isn’t working due to the distance at least that’s what you’ve pegged the problem as.

this is honestly really embarrassing, you could’ve sworn that the ship was parked here in this now empty spot. there’s no way din would leave you here though, right? well if you think about it, there’s plenty of reasons for him to leave you behind. maybe this was cause you told him he need to eat something that wasn’t just a quick meal.

“hey can you hear me? i’m landing near your location” oh thank god.

“thought you left me behind tin head” he scoffs.

“you’re one to talk, i was out looking for you cause you didn’t stay put”

feelings towards you

din hated to admit it but he had grown a fond attachment to you and so had the kid. you just seemed to fit so nicely in their lives, it felt natural to have you around and it was nice to have someone to bounce strategies off of plus you knew your way around the ship and welded most damage that was done to it.

“hey you’re staring off into nothingness again” you tap his helmet lightly and he shakes himself back to reality to face you.

you’re hold the kid on your lap as he looks at din with his big eyes. he coos and tilts his head to the side and smiles up at din.

for the first time in a while din felt comfortable with someone else’s presence and he liked being around you.

without the helmet

when din had to revealed his face to further your mission to rescue the child you didn’t say a word to him about anything that he did. you didn’t tell him how he broke the creed that you both were suppose to be up holding and he certainly didn’t tell him about how attractive he looked.

“i didn’t see anything.” din doesn’t respond, he just nods at you and walks back into the ship silently.

you feel bad for him, he had to sacrifice the creeds laws to rescue this child that clearly means a lot to him. it’s quite touching if you really think about it.

please reblog to show support ✧·˚ ༘ * ༄

in honor of season three coming out

.love always <3 pearl

.masterlist

[minniethemoocherda]

Iridescent: Chapter 17

A/N: Happy Easter!!! Also next update is probably going to be another one-shot so keep an eye out for that! And don't be alarmed if there isn't a new chapter on this fic in three weeks time as it will be a separate story! Xxxxxxxxxx

Ao3

FF.net

Jazz spent the rest of that night in the officers' washracks trying to scrub away the stench of waste and stains of energon.

In the morning, he finally went to see Ratchet who claimed to be lost for words at the fact that he'd somehow been walking around for the past three days with a broken back strut. After proceeding to get yelled at for the next forty-five minutes, Jazz left with a fixed back and ringing audials.

Still, even though Jazz hadn't slept a wink during the night, (what was one more day after staying awake for a week straight?) he didn't regret waiting till the next day to get seen too. If Ratchet had tried to shout at him yesterday, Jazz probably would've stabbed him.

Plus, waiting until the morning to go to the medbay gave Jazz an excuse to check in on a very important patient.

After his examination, he pushed back the curtained of the area that been sectioned off for Bumblebee.

Swaddled in a blanket he looked as small as he had the day they'd rescued him.

Unsuprisigly, Optimus was by his berth side. One servo stroked Bumblebee's helm, the Prime's hand never quite leaving his sparkling's touch.

Optimus didn't even look up as Jazz took a seat besides him. Only the slight nod, of his head acknowledging that someone else was now in the room besides Bumblebee

"How is he?" Jazz asked.

"He is stable." Optimus whispered as though scared that even speaking too loud could accidently cause the unconscious bot further damage. "It was only his throat and jaw that received substantial damage."

"And his voice box?"

Optimus recoiled as though Jazz had just punched him in the face. Jazz watched as his oldest friend took a deep breathe before forcing the next words out of his mouth.

"There was nothing left to fix. And even if there was we would not have had the spare parts to fix it. We will never hear his voice again."

Jazz sunk into the seat. Even though he had been there to witness the event, his brain module still found it hard to process the information.

They both turned their attention back to Bumblebee taking in the the quiet vents of his slumber that mean that he was alive.

With the energon cleaned away, Jazz could now clearly see the extent of the damage for himself. Not only had his throat been ripped off, part of his lower jaw was gone too. Bumblebee was so small that even a dead mech's jaw wouldn't have fit him so instead a miss match of scrap metal had been used to reconstruct it, leaving only a round hole so that he could still drink energon. Jazz didn't doubt that Ratchet had done the best he could. But it didn't change the fact that perhaps the one thing that was worse than never hearing the young scout speak again, was that they would never see him smile.

Jazz couldn't help thinking of everything that had lead to this point. Particularly how he had trained and spared with the young bot growing up, telling himself that it was all in the name of self defence.

"It wasn't your fault." Optimus said because even without the Matrix, he had been one of the few bots able to tell what was on Jazz's mind.

"It wasn't yours either." He told their leader.

Because as Prowl had remined him, Megatron was the one who had done this.

"Megatron has to be stopped." Jazz stated.

"I know." Optimus conceded. Whatever they had been in the past, and frankly Jazz had never wanted to know the details, it was finally over. There was no coming back from this.

That was when for the first time since escaping the Nemeisis, Bumblebee opened his eyes.

Blue light flickered as their optics darted around the room, suddenly widening as they caught something in the shadows that neither of them could see.

Bumblebee thrashed against an imaginary enemy, the machines surrounding him screeching out an alarm as he yanked out the energon drip from his wrist. Optimus leapt to his feet to hold him down but Jazz grabbed him by the shoulder to hold him back.

"Don't." Jazz warned. "Just talk."

Reluctantly Optimus nodded, joining Jazz as they tried their best to soothe Bumblebee down with soft words of reassurance.

Jazz watched as their voices must've have eventually broken through whatever horror Bumblebee was experiencing, as those big blue eyes settled on the bot that he had come to see as his sire.

Bumblebee tried to speak, probably Optimus's name, but all that came out was a static BZZZZZ.

Jazz was powerless to help as Bumblebee clutched his throat, eyes widening once again as he no doubt remembered why he could not talk.

Moments later, he broke down into a fit of static fits, not even able to properly cry.

Jazz finally let go of Optimus's shoulder, letting their Prime lean down to cradle the bot they'd raised into a hug. Bumblebee latched onto him, the claws of his servos digging into the Prime's armour. Not that Optimus appeared to care, as he held his ward's scared face against his spark.

Jazz let the pair be.

The last thing Bumblebee needed right now was for him to be The Fun Uncle.

There was no fun to be had when coming to terms with the fact that your body was broken beyond repair.

Besides, Bumblebee wasn't the only person he owed a visit too today.

It was still early. Most mornings shifts weren't due to start for another hour. But Jazz knew Prowl well enough by now, so he was well aware that the mech would already be up re-reading meeting notes and overanalysing battle plans.

Jazz made his way quickly down the empty corridors to Prowl’s room. He reached up a hand, about to knock on the door when it opened and he had to catch himself from accidently hitting his fellow commander on the chassis.

Immediately Jazz's eyes were drawn to Prowl's wrist. Prowl's self-healing nanites had been hard at work over night and now the crack was barely noticeable. You wouldn't notice it if you weren't looking for it. But Jazz was.

Now Jazz knew that he had done bad things in the name of the greater good and that when this was all over he wouldn't be surprised if Primus condemned him to the pits for it.

But he tried.

He knew what he was capable of and refused to let himself cause harm without a damn good reason.

Injuring Prowl whilst in the middle of a mental breakdown was not a good reason. And he hated himself for it.

"I'm sorry." Jazz said, even though the words felt inadequate for what he wanted to say.

"It doesn't hurt." Prowl reassured him, no doubt having noticed Jazz looking at his wrist.

"That's not the point." Jazz said, his voice coming out as more of a spat than he would usually allow in public. Not that there was much point pretending in front of Prowl anymore when the mech had seen him at his worse.

For once Prowl didn't take the opportunity to argue with him and instead decided to move on to the other cyber-elephant in the room.

"Have you seen Rung?" He asked.

"There's no point." Jazz snorted, his laugh genuine if still slightly bitter. "I already know what's wrong with me."

"But are you doing anything about it?"

Well Jazz had to admit that Prowl had him there. As Jazz struggled to come up with a retort, Prowl continued.

"I don't care if you hate me for telling you this, but you need professional help."

"I know." Jazz couldn't help but sigh. He could feel Prowl's calculating gaze bore into him. The intense look making him feel naked and not in a fun way. At least the bot wasn't looking at him with disgust, or worst pity. Jazz did his best to match his stare. "And I know that you don't care if I hate you but I want you to know that I don’t."

Jazz walked away. The last thing his physical needed today was to hear how much Prowl still despised him. In his haste, he almost missed Prowl's reply.

"I don't hate you either."

[cluescorner]

Randomized Robins, names and character work

I figured out what I want everybody's superhero name to be and wrote out their explanations for why they chose their names to try to figure out how I want to write them going forward.

Steph (Spoiler, then Clue): I named myself Spoiler because I was going out to Spoil all my dad’s plans! And now I’ve named myself Clue, because after my father’s death I want the chance to turn his name into something good. Plus I’ve changed my goals for why I’m doing this whole vigilante thing. Instead of being someone who ‘spoils’ the plans of villains, I want to help people and show them the true way the world can be. It’s not enough to just stop the bad guys anymore, I want to protect people who can’t protect themselves or just need a push in the right direction.

Tim (Spoiler, then Paradox): After I was brought back, everything about me felt wrong. I was Tim, yet I had another ‘self’ crudely shoved in me…literally. I was supposed to be dead, yet I was alive. I was supposed to be a ‘good guy’, yet all I could feel was an onslaught of awful emotions (not to mention that I broke Bruce’s rule, I’m a murderer now). I was supposed to be Jack’s kid, yet whenever I pictured ‘dad’ two people who weren’t him came to mind. I was Bruce’s son and Steph’s boyfriend and Cass’s friend, yet they left me with him for so long…and I suppose I betrayed them back. I had friends who could literally hear my goddamn heartbeat and protect me from bullets and race to me from across the world, yet when I screamed until my voice was raw begging for them to help or free me from that hell or to kill me and get it over with they never showed up. *Sigh* So yeah, I was basically a walking contradiction. But Pierrot and I needed to agree. And he thought ‘contra’ was both too basic and that nobody would get it. So we compromised and now we’re Paradox. 

Pierrot (He’s just Pierrot): Ok, so I got to name MYSELF! Which is AWESOME but also a lot of pressure. I mean, I started existing 2 weeks ago and now Ra’s was asking me for a name?! Like, I just spawned, can I have a bit longer before I have to make a lifelong commitment? But he was an efficient man and wanted to initiate Tim and I into the League and he couldn’t do that if I didn’t have a name. I had 3 hours. So, I went to Talia. She had just had a kid and she named him, maybe she could name me! She wouldn’t do that, but she did give me a baby book. It was useless and I hated all of those names. I was down to the last hour when Tim suggested that I just take his middle name, which is JACKSON! And I thought, “Like I’m gonna name myself after his dad!” But then it got me thinking…what if I name myself after my dad?! The Joker TECHNICALLY wasn’t my dad, but he did make the chip and the chip made me! So I had it! I would name myself ‘Jack’ and trick Tim into thinking I did it based on his advice! The perfect plan. 

….Then once we left the league I decided that I hate my dad and also his name. So I changed my name to Pierrot. It fits into my whole ‘tragic clown’ bit and I like how it has the name first letter and amount of syllables that our ‘vigilante’ name has. Plus it makes me sound sophisticated!

…….Ok fine I also like Hatsune Miku and she had a song about a puppet clown named Pierrot and I went ‘hey I like this song! yoink’. Plus there’s also another Vocaloid song about a kid named Pierrot who kills people at the behest of their parental figure and like…hello?? That’s literally our whole thing. I thought that it would be a fun if I could use that as a reason to code Vocaloid sound-banks into the mask so I could sound like Miku whenever I felt like it. Tim is still vetoing that idea. But I think the idea of getting chased by Batsy and singing ’The Disappearance of Hatsune Miku’ while he overanalyzes the lyrics of what we’re singing and guilts himself even more would be SUPER FUNNY. It’d probably mess him up for WEEKS! I mean, we have the voice modulator and it can speed our voice up, why not use it for something besides sending coded messages to Bart! 

Dick (Spoiler, then Twist): I really don’t think that Bruce wanted any more kids. It’d been a few years since Tim died and everybody could tell that Bruce Wayne was a mess afterwards. The only times he really went out were for official appearances and to go places with Cass. He hadn’t made any new friends or even kept up with his old ones, everybody thought that any chance he had at moving on was caput. So when he adopted me after my parents died, I think even he was surprised. And I just kept surprising people, first by finding out about Batman and then by becoming Spoiler and then by being really good at it! So I guess my name kinda reflects that. It’s a way to remember my parents too. Some of my best memories of them were of us flying in the sky and having fun, twisting up and around in the air. 

Damian (Spoiler, then Hoax): When I first arrived, everybody figured that I was some ploy my grandfather had dragged my mother into. In reality she was trying to get me away from the mess that was the league, but they were all paranoid enough to run plenty of tests. To the surprise of everyone except me, and Paradox perhaps, I was as real as they come. But this did not mean they trusted me. In their defense, I probably would not have trusted me either. Mother had hidden a lot from Father, for good reasons but these were still betrayals, and everybody was already on edge after Timothy’s return. The mantle of Spoiler was withheld from me until I stole the costume and went out on my own. But everybody could tell I wasn’t quite like the other Spoilers, I was too good for a kid just starting out and far more brutal than any Spoiler ought to be. Thus, I was dubbed the ‘fake Spoiler’ until Father finally let me join him officially. My name spawned from these memories and the emotions that came along with them. And after Dr. Thompkins helped me with my ‘death’, it only became more relevant.  

Jason (He’s Spoiler! So what does the name Spoiler mean to him?): Steph picked a really funny name in retrospect. I mean, the phrase ‘No Spoilers’ took on a whole new meaning in Crime Alley after she started showing up! I’d be asking people not to tell me the endings of books and they’d think I was doing some funny business that I didn’t want the capes showing up to. We got more used to Spoiler over time and most of us kids actually started liking her. It was probably because she seemed…like us. She was a normal person, not some looming rich jerk like Batman. She could relate to us when we talked about our parents and gave us advice that came from experience, not a guy repeating the same canned advice we could find on the internet. Our feelings about the Spoilers changed depending on who had the mantle, but we always trusted Spoiler to help us out without also ruining our lives. They were kids and they understood us. So…I guess to me Spoiler is someone who understands people when Batman can’t. They’re a symbol that we can all make a difference in somebody’s life, we don’t have to be some meta-human or really rich to do what we can to help each other. …I really hope that I can live up to that.

[sroop]

guided (i)

"This is my puck, so either we both go together, or you stay behind." It's her way of saying: kriff off.

Author's Note: always wondered about the Mandalorian with an apprentice and wanted to write a bit about what I think Din would try to be as a mentor. This is definitely not the most canon accurate and Grogu isn't mentioned

Summary: Bounty hunting is precarious, even more so when it becomes personal. Din is determined not to let his apprentice learn that the hard way.

next

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Reyza is a good listener. Which was inconvenient because Din was a good listener too, and that meant it was mostly just silence between the two of them.

Normally, Din enjoys the quiet. He's used to nothing but the hum of the engines, the rattling of the carbonite system, or the firm whoosh of atmosphere thrumming against the ship. Even the more talkative quarries he brings on board are quickly silenced. So it's not the quiet that unnerves him, just the fact that it's silent when someone living and breathing and certainly not encased in carbonite is within arm's reach.

Plus, Reyza's silence today seems... cool. Din has been privy to companionable silences before, even from Reyza, herself. Today, she's faraway somewhere, and he's not so sure if it was just as simple as an off day for her. He tips his helmet towards her, watching.

"We don't have to go."

"We do. We should."

Din frowns beneath his armor and glances at the navigation system. Only a few hours before they reach Corellia. From what he's gathered about Reyza, she was either born on Corellia, or spent some harrowing years on it. He's not entirely sure if she was anywhere near their destination, Coronet City, or if she had even seen it before; but he was willing to put down a hard bet that she had, judging from the begrudging determination in her voice. He sighs too quietly for the modulator to pick up.

"Run interference from the ship."

That has her snapping to attention, all the distance and distraction of the last few days crashing in the face of the present. Din can't see her face, but he can imagine she's livid.

"What?" she growls.

"Run interference from the ship. Nonnegotiable."

There's a cold pause as Reyza races to find the right words for the Mandalorian. He was treating her like she was a child, as though she hadn't saved his life on multiple occasions or survived on her own as a full-fledged assassin long before he had ever made himself known to her. And the word nonnegotiable ate at her ego and insecurities in a way she was reluctant to admit, even internally. She could take care of herself. She could take care of this bounty, even alone. Reyza ground her jaw.

"This is my puck, so either we both go together, or you stay behind." It's her way of saying: kriff off.

"I'm not staying behind, you don't have the firepower. I'm not taking you with me until you're honest about what's bothering you about this bounty. It's dangerous to be distracted," Din replies. His voice is level and Reyza resents his composure.

But he's right. She's not childish enough to deny that, and certainly not naive enough to believe that she was above the dangers of human emotion under pressure. She glances at him guiltily, feeling a little juvenile.

Maybe it was a good idea to stay on the ship and let Din handle this one himself. She wasn't exactly rearing to see the city again, or the people in it. But she also hated the idea of standing by on a mission so personal to her. Reyza was left a simple choice: confess, or stand by.

The words feel slow and heavy in her chest, crawling their way up her throat and complaining about it the whole way up. It was like vomiting, but worse.

"I wasn't born on Corellia, I know that's what Karga's file on me says. I was born somewhere else, don't know where, and I was abducted to Corellia when I was really small." She huffs through her nose and shrugs. "I was there until I escaped, and that's all. I went to Nevarro, started working for Karga-" she shrugs again, "- and you know what happens next."

Din mulls over the brief story. It contained the absolute minimum amount of information she could have given, but he knew what it was to want to forget.

"Coronet City?" he asks.

"Yeah."

He recalls briefly why he had taken Reyza on as his apprentice in the first place. It wasn't just Karga complaining that the Nevarro guild would have no reliable hunters once he decided to retire. It was the starburst sigil she wore on a silver chain around her neck.

He'd recognized it immediately as the mark of Polaris. In their heyday, before the Empire, they'd been a deadly force of assassins and spies. A network spanning galaxies, infiltrating and plucking fate strings so expertly that it was unclear where their influence started or ended. But somewhere along the way, their name faded and the work of their assassins dwindled and they became more myth than reality. Almost like the Mandalorians.

Except Din was willing to assume that the Mandalorians valued their foundlings and assets a little more dearly than whatever or whoever it was Reyza went through.

"Polaris?" he asked, a pitch quieter.

"Yeah," she answers, a beat slower.

Reyza's knees go to her face and she spends the rest of the flight curled to her right, away from Din and his pesky questions and unfortunate truths. Reyza wonders what this means. Was her answer acceptable enough for him to deem her not a threat to their mission? Was he waiting for more? Was she still stuck a passenger on her own bounty hunt? Leftover irritation scratches at the back of her neck and she bristles again. Stupid Mandalorian and his stupid, self-righteous moral high ground. She turns to glare at him.

"It's my puck," she declares again, though she's not quite sure to what end.

Din chuckles under his helmet. Gods, for someone more competent than most, she could be such a child.

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Thanks for reading, and I'd love to hear feedback!

[iamsherlocked-1998]

Cold is a phase (Part 2: follow the path).

A bad moment in a bounty is turning in something more.

Warning: Just something sweet.

Words: 637

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A faint light coming through the window gently woke you up, when you returned to consciousness after hours of sleep realized that during the night you moved to rest head on the Mandalorian's lap, you straightened up somewhat embarrassed, at least it seemed that the man was still asleep.

Then something weirded you out, the room was colder than it should be and your little greenie was nowhere to be seen. You called Djarin to alert him.

-Din, where is Grogu?

-What? ... (You could notice the drowsiness of sleep in his voice even through the modulator, but he didn't take long to react).

-Damn, the door is open... (the Mandalorian almost jumped up, letting out a worried grunt).

You panicked when realized it, tried to get up with great difficulty but your leg still bothered you.

That was until you saw through the window that the boy was only a few meters away and Din was following in his footsteps, then the little threat ran like he never did. He unexpectedly used his powers to throw a large mass of snow at his father. That made you let out an involuntary laugh.

The man stood up straight, annoyed, but the boy began to laugh. You saw how Djarin's shoulders relaxed. At that moment, he grabbed a piece of snow and made a ball that he deliberately threw right next to Grogu.

The boy continued playing while Din tried to avoid his "attacks." After a while they were both lying on the floor, you noticed that your partner's chest was shaking with amusement.

You wished could accompany them, but still don't expect to see something so domestic. After all, the visit to this planet was not so disastrous.

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A few weeks had passed and your injury was much better, you even had the opportunity to consult a doctor and were finally home in Nevarro, although still had rest to do.

Din had received an assignment, plus it was time to make a stop in Mandalore so he would take Grogu with him. You knew you had to stay but were still going to miss them.

-It will only be a few days... (the hunter said goodbye at the door of the small cabin with Grogu in his arms).

-I know....(you sighed wistfully).

The man rested the front of his helmet against your forehead and you smiled, taking the opportunity to give the boy a kiss.

-I forgot... (Din turned around, interrupting his tour of the ship as if he noticed something) I found a stuff days ago that might interest you, it's in the upstairs closet, I wanted to prevent the boy from reaching it.

You cocked your head in confusion as the N1 rose and disappeared into the atmosphere.

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The curiosity piqued you, what had your partner thought?

You opened the door to the small closet you used to store things didn't need to have on hand.

You realized immediately what he was referring to, saw a very well wrapped package, tied to it was a small bag with sweets. Your Mandalorian gave you a gift.

You opened the paper nervously, but never expected to find THAT. Right there looking at you was the most prized possession of your childhood, your father's book of legends, in perfect condition.

You noticed how eyes became moist and hugged the package tightly. You didn't know how he did it but if anyone could, it was Din, you would have to think of a good gift for him.

[multifandomnonsense]

“please, for the love of god, shut up for once.” “why don’t you come over here and make me?”

Quinfox

Alright this took a while but I did it:

Out of all the jedi Fox could end up working a case with, why was it always Quinlan Vos? He'd asked himself that question more times then he could count. They'd been on about a dozen different missions together trying to apprehend whatever criminal the republic needed dealt with. After the first two times he'd tried to push these missions off on Thorn, Thire, or any other member of the Corusant guard, but he'd never been very successful. They always had some reason why they couldn't do it and the times when they could it was a case Fox had been working for a while so there was no way he was going to let Vos come in and get all the credit.

Of course this just had to be one of those times. Someone had broken into the senate building and stolen a valuable data tape. Fox had been trying to track the guy down for almost two weeks now and when he finally managed to get the description and a tip on where he could find the guy, the people from the senate just had to insist he bring back up in the form of a jedi. Even worse they were going undercover for the mission instead of just going to the place and immediately arresting the guy. Unfortunately they didn't know when he would be at the cantina and didn't want him to know they were there and run.

So that was how Fox had found himself sitting at the back corner table of a noisy cantina, wearing civilian clothes, sitting next to Quinlan Vos. The noise wasn't really that much of a problem, it was more the fact that he hated the music. Some annoying pop song that reminded him of the stuff Thorn listened to.

The civilian clothes were only an issue because he hated being without his armor in public. It gave him a sense of safety even if he knew a really good blaster could burn right through it. Plus without his helmet he felt exposed. Now he had to think about keeping his facial expression and tone controlled because he couldn't hide it with a helmet and a voice modulator. Plus he kept worrying someone might recognize his face since it was one of the most known it the galaxy right now. He did have a bandana tied around his face that covered his nose and mouth and that had kept him from being recognized. Also the fact that a lot of people didn't actually know what they looked like under the helmet.

The biggest problem he had right now wasn't the noise or the the clothes though, it was definitely Vos. In order to have a good view of the whole room they'd chosen a corner table and both sat on the same side of it so they could both easily look around the room. Unfortunately sitting at the same table meant they had to talk to keep up the appearance of 'two people hanging out at a cantina'. Of course Vos just had to take them needing to talk seriously and insisted on actually trying to talk to him rather then saying just enough to keep anyone from being suspicious.

"So Foxy," he began, using the nickname Fox hated so much, and attempting to start a new conversation after Fox shut the last one down. "What do you even do in your spare time? I just always see you working. You must get some time off, right?"

"Not really." Hopefully if he kept his answers short like had with Vos' last few attempts at conversation he could shut this topic down too. Unfortunately it would probably just mean another subject change.

Continued on AO3

[foxgirl95]

Back Into the Fray CH.3: You Never Tell, You Only Ask

Chapter Description: The flight to Ukio is short but informative.

AO3 Link

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First Chapter

The start of the trip had been pretty quiet, and thanks to that quietness the child had ended up falling asleep in his little makeshift cradle haphazardly strapped to his seat. The two adults took the opportunity to sneak down into the hull to not accidentally wake him. Now in the brightly lit area that Anai was very grateful for, they both set about their activities. Mando had set about cleaning his weapons while his current companion was trying, and failing, to repair her visor. He had to stifle a chuckle every time sparks flew, and she muttered a string of curses under her breath. At least he assumed she was swearing, the language she used didn’t sound like anything he was familiar with. It was after the fourth or fifth time Mando finally looked over to her, holding out his hand “Here, let me take a look at it.” She looked between him and the visor contemplating before placing both it and the tool she’d been using in his hand “You know what, go for it I’ll switch you jobs for a minute.” She reached for a blaster as he spoke up “You don’t need to.” He knew she probably had very little insight into Mandalorian culture but cleaning one’s weapon was considered a very…intimate action. The woman sighed “Look, if we keep helping each other we’re gonna keep owing favors to one another. I’m just trying to keep us square.” Without much consideration for whatever he wanted to say next she grabbed one of the many pieces and a rag as she started cleaning it. They sat in silence for a moment before Mando spoke up again “That language you used, what is it?” He soldered wires to their connections as he spoke “I’ve never heard it before.”

Anai scoffed, not even looking up from her cleaning. “It’s from the planet of None ya’.” He looked up from his work curiously as she finally landed her gaze on him “None ya’ business.” She then went back to cleaning, striking down any further questions of her origins.

Okay, that’s fair. Mando thought to himself as he continued working on her visor. He wasn’t one to go spewing things about his life either, for some reason though he was curious about her. He knew plenty of people who acted just like her, to him she was ordinary. She was someone who provided for herself, walked around not giving a single fuck what anyone thought about her, and she had secrets she held close to her chest. Then again, she had also shown him more humanity than he was used to, not that she was the first, but it still caught him off guard. He couldn’t shake it though; he felt a need to poke around and see what he could get out of her “Why does a mechanic need a visor?” He finally asked, watching as her emerald-green eyes shifted in his direction again “Don’t see a lot of them run around with these.”

“It’s not for work if that’s what you’re asking.” There was no malice in her voice. She was calm and steady as she continued cleaning the parts laid out between them. “It’s a necessity, I have night blindness.” Mando’s head snapped in her direction, it wasn’t entirely uncommon but that’s not what he expected out of a pilot. “You can’t see, but you still fly?” His voice came out as skeptical even through the modulator. Anai nodded nonchalantly like the reaction was something she was used to “Yep, hence why I need that visor.” She repositioned herself a bit, her upper body now turned towards him. “It helps, plus I can link it up to Racket and I can watch my ass in a fight too.”

There was a long pause, Mando didn’t know what to say to that. Finally, she looked up at him with a knowing smile like she knew what he was thinking “You can say it y’know.” He cocked his head to the side curiously as she continued “You can say I’m crazy, I promise I won’t be offended.” Mando paused a moment before responding “Crazy isn’t the word I was gonna use, it was reckless. Has it always been like that?” She nodded with a laugh “Yes, I’ve had it my entire life.”

“Even when you flew for the rebellion?”

“How do you think I got the visor in the first place?”

He sighed, shaking his head at a loss for words while Anai laughed. They both continued their separate tasks in silence. Mando’s head was still reeling with questions, but he wasn’t sure how much more ridiculousness he could take. He kept thinking about it as he worked until a giggle came from the woman next to him grabbing his attention. She sat there with her rag in hand with her arms crossed “You have more questions, don’t you?” He didn’t look up or confirm he just asked the next question “Why’d they let you fly?” Anai shrugged, “They were desperate for anyone even willing to learn, don’t get me wrong there was a lot of debate about it, but our numbers were so low at the time, and we kept losing more people.” She sighed before reaching down to pick up another part. “It was easier for them to work with what they had, mind you, they didn’t just drop me in an x-wing and let me go, I trained for two years before Yavin.”

“Was Yavin your first time out?”

She scoffed “Yeah, and what a hell of a first battle huh?” To which Mando shrugged “I’ve only heard about it from an outside perspective.” She looked up at him with a smirk. “Well, I wouldn’t mind sharing some old war stories.”

For the next hour and a half, Anai took the lead in the conversation as she told the tales of her time with the rebellion. Everything from the battle of Yavin, Delta-3, Elissia, and finally Endor. To the Mandalorian, it sounded like she was lucky to be alive, way too many close calls for his liking. She didn’t seem bothered at all though, in fact, she seemed to revel in the thrills she once faced. Anai laughed after her stories as she put down the last part she had been cleaning. “Towards the end, they tried to get me to fly an A-wing, but it felt wrong.” She looked over to the droid strapped to the wall fondly. “If I couldn’t fly with my little buddy who had saved my ass more times than I can count I’d ground myself.” That made sense to Mando if there was one thing he understood it was loyalty. Even if it was towards a droid of all things “Why aren’t you with them now?” He asked, “A lot of former Rebellion flyers have jobs policing the stars now.”

She sighed heavily “Let’s just say there was a conflict of interest, I knew the war was over after Endor. There was no point in sticking around.”

Mando simply nodded accepting that answer “I remember when it happened, the outer rim exploded into a power vacuum. With the empire gone all the gangs and political groups were scrambling to get their hands on what they could.”

“Yeah.” She quickly commented, “I ended up on Tatooine, had to hunker down with Peli until all the fighting died down.” She ran her fingers through her pink hair as she spoke “After that, I was free to do what I wanted, then my x-wing got jacked right out of her hangar.”

Oh right. That’s why she was even here with him in the first place, she didn’t have a ship to get to her next job “How’d that happen?” He asked to which the woman next to him sighed yet again “I don’t even know how they did it, me and Peli were getting rowdy down at the cantina that night then we came back, and it’s just gone. My stuff was thrown all around the hangar and my visor was smashed.” She gestured to the device in his hands, clearly annoyed. “I tell you when I find out who did it, I’m gonna make them wish they had never been born.” Anai seemed to know she was never getting her ship back, more than likely it had already been sold off or stripped for parts. He’d still make a mental note just in case he ran into anything on his travels. Just as they finished talking, Mando finally finished the wiring on her visor, he quickly put it all together and brought it online “Here.” He said holding it out to her. Anai looked up at him before carefully taking it in her hands inspecting his work before slipping it over her eyes “Maker Mando you did it!” She lifted her hand tapping at the side a few times presumably going through all the different functions before lifting it from her eyes again “Thank you!” She smiled softly as she spoke and Mando felt a flutter in his chest at her genuine reaction “You’re welcome.” He replied stiffly before a beeping sound could be heard coming from the cockpit “Best come up we’ll be coming out of hyper.”

Anai followed him up to the cockpit taking her seat behind him as he pulled them out of hyperspace with a quick jolt waking the kid. She looked over as the little one sat up rubbing his sleepy eyes and smiled “Good sleep?” She reached over gently stroking one of his long ears as he cooed up at her. All three watched as the planet ahead of them came into view. The sound of the ship being hailed came from the console as a voice came over the speaker “Welcome to Ukio Razor Crest, we’re tracking you. You’re expected in hangar two-seven.” The female voice stated as Mando reached up to flick a few switches “Copy that, locked in for two-seven.” He approached the planet going through his usual landing routine all while feeling those emerald-green eyes of the woman behind him carefully watching his every move. He didn’t detect any malice in the action, more like curiosity, he figured she was trying to make sure her work had held up. Once the hangar came into view he let the Crest down with little effort before turning back to Anai “Well, looks like you did a good job on the landing gear. Your work was worth every credit.” She smiled in response, “I didn’t get to do the last run, but I’m happy it didn’t go to waste.” They enjoyed a quiet moment before the woman took in a breath and stood “Welp, this is my stop.” She threw her bag over her shoulder as Mando got to his feet, picking up his foundling as they followed her back down the ladder. Anai was already at work undoing the chains around her droid, she looked up at Mando “Release the restraining bolt, please.” He tapped the button on his vambrace bringing the droid back to life beeping several times as he started up. His little head spun around before landing on the woman kneeling in front of him beeping happily “I know.” Anai patted his head before removing the bolt, handing it to Mando “I’m happy to see you too bud.”

The Mandalorian didn’t understand how she could be so close to a machine; he had his own bias against droids because of his past but he didn’t know what made them so likable. They weren’t flesh and bones, they had no idea what loyalty was, it was all programming, and that was another issue. Droids could be made to do anything; all it took was a line of code and they could go from friend to killer. He hoped at least, seeing how Anai acted like this one was another lifeline, that she’d never have to experience that kind of switch. A moment later he punched the panel on the wall lowering the ramp and revealing the hangar outside “Anai! You made it!” A blonde man appeared with his hands on his hips. “I was starting to think we’d lost ya.” The woman scoffed as she stood “As if I’d be grounded that easily!” The droid next to her beeps in support before rolling excitedly down the ramp. Anai chuckled as she looked over at Mando. “I’ll have them top off the fuel, it’s on the house.” The pink-haired woman reached her hand out to him, he hesitated a moment before reaching out and grabbing her forearm. The woman smiled at him and once again that fluttering sensation came to his chest, they both lingered there for a minute too long before a squeal for attention emitted from the little one in Mando’s other arm. Anai, let go of the man reaching her hand out to the child as he grabbed hold of it “Are you feeling left out kiddo?” she asked with genuine amusement “Oh I’m going to miss you, should probably have you stay and keep an eye on Mando though.” She peeked up at the man as she continued “I get the feeling he’s gonna need you to watch his back.”

You have no idea how right you are. The armored man thought to himself as he looked down at the foundling noticing the sad look on his face. Anai noticed too as she frowned “Don’t worry.” she stated sadly running her thumb over his cheek in an attempt to comfort him “It might be a big galaxy but I'm sure we’ll run into each other again.”

The woman stepped away from them and started down the ramp, “Y’know.” She paused at the bottom, turning to look back at the two. “Without a ship, I'll probably be stuck on Ukio for a while, in case anyone comes looking for me.” Mando was quiet for a moment, he knew what she was not so subtly implying to him. Should he ever need her help she was only a jump away “You’d be easy to find,” He stated gesturing to her hair “You stand out.” She hummed lightly with a smirk “See you around Merichetara.” With that, she waved him off joining her droid and being led into the office by the blonde man. The Mandalorian, confused by what she had called him, and his foundling left soon after flying off for more adventures into the stars.

Weeks later The Mandalorian received the call from Karga, going alone would be a stupid idea he needed backup. The first place he stopped, only because it was close and for no other reason, was Ukio. After landing in the same hangar he had dropped Anai in, he walked out and immediately knew something wasn't right. The blonde man who had been so welcoming before was now grumbling as he nursed some fresh bruises to his face. Alarm bells were ringing in Mando’s head “Where is she?” he asked sternly, his hand hovering over his blaster. “If you're looking for that pink-haired bitch she's gone!” the man yelled back “She beat the hell out of me and ran off with my credits!” Mando might not know Anai that well, but he knew better, She wouldn't do something like this unless provoked. He thought, after all in her own words the woman might be an ass, but she wasn't heartless. The beskar-clad man grabbed the other by his shirt, pulling him up to his full height. “What did you do to her?” His voice through the modulator was cold and calculated, the only warning this man would get. “HEY hey! I didn't do anything to her!” The man then seemed to have a thought occur to him as a sickening smile spread across his face “Wait a minute I remember now, she said you're a bounty hunter, right? I've got a nest egg stored away, bring her back to me and you can have it.” That flicked a switch in Mando as he tossed the man into the wall and pulled his blaster holding it to the blonde's head “You get one warning.” He held the struggling man steady in his place. “If you ever send anyone after her or even think about going near her again, I will come back here, and you don't want that.” He let go taking a step back before shooting the man in the leg, he ignored the cries of pain as he stomped back to his ship. He looked over to his foundling with a sigh “Sorry kid, she's gone.”

Translations:

Merichetara: Shiny

[coffeewithcalypso]

For over a week now I've been partially deaf. Apparently from ear wax build up or something. I even went to a doctor, well an NP but whatever. And paid $150 for no effect.

Plus it's gotten worse. Because the treatment was ear drops for ten days before going back in for a wash out or something but she said to do it in both ears because the other was starting to get build up. However that just meant everything in that ear is moving around and moving forward and now the ear I could hear out of has some hearing loss.

Socializing is miserable. 360 spectrum of sound is disorienting, listening to one person isn't so bad. I'm constantly unsure of my own volume so I'm apparently modulating my tone to the point that people don't hear when I try to say something (I am always modulating tone to begin with because I inherited my father's booming voice and grew up in a large family). I've gone to a few parties, a few family events and they're exhausting and no fun.

At first I wasn't worried but I'm starting to spiral into the what ifs? What if it never gets better? What if I have to stop socializing, making small talk with strangers, going out, all the things my extroverted ass loves? What if I end up in some sort of 2020 quarantine levels of self isolation? I think I'm going to lose my mind

[hermesserpent-stuff]

31 - TSSM

https://youtu.be/ChVV5EVL4W4

Thus always to tyrants: the oh hellos (on mobile)

Crimson Curse is Harry running around with gear from Quentin to try and right the wrongs of the rich and powerful in New York. Now he meets spider for the first time. Spider nephew au adjacent. A bit shorter sorry!!

Thanks for the ask tho!! (To the other person with the same number that asked later, I have a plan don't worry)

Harry is constantly being amazed by how easy it is to break into places. Yes he has good training from Quentin, but some part him had always seen a locked door as some insurmountable object. And yet here he is, the Crimson Curse, sneaking in to yet another place he knows has dirt to be dragged up. ESU's lab is directly funded by Norman Osborn and that fact alone has Harry suspicious. They had been in the news a fair few times. But it had always returned to vaguely normal for the lab. Which is worrying because he knows that something deeper has to be going on and his two best friends could get wrapped up into the trouble. Curse just needs to take a short stroll through their records, find anything he can and go about the business of making any dark deeds come to the light. He knows Kraven is attached to this place, but only has the bairest details of gossip from Sandy and Dan. He needs something more… concrete.

His flashdrive is plugged into the computer to start scanning while he flicks through paper files. A creak has him turning and he is only a little shocked to see Spider-Man.

"Aw great. Someone new. What's your gimmick? Vultures already got the bird thing and Mysterio's our local magician, so fair warning those roles are taken."

"I have no desire to fight."

Good, the voice modulator works. Maybe Spider-Man would leave him alone if he tried to explain things.

"Really? Then why are you breaking and entering if not to draw the attention of little ol' me."

"Osborn has connections with this lab. There is something going on here that has been hidden from people. It is my job to uncover the truth and show the world."

A little dramatic. So sue him. Quentin rubs off on people. Spider-Man tilts his head.

"Wait. Who are you?"

"I am the Crimson Curse. A bane to all who skulk and hide in the dark."

Curse carefully checks the face of his watch. Only fifty percent of the files have been transferred from the computer to his transmitting flash drive. And he had not yet combed through all the paper files. He needs more time. Plus he knows he cannot fight.

"You think Dr. Connors is up to no good? He's a friend. Sort of. Kind of. Look, the guy's not evil."

Spider-Man says, shifting on his feet.

"That may be true but he does not have sole responsibility over this lab. Kraven got an augmentation here from someone. That means some amount of supplies must be missing and notes of that research might exist. I am simply seeking answers, Spider-Man. I will steal nothing but the knowledge of the truth."

"Maybe I can help. Keep the good docs name clear…"

Spider-Man sounds hopeful and Curse decides to let him be. Easier to deal with an ally that is semi blind than a poison filled enemy.

"Alright. Help me with the papers. See if there is any record discrepancy when it comes to supplies. If you try to cover things up… I don't think we will be able to work together again."

"Yep. Yep. Totally understandable."

Both quietly and quickly get to work. Spider-Man speaks up a little bit later.

"I've seen some of your work. I respect it."

Curse tilts his head.

"Thanks."

"Have you tried looking into Thompson Lincoln or Roderick Kingley?"

"They've yet to enter the perview of my spells. But I shall look into hexing them."

"Uh… right. Well if you do, be careful. It's nice to know other people see somethings up with the city. Even if it is a weird witch dude."

Curse rolls his eyes. He upped his magic talk in costume to change his pattern of speech.

"So irreverent."

He teased Spider-Man. Something about him felt familiar. Safe.

"That's me! Super irreverent!!"

And they continue digging.

[the-whatcherof-89]

Background: Vikkstar and Lazarbeam are perhaps the MOST simple, humble, fortunate and MOST unfortunate of the inhabitants of the land. They met, became BFFS, had a life together and after leaving the civilized area to distance themselves from the government, Dream and Punz used them as guinea pigs to experiment with the Revival Book. After having been killed many times over, Dream give them their final rest, or so he thought. Their souls traveled into the Limbo in shambles and hey had no rest even after that. Filled with bitterness and despair, they were about to become something terrifying. However, something or someone felt their ply and succeeded at taking a hold on their souls. It took time, but Both of them woke up in different bodies. “Wake up my amazing creations.” Said a voice from the dark. Vikk and Lazar were both scared for they could not move or speak but were there, alive, somehow. “Do not worry, i just saw your predicament and decided to help you in exchange for a favor, that is. Bring me the man that killed you so many times to me.” Both of them soon shifted their anger toward the image of Dream, their new bodies screaming for vengeance. “Yes, that’s the spirit! All I ask is simple: Bring it to me alive. You can keep the new bodies i gave you. Do we have a deal?” Both of them saw a HUGE opportunity they could not refuse: pound Dream before bringing to him, kill Punz along the way AND have a new life. That was the beast thing they could hope for. They were made stood up as their new bodies got activated, magic, metal and gingerbread churned in their bodies and saw themselves inside something unbelievable, a large robot(?) body. “I also took a little precaution: since there might be a risk of having you killed again, i made an anchor for you here. No matter how many times you get destroyed, your soul will com back here where i can upgrade you to turn the life of your victim into a nightmare. You will have no need for sleep, rest, food or water to give them no rest. You are welcome. Now go, and give him a reason not to sleep at night!” They soon reached a corridor where they crossed a familiar face, the green warden Awsamdude. “Wait, Vikk? Lazar? Is that you?” Sam was genuinely surprised to find them in the same structure he spawned in. “I guess we have a lot to catch up. And a Green Man to hunt. But first, let’s set you with a voice module, yes?” They both clenched their fists with trepidation.

Vikkstar123 AKA “Vickey” Vikk Big V CR17

Unique Variant Magnetite golem (Lifespark Construct, Advanced, Cleric Creature)

N Large construct Init +4; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Perception +26

DEFENSE

AC 31, touch 8, flat-footed 24 (+0 Dex, +22 natural, –1 size) hp 132 (19d10+30) Fort +8, Ref +8, Will +15 DR 10/adamantine and bludgeoning; Immune construct traits, magic

OFFENSE

Speed 20 ft. Melee 2 slams +45 (2d10+15 plus cursed wound), Integrated Defensive Polarity hammer+49/+49 2d6+19/2d6+19.

Ranged +20 Integrated Iron bands of binding. Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft. Special Attacks Inescapable Grip, Magnetic Disarm

STATISTICS

Str 40, Dex 10, Con —, Int 12, Wis 20, Cha 16 Base Atk +19; CMB +36; CMD 52

Feats: Great fortitude, Iron will, Lighting reflexes, Improved initiative, Power attack, Track, Multiattack, Snatch, Quicken spell-like ability(2).

Skills: Craft(Armors and weapons) +20, Knowledge (Religion)+13, (Planes)+13, Linguistics+3, Perception+26, Sense motive+20, Spellcraft+12.

Languages: Common, Orc, Aquan, Hallit, Draconic.

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Immunity to magic (Ex)

A clay golem is immune to any spell or spell-like ability that allows spell resistance. In addition, certain spells and effects function differently against the creature, as noted below.

Any spell that deals fire damage instead disables the magnetite golem’s inescapable grip, magnetic disarm, and magnetic field for 1d4 rounds, with no saving throw.

Any magical attack that deals electricity damage heals 1 point of damage for every 3 point of damage the attack would otherwise deal. If the amount of healing would cause the golem to exceed its full normal HP, it gains excess temporary HP. A magnetite golem receives no saving throw against electricity effects.

Inescapable Grip (Ex) Whenever a magnetite golem hits a metallic creature or a creature wearing metal armor with its slam attack, it attempts to grapple the creature as a free action that doesn’t provoke an attack of opportunity. If a magnetite golem successfully grapples such a creature, it partially adheres to the golem’s body, and the golem needs only one arm to maintain the grapple. In these instances, a magnetite golem may still make a single slam attack on its turn with its remaining arm.

Magnetic Disarm (Su) Whenever a magnetite golem hits a creature wielding a metal weapon with its slam attack, it attempts to disarm the weapon as a free action that doesn’t provoke attacks of opportunity. If the golem successfully disarms a metal weapon, the weapon sticks to the golem’s magnetic body rather than dropping to the ground. The golem is considered to have possession of the weapon, and the weapon must be retrieved using a disarm combat maneuver.

Magnetic Field (Su) A magnetite golem is surrounded by a magnetic field, which pulls all metallic creatures and objects toward it. At the start of a magnetite golem’s turn, as a free action that doesn’t provoke attacks of opportunity, the golem attempts a combat maneuver check against every creature within 30 feet that is connected to a piece of metal. Affected creatures include (but are not limited to) metallic creatures, creatures wearing metal armor, and creatures wielding metal weapons. If the golem succeeds at its combat maneuver against a creature, the affected creature is pulled 10 feet closer to the golem, and can’t move away from the golem during its next round. The magnetic field is stronger than gravity, and can pull creatures off the ground. This movement doesn’t provoke attacks of opportunity. Unattended Large or smaller metal objects automatically travel toward magnetite golem at a rate of 10 feet per round. This magnetism is supernatural in nature and affects all metal objects.

Lifespark construct traits

Self repair 37 rounds/day 5HP/round.

SPELL-LIKE ABILITIES CL19th (Concentration +24)

Channel energy (Lv17th Cleric 6/day)

Cleric spells Dc15 Cl19th 2/4/3/3/3/3/2/1

CL19th 2/day overland flight 10/day Grease (Both quickened)

Combat gear: Integrated Large Defensive Polarity hammer +4/+4, 2 Integrated Iron bands of binding.

Lazarbeam AKA “Lannah” the Melon Gingerboy CR17

Unique Variant Clay golem (Lifespark Construct, Advanced, Cleric Creature)

N Large construct Init +4; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Perception +25

DEFENSE

AC 31, touch 8, flat-footed 24 (+0 Dex, +22 natural, –1 size) hp 101 (21d10+40) Fort +10, Ref +9, Will +11 DR 10/adamantine and bludgeoning; Immune construct traits, magic

OFFENSE

Speed 20 ft. Melee 2 slams +19 (2d10+7 plus cursed wound), +20 Integrated Iron bands of binding.

Ranged+23 Integrated Limning cannon 6d8+4

Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft. Special Attacks berserk, haste

STATISTICS

Str 32, Dex 10, Con —, Int 14, Wis 16, Cha 14 Base Atk +19; CMB +30; CMD 37

Feats: Great fortitude, Iron will, Lighting reflexes, Improved initiative, Power attack, Track, Multiattack, Snatch, Quicken spell-like ability(2).

Skills: Craft(Sculpture) +24, Knowledge (Religion)+14, (Planes)+14, Linguistics+3, Perception+25, Sense motive+25, Spellcraft+22.

Languages: Common, Orc, Aquan, Hallit, Draconic.

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Berserk (Ex)

When a clay golem enters combat, there is a cumulative 1% chance each round that its elemental spirit breaks free and the golem goes berserk. This chance resets to 0% after one minute of inactivity. A berserk golem attacks the nearest living creature or smashes some object smaller than itself if no creature is within reach. Once it goes berserk, no known method can reestablish control.

Cursed Wound (Ex)

The damage a clay golem deals doesn’t heal naturally and resists magical healing. A character attempting to use magical healing on a creature damaged by a clay golem must succeed on a DC 29 caster level check, or the healing has no effect on the injured creature.

Haste (Su)

After it has engaged in at least 1 round of combat, a clay golem can haste itself once per day as a free action. The effect lasts 3 rounds and is otherwise the same as the spell.

Immunity to Magic (Ex)

A clay golem is immune to any spell or spell-like ability that allows spell resistance. In addition, certain spells and effects function differently against the creature, as noted below.

A move earth spell drives the golem back 120 feet and deals 3d12 points of damage to it (no save).

A disintegrate spell slows the golem (as the slow spell) for 1d6 rounds and deals 1d12 points of damage (no save).

An earthquake spell cast directly at a clay golem stops it from moving on its next turn and deals 5d10 points of damage (no save).

Any magical attack against a clay golem that deals acid damage heals 1 point of damage for every 3 points of damage it would otherwise deal. If the amount of healing would cause the golem to exceed its full normal hit points, it gains any excess as temporary hit points. A clay golem gets no saving throw against magical attacks that deal acid damage.

Lifespark construct traits (Ex)

Gingerbread body (Ex)

Self repair (Ex) 37 rounds/day 5HP/round.

SPELL-LIKE ABILITIES CL19th (Concentration +24)

Channel energy (Lv17th Cleric 6/day)

Cleric spells Dc15 Cl19th 2/4/3/3/3/3/2/1

CL19th 2/day overland flight 10/day Grease (Both quickened)

Combat gear: Integrated Limning Cannon+4, 50+4 Sticky Cannon balls, Integrated Bag of holding, 2 Integrated Iron bands of binding, 50 bags of flour.

Link for the image: https://youtu.be/spvaHR0H5LA

[mnmovdoom]

DAY 6 - Proof of life (Boba Fett & Darth Vader)

Vader picked the call pretty fast, his masked head popping up as a blue holo over the control panel of the Slave I.

“I’ve got your Rebel pilot, Lord Vader,” Boba announced, slouched in the pilot’s seat and pointing vaguely towards the cargo hold with his thumb. “Plus his astromech droid, which I’m adding an extra fee for.”

There was a second of silence, filled by Vader’s rhythmical, mechanical breathing. A lesser man might’ve been scared, but Boba simply waited patiently for Vader to speak.

“Are you sure that is the pilot, Fett?” Vader asked, the lenses of his mask fixed on Boba’s visor. Boba tilted his head at that:

“You said this pilot was strong with the Force,” Boba recalls. “When I found him, he had a lightsaber and kept talking to himself about feeling the Force and how the eyes can be deceiving. He was putting up a fight even though I threw a stun detonator at him.”

“That could be another Forceful that escaped the Inquisitors,” Vader argued, crossing his arms. He was one of those paranoid clients that Boba would feel offended by if he were a mediocre bounty hunter.

Which he was not.

“The plans for the Death Star are in the droid’s databank. I checked,” Boba crossed his arms over his chest, mimicking Vader. “That was an impressive shot, even you have to admit that.”

“The presence of the droid means nothing if the Rebellion is willing to sacrifice a meaningless fool to keep their prized pilot safe,” Vader almost spat. Boba knew that, and while riling up the Dark Lord of the Sith wasn’t a good idea, Boba knew Vader well enough to allow himself to poke him around for his own amusement.

Besides, he was saving the best for the end.

“This boy arrived at the place where I found him flying an X-wing, the standard for Rebel pilots. I sliced through the ships’ memory after capturing him, and I’m adding an extra fee for this,” Boba raised a hand, showing Vader a datachip that he then stored in one of the pouches of his belt. “And this boy’s name… is Luke Skywalker.”

Boba paused, watching Vader’s reaction. He was good at reading Vader, given that they both never showed their faces and Vader’s tells were quite similar to Boba’s. For instance, Vader squared his shoulders just a little.

That meant Boba’s news had gotten through to him. Which was excellent, because once Boba delivered this bounty, he’d be cashing in a lot.

“There was a Jedi General named Skywalker, back in the Clone Wars. But you probably know that, since you  have a reputation for killing Jedi,” Boba went on, his eyes on Vader’s lenses. “They say the Force works in mysterious ways, but if the father was a Jedi, then there’s a better chance of hitting the Force lottery, no?”

For a couple of minutes, Vader was silent, static. Only his chest moved minutely as he breathed, and his head tipped almost imperceptibly to the side, like he was listening to something being whispered to him. Boba watched, waiting patiently, and then Vader was raising a hand and pointing a finger at him.

“The pilot better be alive, or there will be no deal,” Something in Vader’s modulated voice had changed. There was an edge of aggressiveness there, a veiled threat that told Boba that this pilot might be worth more than the value of the bounty.

But as much as Boba liked to poke at the beast, he wasn’t stupid.

“He’s alive, Lord Vader,” he said, and wasn’t surprised by what Vader said next:

“I demand proof of life.”

That could be arranged, and Boba leaned onto the control panel:

“Stand by, Lord Vader. I’ll put your call through my wrist-comm,” Boba said, and before Vader could say anything, he cut the transmission and hurried down to the cargo hold. Once he had climbed down the ladder, he put Vader’s call through and once again the Sith’s masked head popped up in an eerie blue. He said nothing, merely looked when Boba pointed at the first cell to the right.

There, curled in the corner and restrained with Force-suppressing binders, was Boba’s best paycheck. This kid had been a nice challenge, too.

“Hey, show some life,” Boba called out. The kid was probably very stupid, because he stirred and raised his head to look at Boba and to Vader’s holo with wide eyes. He had gotten a nasty beating, and the dried blood all over him - from the cuts he got from the hidden blades in Boba’s vambraces - made him look a lot worse than what he actually was, but he was breathing just fine.

“He is damaged,” Vader pointed, audibly displeased. The bounty just said ‘alive only’, it didn’t specify the condition!

“He tried to resist,” Boba replied simply, then turned around, to show Vader the droid with a restraining bolt in the other cell. Except, Vader’s holo was still focused in the cell with the pilot. Uh, Vader didn’t usually show that much. A more dishonest - and very stupid - bounty hunter would’ve tried to get more credits for Skywalker’s bounty, but Boba was willing to respect the agreed value - and then haggle the extra credits for the droid and for the datachip. “And this is the droid. Skywalker called it Artoo and it tried to shock me with an electroprobe. Let me remind you I’m charging extra for the droid.”

Another moment of prolonged silence followed as Lord Vader observed the droid, until his holo turned to face Boba again:

“You will deliver Skywalker and this R2 unit to my fortress in Mustafar,” Vader commanded, then pointed threateningly at Boba. "I will send you the coordinates, and you will tell no one about this, Fett," And before Boba could complain because he was already on his way to meet the Executor, Vader cut the call. Not even five seconds later, the comm in Boba's helmet was beeping as his ship warned him that a new message had been received. Those coordinates, probably.

“Ugh, you better pay my fuel expenses, Vader…” Boba grunted, climbing back to the cockpit to make the jump out of hyperspace and then jump again, following the new coordinates.

[getmemymicroscope]

Go big or go home, right? Might as well start of 2024 by finishing my watching of the Fast & Furious series. After watching (well, finishing) F8 last night/this morning, it was time to go on to the next movie (after, of course, a night's sleep): the spin-off that builds on the Statham/Johnson buddy rivalry/friendship and their chemistry. Plus, this one also gives us Idris Elba and Vanessa Kirby (and, missing from the poster & previews, but definitely present in the movie - Ryan Reynolds and Kevin Hart!)!

There is, of course, some plot about a threat to humanity, as we have seen in multiple recent F&F movies - in this case, it's some lunatic rich person (still unknown) who desires to "advance humanity" by releasing a virus that will kill the "weak." What that means, and how this virus would know, and how the "non-weak" (whomever they are) would survive are, quite honestly, immaterial. This unknown person also has a half-man, half-machine Idris Elba doing the fighting for him (the person behind the plan, of course, hides behind a voice modulator and never shows themself), using some Sherlock Holmes'ian level fighting prediction (though, with a machine and not just superior brain power/intellect).

The movie, of course, mostly just gives us a chance to watch Statham & Johnson bicker, until they really need to be friends, and fight (lots of fighting), both with each other and with the baddies. Vanessa Kirby also gets to kick ass, multiple times; she sort of takes a backseat to the 3 guys at times, but when she's on the screen, she's being equally awesome.

Rich folk who are destroying the world and then trying to blame it on the "weak" because they can't see far enough past their own noses to realize that they are the problem - they suck.

It's fun. It's furious. It's, at the end, even fast. Enjoyed it.

And Ryan Reynolds, especially with those end credit sequences, is absolutely hilarious! I could go for seeing more of him in this series (or any spin-off series that develops). Kevin Hart, too! However - "Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw" is such an odd way to frame the title. Hopefully the sequel will have a less odd name choice.

[studioaudio]

 Key Qualities to Consider When Choosing a Voice-over Artist

Voice-overs are quite literally the voice of your brand. They are the host for perhaps the most important type of brand communication you’ll ever do: video. That’s why it’s absolutely critical to match the ‘voice’ to your brand identity, for the sake of your overall marketing success. 

This brings us to the critical question: what skills should you be looking for when selecting the definitive voice for your brand in social media videos, commercials, telephone hold messages, audiobooks, and voicemail?

Are you overthinking the criteria, and are you confused about choosing ‘the voice’ for your brand’s persona? Instead of getting lost in the overwhelm of possibilities, just read this blog and you’ll be better prepared to make the right choice.

What does a voice-over artist do?

A voice-over artist is a voice actor who records the narration for a video. This could be a single narrator or a dialogue. A voice-over artist also records for a range of business materials like audio messages, voicemails, telephone hold messages, commercials, announcements, podcasts and more. 

They usually read a script, and bring the words to life with their own particular style. This is why voice-over is called an art. 

Studio 52 is the busiest voice-over service provider in the UAE, and when we’re selecting a voice-over artist for your video we always voice test several artists to find the one best suited to your brand persona. The talent is vetted on their voice modulation skills, timbre, intonation, voice control and modulation. 

Once we have narrowed down the search to a few shortlisted options, we record dummy voiceovers for approval from the client. Only once you approve ‘the voice’ do we get the talent into the recording studio for the final audio recording. 

The recording, rendered into an audio format, is then edited to the visuals to create a brand video or social media video for your business. 

Here is a list of the essential qualities for a voice-over artist to be able to deliver a great audio recording:

1. Professionalism  

You’ll want to select a voice-over artist who is on top of their game. Look for a track record in taking custom requirements and transforming them into accurate and brilliant voiceovers. Seek out someone who accepts and responds to feedback and always completes tasks on time. 

Video is an expensive business and you can’t afford to waste valuable editing and post-production time waiting for your voice-over artist to show up for an audio recording, or to put in a substandard performance that needs costly correction.

At Studio 52 we look for consistency. When we find a seasoned and talented voice-over star, we add them to our list of ‘go-to’ voice-over artists. It’s this list that helps make us the foremost voice over service provider in UAE. To make this list, the artist should be consistent with their availability and vocal quality over several projects. 

2. Experience 

Anyone can choose a career as a voice-over artist, but only a handful succeed. This career path doesn’t require a formal degree; instead, natural skills are enhanced and perfected on the job. 

This means learning to hold the mic correctly to kill the sibilance, taking the right breaks for breath control, plus the perfect intonation, enunciation, and voice modulation. 

Sadly, just having a great voice does not a voice-over artist make! If you pick an inexperienced voice-over artist, you’ll have to do a lot of editing of the recorded narration in the audio studio, wasting both time and money.

3. Vocal quality

These are very specific qualities of the voice that help you assess whether the talent is a good match for your audio requirements:

Range of vocals — Range relates to a voice-over artist’s ability to change the pitch of their voice. They should be able to carry a low note and a higher note equally, and with ease. This is a good way to ensure that the artist is able to inject emotional range into the voice-over. A powerful range means you have voice-overs that are engaging and memorable. 

Versatility — A great way to assess versatility is to ask for a portfolio of recorded voice-overs. This usually gives you a fair idea of whether the voice-over artist will be able to perform to your standards. This will also give you an idea of whether they will be able to vary their tone of delivery, for example whether they can deliver both serious and funny voice-overs equally well. 

Clarity — The voice should be clear. Each word should be clearly articulated with no mumbling, extra sibilance, or sharp breath exhalation sounds. 

Rhythm or cadence — Cadence is the ability to read a complete sentence without long pauses, and without using fillers like “uhm”, “aaaah” and “uuuh”. 

4. Correct accent

If you want an American accent, you need to pick a voice-over artist who can deliver this accent credibly. They don’t need to be an American voice actor, but they do need to have that accent in their portfolio of available options. 

5.  Proper pronunciation 

The voice-over artist should be able to pronounce all words perfectly. A recording with even a single mispronounced word has to be re-done, wasting time and resources. If your script is likely to have difficult or unfamiliar words, get your potential artist to confirm and demonstrate that they can deliver the correct pronunciation of that word before you begin recording. 

Finally…

Never shy away from asking for audio resumes, audio portfolios and demo voice samples from prospective voice-over artists. 

You can also ask the talent to attend a mini audition. Give them a script peppered with tough words, which requires a specific accent and a certain cadence and expression. Only choose the voice-over artist once you have evaluated the mini recording, saving post-production mayhem.

At Studio 52 we feel that the artist fee is more than worth it when finding the perfect UAE voice-over artist for our clients, because we realise that quality comes with an appropriate price tag. 

A good voice-over artist also cuts down on recording and post-production costs. Fewer voice errors in the recording means the sound engineer doesn’t have to spend time correcting hisses and sibilance, which also means your video gets completed before the deadline. 

We make happier voiceovers!

For frictionless audio and voice-over recording, get in touch with us at the link below.

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