#their seperation was extremely break-up coded

[talxns]

Co-creator of Batman Bill Finger did an interview in 1972 in which he responded to the question of whether Batman and Robin were “homosexual fantasies”.

His answer was that he “didn’t think of Batman and Robin in those terms.” But the next thing he says piqued my interest in regards to their intended relationship dynamic.

“I thought of [their relationship] in terms of … Frank Merriwell and Dick Merriwell, his half-brother, who was the kid he was taking care of.”

Brothers! Very interesting.

[zoeythebee]

How To Make Your Code Actually Good

This is about programming structure and organization. Resources online are very sparse, and usually not super helpful. Which was unhelpful to me who was struggling with code organization.

So I wanted to make this, which will explain how best to structure your code based on what I've learned. What I lay out here may not work for everyone but it works well in my experience.

These resources were very helpful for me

Handmade Hero - https://youtu.be/rPJfadFSCyQ

Entity Component System by The Cherno - https://youtu.be/Z-CILn2w9K0

Game Programming Patterns - https://gameprogrammingpatterns.com/

So, let's get started.

So first we need to cover a few terms. These are Decoupling, and Abstraction.

Decoupling

So, when we code there is only so much information we can keep inside of our brain at one time. If we kept all of our code in a single file, we would have to keep in mind every single line of code we have written thus far. Or, more likely, we would actively ignore certain lines that aren't relevant to whichever problem we are trying to solve. And miss possible errors by skipping over lines we didn't know were important.

This is bad, what we need to do is decouple our code. Decoupling just means to break something up.

We need to split our code into smaller more manageable pieces so that we can focus better on it without cluttering up our brain with useless information.

For example lets take into account a basic game loop

int main(){

bool running = true;

// Game init code

while(running){

// Game update code

}

// Game exit code

return 0;

}

Obviously in a real example this would be much larger. So an extremely good start would be moving chunks of code into different functions.

int main(){

bool running = true;

gameInit();

while(running){

gameUpdate();

}

gameExit();

}

Now, when we are working on loading the game, we shouldn't have to think about what's happening in the rest of the app. This may take moving some code around inorder to truly seperate it from the rest of the code. But it is a very worthwhile effort.

Abstraction

Abstraction is when we take complex pieces of code and put them inside of a function or structure to make that feature easier to use. Or to hide tiny details that would be a waste of time to type out over and over.

For example programming languages are abstracted away from Assembly. Which of course is a thin abstraction away from machine code.

Now abstraction is great, computer science is practically built ontop of abstracting away small details. but the point I'd like to make here is that you can go too crazy with abstraction.

If you are making a gui application, and you need to create a new button. And to do so you need to run a function that returns a new class that you pass into another function that returns a pointer to an app state that you use with the original class to interact with a gui state that takes in a general state class and a position.

You have abstracted too far away to actually getting that button on screen. And due to all the hoops your code has to go through you will face major performance hits as well. And nobody likes a slow program.

Generally my rule of thumb is one layer of abstraction. Obviously for really complex stuff like graphics more abstraction is required. But for our own apps we should strive to as little abstraction as possible. Which makes code more clear and easier to debug, if a little more verbose at times.

Note that breaking things up into other files and functions are pretty cheap abstraction/performance wise. But the number of steps your code has to go through is what's important. Like the number of objects you have to go through, and functions you have to run.

Now these are good general tips for programming. There are also other good tips like consistent naming conventions, and consistent function names and argument patterns. But that's all pretty basic good-programming-things-you-should-do.

Now when I was learning this sort of stuff, I got told a lot of the stuff I just put above. But the biggest question I had was "but where do I PUT all of my code?"

As projects grow in complexity, figuring out sane ways to organize your structures and code logic in a way that makes sense is pretty tricky.

So to kinda crystallize how I think about code organization is basically.

Pick a pattern, and stick to it

A design pattern is just a piece of code structure you repeat. And there are lots of smart people that have come up with some pretty smart and flexible patterns. Like entity component systems, and state machines.

But sometimes you have to figure out your own, or modify existing patterns. And the best way to do that is to not plan at all and jump right in.

Do a rough draft of your app just to get a general idea of what you are going to need your pattern to support. And you may have to build up a pattern, find out it sucks, and start over. The trick is to fail fast and fail often.

Grabbing some paper and trying to diagram out how you want your app to flow is also handy. But getting your hands dirty with your keyboard is the best.

Now if you are new to programming, the above method probably wont work the first time. The only way to really learn code architecture is by building apps, and when you are first starting out many of your apps are probably falling apart early on. But the more you build these apps the more you learn. The bigger the apps you make, the more you learn.

But there is something that's also very helpful.

Steal somebody else's pattern!

So I can explain this best with an example. I make games, and the complexity I have to deal with is having multiple game objects that can all interact with each other fluidly. Enemies, the player, collectibles, moving platforms. This is a pretty tricky task, and I wound up picking two patterns to follow.

The first one is a modified version of a State Machine that I call a Scene Manager.

A scene is essentially a structure that contains an init, update, and exit function and can store data relating to the scene. And I have a Scene Manager that I can dynamically load and unload scenes with. So if I need to create a main menu or a pause menu it's as easy as loading a scene.

For my actual game scene I chose to use an Entity Component System. I linked a video above that explains it very well. To summarize, an ECS use entities. Entities can contain data called components. And systems will grab any entity that has the required components and will modify that entity. For example a Move system will operate on any entities that have the Position and Velocity components.

And this has worked very well for my game. Now this doesnt solve every problem I had. I still had to fill in the gaps with code that doesnt 100% match the pattern. After all there isnt any pattern that will fix all possible issues a codebase needs to solve. For example to delete an entity I have to add it by reference to an array where it is deleted AFTER the game is done updating.

Elsewhere I used a bit of abstraction to make creating entities easier. For example i created a class that stores methods to create entities. Whereas before I was manually adding components to empty structures.

Decoupling entity creation meant I could focus on more important things. I also deal with window resizing and rendering in a layer outside of the scene. In a way that would affect all Scenes.

An Example

In the game I'm making, the most complex part of the program so far is the player update code. Which makes sense for a platformer. So the issue is simple, it's getting too long. But the other issue is things are in places that don't immediately make sense. And it's all packed inside a single function.

You can view the code as it is now here.

Our goal is to decouple the code into pieces so that it takes up less brain space. And to reorganize the function so it's layout makes more immediate sense.

So my first step is to figure out a logical way to organize all of this code. My plan is to split it up by player actions. This way all of the jump logic is inside it's own function. All of the shooting logic is in it's own function etc.

Here is the code after implimenting the pattern.

Notice how this decouples the code into more manageable pieces so we can work on it better. Also note how I am still keeping one layer of abstraction from the player update code. I also put it in a seperate file to slim down the systems file.

So the method I implemented here of observing a problem, coming up with a pattern, and implementing it. That at a larger scale is how to overall structure a good code base. Here in this small instance I found a working solution first try. But for more complex code you may have to try multiple different patterns and solutions before you find what works best.

And that's all I have to say. I hope it made sense, and I hope it helps you. Let me know if I should change anything. Thanks for reading!

[serosblunt]

DekuSquad: Showering with Them (Pt. 2)

DekuSquad x (Gender-neutral) reader

Characters: Iida & Uraraka

Warnings: Mentions of nudity and hints at spicier scenes, struggles with mentla health; negative self-talk and body image issues touched on.

Description: Same as my Bakusquad showering thoughts, just with DekuSquad! Part three is coming for Tsuyu, just having writer’s block :)

—————

Iida loves to shower with you, and I mean LOVES. It’s his favourite part of the day, and you both end up in the shower at the same time everyday thanks to his meticulous extreme planning and schedules.

Duty comes first for Iida, but he finds seperating his work/life balance easier than most. Although some days more than others, it’s draining to be the boss, to detach himself so much that it takes him half the night to break-free of his ‘work’ mindset.

On those occasions, it takes a touch more persuading to get your gentle giant close enough to you to lead him back to his sanctuary, where his heart truly belongs.

After setting the temperature, you manoeuvre so you can both settle under the soft stream of the shower.

If stress was visible, you were sure you would be able to see it rolling off of your boyfriend in waves. It was if each droplet on his skin caused more of his tension to melt away.

He practically fuses to you as you hold him beneath the shower head. He was so different in those few small moments, not that you minded one bit.

He would kiss your shoulder where his forehead now lay, softly and unhurriedly; unobstructed due to his glasses laying just beyond your little haven on the benchtop.

Maybe that was what made your shower-cuddle sessions so special, his complete lack of care for anything that wasn’t you.

You were special to him, beyond that in fact.

A truth clearly demonstrated in that you were the only person on earth allowed to mess up his routine- whether that was in the evenings for your shower, or *cough cough* other business *cough cough*.

By the way, he totally has a code word for when you two are getting it on ;)))

Beyond a post-shave balm, your bespectacled boyfriend wasn’t fussed about skincare, although he often liked to sit and watch you put layer after layer of product on, what in his opinion, was your already beautiful face.

And he definitely doesn’t shy away from asking you relevant questions. However, he always rejected your advances if you came at him with creams or oils.

When you two do eventually begin to unwind for the night, barely a word is spoken.

The simple undertaking of kisses and light touches exchanged on the way to bed help push Tenya over the edge of his relaxation- ensuring he’ll get some proper rest for the next day, rather than staying awake, wracking his brain for solutions to work issues.

It also made you feel more loved and significant than you could express. The few minutes you both spent in your cramped apartment ensuite only solidified your bond- your intimacy and connection, surrounded in an unbreakable love and burning reverence.

There is no one better to boost your self-confidence than Ochaco. The woman has never said a derogatory thing to, or about you, nor have you heard of her saying such things through other people.

She was always so uniquely kind, never attacking first, not even out in the field. But if she was provoked enough, that villain would almost certainly be leaving the scene crying.

Your girl was tough as nails when she needed to be, and you loved that fire inside her.

You saw glimpses of this passion if you had slipped a little that day and talked down to yourself, or if you stood in front of the bathroom mirror a little too long.

Everyone has things they don’t like about themselves, Uraraka knew that. And she would be naive to think you were any different.

But aggressive or negative self-talk was banned in your house.

She wanted you to be honest and open about your feelings, yes, but never critical of your thoughts or emotions.

One method your loving girlfriend used to combat this was cute, flirty post-it notes left on your bathroom mirror.

That way whenever you looked at your reflection, you would be seeing what she saw in you too!

You had to admit it was a good system, especially since most mornings she was often through with her shower and out of the house before you were often awake.

Your bubbly girlfriend prided herself on being the loveable rescue hero. The safe, trustworthy looking person children and adults alike could come to and know to look out for.

A part of that look was her signature plump cheeks. You would often find yourself staring at them, marvelling, and wondering how she got her skin to be so bouncy and perfect.

After laughing lovingly at you for the millionth time for that particular occurrence, she finally gave up her secret skincare routine.

Soon after stealing this tightly guarded wisdom, you found yourself poking your own cheeks instead of Ochaco’s; which would soon become the subject of many a post-it note.

You honestly couldn’t ask for a better partner to do skincare with. She always made you try new products together, so neither of you missed out, and she never failed to keep your supplies stocked, even when you forgot yourself.

Uraraka wants you to feel comfortable in your own skin. And while her respect rivals Izuku’s in terms of your privacy, that certainly didn’t stop her from sneaking the odd glance or two when you weren’t looking.

Then again, you aren’t completely innocent of that either ;)

—————

[sassrubyexists]

Lil rant

Why do so many people make suns issues seem like nothing? I see much people constantly saying: "sun just has [insert issues]". No. Sun has alot more than that. His life was made a living hell because of who? Moon. Sun had to see the murders, clean them up, feel pain with every moons move when he took control, fight for control and god knows what more. That has been going on for what? More than 9-10 years (Sun confirmed from a year long episode that hes tehnically 9 years old). Don't get me wrong, moon has trauma from it too, having to deal with a killcode, being trapped in the mindscape without his body ect. Though, people are still dismissing suns trauma from this. Sun was TERRIFIED. He kept begging moon, but it didn't help. Some people think that its alright because sun still had confidence and was happy after they seperated and that ISNT correct. This piece of trauma gave sun a big affect on him. Such as being afraid of the dark. It may not seem too bad, but just imagine what was going on in suns mind when it was dark. It doesn't matter how much of a "stupid" fear is that, it still has a reasoning on why its there. After seperation, he also got abused by moon. Moon would always threaten him when sun made a joke. Especially with the whacking stick. The whacking stick was seen as a joke and it wasnt serious in many eyes, though just imagine being in suns shoes. You're making jokes like siblings do and oh! Guess what. You get threatened and hit for it. See what im trying to say here? Moon also used to put sun down alot. That may be normal in a sibling relationship, I have to admit that. Yet, sun eventually started believing those words because of others who would do the same. And when moon was doing the same, sun started believing in that. Sun probably also started being convinced by it since everytime he tried to help, he couldnt. This obviously led to this sort of mindstate. Whenever sun was talking about his issues,moon would ignore them and replace it with his own (Episode example:sun and moon BREAK UP in VRCHAT or whatever the name was). Sun always had to take care of moon and moons issues too. sun felt like he was useless so what other better was to cope than to help others so you feel useful. This is extremely unhealthy. Sun forgot to help himself. Plus, people always push suns feelings to the side. For an example, monty said that sun would get over it and that it was just a phase. Moon was too scared to go talk to sun! And guess what. Sun went out to kill eclipse! He also gaslighted and manipulated sun into doing what HE wants. For an example, you know when sun was in that one state of mind when he went to kill eclipse? Instead of trying to help sun with feelings and stuff, HE LOCKED SUN INTO A BUNKER WHERE THE ARGURMENT HAPPEND, and put a magic box giving sun barely room to stand. Because he wanted sun to be like hes "supposed to be", the voice of reason. See whats wrong with this? He also would pressure sun into telling him things sun didn't wanna talk about. Example, july 16th. In the argurment, he started pressuring sun into telling him what happend until sun actually did. Another example, when sun killed bloodmoon, he also started pressuring sun into telling him what actually happend, though, sun didn't do so that time. This aint a way to deal with thse kind of situations. If someone doesn't wanna talk about something, we shouldn't force them. Yet people are still so confused on why sun doesn't open up! I wonder why! Do we need a damn detective for that. I see people saying that its because earth and moon are basically strangers, althought it really isnt. Sunny thinks everything is his fault. He thinks eclipse existing is his fault, even if sun wasnt the one who put a goddamn left behind code. Its moons fault. Sure, he didnt know that would happen, even so what did he think was going to happen. "Omg it'll be such a good idea if I put a left behind code that i dont even know what it is!!" Like please. Who knows what that leech- I MEAN. Eclipse said to him.

Its no big suprise sunny turned out this way

[prestonmonterey]

This ones also great!! How the fuck did you get so talented

(mmm idk im just better like that/j)

uhh well this is mostly my creative outlet bc i cant actually like. code games. but i reaaally wanna.

and i read a ton of choose your own adventure books as a kid. like id go to the library and just get like 10 at a time and spend days trying to get as many endings as possible

(also random thing i keep thinking about: i read one that wasnt like the 'choose your own adventure' brand but it was that style of book. i think it was a spinoff of a book series and all i remember was that it was a hardcover with a dinosaur on it. i think the main character was named oliver and from what i remember he like commited space crimes so he was put in time jail where there was like a maze or something that he could only try once a day but every day they wiped his memory. and i dont know if i ever finished it but i do remember it had some cool like breaking the fourth wall moments. bc most choose your own adventure books are from first or second person bc you yourself are the character but this one was from third person and the book refered to the narrator and oliver as seperate people bc you as the narrator control his descisions. idk there mustve been some lore that i never got to but ive looked for it a few times but i dont remember enough about it to look up any info on it) :(

also i had an idea for this escape room thing (it would be pretty difficult to execute through forms tho bc it requires collecting items and having an inventory) :(

um some super cool game inspiration:

bad end theater

lily's well

stanley parable

the beginners guide

(and prolly some more i forgot about)

if you wanna make choose your own adventure google forms theyre super easy :3 id recommend looking up a tutorial on how to like branch sections based on question responses if you dont know how

uhh also theres 'pretty forms designer' i think thats what its called. its a chrome extention that lets you customize forms more. ive only played with it a bit but i think it lets you add images for the form background which is pretty cool for atmosphere

oh and um storywise i have like amalgamations of inspiration

bc the keep was kinda sorta based off another story i have

umm heres the ones for that story that i think apply to the keep?

everything is fine (webcomic)

the house in the cerulean sea (book) (not so sure about this one but i guess the keepers are slightly inspired by the extremely upper management?)

uuh shoot i feel like the like carving story thing is based on something in particular but i cant remember what...

anyway hope this helps :3

[prof-lemon]

Spamgon is resting now. Removing the killswitch code took a lot out of him. He'll be plugged in for the next couple hours, depending on how he feels. Keeping a close eye on any changes to his well-being and his source code is key here.

The actual removal of the code was a... process. I had a program set up to run that would remove the code. I split it into three sections I could run seperately. This would give him breaks in between. However I did not wish to linger too long, running the full program, all three parts, was vital.

The process starts out, as most things here have, very boring. The failsafe I installed earlier gave a very long warning. It took him a full five minutes to even read out the full failsafe text. After confirming that was what was expected, we were ready to proceed and he could accept the program whenever he was ready.

He hesitated, I hesitated. We both talked. About what would happen, about what could happen. He has a history with being experimented on, and all this was very difficult. He put himself in a vulnerable position, one that had already proved before to hurt him. As for myself, I have never done anything with this level of risk before. Yes, everything seemed safe, and I double and tripled checked every line of code. But the consequences of error are significant. We both know this.

The failsafe he read out was, admittedly, scary. Before, every failsafe I gave him while testing was short, one line, and temporary changes. A brief color switch, a small flick of his arm. Some of this was permanent, and even the temporary warnings listed were not pleasant.

Permanent changes are mostly "under the hood" so to speak. Nothing he, or anyone else, would really notice. These are more technical changes. Nonetheless, a permanent change to his source code is frightening. I can not blame him there.

The temporary changes are not... pleasant. It hurt. I could see that much. He was not wailing in pain, or being tortured, or anything extreme. But it was uncomfortable, and unpleasant, and very clearly exhausting.

He is worried about how all this could change him, as a person. I have been trying to reassure him I have not messed with any of his cognitive functionality. That only does so much to ease his worries. I have been transparent of the uncertainty this entire time.

Overall, I would say the procedure went about as well as it could have. The failsafes read almost exactly as expected, and no issues popped up. All three programs were run, and if all goes well, his killswitch is gone.

Like I said, he is resting. I plan to keep him plugged in for the next hour or two at least. That way, any issues can be quickly resolved, and I can monitor any changes to his code.

This leaves only the final part of this process. Again, like all things so far, this is a waiting game.

The logistics of his killswitch are interesting, to say the least. It is not something that triggers in a noticeable way immediately. Instead, if the killswitch were triggered, it would cause a slow sort of corruption to spread. Over time that would worsen and yes, tragically, end him.

He will be plugged back in when the killswitch was set to trigger. I will monitor his code closely. I have some tools to patch any corruption that pops up. If all goes well, there should be none, though.

But for now, all we can do is wait.

We're so tired.

@ask-spamton-gpory-spamgon

[princeanxious]

An idea I’m drawing stuff for:

Okay so g/t sanders sides au idea but where the tiny people are actually mini android/cyborgs made to accompany people /if they want to/ as companions to humans that can connect to technology and the internet. (Medium-big sized ramble under-cut)

They arent nessesarily helpers, but they can help humans w/ technology issues if they want(and there are lots of human laws in place that prohibit forced labor and captivity from this new sentient race, but as you might guess, just bc there are laws doesnt mean everyone follows them or gets caught breaking them) the rest of the world is kinda up for development but i can tell you these tiny android people sometimes come with additional features such as tails w/ audio jacks/place where the tail would go to insert an audiojack, eyes and fingers that glow, ear type varients depending on what time they were born/created, have as many bendable joints as a human, but their legs and feet are naturally a bit thicker/wider both for balance and more room for technology in their tiny bodies.

Theyre a very intermingled mix of liveform and android(and are probably best explained as just. Straight up aliens to planet earth), to the point that theres no actual way to seperate tech from bio-matter. And theyre so tiny that trying to seperate the two on such a small scale is still scientifically impossible at this current time. Damage and wear/tear to their body can heal quickly with enough energy, rest, and time, but losing body parts can be nearly detrimental to their health if said parts cant be reattached quickly. They are not strong enough to regenerate a full limb.

It’s not an immediate death if they lose a limb, but its very much an emergency due to how spread out their bodily function sensors are in their tiny bodies. Losing a certain leg can mean losing complete mobility of both legs and balance, or losing certain patches of memory, losing a certain arm can mean losing the ability to balnce well, or go nearly sensory blind(meaning they can see things, but no longer feel them that well.) the tail is the only bodypart that is not immediately detrimental to their health, just their lifestyle. Their tail is their only way to directly connect to the online world without assistance. Without it, they rely on adapter prostetics that wear out over time and need to be replaced on occassion.

That being said, in this au, Roman, Remus, and Janus are tinies in this world. Roman and Remus are twins, and both suffered an injustice of experimentation that involved one of their legs each being removed, and being reattached(successfully) to the other’s body, as a test to see how similar twin tiny’s bodies are and if the similarities assist any in surrogate limbs attaching successfully. Theyre rescued and rehabilitated amd rehomed together before anything more was done to them, but they live life knowing they have eachothers leg and function as if said legs are really their own, and it connects them in a very odd way that they cant really explain.(it comes w/ a bonus of being able to send messages to one another, but a con of being able to see a portion of the other’s memories, be it mental, or physical muscle memory)

They live with a group of humans, Logan, Patton, and Virgil, who are aware of their situation and have welcomed them into their home to live normal tiny lives. Patton and Virgil are brothers, and Logan is their childhood bestfriend. Remus tends to travel w/ Logan the most bc Logan isnt bothered by Remus’s constant hyperfixations on dark and grusome things.(they hold alot of convos abt dark literature and anatomy, and astronomy. Remus finds Logan’s voice soothing on his semi-irratic stream of thoughts, and talking abt astonomy helps sooth Remus to sleep the fastest.) Roman clings to Virgil mostly but passes inbetween Virgil and Patton pretty frequently depending on whose at work. (Virgil and Roman bicker about everything under the sun, but it’s still healthy for them. Virgil keeps Roman’s ego in check and Roman helps Virgil gain more confidence in things, especially things in public.)

Janus is.. well, he was born.. defective, in a way. No ones really sure exactly what happened, if there were dificulties in his development, or if his existance was fused semi-incorrectly with another while in the preverbial womb, but he is born with his body being partially down the middle on one side with another set of tiny genetics, leaving 1/4th of his body from one side of the head to just below the same side’s ribs to be a different skin & metal plating color. One eye glows gold, the other a bright milky white, the same going for either hand w/ his finger-tips on the same sides. Pure snow white skin, plating, and hair is unnatural, and its theorized to be a permanent glitch in his physical coding seeing as the ‘other tiny’ that had yet to combine correctly would not have developed any physical traits until birth to mimick a combination of it’s parents, it’s physical attribute coding would remain dormant and thus not addapt with the rest of the body.

This leaves Janus visually different, and physically different. He has his own two legs and tail so that part of his body functions normally, but the arm that is inter-functionally dormant leaves him with terrible balance issues(thus leaving him to require a cane) and his on the same side that is similarly dormant leaves him functionally blind in said eye and deaf on said side.

He’s developed an extremely defensive personality because he refuses to be pitied for something he was never in control of. He’s plenty independent without help and beyond grouchy. Has been known to bite humans who try to help him but wont listen to him, hard. He’s never been allowed to live a normal tiny’s life because the parents he was born to gave him to humans to ensure he lived, then got retroactively babied since. His foul temper has lead to a difficulty in the homing process, and the humans are almost about to give up on him when Virgil walks in one day, curious about homing a third tiny to help stabalize the twins antics and frustrations born from there only being the two of them.

Janus is just as foul at first as he is to everyone who approaches him, because he fully expects pity. Instead of Virgil moving on in rejection/dismissal of the rude behavior, Virgil just chuckles in amusement. “Oh boy, you’re fiesty huh?” “Have to be, lest people think they can do and think whatever they want about me. Better to give them my worst so they don’t get any god-complex over my disability, right?” And Virgil relates, and isnt hesitant abt mentioning his own struggles w/ how rudely people treat him w/ his general anxiety disorder and chronic depression.

Virgil manages to convince Janus take a chance and come home w/ him. And then Janus meets Patton, and things go so much better than anyone expected them to go. I mean, they get worse before they get better, but the getting better is so much further than any resulted backtracking. Janus likes Patton, and is uber protective of him. No one knew Patton to bicker much, but oh boy, does he bicker with Janus, often abt taking care of one another. Its all out of love and care, and its honestly jarringly sweet. (Patton gets Janus hooked on chocolate chips, and may or may not bribe him with a bottle-lip full from time to time if it means making Janus relax.)

[an-aro-without-an-ace]

An Essay On Alloaro's

Before I begin this stupidly long post, I want to add a disclaimer. This post is going to talk specifically about alloaro issues in the community, and only those issues. Everyone one in the aspec community faces issues that deserve to be talked about. That being said, there is a trend in the community to focus on issues skewing more towards asexuals and aroaces. So this post is for those who are rarely talked about. Alloaro's.

With that out of the way, lets begin. The aspec community encompasses two seperate communities of identity. The Acespec Community, asexuals and their spectrum. The Arospec Community, aromantics and their spectrum. However their is this common practice of using aspec in reference to only the Acespec community which is problematic in a few ways. This discourse has been coming up again recently with people claiming that aromantics are included under asexual using aspec to refer to asexuals. This is aromantic erasure, but it also has a heavy impact on a smaller community within the Arospec Community. One thats often forgotten about and the topic of this post.

The discourse around aromantics being under the asexual identity is extremely alloarophobic. It erases us as an identity as it implies that to be aromantic you have to be asexual or be irreversibly linked to asexuality. Its gotten to the point where "Not all aro's are ace" isn't enough to drown out the arguments, which in all honesty it never was enough. Discourse has turned into antagonism against a small community that barely ever gets its voice heard.

If you've made it this far, wonderful. Now, I'm going to break down issues we face inside and outside the aspec community and hopefully how to fix them.

Lack Of Informative Alloaro Centered Content

Its seen all the time. Aspec and LGBT positivity and informational posts simply forgetting the existence of aromantic identities or even worse, when alloaro representation ends at "Not all aro's are ace". To be clear, we have terminology that can be used beyond a single sentence of representation. Terminology that can helo those who may be questioning their orientation and are unable to even find posts about being allosexual and aromantic. How can we fix this? Simple. Acknowledge our terminology. Instead of saying a single line about us, mention us as who we are. Allosexual Aromantics.

Our Representation Being Flooded Over

I want you to imagine for a second you are in the shoes of a questioning alloaro. You've struggled with your aromanticism and don't know if thats even who are, or if you're just a "late bloomer". So, you turn to the aromantic community to try and learn about others experiences. Thats when a knot forms in your throat. As far as you can tell, almost all of the most shared, acknowledged, and featured content around the community is either blatantly asexual or aroace. You know for a fact you aren't asexual, and now you've found yourself reinforcing the idea that you can't be aromantic because of that. Just imagine that for a second. This is something tons of alloaro's have gone through before discovering that such a line of thinking is false.

How many times have you seen posts talking about how the aromantic tags get flooded with purely asexual content? Or that other aromantic identities are forgotten over the vast majority of the community favoring aroaces? This is a massive issue, and it just reinforces the idea that aromanticism and asexuality are connected or are requirements for eachother. Alloaro content and posts get burried under a slew of aroace and asexual content. Content that sometimes doesn't even get tagged as aroace, but just aromantic, making it nearly impossible to filter out for alloaros who want the allosexual part of their identity acknowledged. A passage from @aroworlds "Allosexual Aromantic Erasure: A Guide" says it best.

"Aro-aces deserve the right to see aro-ace content in aromantic spaces, but we need to address this imbalance in terms of what content dominates and how it impacts allo-aro participation in our shared community. Only then can we renegotiate a relationship that doesn’t tend to allo-aro erasure."

How can we fix it? Simple.

If your content doesnt substantially mention aromantics (more then just a sentence tacked on at the end), do not tag it aromantic. And for gods sake, NEVER tag purely asexual content as alloaro.

If your content is aroace, tag it aroace or include asexual in your tags. This allows alloaro's who want to see more representation of their allosexual identity to blacklist the term asexual in their feed. It also helps differentiate the content from being seen as aromantic and nothing else.

A Refusal To Acknowledge Or Talk About Alloaro Experiences

I've said it before and I will say it again. The alloaro experience is fundamentally different then that of aroaces, asexuals, and other identities in the Aspec community. ALL EXPERIENCES IN THE ASPEC COMMUNITY are different and simply assuming that since you've mentioned aroaces or aromantics means that you covered everything is erasure. The way we experience our aromanticism is changed due to our allosexual identities. In the aspec community, it's almost more accepted to be aroace then it is to be alloaro. In spaces for aspec discussion alloaro's often have to filter out their allosexual experiences in fear of offending or making someone who isn't allosexual uncomfortable. Rarely do you ever see a space for alloaro discussion and as a result our struggles often go unheard or even ignored by the community.

Lets take a moment to mention what we face, so that we can at least get the acknowledgement we deserve.

The coding of sexual attraction and sexual acts being inherently romantic

The vilification of sexual acts without reciprocal romantic attraction

The assumption that FWB is societal representation of alloaro's

The unspoken community caution around talking about sexual attraction or sexual experiences in the aspec community, even when tagged as aromantic or given proper warning to asexual members

Being labeled as predatory by society and even within LGBT spaces and communities

A lack of even the slightest education on how to go about sexual encounters without romantic intent in a healthy manner

The flooding of sex negative content in the aromantic tag (along with simply asexual content as a whole)

And much more I could mention but the list would drag on forever. How can we fix this? Simple.

Create more spaces for alloaro discussions and boost content that shares our struggles. Never assume you've covered our experiences because you've mentioned aroaces. Never assume you've covered our experiences because you've mentioned aromantics without specifically talking about alloaro's. Help change the atmosphere of the aspec community to make it more acceptable to talk about sexual experiences in aromantic spaces because they are not the same as asexual spaces.

Closing Statement

There is alot more I could talk about in this essay but its gotten to a length in which I doubt anyone would actually read further so I'm going to wrap things up. All aspec issues and experiences deserve to be discussed, bo matter what identity it centers around. However, that means they deserve to be discussed equally. Whether intentioned or not, refusing to acknowledge the differences in alloaro experiences is erasure, and it harms us as community. We need to elevate the voices of those who go talked over or unheard in our community. We need to stop the harmful ideas that come about when a community for all aspec identities is dominated by the views, opinions, and experiences of one side. The Aspec community is for Asexuals and Aromantics. Two separate identities with their own struggles, experiences, needs, and lives. If we can acknowledge that, and stop lumping ourselves together as if the other side doesn't exist, we can come together as a community.

Everyone deserves a voice, so lets give them one. One we're willing to hear out.

[queen-ofsunflowers]

Alright, so I got a brilliant spark of inspiration and now I’m here with another AU idea for Persona. I love supernatural AUs, and with Halloween around the corner, my mind is bursting with that energy.

So, a Persona AU where the main characters are (for the most part, there are so exceptions for plot reasons) some sort of magical being. Right now, I’m calling it Monsters and Magic. Might change. Who knows?

Here’s the rundown on some of the basics of the AU. If enough people like it, I might go in depth with the characters. But that’s another post for another time. Anyway, let’s go!

Some general world rules:

The world is seperated into two different sort of factions: Mortal and Non-Mortal. The Mortals are comprised solely of humans, simple as that. And that means, obviously, the Non-Mortals are everybody else. Witches, werewolves, vampires, etc. Due to past history, the two worlds are to remain as separate as possible and result in the Non-Mortals following a strict code of rules in order to keep Mortals from finding out the truth and freaking the heck out. Because you know... humans.

All Non-Mortals have something called a Magical Core that makes them who they are. Each Non-Mortal can do magic to some extent, with others being more in tune with their core than others. Witches are the most in-sync with their core, and as a result can use their magic to the fullest extent.

The witches are responsible for helping the Non-Mortal community hide amongst the Mortal. They cast enchantments on small items that a Non-Mortal wear in order to conceal their true appearance. They can be some sort of charm or a piece of jewelry. Something that goes unnoticed by the general population. These have become rather expensive with time, so most Non-Mortals tend to just hide themselves in more simple manners if they can (make-up, hats, certain types of clothing, etc.)

Either way, the Non-Mortal and Mortal Worlds remain seperate for the most part. Emphasis on the most. With the modern age, it’s not uncommon for a Non-Mortal to have some Mortal blood. Ann Takamaki and Goro Akechi are examples of this. (Ann’s 1/4 human, Akechi’s half.) Most humans that enter relationships with Non-Mortals are usually extremely trustworthy folk. They are also subjected to tests by Non-Mortals in order to prove their trustworthiness, but this practice is starting to die out.

While most Non-Mortals live in Mortal cities and towns (Iwatodai and Tokyo are examples of this), there are settlements that are strictly Non-Mortal, where they are free to be themselves and live without fear. They are typically small towns, those kinds of places where no one visits. This helps protect the people that live there from being exposed. That being said, Inaba is definitely a Non-Mortal only town.

Now that the basics (for now) are out of the way, let’s get started on some specifics that I’ve come up with for Non-Mortals.

Witches are very powerful, and usually have the most sway in the Non-Mortal Community. In contrast, their rules are much more stricter so they can’t use their magic so freely. There are three major rules for them and all Non-Mortals by extension that are generally unspoken. 

No changing the past. This one should be self-explanatory. Butterfly-effect and all.

No making someone fall in love with another person. It’s never actually love, more like an extreme fatuation. And it always blows up in the caster’s face.

No resurrection and no premeditated murder. Bringing people back from the dead is a huge taboo, and the worst rule to break. It is possible, but the Non-Mortal world has come to the conclusion that deciding who lives and dies. That being said, this rule is broken in Persona 4 (the murders, obviously) and in Persona 5 (resurrection-wise, and even then, there are only two occasions in which it’s used.)

Magic always comes with a price. Every magic user learns that right off the bat, and must never forget it. Otherwise, they’ll be forced to endure the consequences, whatever they may be. The consequence all depends on the severity of the magic used.

A werewolf’s current state all depends on how close the full moon is. The closer it is, the more wolf-like in behavior they become. They also tend to be more aggressive due to this. You can usually pick out a werewolf during the full moon period due to how tired they are, and unexplained bites and scratches causes by their transformations. That being said, Ryuji is a werewolf, and the November full moon for the P5 timeline is November 21. So... yeah.

Magic is tied to a Non-Mortal’s emotions. The more emotionally charged a person is, the more they lose control of their powers. Anger and sadness are the most volatile of all emotions. It can range from a glass breaking to someone getting badly hurt. 

Non-Mortals whose cores are related to certain elements (such as ice and fire) have weaknesses related to those elements. For example, Yusuke -- who is heavily tied to ice -- can’t stand the heat and will collapse if he gets too hot. In contrast, those related to fire -- with Yukiko being the prime example for this -- can’t stand the cold and could end up in serious danger if they drop below a certain temperature. Nature-related beings (flower fae, nymphs, etc) are susceptible to both.

That’s all I really got so far. I don’t want this post to get too long, so I’ll dive into specific games and their plots and characters in different posts. Before I do though, it’s going to be a general theme that the protags are witches. Sorry, guys. Them's the breaks. I want the witch’s magic to sort of relate to the Wild Card power. There are some exception but... yeah.

So... what do you guys think? You want me to continue or...? I probably will anyway. I really like this AU.

[2ndblogg]

Hey! Just read your hot take on novel!wangxian and I absolutely agree. I'm gonna have to say here that I believe it boils down to the fetishization of homosexual men in a lot of the fandom culture that surrounds mlm shipping, as you said it's a space for a lot of women to experiment with their desires and whatnot, but I think therein lies the breaking points between reading novel!wangxian as a good, healthy relationship vs. reading it as a very flawed and toxic one. As an LGBT person, reading the way the author dealt with their relationship made me extremely uncomfortable, it just really feels like something that is written by someone who is more invested in using her queer characters for satisfying her and her reader's own pleasure than a well-built, strong relationship between two characters. Not to take away from the novel in some other aspects, I believe that novel!wwx is a much better, much more nuanced character than what he is in cql, but when it comes to wangxian, I think the intentions are very different for each of them. To each their own, I guess, but I do find it very troubling that some people in the fandom have a really hard time admitting that novel wangxian is not even remotely healthy.

Absolutely.

And can I just say how glad it makes me to see that not everyone is praising this book for it’s lgbt representation...

But I guess that’s also why I just occasionally feel the need to scream my frustrations into the void or try to make sense of the novel.

And why I try to be understanding and accepting of people’s opinion of the novel and not take it ‘personally’ (in the sense of sitting there thinking “holy shit this is how they view ME, this is what they think of ME” etc).

I was in fandoms back when they were really a place dominated by straight (homophobic) women and realism or lgbt representation wasn’t on anyone’s mind (and the occasional dude butting in to say that’s not how sex works or bottoming is experienced was ignored or told to get out). I experienced this change to fandoms being more of a lgbt space, of people becoming aware that media can shape your views of groups of people, of people becoming aware of their fetishizing of fictional gays vs. their prejudice against real life lgbt people etc.

And tbh MXTX just writes like one of those, she writes wangxian like everyone wrote their gay relationships around 2005 and earlier; clear power imbalance, clear roles and attributes that are divided into ‘manly’ and ‘feminine’, certain physical attributes (like the female self insert character aka the bottom being pretty and slight and weaker and shorter), men/the penetrating partner can’t really be raped so anything the woman/bottom tries isn’t really ‘bad’, the male love interest is forceful and self centered but ONLY because he’s so in love and since he’s emotionally stunted he has to express that through sex, men/tops NEED sex and it’s rude/mean to deny them that, the girl/bottom isn’t THAT horny or in charge of their own sexuality but wants to please their partner and what they really get out of it is the emotional aspect, decisions need to be made for them because the dude/top just knows better, the girl/bottom is childish and flirty and the guy/top suffers through it until he finally snaps and shows the girl/bottom who'sboss etc etc. (honestly homophobia and misogyny is so tightly knit in this kind of fiction, if it wasn’t so frustrating it would be very interesting).

Tbh I disagree with novel!wwx being more nuanced (despite a lot of ppl whose opinions I really respect also feeling this way), because I simply cannot seperate him from the wangxian relationship. All I see are tropes and stereotypes applied to make him ‘work’ in the context of the wangxian relationship instead of an actual personality...

To me, in CQL WWX is clearly the main character and you love his interactions with LWJ and want more of them and value them, wheras in the novel most of the time WWX plays second fiddle even when a scene should technically be about him and LWJ’s presence is incredibly suffocating, because he’s always being controlling or at the very least influencing WWX.

I also don’t feel like WWX has much of a character arc/growth. We’re essentially told he had one but the only thing that really actually changes is him hating himself a bit more and letting LWJ smash..., and I guess: he’s less independent than ever, he’s more isolated that ever...

I’ve called novel!wangxian a relationship between an abuser and his victim, because you can find evidence of that in the text. Not because I think the author wanted to portray an unhealthy gay relationship. Like you said, she was fetishizing and wrote for a similar crowd. But to me that ‘realization’ helped...I still don’t see how people can call it a masterpiece but I can at least understand hyping something you like up...

And like, badly written gay relationship or not; gay/straight,man/women, I see how people can find it hot. Exploring your sexuality through fictional characters isn’t necessarily a strictly straight girl phenomena. I probably have read fic that was exactly like this, I can’t judge anyone for it. But no one prints out the last PWP they read and goes, “this is ideal lgbt representation and nothing will ever be this good, the fact that it includes rape makes it so realistic” like????

(Is that part or an effect of the woke and purety culture? you can’t say ‘i like this book but it has flaws’ or ‘i’ve enjoyed this but it’s not up the feminism or lgbt acceptance that i preach/live’ so you have to pretend it’s flawless?)

And like, I do think novel!wangxian is a nightmare when it comes to lgbt representation and I do believe this is largely due to a cishet woman writing about gay men and fetishizing them (the fact that a lot of peoples arguments why novel!wangxian ‘is better’ boils down to ‘there’s kissing and sex’ is also pretty telling). And I am frightend and worried by some peoples response to it.

But is it really fair to see it as just that? It’s a problem sure, but that same thing happens in straight media (which I am admittedly not well versed in). Stephanie Meyer didn’t set out to write Edward Cullen to be a creep and non of the teenage girls that went crazy over him viewed it as such...Reylo fans (aside from some of them proclaiming Finn to be the real villain and saying it’s racist and misogynistic to not find Kylo Ren hot) found a way to view him threatening her as romantic and sexy, Loki fans that didn’t ship him with Thor usually fell into the camp of “he would be a perfect boyfriend” or “what if this OFC was his slave and he raped her everyday <3″... like ignoring/glorifying/romanticizing behaviours or exploring what kinks you might have through the safety of fictional characters and fictional settings isn’t JUST happening when it comes to ‘the gays’...

And not just specifically in fandom spaces either, a lot of ‘romantic’ movies include inappropriate touching, the boy/guy knowing better than the girl what she wants etc. And I absolutely do believe that that’s something that normalized these things for a lot of young girls and guys (I don’t want to get into this too much, I’ve really seen a change in the past few years, but before that it was pretty common for young boys to believe they need to keep pursuing and pressuring a girl that has said no, girls truly thought boys could die of blue balls, girls thought it was their duty as good girlfriends to let their boyfriends fuck them even when they weren’t in the mood, that they couldn’t talk about what they want in bed or what they don’t find enjoyable because ‘sex is for boys and girls get a relationship in exchange’ etc.).

And in much the same way movies have only relatively recently begun being called out for that, it’s also still pretty recently that they’re being called out for having their one queer coded character be a pedophile and a murder or whatever...Like, society as a whole becoming aware of these issues.

But do authors that publish their work with a specific target audience in mind have a responsibility to think about the effect it might have on them? (And I can already hear loud screams of ‘no way, it’s not your fault if your audience isn’t smart enough to understand that this bad thing is bad’, but I actually do believe in a way they do. That doesn’t mean you can’t or shouldn’t write whatever you want, just maybe take a look at HOW you bring your point across. (We do KNOW people are influenced by what propaganda they’re consistantly fed. I mean, you wouldn’t write a pro-drugs childrens book...) )

What if the author isn’t aware of their bias and prejudices? Or their target audience isn’t their actual audience?

And do we, society and media, judge female and male authors differently when it comes to romance and sex in fiction? (The answer is yes btw) But also, where do we draw the line at calling something ‘badly written’ and calling it toxic? Can it be both? As I’ve said before, a lot of people claim that only the physical intimacy scenes of novel!wangxian are bad, because they’re badly written and OOC, some say the book as amazingly written and only the wangxian relationship is bad because the author doesn’t know how to write gay men. In my ‘hot take’ I essentially said that’s not necessarily bad writing so much as it’s simply an (okay, unintentional) toxic relationship. And would this relationship still come across as toxic (or badly written, whichever you want) if we didn’t know the author to be a cishet woman? Or if a gay man had written it? (my personal, eloquent answer for this is: yes, but differently.)

Which was really all just a rambly way to get to my point of: it’s not just fetishizing of gay men, it’s also the homophobia and self-inserting in a safe situation.

You can literally replace WWX in the novel with a female character and it wouldn’t change a thing. The author takes such an effort into building up this power imbalance in every aspect of their life that if WWX were a heroine nothing would change in this (sexist/ancient society) setting.

(And clearly this is something that appeals to people if you look at the amount of female!WWX fics...)

Not even the sex scenes. There are maybe two allusions in all of them combined that WWX might also have a dick but like, you can’t be sure and it sure as hell doesn’t need stimulation.

(and again, that could be written as a kink...but it’s just not.)

CQL is a gay love story. MDZS at it’s core is none of that.

But I also very much agree with your ‘to each their own’, like here I am criticizing and trying to find explanations and whatever, but at the end of the day it doesn’t matter why someone might like (or write) a book like this, I vastly prefer CQL!wangxian but people have their own reasons for not doing so.

The ‘problem’ really only lies in, as you said, people not being able to accept that it’s not a healthy relationship. Or claiming it to be perfect lgbt rep.

And because my brain can’t shut up today:

I also can’t stop thinking that the way some people ‘glorify’ the book as due to their age and ‘inexperience’.

When I was a pretty young kid and got into fanfiction, there was nothing but completely OOC!whump to be found in the first two fandoms I was in. And I loved it. It was YEARS later that I thought I might like to read something with the characters being...in character. What I’m trying to say, in different stages and phases of your life you might enjoy different things, for different reasons...and obviously, in that moment, you won’t think about ‘what appeals to me here/should this appeal to me/etc’.

I don’t mean inexperience as ‘sexual inexperience’ here, though of course that could be part of it, but also like, inexperience with this genre (is this the first book like this you read, or did you just read 50 in a row that all had the same unhealthy vibes?), with lgbt people and issues (do you know any lgbt people or is your only image of them either the cute boy you can’t have and don’t want to see with another girl or grown men in full kink gear in front of children during CSD? and also: do you think ‘i like this’ and that’s the end of it or do you notice how many people idolize this objectively unhealthy relationship and won’t allow critique on it...)  

I...just wanted to say thanks really.

I just can’t stop rambling apparently and I know I mostly just repeated what you said or what I already said but in longer... I just really do feel very strongly about novel!wangxian and the perception of them and have actually at times felt very personally...worried/affected, by people’s acceptance and love of them and I just... have to try and make sense of it...

[buckyodinson]

Forbidden (Mandalorian x Reader)

Request from @londelle​ : Reader is a jedi who ends up joining Mando. They didn't get along at first because of the Mandalorian and Jedi conflict, but eventually they fall for each other, and it's after the reader saves Din. It freaks them both out about their feelings.

A/N: Thank you for requesting! This is set during the first few episode of the season, I struggled a little to find a place that it would fit (I rewrote this like 3 times trying to find the best way to fit the story together), so there’s a little divergence from the actual episodes themselves. I hope you enjoy! As always, feedback (good or bad) is appreciated!!

Word Count: 2k

Much like the Mandalorian, you traveled the galaxy looking for jobs. Whatever you could get your hands and were paid well for, you were happy to commit to for a while, before moving to another town, another planet, another system. You’d worked in cantinas, you’d worked in casinos, and even briefly as a Queen’s aide on a remote planet you’d already forgotten the name of.

Currently though, you were on Arvala-7, helping Kuill on his moisture farm. It was pretty easy work, and he paid you well. It was the longest you’d kept a job in recent years, and you weren’t rushing to move on anytime soon. You were very helpful to have around the moisture farm, as Kuill had discovered very soon after hiring you. Jawas were a known nuisance on Arvala-7, especially in the areas surrounding Kuill’s farm. One night, you awoke suddenly, hyper-aware something was wrong, and when you ran outside, you saw a Jawa ship, and a group of Jawas attempting to steal one of the farm’s vaporators. You held out an arm, took a deep breath and channeled all your energy, and struck the Jawas with a large wooden beam you’d been using to build a pen for Kuiil’s blurgs. 

The Jawas scarpered after that, seemingly terrified, and had yet to return to the farm. Kuiil was extremely grateful, and in awe at watching your power. He had been stunned when you admitted you were a Jedi, recalling the stories he read as a child, in disbelief that he had a Jedi working for him. That night, you dug through all your belongings to show him your lightsaber, which you hadn’t touched, or even looked at, in years. It was a dangerous living in recent times, so you kept your powers to yourself unless absolutely necessary.

Fast forward to a year later, and you’re still working on Kuill’s farm. Throughout your time there, many mercenaries and bounty hunters have come and gone, most seemingly unsuccessful in their endeavours. Kuiil offers to help where he can, lending them a blurg if they need it, or simply pointing them in the right direction.

You’re sure rumours of a Jedi floating about in the bounty hunter community would do no good, and Kuill was very good at keeping your secret. When a Mandalorian turned up at the farm with Kuill, however, you knew your history could definitely not be brought up. There is a long history of hostility between the Jedi and the Mandalorians, and you wanted no part in furthering the conflict. But when Kuiil was offering to take the Mandalorian part way to his bounty, he offhandedly mentioned how you should travel with him the whole way because of how skilled you were, which was likely due to your force-sensitivity. Kuiil immediately realised his mistake, but it was too late. The Mandalorian’s posture shifted, and he told Kuill that you were not to join them.

Kuill, a true gentleman, and advocate for your skill, refused to help unless you came with him, and the Mandalorian eventually caved. You proved immense help when he was locating the Child. You were covering him at the compound, while he and the IG droid attempted to break into it and capture the bounty. The Mandalorian had given you a gun, and you were supposed to stay back and shoot from a distance, but you realised there were too may Nikto mercenaries, and you were admittedly a bad shot, so you joined the field. The mercenaries were pretty distracted once they witnessed you walk into the entrance, lightsaber drawn. This allows the Mandalorian and the IG unit to enter the compound and collect the bounty.

You’d made light work of killing all the mercenaries, and was about to sit for a minute’s rest when you heard a blaster shot. Assuming the droid had betrayed the Mandalorian, you burst into the room, lightsaber in hand, ready to strike it down. You were met, however, by The Mandalorian staring into a crib. You holstered your lightsaber and moved to his side, peering into the crib, where your eyes met those of a small creature. The Mandalorian reached a hand out to it, and it raised one of it’s own in response. You studied the creature, a vague sense of recognition stirred somewhere deep in your mind, but you couldn’t place the feeling. 

Knowing others would come, the Mandalorian closed the crib, and the pair of you left the compound with it, starting your long journey back to the farm. Mando was quietly impressed underneath his helmet when he saw the scene you’d left behind after you’d joined the fight. He thought that perhaps Jedi aren’t as bad as they’re made out to be. After all, why would one help him, after all the conflict their two kinds had gone through?

He questions the Jedi again, when he’s faced with a Mudhorn. You’re about to use the force to try and hold the creature off, but you’re beaten to it by the small creature in the crib. You gawk in amazement at the raw power it possess, giving the Mandalorian a chance to kill the Mudhorn. You run over to him and give him a hand up, and he seems dazed.

“The Child has the force. Like me.” you marvel, and he turns to look at you.

“You mean that thing is a Jedi?” he asks incredulously.

“It would seem so. I assume it is untrained, because of it’s age, but I’ve never seen such power, especially from one so young.” 

He looks down into the crib, where the Child is now sleeping, and for the second time in a few days, he’s wondering if the Jedi are truly his enemy.

After all this, you decide to move on from Kuiil’s farm, knowing news of a Jedi in these parts would reach unfriendly ears, and the Mandalorian offers to fly you to Nevarro with him, and you gladly accept. You wish him good luck with the hand-off and go your seperate ways on Nevarro, but not much time passes before you find yourself leaping into action again to help the Mandalorian, and before you know it, you’re in the midst of a stand-off with The Guild.

Everything goes by so quickly, and all of a sudden, you’re back in the Mandalorian’s ship, laying on the ground, with a blaster shot to your side. You stir, and observe the Mandalorian climb down from the cockpit, med-kit in hand. As he administers some bacta spray, he can’t help but ask a question that’s been bothering him.

“Why did you help me? Why did you put yourself in the firing line for me and the child?”

“It’s the Jedi way. Really, we’re supposed to be peacekeepers, and while none of that was remotely peaceful, I can tell you care deeply for the Child, and it was simply the right thing to do. Who knows what they were going to do to it back there... I don’t want to think about it. It can use the force too, it is in my nature to protect my own kind, as I am sure is in your nature to do the same. We’re not as different as our ancestors seemed to think.” you rambled to distract yourself from the pain.

“Do you think you could help the child?”

“In what way?”

“Honestly? I don’t know. But having you around could show the kid how to control it’s powers. And maybe show me why the Jedi aren’t as bad as my people make you out to be?”

“I am curious about the child. I remember one like him when I was just a youngling, and I was first training. Perhaps the more time I spend with him. the more I will remember, and maybe we can find his people?”

“Finding his real home would be ideal, travelling with me is no life for a child.” he spoke sadly, and you wondered how lonely life must be for him. You wondered maybe if he needed the company more than he was letting on.

You stuck around, and helped the little one grow stronger, and The Mandalorian (or as he now let you call him, Mando) grew to enjoy your company. You were certainly useful to have around. If someone didn’t go running at the sight of a Mandalorian, they certainly did when he was joined by you wielding a lightsaber. You made a pretty great pair, both on and off the battlefield. Mando found himself craving your company, and although he wasn’t much of a talker, would try to have conversations with you about anything and everything. 

He realised fairly quickly that perhaps he was having romantic feelings towards you. He dismissed them, as it was against the Creed, and after having learned about the way of the Jedi from you, learned that Jedi were not supposed to have romantic attachments. He buried his feelings deep within the Beskar, but that didn’t stop him stealing glances at you and smiling as you sat with the child and praised him for lifting small objects.

Little did he know, you were struggling against your own code too. You knew attachments were forbidden to your people, but you’d never felt this way before. It was almost exhilarating, because it was forbidden - both in the Jedi code, but also in terms of ancestry and the dealings of those who came before you. A Jedi and a Mandalorian joining together was something that had never happened before. Could you be the first?

You were both fiercely protective of the child, and of one another too. As time grew on, you both became less adept at hiding your feeling. You could never tell what he was looking at through his visor but you were frequently caught staring at Mando, and it’s a surprise you didn’t get whiplash from the speed you would look away when he caught you. What you didn’t know was that he was smirking in those moments, and wondering if he should make a move. He desperately wanted to, but didn’t know how. 

One night, he awoke in the middle of the night and stumbled upon you sat in the cockpit rocking the Child in your arms, softly singing it a song. The Child was sleeping by this point, but you found it peaceful, just to watch the stars go by as you sang quietly. Mando startled you slightly by placing a hand on your shoulder, and your wide eyes scanned the Child, but you relaxed when you noticed he was still sleeping. 

“Mando, you scared me!” you whispered at him, as he turned the pilot’s seat around and sat himself down in it.

“I’m sorry,” he chuckled, and your heart leaped in your chest at the sound. “You have a lovely voice, by the way.”

You blushed profusely at the compliment and whispered a thank you. Mando sat in contemplation for a minute before reaching a hand out to stroke the Child’s ear. He cooed in response but did not stir, and Mando’s heart leaped at the small chuckle that left your lips. He slowly moved his hand to find yours, and hold it tightly. You looked up into the slits in the Beskar, confusion painting your features.

“I truly enjoy having you around, you know that right?” he asked slowly and you smiled and nodded in response. “Good.” came his curt reply.

“I enjoy being here too, Mando. Since leaving the Jedi all those years ago, it’s been lonely. But you and the Child are like a little family to me now.” you smiled down at the Child, and then your eyes lingered on your linked hands, and you blushed again. This is probably the most physical contact the two of you had shared.

You fell into a comfortable silence, Mando’s thumb tracing your knuckles while he was deep in thought, trying to work out what to say. Before he could say anything, you let out a small yawn, and slowly withdrew your hand from his. The loss of warmth made him sigh, and he hopes you didn’t catch it (you did). You stand up, and announce your retirement to sleep. Before you turn to leave though, you lean down and place a chaste kiss to the top of Mando’s helmet before scurrying away. You’re blushing like never before, and Mando has the biggest grin smacked on his face, which is equally flushed.

Maybe this could work out...

[starfirette]

Every Which Way: Chapter Three

The Way To Safety

➡️a/n: CUIDADO! This chapter contains violence on the same level as the Mandalorian tv series.

➡️ prev chapters found on masterlist

➡️ Included original characters: Wendi Q’ohl + Ryder Vizsla

➡️ Din Djarren x Reader/The Mandalorian x Reader  | mild violence | arranged marriage | love triangle kinda | slow burn romance | mild smut | angst to fluff | strangers to lovers | word count: 4, 799

➡️ JOIN THE TAGLIST | VIEW SCHEDULE | >> CONTINUE ! <<

Din does not want to speak with you. 

The days go by slowly and almost painfully. You have no friends in the covert besides Paz, and Paz is, if anything, your tutor. Conversations rarely extend beyond the hour long lessons he gives you each night. He doesnt’t have much time to give you outside of that as he sleeps during the day then stands guard during the night. Your hourly sessions are carved out of his meticulous schedule to begin with, so interaction with him is all routine. You are thankful for him, though. 

WIthout him, you’d be going insane. 

There isn’t anything for you to do aside from practice your letters and general literacy. It’s a pain, honestly, but Paz’s methods make it easier. Sounding out each letter takes time on its own, but having a pre-established vocabulary does help a little. Overall, you’ve adjusted to your new lifestyle. 

You’d gone a week without seeing Din. You tried to get messages to him via Gold but she had just as much knowledge of his whereabouts as you. According to her, Din often times goes out to track bounties. His position in the covert is a bit vague, but most of his earnings go to the covert. He funds foundlings and repairs to the tunnel. The more foundlings rescued, the more rooms need to be built, the more armor needs to be built; it’s always difficult to tell when he’ll be back. From what you’ve heard, bounties can take several weeks. And Din, being as skilled as he is, tends to take on the most difficult bounties out there. 

Life among the covert is deafening; you are not one of them, not really. Paz goes out of his way to invite you to the meetings in the main hall. Gold does as much as she can by answering all of your questions concerning your new life and the covert’s ‘Way”. You don’t officially understand everything. Not even close. 

What you know so far is Mandalorians are extremely reclusive. You’ve never seen any of them without their helmet or weapon of choice. They never eat with anyone. The closest they get to that is filling up baskets with meat and cheese, then retreating to their rooms. Although strange, it’s nice to be alone in the gathering hall in the dead middle of night, nibbling at the cheese and berries in the dark. 

Among being reclusive, they are also loyal. Their creed depends on loyalty. No one does anything that can betray the covert. 

You are sure that’s the only reason you’re remaining there. Several Mandalorians have made their feelings about you clear, such as Ryder and Wendi. Ryder is rude, overall. As for Wendi, she has her moments. She pretty much ignores you majority of the time, though she can be surprising. She’ll check up on you time to time, asking you blandly if you’d want to join the covert meetings; you know Gold had put her up to it, but still, she wasn’t too resigned. 

Pressing matters always seemed to have her consumed in her angsty bubble. You yearned to know the gossip that lurked over the covert. You want to help. You also want to know the status of your life. 

Aniri would no doubt have you listed as a fugitive. 

Emelea being who she is would not easily give up losing you. Despite being a ‘lowly servant’ she feels threatened by the idea of someone escaping her ranks. You know that since Din essentially betrayed her, (in her eyes she would see it as a betrayal) she would be targetting every Mandalorian she could get her hands on. 

The death of her brother would have driven her into a frenzy. She never seemed to care for Melv, but she and Riz were always inseperable. 

Thinking of Melv, you become sad. Melv was the kindest of the entire family. He made points to fight for rights for the women and the peasant people of the village. He brought food to the punished maids and intervened in several, several execution attempts. You’d always hoped Melv would inherit the throne, but he was a weak young man. The weakest of the triplets, small and frail and soft spoken. The idea that Melv had been killed by his own brother did not shock you but it did break your heart. He did not deserve that. 

He would have been a kind king. 

You think of this as you shower in the early morning. 

The shower stalls are seperated with thick screens so the girls can remove their helmets but also have friendly conversation with their friends. You opt out of the chatter; no one would want to talk to you anyways. 

While you lather the soap into your hair, you can’t help but think of Din. You miss him. That is undeniable. You miss his looming presence. Your first days of true life were spent with him by your side, and now that he is gone, you feel lost. 

As the warm water streams down your body you look at your hands. The true color of your skin is a blessing to be proud of. The shape of your body is something you are grateful to embrace. 

You shouldn’t feel unhappy. You should feel glad and excited; as much as you’d like to credit that to adjusting solely, you know deep down it’s the lack of Din Djarren that is killing you. 

Rinsing yourself of soap, you sigh. Life must carry on. Din Djarren would likely never be in your life again. You must go on without him. As painful as that feels you must accept it. 

Drying off slowly is a luxury. You still roll in the happiness of being able to take your grand time doing whatever you want; sleeping as late as you want. 

In your stall you pull on a long sleeved shirt and beige trousers that feel soft around your hips. Over your clothes you slide on the armor plates, and you then use your shirt to clean off the fingerprints. 

Your wet hair gets pulled out of your face with hair clips Wendi had given to you (unwillingly). 

Feeling clean and prepared to face the day, you leave the stall, ignoring the chattering of the Mandalorian young girls and women around you. 

In the hall you wander, thinking. You’ve learned a new word from Paz, and it’s contemplation. It’s thinking but maximised. You contemplate all the cornerstones of your new life you are trying to build. There has been no outcome so far. Aniri did publish you as a fugitive to the galaxy but that had been several days ago. Din Djarren was safe from the slander. Under his guild code he was protected. His identity is essentially unknown beyond the covert. Given that you were not the bounty in question, he hadn’t done anything wrong--by the guild’s standards. This would not matter if Mandalorians were not in a negative, pre-coined light. The Empire wants cooperation from everyone. As far as you know, the covert here has no intentions of cooperating. 

You don’t know much about the war, or the Empire, or about anything. You gathered over the week here that Mandalorians are in hiding and don’t like ‘Imperial Scum.’

You suspect they are housing you partially to get under the Empire’s skin. 

Contemplation. It’s tiring. 

Given you can only stroll through the tunnel, you do so, walking the lengths a few times before you abruptly run into Wendi. 

You can feel her steely gaze past her helmet’s visor and you want to sink into the shadows. Ah, but you shouldn’t. 

You raise your chin, trying to seem confident, and you ask her what she needs. She doesn’t stop you for pleasantries like chatting. 

“Have you seen Paz?” she asks. 

You hadn’t. “Not since last night,” you offered. 

“Have you seen Ryder?” she followed up. 

Repressing a shudder, you shake your head. “Ryder and I are not friends.” That would have to suffice her. 

You, though, are not sufficed. “Why? Is something wrong?” You cared for Paz’s well being. 

“Paz has not returned from his nightly watch,” Wendi says. She sounds gritty through her modulator. “You haven’t seen him at all? He didn’t...didn’t come to see you?” 

You couldn’t contain a mask of confusion. “Why would he?” you wonder. 

Wendi sighs, impatiently, and she shakes her hand dismissively. “Never mind.” She stomps away, the metal soles of her boots clattering against the cobblestone. You ran after her. Muddled by her confusing words, you struggled to speak. “What’s going on?” you asked. 

“It’s none of your buisness,” Wendi sighed impatiently. She burst into the furnace, obviously going to the next best person, who was and always will be the Armorer. 

“Nothing,” Wendi says exasperatedly. 

Gold had been doing nothing, simply standing in front of her boiling pot with her hands folded behind her back. “I have not recieved any transmissions,” Gold says quietly. 

“What’s happening?” you asked, loudly now. 

With an irritated huff, Wendi turned to you. “Ryder and Paz are the nightwatch guards. They have not returned and they are meant to be back at dawn. Neither are responding to transmissions.” 

“Then let’s go up to find them,” you say. “Wouldn’t that be best?” 

Wendi scoffed. “Leave the work to us, girl.” 

“Q’Ohl, k’uur,” Gold says coaxingly. “Y/n. I implore you for help.”

You’re stunned. With burning ears, you looked to Gold with wide eyes. “How could I help?” 

“There has always been one rule here,” Gold explained. “Not to leave the tunnel. This rule applies to everyone. The covert is in hiding, so we may only leave here a few at a time. A group of even three Mandalorians attracts attention. The only ones who are ever in then out are Din, Ryder, and Paz. Din is gone. Ryder and Paz have not returned from the nightwatch. I suggest you and Wendi both go above ground to search. A single Mandalorian with a normal woman would not raise many questions.” 

A sound of frustration passed through Wendi’s modulator. “If that is your official advice, I will take it,” she said finally. Though I will take it with reluctance. The silent words hung over your head like a spider dangling on its web. “Will weapons be required?” Wendi asked. 

“Take the bare minimum,” Gold instructed. She passed by to open her safe of weaponry. To you she offered a leather belt that strapped around your hips and to your thighs. “This is,” she says while handing you a small gun, “a blaster. The side clip is the safety. Seeing the orange means it is on. Point and shoot. Blasters are realtively easy to aim with. This particular blaster fires plasma shots, which will strike and splatter onto your opponent.” 

You hesitantly attatched the blaster to a holster on your right hip. 

“This,” Gold says again, “Is a besbev.” 

You stared at what she held. You lifted your eyebrows. “A...a flute?” 

Gold twirled the instrument in hand, showing to you the opposite edge. “See, now?” 

See, you did; the opposite end had a razor sharp blade. “This will be a weapon in hiding. It’s perfectly safe and normal looking, considering it is a real instrument. Use it the way you would use a blade.” 

You slip the flute into the holster that runs down the outside of your thigh. 

“You’re giving her the-! Fine. Y/n, let’s leave now.” Wendi snapped as she grabbed a larger blaster and sword from the weapons locker. 

You felt a bit on edge with your arsonal of weapons now on your body. “Y/n, you will be alright,” Gold says when she notices your discomfort. “I have one more weapon for you.” 

She returns to the locker and sifts about. She reveals a long knife with a smooth hilt. It curves out and you grasp it weakly. “The beskad,” Gold says. “A traditional Mandalorian weapon. Quite literal in its use. I made it myself, out of pure beskar. The end of the hilt has a hidden compartment,” she explains, tapping the underside, “with a line of what we call whistling birds. The side button,” she then says, gesturing to the frog of the hilt, “activates the stream. Aim the underside of the handle towards the opponent and double tap the button. Whistling birds are rare but effective. This beskad is yours to keep. Use the birds wisely.” 

You nod. “Thank you,” you say before sheathing the beskad in your inner thigh holster. 

“This is the Way,” Gold says. 

You nod, taking a breath. “This is the Way,” you repeat, softly. You follow after Wendi.

Wendi leads you to the exit of the tunnel. You’d been here with Din, who had put his arm around you to guide you through the darkness. Your eyes have since adjusted to the dim lighting underground and you stepped over the loose rocks that were scattered across the ground. 

Emerging into the sunlight hurts your eyes. You winced, averting your gaze from the sky. It smelled of early morning and the aftermath of a storm. Despite the desert and lack of complete greenery, you could still pick out the scent of rainwater.  

“Where do we start?” you asked Wendi. 

“We’ll have to split up,” Wendi said. She looked around the alley way for a moment, no doubt ‘contemplating’ her plan. “Yell for help if you need it,” she says in a flat tone. “I’ll hear you.” 

With that not-so comforting promise in mind, you split up from Wendi. Venturing around the city alone is thrilling. 

You’re not sure where to look, or even who you should be trying to avoid. Troopers are lurking around with blasters in hand, but they’re occupied and distracted by their own conversations. Easy enough. Maybe. 

You lurked about, making sure to duck into alley ways as you keep your eyes peeled for any Mandalorian. 

The thumping of your heart sets the tempo for your steps. You race around and search. Should you call for them? Should you regroup with Wendi? 

Just as you consider doing it, something crinkles behind you. 

A stormtrooper has approached you. You freeze under the pressure of his gaze. 

“Hey,” he said. His modulator is different sounding. It’s unfamiliar and terrifying. “Can I see some identification?” 

“I don’t have a card,” you say, trying not to tremble. 

“Can I get a name?” he tried. 

“Melvanna Weslyn,” you stuttered out. The queen had been the first name that came to mind, but you’d deviated. Melvanne somehow deviated into Melvanna and you couldn’t really tell how. “You lookin’ for something, Anna?” the trooper asked. 

“M-my husband,” you stumbled over the words. “Late night...he never came home. Drunk, I think. “

“Which bar?” 

“Dunno. We live out on a farm. He comes in town occasionally, so I don’t know his usual spots.” 

The trooper tapped his comlink and put in an information request on your husband, Riz. Again, that had been the first name that came to mind. 

You thanked the trooper, trying not to show how anxious you are. You’ve become dreadfully aware of the weight of your weapons on your legs. 

“Come with me, ma’am, I’ll help you look.” The trooper didn’t seem like he would take no for an answer. 

You followed him; you are nervous that he would spontaneously be able to read your thoughts. 

You took note of all his armor, the white sheen and the rifle on his back. You don’t know how to fight. You don’t know how you will fight him off. You don’t know how you will resist him taking you prisoner. 

Every alley is empty, every building cleared. 

“Sorry, ma’am,” the trooper says finally after you have both scoured the entire village. “Good luck.”

You bowed your head. “Thanks for your help.” You turned to scurry away. You had almost gotten away with it before the trooper grabbed you by the wrist, holding you from leaving. “Whatcha’ got there?” he asked. 

You grimmaced. 

“What are you talking about?” you asked, feigning confusion. 

“The blade,” he says, pointing to your inner holster. “That real beskar?” 

“What’s beskar?” you asked. That might have been a mistake because the trooper reached for cuffs from his belt. “You have any information on the whereabouts of a Mandalorian covert?” 

“No, sir. Why, sir?” 

“Imperial higer ups want to know,” the trooper said with a shrug. “You sure? You’ll be rewarded for any information. Where’d you get the beskar, lady?” 

You shrugged back. “Gift from my husband. I’m only looking for my husband. Sorry, sir.” 

The trooper sighed, but relented. He set the cuffs back on his waist. “Have a good day, ma’am.” 

You sighed a heavy breath of relief when he left your line of view. You collapsed against a wall of an alleyway, still heaving from your chest. Goodness. 

How curiously abnormal your day has been! More like your entire week, actually. 

You rubbed your chest, trying to coax your heart into settling down. 

Veering out of the alley you searched for a new place to look. But a shriek tore your throat as a set of hands grabbed you by the waist. You’re being yanked back into the alley while you thrash; you grabbed for your flute and fumbled with it in your hand. 

“Hey,” a voice hissed in your ear. “It’s me.”

You fell back into the grip of Din who had arrived from nowhere. You turned to look at him. The flute nearly slippe from your hand, but Din caught it. He gripped the flute and pressed it into your palm, wrapping your fingers around it. “Curve your wrist like this,” Din instructed as he made the motion for you, his bare hands adjusting your form. “Aim here,” Mando then said as he guided your hand to his torso. The blade of the flute knicked his armored plates with a squeal that phurt your ears. 

“Where have you been?” You gasped. Your hands curled into fists against his chest. “You’ve been gone.” I’ve missed you, you want to say. I missed you every day this week. 

“Bounties don’t catch themselves,” Din said softly, trying to make you laugh. You didn’t. You wrench away from him and sheathe the flute at your side. With a burning face you stuttered a goodbye before turning to run away.

Din caught your wrist before you could depart. 

His hands are bare, and warm, and calloused. “Why,” he says in a low voice, “are you out?”

You yanked your wrist back. “Paz and Ryder are missing. You were missing.” 

“You’re meant to stay with the covert,” Din said carefully. “I’ll take you back.” 

You stumbled over your feet as you moved back. “No,” you said sternly. “I’m not leaving until Paz is back.”

“Paz?” Din repeated; his teeth snapped shut, a sound you could hear dimly through the beskar. You frown at his reaction. 

“So you’ve met Paz,” Din muttered to himself. He cast his gaze to the ground. Overwhelmed with frustration, you lifted your chin high. “Yes,” you snipped. “You cannot attempt to—to have a say in my social life when you’ve been gone the entire week I’ve known you.”

“It’s been a week,” Din insisted, “and I always intended on coming back.”

Your frown deepens. “Why should it matter? You said no attachments.”

“I said I’m not a good person to be attached to,” Din corrected. His shoulders squared out as he leaned over you, visor tilted down to peer into your eyes. “I never said we shouldn’t become attached.”

With trembling lips, you turned away. “What do you want, then? What is ‘attachment’ to you?” 

You’d been dying to know since that first night he spoke to you. 

“That’s just why I am sorry. I’m not a good person to become attached to.”

“It’s not an option for us,” Din snapped. “Go back to the covert and stay put.”

“No,” you snapped back, teeth clenched tight. “I’m looking for my friend.”

“Who let you go?” Din demanded. 

“The Armorer sent me,” you replied. You felt a sense of victory when Din failed to say anything to that. “I came with Wendi, but she said we ought to split up.” 

Hearing this, Din balled his fists up tight. “Wendi left you,” he seethed. “You’re going back now.”

“I am not!” you yelled. 

It frightened you to hear your voice raised so loud. The chance to stand your ground had finally come and you were not going to let it pass you by. With taught brows, you said again, “I’m looking for Paz and Ryder.”

Din caught your wrist, holding onto you tightly. “It’s unsafe.”

“Let go of me!” You screeched as you tried to free yourself. His grip is like iron. He does not yield while you make a show of struggle. 

“You can’t even get away from me,” Din mutters. “I’m staying with you.” 

He released your hand. You stumbled back, dirt kicking around your boots. “Fine,” you hissed. 

Standing under the blazing sun you and Din stared at each other for a long moment. Silent. It felt like a challenge which you eventually came to lose; the weight of his eyes, while they are unseen, is too much to bear. You flushed down to your neck; breaking the stare, you looked for a lame excuse to readjust your holster. 

“You have weapons,” Din noted. You scowled through your sweat. “An exceptional discovery,” you snap. “The Armorer gave them to me.”

“And you know how to use them?” Din asked. 

You paused before answering. “I know the general premise of how to use them,” you finally allowed. Let’s see where he can go with that one. 

You heard the beginnings of a retort break through his modulator; cutting him off mid word was a distant, though loud, explosion. Your heart dropped into your stomach like a stone in water. You whirled around, searching for the source. 

Running into the main square you look all around the sky for smoke, fire, anything that would be an Anirian sign.

“Would that be them?” you asked. 

“Paz? Maybe not. Ryder? Possibly.” 

Following Din‘s sprint left you wheezing. At the side of a speed bike did Din stop. He straddled the seat and looked over his shoulder, waiting for you. 

Furious, you mounted the seat behind him. You wrapped your arms around his torso, wishing you could yell at him some more as the bike sped out of the village. 

You kept your face tucked into his cape, a bruise forming on your forehead as the bike flew by sand dunes. You held on for your literal life. A fall from the bike at such a speed, even onto sand, would no doubt hurt like nothing you’ve ever felt. 

When you dared to peek up, you could see a small battle taking course in the distant of the desert. Figures bobbed back and forth under the blaring sun. Echoes of blasters bounced around the caverns and canyons Din’s bike began to approach. Half a mile from the fight, Din stopped the bike and spun to look at you, holding you by the shoulder. “Stay here,” Din shouted over the brawl. 

Nothing could escape you aside the measly “Alright” you squeaked. 

The upclose gunfire and wrestling brought you to a memory that felt distant but had been not even ten days ago. Din rescued a servant girl and ran with her from a similar scene: court guardians and guns. Now you saw three Mandalorians in the midst of a fight rather than one. 

Trembling, you reached for your blaster. Aim and shoot. Aim and shoot. 

Plasma. It’s only plasma. It would hit the target more or less. It would. 

You darted forward, pushing through the thick sands. The recoil of each shot you fired hurt in the joint of your shoulder but you fought past it. You shot roughly four times before taking down a single court guardian. In the back of your mind you wondered if it was murder. Perhaps you’d taken a life. 

Perhaps you’d care later. 

You don’t really think much of it in the blurring moment. 

Once you’d been registered by the other guardians as a threat, more approached you.

You see Paz’s armor dart forward and tackle a guardian to the ground. You urged yourself to keep pointing and shooting. It was working, to your complete shock. A shot ricocheted past Paz and into the back of a man that had been wrestling with Din. You hoped Din would thank you for that later. 

Raising your hand again to shoot another guardian left you defenseless-you’d been swept up in the adrenaline and hadn’t noticed a man creeping up behind you. Grabbing you by the torso he tugged you into his back, hugging your arms so they got pinned to your sides. 

You fearfully shot the blaster. It burned into the guardian’s foot and he howled in pain. You grabbed the besbev and twirled it twixt your fingers. With as much strength as you could summon, you thrusted the blade of the besbev into the guardian. He scattered back, landing into the sand with a thud. You couldn’t look at him. You couldn’t see the blood that bloomed over his uniform, not because you couldn’t handle it, but because you feared you’d want to do more. 

A part of you yearned to get the ultimate revenge on every Anirian you could find. Keeping that piece of yourself in check is the hardest thing you’ve ever had to do in your life. 

The fight stuttered to a halt as the remaining men (including you) held one another at gunpoint. Three Mandalorians and a servant girl had cleared a swarm of 12 court guardians into five. 

Din stormed your way in an instant, pushing you behind him while your arms shook with pain, desperate to keep your blaster up and aimed. 

“I see we’ve reached the point of negotiation,” a guardian says. The wind whistles in your ears. The surreal scene couldn’t register in your brain. Half of you wanted to run and never look back; another half wanted to kill and maim. 

“There will be no negotiation,” Paz declares. “The lady stays with us.” 

“That girl is property of the Anirian council,” a guardian says. “She is property of the Empire.” 

“Not anymore,” Ryder snarled. 

“She bears no beskar helmet,” another guardian points out. “You have no claim to her.” 

“The woman is mine,” Din boomed. “She isn’t going anywhere.” 

“The law says-”

“We’ll take her by means of the law,” Paz cut in smoothly. “She’ll stay with us, fairly. This does not have to end in bloodshed.” 

“How do you intend on keeping her?” a guardian spats. “She is a fugitive of the planet Aniri. If she cannot be aprehended in twenty four more hours, the law says she must be killed.” 

“Let’s kill her now,” a different guardian sneers. “A servant girl like her has already been defiled. There’s no reedming an indecent whore.”

BANG. 

BANG. 

BANG. 

BANG.

You flinched, a gasp wrenching in your gut. 

Din’s gun had shot four shots in a matter of a second. Four of the five court guardians collapsed into the sand. You hadn’t realized how quick it had been until Din spoke a moment later. “Send the word back to your people that Y/n will not be returning,” he instructed. “Or, you can be killed. Here and now.” 

The final guardian raised his arms above his head, clearly as stunned as you were. “I require,” the guardian fumbled over his words, “proof of ownership or citizenship within twenty four hours. If this is not delievered, more will come for her.” 

The three Mandalorians exchanged a glance. They all had their own way of communication. You couldn’t even understand what was going on in their heads. 

Ryder jutted his chin. “Walk over here, slowly.”

“Drop the blaster,” Paz added. 

The guardian dropped the blaster in the sand. You stared in shock as the guardian got cuffed by Paz. 

“Take Y/n back,” Paz said, careful to leave out specific details. “We will reconvene tonight, Djarren.” 

Din nodded. 

Paz and Ryder took the court guardian in their large grip and pushed him forward to walk. Your jaw had dropped when you were escorted back to the speed bike by Din. 

“You...how did you do that?” you guffaw. The four men dropped like rain in a split second, right before your eyes. 

“Get on the bike,” Din instructed as he mounted. 

As you shyly wrapped your arms around his waist, Din said something so softly you almost missed it before the bike sped back towards the village. “I had to keep you safe.” 

>>next chapter

[cownnor]

Hi!! Can i ask for your headcanons on android physiology? Bc Daveed Cagee gave us almost nothing and what he did give us was like.. ok... but also i don’t agree hahah. Pls. Enlighten us!!!

THIS HAS SAT IN MY INBOX FOR DAYS WHILE I CAME TOGETHER WITH MY FAVORITE HEADCANONS SO HERE WE GO. 

1. Android’s thirium pumps are not actually their “hearts”. The thirium pump looks like this 

and it is referred to as the “thirium pump regulator”. I headcanon that it actually controls the heart beat and thirium pressure and acts as an aorta while THIS 

is their actual “heart”– IE the thing that pumps all their thirium around.

2. Android death is very complicated because their memories can sometimes be preserved and reuploaded into another body– this means that a baseline of android life takes some time to be established, and therefore a standard of android care most likely takes a few years to develop. Should it be impossibly to reupload memories and personality (the accurate corruption within an androids code “deviancy”) then the android is “dead”. 

3. Androids do not need air in excessive quantities. They use “breathing” for cosmetic purposes, but also as a use to expel the heat that is built up naturally by the processes of their biocomponents. If an android cannot “breathe” it does not become a problem until this heat becomes excessive and poses a risk to inner components. As you can see in the same chest shot above, there are no artificial sacs that could act as lungs (this may be different in androids who work in emergency services, as artificial lungs that can expel a certain amount of air with force could act as substitutes to an Ambu bag in the case of CPR). Panting may be introduced as a quick trick to reduce heat within an android, but android are built to withstand an incredible amount of exertion before this becomes necessary– and it is not usually very effective. Most androids who need to cool themselves down simply remove their chest plate so that their components can release heat directly. 

4. The most delicate and important processors in an android are located in the head, in roughly the same area as a brain. They are extremely fragile and cannot be exposed to dust, dirt, or any other abrasive elements. Any repairs needed on these processors must be conducted in a clean room. As such, abrasive elements inside any biocomonents or internal workings of an android can be extremely damaging, and should be removed as quickly as possible. 

5. Androids have the same amount of nerves and sensations as a human located in their external epidermis. This is so an android can react to stimulus identically to a human. However stimulation to these nerves does not translate to pleasure or pain, but simply as information to their processors (may be subject to change in deviants). Androids do not have nerves on their inner biocomponents, but do have senors attached to them so that they can detect when they are damaged and in need of repair. In deviants, enough damage can translate into pain if the damage is distressing enough. 

6. Androids have all 5 senses: they can see, touch, hear, smell, and taste. These senses are installed so that androids can once again have the same reactions as humans, and better experience things to the same degree so that when their owners require a certain task accomplished, the android can do so by relying on these senses. Only certain androids can eat, such as: domestic servants, sex androids, health care androids, child androids, and catering androids. Examples of androids who cannot eat (because they have no need to as to their designated task): park maintenance androids, emergency services androids, police androids, repair androids, and sales androids. (IM SORRY BUT EATING MEANS THEY HAVE ASSHOLES THAT THEY SHIT OUT OF AND I JUST CANT WRAP MY MIND AROUND THAT BEING A THING)

7. Not all androids have genitals. The main differencing factor is whether or not the android in question was created for public service or domestic service. 

8. 

WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS CAGE THIS MAKES NO GODDAMN SENSE WHEN AN ANDROID IS DEACTIVATED A BIG OL TUBE IN THEIR BELLY SEPERATES????? I DONT HAVE A SINGLE GODDAMN EXPLAINATION FOR THIS

9. The white chassis that is located beneath the skin is actually very malleable and has similar give and pull to it as muscle. It is far tougher than the liquid skin, but it is not a hard shell. It bends and twists like muscle and is palpable. 

Here in the concept art you can see that with the gray chassis (Lets just assume its the layer beneath the white for now) that there are twists and sinews to it like muscle. The white chassis also has the ability to become clear and translucent (as can be observed in the Junkyard scene where you can see straight through to Markus’s heart and then all of a sudden can’t).

10. Androids can self repair to a degree. Their “muscles” are made of various materials that while cannot be created on demand should one part be damaged, can be stretched and rerouted according to electrical pulses sent by the android’s processors. This means that should an android experience damage, they can partially heal themselves back into operational condition. Similarly, if a thirium line is sliced or damaged, and android can cease the flow from that line and reroute their thirium through other “veins”, though they risk temporary loss of function to certain components or lessened functionality. Androids’ have access to their own code so should they experience a disruption in their consciousness or experience corruption in their code, they can alter their coding to adjust until they have back their available maximum capacity. (This is only true to a degree as anyone with a brain knows better than to let an AI engines run around with control over its own code. Deviancy breaks the locks and limits put onto androids by developers.)

THESE ARE JUST MY HEADCANONS and you do not have to agree with them!!!!!!!!! These are just the ones I like to use when I write! I’m content with the degree that they line up with canon and I am totally okay with people who believe these to be not true or have their own ideas!!!

[stluciasstudentjail]

17A, 4B, 7B, 3B, 9B, 1C, 3D, 5D, 1E, 5E, 7E, 5F, 7F, 5G, 4I, 7J, 1L, 4L, 9L for the WHOLE DAMN SQUAD

17A What’s one of your OC’s proudest moments of themselves?

Renee: Leaving! Saying fuck it, kill me, idc I'm not working for you anymore and going off to do her own thing. It was terrifying and rewarding. 

Alister: He really likes actually putting his skills to good use, so actually being able to subdue Cas who was fucking FERAL without killing him and helping talk him down was one of them bc actually getting out of a situation like that without having to kill anyone is rare. 

Cameron: Insulting Steve to the point where he actually was at a loss for words. He got punched, but it was worth it. 

Cas: There have been a few times when he's actually been able to stare down Kate and stand up for himself after he escaped and ohhh boy that gives him some sweet dopamine. 

Rory: Drugging Lucas's food, locking him in the bathroom, and going off into the night. Truly iconique and also how she was able to run into Renee. 

4B Do they tip well? How easily can they be moved to not leave a tip?

Renee: Always tips, but will tip extra depending on the service. 15-20 percent

Alister: Tips well, unless the waiter is *really* bad. 10-5 percent if they're shitty, 20 for everyone else.  

Cameron: Tips what he can, which may not be a lot. about 15 percent. 

Cas: Will tip the same regardless of service. 30 percent. 

Rory: Will tip, but will NOT tip an extremely rude waiter. about 15 percent.

7b How do they respond to babies crying in public?

Renee: No judgement, of course. She'll give them a smile especially if the mother is embarrassed. 

Alister: It doesn't bother him at all, but he'll let the parents comfort their own baby.

Cameron: Might try to make them laugh if they're especially distressed. He's pretty good at it.

Cas: Has no clue what to do, but wouldn't think of complaining about it.

Rory: Finds it a bit annoying of it's PIERCING, but knows it's not the baby/moms fault so she just hangs back.

3b Under what situations would they get angry at servers, staff, customer service, et cetera?

Renee: She's pretty patient with honest mistakes like getting her order wrong, but any overt douchebaggery towards her or other staff and she'll snap back. 

Alister: He'll get snippy back at bitchy service staff, but he doesn't really care to sit there and argue unless he were ripped off or something. He'd  say something at, say, a boss screaming at their employee. 

Cameron: If he notices he's being passed over or not treated as well as other customers he'll say so. 

Cas: No situation, really, unless he witnesses some sort of blatant discrimination. 

Rory: She'll respond to rudeness with rudeness, but other than that she's a surprisingly easy customer. 

9b  What kind of humor does your OC like the most? Slapstick, ironic, funny sounds, scare pranks, xD sO rAnDoM…

Renee: Any kind of humor if it's done right, she likes to laugh but doesn't like anything over done. 

Alister: Sarcasm and people being dragged

Cas: Funny, but harmless pranks. 

Cameron: Pranks and gay chicken

Rory: Heavy sarcasm and teasing. But she does think some slapstick is kinda funny. 

1c Does your OC have a moral code? If not, how do they base their actions? If so, where does it come from, and how seriously do they take it?

Renee: Simply don't hurt children/innocent people, and don't cause unneeded suffering, especially when she's out on her own. If she's really enraged that can flip, but not easily. Also, she tends to want to stay away from criminal activity in general. 

Alister:  prefers not to kill unless he has to. This tends to be flexible when encountering someone who hurts his friends/family as he has absolutely no qualms about killing them. He won't kill or hurt children.

Cameron: He wouldn't want to kill another person, full stop. The only way he'd do it is in defense of himself or someone else.

Cas: He doesn't like to kill, or even fight really. Obviously that depends on the circumstances, but still. 

Rory: Let's just say all the children don't want to murder people

3dHow comfortable are they with the idea of death?

Renee: She accepted that it's the most likely thing to happen is that she'll die young, but isn't all that comfortable with it and tries to push the thought to the side. 

Alister: Depends on the circumstances aka who murders him, but he'd rather not think about it.

Cameron: Uh, not. At all. 

Cas: Sometimes he's okay with it, sometimes it terrifies him.

Rory: Would definitely rather not think about it either.

5d Do they believe in ghosts? If not, why? If so, do they think they’re magical/tie into their religion, or are they scientifically plausible?

Renee: Kinda indifferent, but isn't opposed to the possibility.

Alister: Nope, does not believe in ghosts or anything like that. 

Cameron: Yes, and will equate any weird situation to ghosts.

Cas: Yes, but wants them far away from him.

Rory: Flips back and forth, but usually it's a yes.

1e Would you say that your OC is intelligent? In what ways? Would your OC agree?

Renee: She's clever, and good at manipulation when she needs to be. She'd agree emphatically.

Alister: Yeah, esp when it comes to planning things out or being generally perceptive. He'd probably agree. 

Cameron: Yes when it comes to school/social situations and no when it comes to not being impulsive. He'd say he's smart, though.

Cas: He's more clever than he lets on, but is more book smart than street smart. He wouldn't describe himself that way.

Rory: She is, since she's an overachiever and likes to prove herself. She's also gotten herself out of a lot of bad situations, but is still impulsive. She'd say she's a genius, of course.

5e What’s their highest education level? Do they want to continue their education?

Renee: She actually got her diploma when she started working, just because she wanted more options to be open if she needed them. She was pretty far behind but she's a hard worker so it didn't take her long. She's not particularly interested in college, but wouldn't be against trying it.

Alister: Kinda hard to pinpoint, because as shitty as Soren was he did let him go to high school before making him drop out when it  interfered with his work. Probably about a grade 11 level, which he would be interested in finishing up if he were more optimistic about being able to live a "normal" life.

Cas: He was taken at about 13, so he has the lowest education. However, he was actually bumped ahead a grade when he was still in school because he's actually quite studious. He would definitely love to go back with the right push and he'd be interested in college.

Rory: She's still in HS but she will definitely want to go to college and is very driven when it comes to her studies. (in the rp she probably wants to be like Rae and try computer science, but would probably branch off into something a little different)

Cameron: Still HS. He's a bit of a slacker and could probably do really well if he tried a bit harder, but it can be difficult to grab his attention. Once he gets to his senior year he'll start taking his education more seriously, though, and would do well in college.

7e Are they a good note-taker? Are they a good test-taker? Do exams make them nervous?

Renee: More likely to wing it and still do well, and she's good at pushing her nervousness aside.

Alister: Probably would be pretty good at prepping for that sort of thing, he wouldn't really be worried about it.

Cas: A nervous wreck, for sure, but would always do well anyway.

Rory: Is nervous about certain exams, but is usually confident and does well.

Cameron: Forgets to study and then is like Oh No...

5f How handy are they? Can they fix appliances, cars, cabinets, et cetera?

Renee: She can change a tire but if something in the house breaks she's hopeless and just calls for help. Mostly because it's tedious.

Alister: Knows the basics from living on his own but gets annoyed spending too much time trying to fix something.

Cas: Nope, everything goes right to the shop.

Rory: Not really, unless it's something small.

Cameron: He ain't handy, but maybe he'll learn.

7f What’s their “dream career” or job situation?

Renee:  A professional dancer, of course.

Alister: Something where he could put his skills to good use without having to be reminded of his past, which could be a lot of things really bc he aint picky 

Cas: Fuckin uh... he'd be happy with almost anything, but he'd prefer no physical labor and freedom to make decisions.

Rory: Maybe a type A business bitch or something along those lines

Cameron: He has nooo clue but right now he wants it to be something cool.

5G Did they go through any typical phases growing up?

Renee: She went through a very abrasive phase in her early to mid teens but mellowed out later. 

Alister: He had some periods of recklessness in his teens, but that was quickly squashed out by getting his ass kicked whomstever adult he thought it would be smart to try and fight.

Cas: Before he was taken he was just starting to be in a bit of a distant, sulky "i'm so grown up" phase. It wouldn't have lasted long.

Rory: Aside from general bratty snarkiness, she had a terrible "mine" phase when she was two that was probably over indulged. 

Cameron: He was THAT child who would start conversations with strangers out of nowhere and had to be watched carefully so he didn't wander off.

41 How often do they cook? Do they order out a lot?

Renee: Mostly orders out, but can cook if she needs to.

Alister: He cooks almost everything, unless he feels really lazy.

Cas: Absolutely cannot cook, so never. Mcdonalds err day.

Rory: Not often. She's pretty good at step by step baking, but not cooking.

Cameron: Can only make boxed mac and cheese...

7j How much interest in environmental health do they have?

Renee: A lot, will seperate her CANS but unfortunately cannot take short showers.

Alister: Doesn't really think about it that much, but makes at least a bit of effort to recycle.

Cas: Absolutely does not think about it, but if it were explained to him he'd go all out.

Rory: She cares, but doesn't really know what to do about it.

Cameron: Uses plastic straws :( 

1l How have your characters changed since you created them?

Renee: She's gotten more toned down and intelligent, like she used to be hyper as fuck and kinda annoying. She's also more reserved and even a bit cold sometimes, whereas before she would probably slam her life story on a random stranger. Also, she has a bigger temper than before.

 Alister: haha ohhh boy, like. He's not flirtatous or weird anymore at ALL, he's closed off and grumpy but at the same time a better person and not a fucking freak. Also weird but he went from being a male pre renee to being really mean to the point of being insufferable before getting more balanced.

Cas: He came off as a bit more insidious in that he liked to fuck with people by saying weird, creepy serial killer things and put everyone off. Now most of his inappropriate comments are because he's socially unaware, not on purpose. 

Rory: She used to be a bit of a dumbass and really, really mean as opposed to just sarcastic and socially awkward oh and she looked like shit but they all did so.

Cameron: He was more... normal. Like, less outgoing and really average/lowkey boring until he got fleshed out more.

4l Would you hang out with your OC if you could?

Renee: Yeah, why not lol

Alister: fuck no 

Cas: In short bursts, maybe.

Rory: hard pass

Cameron: nope, esp not the kids.

9l How did you come up with your OC?

Renee: she was based on irene adler from the benny crumpleton show hence her early annoyingness. She's not like her at all now.

Alister: I literally only made him because I didn't have any male characters and he was designed purely for Edge.

Cas: I deadass just wanted someone to fuck with the squad

Rory: I wanted a female character who was antagonistic and fucked these people over but. she did no such thing.

Cameron: an accessory to Alister's backstory yo.

[sharethelove-ly]

Affordable and Enlightened Wedding Dress Shopping Options

Wedding dresses don’t need to cost thousands for you to be a beautiful bride. There are many unique options for sustainable and alternative preferences, and even designer gowns on a budget.

Gone are the days where brides only had a handful of options to look for when searching for their perfect wedding dress and planning their special day. In fact, many brides shop for their wedding using non-traditional methods. It has even become a trend for brides to transform any dress into their wedding dress. Being unique and true to your inner spirit starts with your wedding dress. We compiled a list of affordable and enlightened wedding dress options for the price conscious and mindful bride trying to stick to a budget.

    1.Lulus

Lulus is a perfect option for brides who are looking for an affordable, yet beautiful dress option. Bridal dresses at Lulus bridal, on average, range from $50 to $250. Many of our photographers over at our Wandering Weddings Photographer page also love lulus, since this was the brand mentioned the most when we asked which cheap wedding dresses they have featured.

“I love the Lulus brand because the dresses are light and easy to throw in a backpack for epic mountaintop elopements! We did a sweaty 2-hour hike to get to this spot, and the dress was wrinkle-free when we pulled it out of the bag!” [Bree, The Photographer]

  Photo by Lavel Marie Photography

2. Chic Boho

Chic Boho is a perfect option for brides who are trying to plan a bohemian wedding. Their dresses range from $20-$80, and they are lacey, flowy, and light.

“I love Chic Boho because they are very affordable for a bride on a budget that wants a stylish gown for her special day!” [Lavel]

Photo by K. E. Rogers Photography LLC

3. Amazon

Amazon is slowly taking over the world! You can find anything on their site, including wedding dresses! We were so surprised by the number of photographers who shared these gorgeous dresses with us. There are so many possibilities. With a little research and patience, you can find your perfect dress.

“I love this Chady J Issa dress from Amazon because it is affordable, yet elegant and beautiful! The high-slit style is not only flattering but also makes it ideal for adventure elopements on various terrains. The bride can move with ease and focus on the beauty of her surroundings!” [Katie]

Photo by M.N.Y Photography

Photo by Brianna Swan

Photo by Ashley Sewell

  4. Sustainable Stylists & Shoppers

  When you need help with your unique wedding needs enlisting a wedding stylist shopper can help you source products and services to fit your unique needs starting with curating wedding dresses until you find the perfect match to finding caterers that fit alternative menu options. We found Sustainable Brides based in Savannah with stylists along the east coast. Reimagining Wedding Shopping for a sustainable and affordable wedding no longer means lacking style and taste. For a concierge experience and the fairytale wedding of your dreams while making positive change, this is a great option. 

  5.Thrift Shop or Consignment

If you are looking for a designer, unique or vintage wedding dress, but you are trying to stay on a budget, then check out a thrift shop or consignment store. You can find a beautiful or vintage wedding dress if you know where to look. In Atlanta, we love The Sentimentalist.

Photo by Sherry Nelsen

  6. eBay

eBay is another great option for you if you want to stay on a budget, but still want to find a designer piece or wedding dress. Sometimes, you don’t even need to find a full gown, like this bride.

“I love this gown because it is simple, timeless, and elegant. The tulle skirt came from Mrpretty on eBay for about $100, the lace shirt and camisole both came from a local thrift shop. I just loved the look together! It was so creative and not expensive!” [Sherry]

Photo by Sadie Rodriguez

Photo by Sadie Rodriguez

  7. Honey Punch

We are loving all these brides who are choosing the non-traditional methods of finding their wedding dress. Honey Punch is a great site to find something lacey and fun for your special day while staying well within your budget.

“This lightweight gown from Honey Punch is an affordable option for brides but also has that boho flair that many brides search for. You can play it up to make it more boho, if needed, or keep it simple like this bride did. The gown has beautiful movement and is extremely comfortable to get around in! Which is ideal for an elopement bride!” [Maggie]

Photo by Tessa Flower Photography.

  8. Etsy

Buy a wedding dress made by hand and with love. Etsy is home to creative souls who sell their work to people looking for something unique and beautiful. There are so many options when trying to find a beautiful and cheap wedding dress here.

“I love Olya Silk & Lace on Etsy for elopement dresses because elopements are all about focusing on the love you share, not on spending an insane amount of money on one day. They are affordable, gorgeous, and perfect for the adventurous bride.” [Tessa]

Photo by Forthright Photo

  9. Seperates From Your Favorite Store

We love it when brides get creative and compile their wedding outfit from their favorite stores to create the specific look they want.

“I wanted to see if I could take a simple white lace robe and turn it into something worthy of a bride! Turns out, not hard at all. This was a white lace $20 robe from Shein, and a slip from Free People. It’s perfect for casual weddings, or those who feel like the stuffiness of a white wedding gown is not for them! ” [Laura]

Photo by Nicole Thomson

Photo by Jacqueline Fugatt

  10. Anomalie

Anomalie is relatively new on the scene in terms of wedding dress options, and boy is it a good one for the creative and budget savvy bride. This website allows you to design your own wedding dress. The price is much more economical, and we are sure you’ll have so much fun!

“Anomalie is perfect for the alternative bride who wants something out of the norm. You design your dress, which is super rad. It is the perfect solution for a bride who wants the freedom to do something different from everyone else without breaking the bank. These dresses are truly stunning, and the quality is amazing.” [Jacqueline]

Photo by Tara Hill

  11. GUESS

Guess is a great option if you are looking for a non-traditional wedding dress. We love it when brides aren’t shy to wear something they love and feel comfortable in on their wedding day.

“I love that Guess carries dresses like this that can be used as a wedding dress. Guess is found in shopping malls in almost every main city in Canada and the US, which means brides can try on the dresses before buying them, as well as return them in-store or online if they change their mind! Guess dresses aren’t marketed as wedding dresses, which may be part of the reason why brides will find a lower price tag on the dress. You won’t find Guess making ball gowns any time soon, I’m sure, but if a bride is looking for a sexy wedding dress, Guess should be on her hit list!” [Tara]

Photo by Barbara Schmid

  12. Rental Wedding Dresses

  If purchasing a dress is not a prerequisite, renting is a great option. There are local options for renting your dress. Laine London is a perfect example in Atlanta, Georgia. Men have been doing it for years. Wearing your wedding dress once, with very affordable options, this makes sense!

“My experience at Laine London was nothing short of amazing! Tiffany was great to work with. She was very kind and attentive throughout the entire consultation.” [Zenobia Scott]

  13. Sample Sale Shops

  If you are looking for a gorgeous designer dress, but you are trying to stay on a budget, then check out a shop that specializes in Selling Wedding Dress Samples such as The Sample Shoppe in Atlanta, Georgia. 

  We are loving all these dresses from non-traditional bridal stores!

There are now so many online retailers, that many brides buy their wedding dress in fun, new places we would have never imagined! You can find a beautiful, affordable wedding dresss if you know where to look and are resourcefu!

Here are Our Top 5  Reminders When Looking for an Affordable Wedding Dress:

Do your research. We love reading website reviews, and watching YoutTube reviews.

Online Shopping? Return it, if you don’t love it.

Sales and discount codes are your best friends.

You don’t need to wear white if you don’t want to.

Pick something that you will feel comfortable and love!

If you are looking for more traditional wedding dress options, then we suggest reading 8 Wedding Dress Designers for Elopements.

Looking for the perfect vendors for your wedding? Search our Wandering Weddings members HERE!

[serenitykrp]

—WARNING : suspect may be armed and dangerous! XERXES LIBERTAS, code named CORONA BOREALIS, is a PASSENGER on an unidentified firefly-class ship, traveling through the ‘Verse under the radar. They are known for being adaptable, individualistic, easy-going, daring, and whimsical, but beneath the surface, they have proven to be impulsive, uninhibited, violent, uncaring, and chaotic. Although their origin lies somewhere on their home planet ARIEL, they have been caught by stardust and lost to the great expanse.

YOU ARE YOUR OWN EXPLOSION, BRING US YOUR VERY BEST VIOLENCE.

the basis of his beliefs is freedom. there is nothing more important than freedom to him, and it greatly shows how that belief forged his personality. uncaring of others, he’s always ready to just do whatever he wanted. at times he would be in the mood to answer your questions in great details, but other times he will simply ignore you. he is the embodiment of unpredictability and liberty, chaos within human form.

that did not necessarily mean he was all bad, no, there were other traits to him. such as how he truly just let anyone have their own opinion and let them do whatever they wanted. the honest belief that everyone should just be themselves and not something else. the side of him that could easily get used to different environments without complaints, the daring nature of his that led him to be fearless in deciding to be whatever he wanted and whatever he wanted even though so many bad things could happen to him if he did pick his own choice in the matter.

there’s this whimsical flair to him, you see. despite how much pandemonium could be brought out due to his beliefs and actions, he’s more relaxed and harmless unless in a situation where violence is needed. otherwise, he seemed more playful and like an amusing sort of nonsense that’s not easily deciphered.

THERE IS NO NEWS, THERE IS ONLY THE TRUTH OF THE SIGNAL.

I. STELLAR NEBULA

he was the son of rather well-off doctors. a boy with expectations brought down upon him. he was not treated as a mere child, rather he was like molten metal forged to whatever his parents wished for him to become. they tried to input as much knowledge as they could into his mind, as if his brain was merely a computer they could stab a usb inside in order to copy and paste files.

he will grow up to be succesful, they said. he will become a great doctor just like you. and none bothered to ask what the small boy truly wanted. but even he couldn’t bother to ask himself, for he was unaware if he was even supposed to ask himself anything. so sheltered was he, that he didn’t even know what it was like to be able to decide for himself.

this was how the boy known as jang hyunseung grew up. a mere extension of his parents, with choices decided by said parents. he was less human and more robotic despite his flesh, blood, and beating heart. a poor soul that never managed to actually grow and stuck inside a body that did. this was the unfortunate life fate that he faced—

until the cage and opression was broken down all around him.

II. MASSIVE STAR

he was in his teenage years when he first travelled outside of ariel with his father. it was supposed to be a learning experience, to understand what life outside ariel was like and what not.

persephone, a land where two ends of the spectrum could be seen so visibly. the planet where he’s seen slaves and could not help but compare himself to them. after all, he was chained down like them by invisivle shackles held by the adults he knew in his life. that realization had happened slowly as he grew up, noticing certain things like how others were able to make their own decisions, to be able to do things they wanted to do, and just be free. but he had yet to rebel, far too fearful and unsure. because what will be there for him when he did break out from his cage? he had nothing but this identity that was created and built by his parent.

it seemed that fate had wanted to give him the chance to be able to be himself and give him something to rely on, for when he was seperated from his father, he was whisked away by people who knocked him out in one go ( which isn’t that much of a feat as he wasn’t really a fighter at that time ).

and when he woke up, he’s faced with individuals so different from each other, with appearances and personalities greatly varying ( even those strange tribal tattoos all over them ) and the only exact same thing connecting them being that of the strange, tribal-esque bird mark. when they realized he was awake, they had blatantly told him that they needed him to heal a member of their’s because they found out he was a medic ( or at least skilled enough to be one ) and would be able to help them out.

personally, he didn’t know what to do. but spotting the weapons on them had made the decision making easier. turns out his patient was sick and injured, and all he needed to do was get the right materials and medicine for the guy. bur he was a curious child, and he was told information was key, so he had to ask what the birds on them meant, what group they were and the list went on.

he was fortunate to gain his answers easily enough. soon, he was practically going down the history and culture of this nameless gang that believed in a strange ‘god’ that was built on the beliefs of freedom. the moment he knew about their beliefs, their god, and the individualism, he could not help but want to be apart of their rag-tag gang. from what he garnered, the gang allows any one to come on board and he wanted in.

this was a once in the lifetime chance for him—to be able to gain liberty like this, was that not a miracle?

III. RED SUPERGIANT

he found himself not missing what used to be his life. sure, it took time to adjust to this life of meandering about, scavenging for useful items, limited rations, and so on and so forth—but he was free. he was liberated from the mould created by his biological family, and now he had a million of choices to choose from and do whatever he wanted.

after all, this group of their’s was so disorganized and chaotic, yet that was their peace. it’s normal to argue, normal to fight, normal to do anything because it’s their option to do so. he found himself starting to care less about being polite or to comply to others when he didn’t want to, and eventually could care less about everyone else as long as he’s able to just be him.

they constantly wander about in the black, even during the war. he regularly found himself healing some strangers when he felt like it, but also leaving others to die if he didn’t want to bother. maybe he’s cruel, maybe he’s kind, but in the end all that mattered was that he’s doing it all by his own choice.

unfortunately, he got involved in a scuffle that led to the loss of the lower half of his left leg. it was only thanks to favors, having another medic, stealing and the like that they could heal him and get him a sturdy bionic leg. this would also be what would really inspire and motivate him into learning how to fight, how to protect himself, and would lead to the birth of his love for battle and violence. this incident really became a blessing in disguise for him.

he would eventually become less of a medic and more of a bounty hunter, starting off easy before going for higher. he admittedly enjoyed the hunt, and also loved the violence that came with it. he became less of a medic and more of a fighter, but perhaps that was what he truly was meant to be. and with that realization, jang hyunseung died and xerxes libertas was born.

IV. SUPERNOVA

the war is devastating, the after effects were prominent. he’s got a fake leg to prove it, and the fact that their group has changed over the years. xorvea’s blessed them with freedom of choice, and many has decided to stay or go, to live or die. he’s seen many companions that died as a part of them, or just left to find more stability. out of all the faces eh could see now, he could only recall two others from when he initially joined.

it wasn’t only that, the planets have changed too and he couldn’t help but be rather awed and a bit terrified of how everything could change so easily. he found himself able to relate to those planets like shadow and harvest, though, once he had been the complete opposite of what he became today like it. except, the he of today is something he enjoyed whilst he’s sure those planets would like to rewind back to the past when it was prosperous.

that aside, he found himself interested in the life of an underground fighter. they had managed to take in various people and he’s met some because of that. the tournaments and the amount of money one could rake in for it was something he would love to participate in. with such thoughts in mind, he vowed to leave the rest once they reached beaumonde ( as persephone’s flashier and larger scale tournaments seemed too much of a hassle ).

he did as he vowed, and received the parting words from his fellows that he usually had said many times prior—

may xorvea bless you with their freedom, never chain yourself down and be you, and know that if you wish to ever return, or is in need of assistance, we are there in the peaceful chaos.

V. NEUTRON STAR

becoming an underground fighter was extremely fun. beating other people up, bloodlust and adrenaline fueling him, and gaining money from it all? it was something he deemed as his 'calling’ of sorts. but routine bored him and eventually he’s just fighting to get enough money to go wander about again.

but he didn’t want to return to that group of his ( which he had just recently found was called avesby the people who knew of their small and rather unimportant gang ). no, he wanted something new, a change of dynamics and all. don’t get him wrong, he loved the people of aves, but he wanted to experience something different.

which was why, when serenity came in he decided to get on board ( and paying the necessary amount ) on a whim. not necessarily a part of the crew yet—because aves would come first no matter what—but it was new and he would enjoy being a part of it until he started to feel like going into the black with a new motivation and goal. perhaps, he might actually decide to stay? who knows, all he knew was that he was free to decide whenever.