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thepascalofus · 2 years ago

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Supply Run - Return (part two)

AO3

PART ONE

Supply Run - Exchange (part three)

Pairing: Mando/Din Djarin x afab!Reader

Word Count: 8.0k

Summary: You’ve been Mando’s crew partner for a year now. Throughout that year Mando has warmed up to you and given you signs that your heart throbbing crush on him is reciprocated. There’s one thing making you hesitate. The condoms he bought on the most recent supply run.

Chapter Summary: While Mando takes a trip to the market and gets what he needs, he ponders your relationship and what it means to him.

Content Warnings: MDNI, 18+ only! Switching POVs, post season 2, the Crest lives, strangers to friends to lovers, mentions of Grogu, soft!Mando, insecure!Mando (a smidge), helmet loopholes, pining, idiots in love, jealous!reader, sad!reader for a little, mentions of sex work (sex work is work!), eventual SMUT (making out, grinding, f!receiving fingering, f!receiving oral sex, p in v, PRAISE kink, dirty talk), FLUFF, cuddling, happy ending guaranteed!

A/N: Thank you all so much for the responses on the first part! This is my first fic that I've ever shared and it makes me so happy that other people enjoy my writing! Enjoy!

Mando handed his scope off to you in the worn down store. Wallpaper peeled from the ancient wooden planks of the walls. Cobwebs littered the untouched areas of the store. The work stations in the back, visible from the pick up counter at the front, were in complete disarray. Several projects started, but not finished. Several projects finished, but not retrieved.

You took the scope in your hand and twisted it in your hands until your gaze landed on the name of the manufacturer and the serial number. Your eyebrows shot up once the brand of the scope was revealed, it twisted in your hands once more. Hands raising the metal tube so it was level with your eyes, you looked into the scope.

“Ah! I know what it is!”

Mando watched in confusion as you ran to a workstation and grabbed a singular tool. How did you know what was wrong so quickly? He sat in the hull of the Crest for hours attempting to fix the scope. The motions of taking the scope apart and putting it back together were etched into his brain from the number of times he did so.

You returned to the front of the store with the tool in hand. “This manufacturer has been having these issues lately. They built their magnification system like no one else, but they didn’t seem to account for the need to recalibrate the scope every once in a while. Recalibrating too often causes the lenses to misalign.”

Mando calibrated his every day. He had to. It was part of his job. A miscalibration could be the difference between a two hour hunt and a twelve hour hunt.

Your face twisted in concentration as you inserted the tool into the side of the scope. Jostling the metal, it popped open and allowed access to the inside. “For some reason they put these weird pins in…” You trailed off while you removed a total of three thin metal pins. Once the pins were removed, you clicked the top of the scope back into place and handed it to Mando.

Mando previously took the scope apart countless times. He never noticed any pins.

“Twenty credits, please.” You said with a smile. Your gaze met his–you somehow found it through his black visor–and you maintained eye contact.

The display on the inside of Mando’s helmet only progressed seven minutes after he entered the store. Inside of his helmet his eyebrows shot up. He was impressed. Not only with your efficiency, but with the reasonable price as well.

“I’m impressed.” He stated. Nodding at you, he retrieved a few credits from his utility belt and set them on the paint chipped counter. He turned and walked a few paces and then stopped in front of the door.

He’s been looking for a crew mate for weeks. The potential candidates he’s stumbled across were either annoying, rude, or incompetent. Throughout his time as a bounty hunter he’s been to countless repair shops. The service was always lack-luster, prices were too high, repair time much too long.

Sure, he just met you eight minutes ago, but you had potential. He turned on his heel and faced you. Armor glinted in the low lighting of the run down shop.

“Are you in the market for a new job?”

–

Walking to the market, he’d been reflecting on his decision to bring you onto the Crest as a crew partner.

It was the best decision he ever made, besides saving Grogu from the Empire.

You were intelligent. Friendly. Resourceful. Efficient. Brave.

You stared a Mandalorian straight in the eyes–well, visor–and didn’t even flinch. You didn’t even break eye contact, unlike everyone else. People would turn to whoever they’re with to avoid his gaze. They spoke like he wasn’t a meter or two away–and like he couldn’t amplify their voices with his helmet.

His tall, broad stance usually set everyone on edge. The heavy weight of beskar armor, a reminder of his skillset, didn’t aid in calming the nerves of anyone either. He was typically soft spoken around others, as he noticed people’s reactions when he spoke–eyes wide, speech stuttering, shaking hands–scared.

Everyone was afraid of him.

Except you.

When you first boarded the Razor Crest, Mando was extremely careful in making sure you were comfortable. The majority of his days not hunting were spent in the cockpit or in his bunk. Whenever you crossed paths in the hull you offered him a small smile and quickly looked away. Did your bravery fade away?

He came back from a hunt one day, quarry in tow, and he was relieved to hear, “How was your day?” Fall from your lips once the bounty was in carbonite.

Still cautious–mindful of how the modulator made his voice sound–he kept his answers short and to the point.

“Fine.”

“Busy.”

“Awful.”

Hearing the four words you said after each return from a hunt, and being able to give you a response without you slinking away, made the hunts worth it.

One night always stood out in his mind. It was just like any other return from one of his hunts. Mando dragged the quarry up the Crest’s ramp by a cord tied around their ankles. He lifted the man to stand up, doing so effortlessly with a few grunts to spare.

Your living space was in the hull, so he always tried to make the ends of his hunts fast. You didn’t have any choice but to watch. Mando didn’t want to make you watch for too long. Maker, he didn’t want you to watch at all.

His fist slammed the button to begin the freezing process. Breathing heavily, he stood and watched the bounty as they froze into the carbonite cell. A blanket of silence covered the hull once the hissing of the freezing mechanisms came to a stop.

“How was your day?”

There it is. His favorite part after the hunt. Knowing you were there, safe within the hull, and that you wanted to be friendly with him–even after witnessing him freeze a person he tracked down for several hours.

“Nothing you want to hear about,” he replied, his voice tinged with tiredness. The helmet’s modulator most likely didn’t register the sleep in his voice. Truly, he didn’t think that you would want to hear about it. The Mandalorian was afraid that hearing about his hunts would put you on edge. You already extended a branch of friendliness to him twice a day. He didn’t want to give that up by talking about the bounties he tracks down.

“Try me.”

Those words.

Those words have only ever been spoken to him by enemies. It always caused annoyance to wash over him, head to toe. He’s a Mandalorian. Confident of his skills in combat. No matter the odds, Mando knew he would like them.

But when those words tumbled from your lips, it was different. When his enemies weren’t scared of him, it was annoying. When you weren’t scared of him, adoration filled his body. And not adoration in a patronizing way, but adoration as a form of respect.

It made him want you that much more.

Snapping out of his thoughts, Mando realized the crotch of his pants were tight. Nonchalantly, he clasped his hands together and rested them below his belt.

“Quarry tried to escape and they ran. Would have been back four hours ago,” the modulator gritted out. Again, he was conscious of how the modulator warped his voice. “Not too fun,” he added in an attempt to make the conversation more casual.

You were silent. He whispered a curse to himself under his helmet, one that he was certain wouldn’t be picked up by his modulator. Was his answer too much? Mando quickly became nervous and started to shift his weight from one foot to the other. The silence you left in the air made him a bit anxious.

The T shape of his visor peered over to you. You stood still in shock, reminiscent of the people that saw him in public. Before his thoughts could spiral too much, you replied, “Oh, I’m sorry.”

Dank farrik. He didn’t want you to feel like you had to comfort him. “You don’t have to be sorry,” his chest brushed against your shoulder as he swiftly hopped onto the first rung of the ladder up to the cockpit. “It’s my job.”

“That doesn’t mean it sucks any less,” you said. He smiled underneath his helmet at your consideration. Your eyes widened and your mouth opened and closed as you realized what you said, “sorry, I probably shouldn’t have said that your job sucks.”

You weren’t wrong. Making his way through tough terrain, relying on a blinking red light on a piece of metal to guide him. Finding them was a task in itself, but dragging them back to the Crest was the other half of his job that sucked. Mando looked over his shoulder at you and replied matter-of-factly, “My job does suck.”

A giggle bubbled out from your chest. Every once in a while you would be reading a funny article on your Holopad and your laughs would echo through the hull of the Crest, making their way up into the cockpit. He needed more of them. His silver helmet shook slightly from side to side and he turned back to climb the ladder. But not before he also let out a small chuckle.

If you were comfortable enough to stand up to him, and laugh at his awful attempts at jokes–after he just hauled a bounty onto the ship–Mando realized he was safe.

Not only were you safe with him. He felt safe with you, in more ways than one.

Kriff it. You extended a friendly attitude towards him–a faceless warrior covered in impenetrable armor–then he could extend a friendly attitude towards you as well.

You asked him about this day, both in the mornings and the evenings. He learned about what you like and didn’t like. One item stood out to him. Caf. He always entered into a cloud of caf scent when he sauntered into the hull in the mornings. Mando was usually up before you, so he figured he would start making you a cup every morning. Confident enough in knowing which kinds of caf you preferred, he would stock up on caf every supply run.

The Mandalorian got closer to you, both physically and emotionally. Sometimes he would catch his hands landing on your waist or your lower back when he passed you on the ship. You’d shoot him a small smile in response. The distance he kept from you only decreased. He wanted to see your smile more and more.

One thing he didn’t see coming was your interest in Mando’a. He would mumble to himself in the ship while completing various tasks.

“What’s that word mean?” You’d occasionally ask. The Mandalorian would explain their meanings, sometimes struggling to translate the word to Basic.

He must have taught you at least two dozen words in Mando’a by now. Each time you asked you would give him your full attention.

At night, if he amplified the sound with his helmet enough, he could hear you practicing the words and recalling their meanings. It motivated him to share more words with you.

–

All of these experiences have led to this day. He’s been planning it for a month or two now.

He wants to ask you on a date. Nerves bubbled up from his stomach and throughout his body. They suddenly came to a halt.

Not now. First, he needs to collect information on a quarry.

Lost in his thoughts, he looked up and the market filled his vision with you in his peripheral. It wasn’t too busy, part of the reason why he was comfortable enough for you to shop on your own. He clarified the meet up point to you and watched as you took off. You had a bounce in your step, probably due to your excitement at shopping alone.

Once he meandered further into the market he began to collect information. This market was the bounty’s last location. Mando’s guess was that he either simply wanted to be in a small city, gambled their life savings away, or they paid for visit after visit with the workers at the brothel until they ran out of credits.

Only one way to find out. The gambling and brothels didn’t start up until later in the afternoon. To kill the time, and to possibly find the quarry, Mando wandered throughout the different sections of the market.

He asked a few vendors about the bounty. Mando described the man to many market sellers and only got a slight lead from one woman donned in patterned fabrics.

“I think he went that way,” the woman gestured with one of her hands towards an intersection, “Take the left path. I don’t know anything else beyond that.”

Mando dropped a few credits into her hand and gave her a polite nod, “Thank you.” He continued on and curved his gait to take the left path. From the signs and general merchandise displayed on each stall, he knew he was entering the clothing section of the market.

The helmet covering his head swiveled from left to right and right to left. No one matched the description of his quarry. Repeating his previous process, he made his way down the stall-lined alley and asked a couple different vendors.

Once the last vendor finished talking, and provided him with another lead, he dug his hand into his pocket and slid the credits on the stall’s counter towards them. Turning his back towards the vendor, his feet carried him two steps back into the market.

Then he saw you.

You stood hunched over a table of colorful bracelets. Tapping his fingers to the temple of his helmet, Mando zoomed in and the helmet displayed your face to him, deep in thought. Looking down, you were hovering your hands over a grid of various green bracelets.

You stopped on one. Mostly brown, almost too much to be in the green section, Mando thought. Nonetheless, the green and silver streaks peeked in and out of the thick threads of brown that made up the bracelet. Your fingers sorted through the sizes of the bracelet and selected one that looked close to your size.

Clutching it in one hand, the other hand searched for another of the same bracelet. It was larger than the previous size. You set the smaller bracelet down and tested the strings. The bracelet was adjustable, and you smiled at the discovery.

You transferred the bracelets onto the table of the stall and used one hand to dig into your pockets. Palm held out flat, Mando guessed that about twenty credits sat in your palm. He followed your gaze to the sign listing the prices.

PRICES

1 bracelet = 15 credits

2 = 30 credits

3 = 45 credits

4 = 60 credits

Shoulders falling, you dropped the credits back into your pocket and returned the bracelets to their original spot in the grid of green. Ground crunched beneath your shoes as you turned and continued wandering through the market.

Mando noted it was the third stall to the left of the bright green stall on the left side of the alley.

Not wanting you to realize he saw you, the Mandalorian walked in the opposite direction you took. After twenty minutes he noticed that the stalls became much more strange than the stalls in the clothing section of the market. Peering at the different products for sale, he saw a potions shop offering “super strength elixir” and a vendor selling various pet-like creatures. A few more vendors passed his peripheral vision as he continued his strides. They came to a stop once a building larger than the surrounding stalls came into view.

His helmet tilted upwards to read the sign displayed front and center on the large building: BROTHEL.

Tapping the side of his helmet, the time on the helmet’s display indicated that the brothel and gambling scenes had just begun. Mando tapped the temple of his helmet once again and the warm bodies within the building lit up, like he had x-ray vision. He counted a dozen in total. One body stood in the same spot inside near an entryway–the bouncer, Mando thought.

The bouncer was the individual that allowed access in and out of the building. If their memory was decent, they would be like a living guest book. Mando figured he could bribe them to reveal information, which was his usual plan with most of the beings he spoke with.

He sauntered over to the side of the building the bouncer was standing at. A singular light flickered over the side door, the sun was still out, so Mando was confused why it was on. The beskar helmet observed the side door.

Metal. Double deadbolts. Keypad on the left side. Small slit at eye level–neck level for the Mandalorian.

As soon as he crouched down to look near the slit, it slid open and revealed a thick pair of black eyebrows. Black eyes bore into the brow of Mando’s helmet, as the bouncer couldn’t seem to find his eyes.

“Do you have an appointment?” The bouncer asked. The voice behind the door was gruff, as if the words had to crawl from the depths of his throat.

“No,” Mando responded.

Black eyes blinked and then disappeared when the bouncer closed the metal slit.

Mando was taken aback and furrowed his brow. His fist pounded on the door. He just wanted this hunt to be over with. He wanted to get back to you.

The slit in the door revealed two black eyes once more.

“I have credits and will pay you if you give me information on a client your establishment may have served.” Mando’s modulator gritted out loudly. Straight and to the point. All business.

Eyes disappeared again, but were then accompanied with the sounds of the deadbolts unlocking. The metal door swung open to reveal a man dressed in all black with a silver name tag. Black hair matched the rest of his ensemble.

Still holding the door, the bouncer asked, “What’s the bounty look like?”

An eyebrow raised inside Mando’s helmet, but he figured the bouncer knew the drill by now. Even other bounty hunters knew that brothels were what many bounties visited. A gloved hand unbuttoned a pocket on his belt and retrieved a bounty puck. Clicking the side of it, the puck displayed the quarry.

The man stepped out of the doorway and onto the pavement, pulling the door closed behind him. His black eyes slightly squinted when his gaze trailed up and down the hologram.

“Ah yeah, I’ve seen this guy. He has a type, always goes for the blondes.”

“Does he have any upcoming appointments?” Mando questioned.

The bouncer sighed in thought and pulled a small notepad from his pocket. Mando mirrored the man’s motion and produced a pen and notepad from his pocket.

“The guy has an appointment in two days. He just asked to see a blonde. Figures.” The man shrugged and opened his notepad. Mando noticed it was a planner, and the bouncer flipped to the pages for the appointments two days from today.

“Which workers would take him as a client?” Mando’s modulator churned the words. His pen clicked as he readied himself to write.

The man donned in black made a fist with one hand and raised a finger with each name, “Ari. Taima. And Nomi. They would be in rooms one, five, or seven.”

Wow, Mando thought, this guy really knew the drill. He quickly finished up writing down the names and room numbers of each worker. The pen scratched feverishly against the cream colored paper, leaving behind black strokes to form letters and numbers. Notepad folding closed and the pen clicking, signifying the end of his notes, Mando returned the pen and paper to their place in his pocket. His opposing hand reached into a different pocket and produced a sizable amount of credits. Feeling generous, thankful that this hunt was going to be quick, he compensated the bouncer handsomely.

First task done. Second task on the horizon.

Creaking produced from the hinges of the metal door as the bouncer disappeared behind it once more. Flickering light gleamed off the beskar armor that protected the Mandalorian in combat. Although he wasn’t going into combat, because he wouldn’t be nervous if he was.

Mando trained most of his life with the greatest warriors in the galaxy. Combat flowed through his blood easily. It was a part of him.

But he was never trained on how to ask people out on dates.

On top of that, he was never trained on how to ask you out on a date.

He didn’t want to misread the situation. You could just be friendly. Who would want to date a man and not know what he looks like? Who would want to constantly live on a ship, without a permanent home?

Being Mando, he prepared for the worst. If you said no, he figured that you would be uncomfortable living with the man who asked you out on a date. Knowing that he’s attracted to you. He would fly wherever you wanted and give you some credits to get started. Kriff, he’d send credits for however long it takes for you to get on your feet. Then he’d leave you alone.

Admittedly, the Mandalorian would probably keep an eye on you to make sure you were safe. You just wouldn’t know he’s there.

But if you said yes.

Mando’s chest bloomed with anticipation. Firework-like tingles trailed up and down his limbs at the thought. He bit his lip within the confines of his helmet when he realized his pants had gotten tighter. Thankfully he was a Mandalorian, because heat washed over his face, half due to arousal and the other half in embarrassment.

The brown eyes underneath the helmet widened. If he wanted to do more with you and you agreed, he didn’t have protection.

Turning on his heel, cape whipping behind him, he made a quick pace back to the brothel.

Once he arrived at the gray building, the light at the side of the building having more of a purpose, Mando glided towards the same door as before. Bringing a fist up to the metal, he knocked three times.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Clink. Shhhkt.

“Do you sell condoms?” the modulator quickly blurted.

All business.

—

He arrived at the meet up point before you. Leaning against a nearby tree, Mando checked the time constantly, as if he was devoted to the action more than his Creed. If you were late, he always went looking.

Thankfully, you trudged up to the food stall on time with a hefty bag full of purchases. Fine, brown gravel grinded against the soles of Mando’s shoes as he made his way over to you. His gloved hand slipped the bag from your grasp and the pair of you began walking back to the Crest.

Both of you carried on with your normal post-supply run routines. You and Mando, but this time just Mando, piled the purchases from the market onto the hull’s floor. From there, the items could be sorted through and put in their respective places around the Crest.

As Mando finished unloading the large bag of purchases, he quickly dug around for the receipts. He knew how much you liked to review the shopping haul each time a supply run was completed. Mando enjoyed seeing the satisfaction wash over your face after you read over the receipts.

But this time was different. You froze once you got to the last receipt.

Mando’s helmet tilted in confusion. He took a few steps closer towards you, “What’s wrong? Did we forget something?”

You remained still while your eyes darted over the lines on the receipt. With your back turned to him, Mando found the opportunity to zoom in on the ink printed on the flimsy paper.

ITEMS PURCHASED (1)

CONDOM - 12 PACK

Oh. Fuck. FUCK.

He hasn’t even asked you on a date yet and now you probably already think he’s a perv. Nerves took over his body as you continued to stand still.

Your hand quickly crushed the receipts and threw them in the trash, “Nope! The last receipt didn’t look familiar but,” you trailed off slightly but recovered, “I remembered what I bought from the place.” A nervous laugh–obviously fake, Mando knew what your real one sounded like–escaped from your lips.

He fucked it up. You knew he was interested in you like that. And you didn’t feel the same. He hasn’t even asked you on the date yet. It’s all screwed up now.

But he also felt like he didn’t have enough evidence. What if you did like him but the idea of…needing to use the condoms…made you nervous.

Mando had to at least try. The least he had to do was ask you.

He cleared his throat and grabbed the bag off of the floor. You stood away from him, biting the inside of your cheek, nervously watching his movements.

“I’m going to go to the night market,” he informed you, “I have some business with a bounty I need to take care of.”

The bounty wouldn’t be captured until two days from now. In reality, he was really going to go and purchase snacks, takeout, and a pair of those bracelets you admired. It would have been suspicious if he met you back at the meet up point with bags full of snacks. The beskar man figured it would be best to hold off on buying them until later, and tell you he was getting a bounty, so you wouldn’t catch on.

He should’ve waited for this second trip to buy the condoms, he thought.

–

Mando left to, “Go to the night market,” he said. You saw the condom listed on the market receipts, you knew where he went tonight. What he’s going to do.

The brothels.

Yeah, sure, he’s paying a worker to give him a service. No feelings attached. But you didn’t want him to be with anyone else. Was Mando necessarily yours? No. Have you ever had sex with him? Also no.

That didn’t stop you from getting jealous.

And it wasn’t just jealousy. It was fear. What if he fell in love with one of them? Or what if he was going on dates? He could have a romantic interest you don’t even know about. Next thing you know, they’re going steady and you’re kicked off the ship. Or worse, you have to watch him love someone that isn’t you.

No more silence with him in the cockpit, watching as the hyperspace lights soar past the windshield. Feet tapping down the ladder as you both began your nighttime routines. He’d wait in the hull near the door of the fresher in just his helmet, undershirt, sleep pants, and socks. As he lifted off the wall from his leaning stance he’d ask you, “Are you done?” Holding his own hands in front of him, trying to seem relaxed, as if he was trying to look less intimidating. “Yeah,” you’d quickly respond, leaving the fresher and brushing past him. Sometimes his hand found your waist as he passed, or the small of your back. “Thank you,” he’d grunt gently as he closed the fresher door.

No more of Mando letting out a small, “Good night,” before lingering on your closing eyes and watching as your lips smiled, forming your response, “Good night.”

Falling asleep, you knew you’d wake up to him. He would be up before you on most days, leaving you a fresh cup of caf and your favorite ration pack (when he had them). The short chatter between you two, going over the logistics of the next hunt, telling stories from your past, or just thinking out loud to each other. Gone.

You would be banished from home.

The fear struck your chest. Heat searing through your ribcage and meeting your spine, the visions repeated over and over in your head. Tears fell like waterfalls from your eyes. Most streams connected underneath your chin and trailed down your neck. Your back met the hull’s wall as you sank down onto the floor. Deep breaths. In through the nose, out through the mouth. Your head was heavy and numb.

Just breathe. You knew you weren’t going to die. Go through some heartbreak? Maybe, but you knew you’d be alive. It helped. Your breath slowed and the fear dissipated into the air around you. That didn’t stop the flow of tears down your cheeks as your eyes were fixed on the closed ramp.

–

Mando’s footsteps set a steady pace back to the market.

Crunch. Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.

He displayed a map of the marketplace as an overlay on the display of his helmet. Mando usually reserved this practice for combat to aid in determining exit strategies and the best plan of attack.

But now he was using it to calculate the most efficient route throughout the marketplace in order to see you again sooner.

Closing the overlay from the helmet’s display, he was met with the sight of the market. Long strings of lights decorated the different stalls. Many vendors took advantage of the dark and used different, bright combinations to reel in customers. Some lights were multicolored. Some flashing. Some huge and some small. He thought of the “ooh”s, and, “ahh”s that you would let out at the brilliant display.

The Mandalorian started in the food section of the market. Carefully examining which vendors carried your favorite snacks, he made purchase after purchase in quick succession. His helmet remained on a swivel, scanning the stalls from right to left and left to right.

A stall offering your favorite kind of takeout came into view.

Once Mando arrived at the stall he ordered two takeout meals. The vendor looked startled and confused as he ordered. They shakily accepted the credits for the two meals. Gazes drifted away from Mando and quickly returned as he stood waiting for the meals to be prepared. A bell rang and he retrieved two warm containers, placing them in his bag alongside the snacks.

One last stop. The bracelets.

Marching through the food district, he came upon an intersection at which the left path led him to the clothing district. Yet again, his helmet pivoted on his neck from one side to another.

The third stall to the left of the bright green stall on the left side of the alley.

Mando continued his steady pace until the bright green stall came into view. The brightness of the exterior paint was exaggerated by the warm light emitted by lanterns, which decorated the outside of the shop. He didn’t notice before but the store sold children’s clothes. Onesies. Small shoes. Tiny hats.

A small tunic. Small enough for a human child younger than one year old. The tunic reminded him of Grogu’s. Mando’s bare hands brushed against the material countless times as he cradled The Child in his arms.

The last time he spoke about Grogu was with you. You listened and offered support. He’s never had anyone do that for him.

His visor turned to his left. The soft fairy lights of the stall reflected off of the beskar helmet on his head. As if the beskar reflected a dark sky decorated with bright stars. Various fabrics hung from the side of the vendor’s stall to cover the old wooden planks. Little accessories were placed throughout the shop on different tables and displays.

Mando wasn’t focused on those items, he was focused on the long table of bracelets organized by color. His feet carried him to the green section. The helmet turned downwards to allow him to observe the selection.

Shit.

There were so many bracelets similar to the pair you held, just all in different combinations of green, silver, and brown. Was it the bracelet with the large green cord and the small silver and brown threads? Or the one with the large silver cord and green and brown threads? Or thick brown cord with streaks of green and silver? His hands hovered over the options, doing his best to recall the details from earlier in the day.

“It’s this one,” a woman’s voice said.

A bit startled, the Mandalorian looked up and found a woman standing on the other side of the table. She wore long robes with intricate patterns. Jewelry decorated every limb and part of her body, like jewels were dripping down from her skin from a storm of gemstones. Hair cascaded around her shoulders and down her back. Her smile was kind and her gaze met Mando at his eyebrow.

A good try, he thought.

“I’m sorry?” He replies. She couldn’t possibly know which bracelet he was trying to find.

“You were watching them earlier. From across the street,” she let out faint exhales as she let out a short laugh, “Maybe you should hide a little better next time.”

She reached out and picked two bracelets out of the display grid. “I remember the sizes too,” she said, “The person you watched held onto them for so long, they seemed pretty attached to them. I kept track of which bracelets they were just in case.” The robed woman shot him a friendly wink.

“In case of what?” Mando questioned. He was still in shock that the woman noticed him staring at you from across the street.

The woman glanced up at him like that was a dumb question, “In case you came back to get them, Mandalorian. This isn’t my first day on the job.”

It saved him the time and stress of trying to remember which one it was, so he shrugged and watched the woman’s jewelry dangle as she typed onto the register.

Beep. Beep. Beep beep. Ching.

“Okay sir, twenty credits please!” The woman extended her hand out and waited for Mando to place credits into her palm. She was met with the tilting of the black T shape on Mando’s beskar helmet.

“I thought the price was thirty,” he stated as he began to reach into his pockets to retrieve his credits.

The woman let out another small laugh, “Oh, I suppose I should have made the sign larger,” her decorated fingers pointed to a small sign above the one that displays the bracelet prices.

$10 OFF WHEN YOU BUY TWO OR MORE

Mando’s shoulders dip in realization that you could’ve bought the bracelets in the first place. A sigh escapes his modulator and he hands the credits over to the intricately robed vendor. The credits clink into her palm, and then into the register.

He waits silently for her to package them up in a small bag.

“They like you, you know,” the woman mentions, “No one like them would be deciding on which bracelets to buy for that long if they didn’t.” She paused as she was about to place the larger of the two into the small bag, “And look at the size of this one! It’s definitely for you.”

The Mandalorian nods, “I appreciate that,” he pauses before turning away, “let’s hope they do.”

–

Mando sets a faster pace back to the Crest than the one he took from the Crest to the market. He’s impatient, he can’t wait to walk up the ramp and see your body curled up, comfortable and safe, while you sleep soundly in your bed–if you can even call it that, he thought. You usually went to bed early when he went on hunts, otherwise you would be awake talking to him.

Slipping the bag from his shoulder, an ungloved hand rummaged through the contents searching for a small bag. His fingers found the familiar texture and he pulled it out from between the snacks and the takeout.

Mando slung the bag back over his shoulder, pulled the larger of the two bracelets out of the small bag, and slipped his hand through the ring of brown, silver, and green. Grabbing one of the ends with his fingers and pinning it to his palm, the other hand tightened the bracelet to a comfortable size around his wrist.

Once the small bag was returned to its place inside of the larger one, Mando peered around him to get a good look of his surroundings.

The sun was about to set, leaving only a sliver of light available to provide dim light to the landscape. Rocks littered the ground. Shadows from each one making them appear larger in the light of the impending dusk. He reached up and tapped a finger to the temple of his helmet. No living thing was around him.

He paused and set the bag on the ground. Doing one last scan of the area, one of his hands gripped the chin of his helmet and lifted the beskar from his head. The hand held the helmet at his side while he marveled at his wrist.

He caught a good patch of remaining light and watched as the green and silver threads gleamed against the thick brown ones. The bracelet was beautiful. Not only because of the design, but because you picked it out. And it was for him.

Becoming paranoid, the Mandalorian quickly slipped his helmet back onto his head. He waited for the seal of the helmet to engage before continuing back towards the Crest. This time, at an even faster pace.

–

You sat there until you heard heavy footsteps approaching from outside, the hydraulics of the ramp coming to life. Thinking fast, you stood up and made your way towards the fresher to start your nighttime routine.

“Why are you still awake?” Mando’s voice was confused. He stood in front at the top of the ramp with his helmet tilted, hands resting on his hips, but his shoulders were slumped, a bag slung around one. He looked…worried.

Mando was right. Usually when he went on hunts you went to bed early. Nowadays the only thing that kept you awake was him. Talking with him was how you spent most evenings on the Crest, your voices echoed and bounced back to each other in the hull.

He’s used to seeing you curled up on the sleeping pad covered in blankets. Soft breaths came from your body and radiated throughout the Crest. Just like a minute ago, his footsteps would come up the ramp with his bounty in tow. Soft grunts could be heard kitty-corner from your spot in the hull. A hiss of mechanisms as they froze the bounty in carbonite. Then a bit of silence.

The absence of the carbonite freezing stood out in your mind. No bounty, even when he said he was going to go and find one. Your eyes teared up slightly again as the realization truly set in. Mando really did go to the brothel.

You just wanted this night to be like any other night he came back to the Crest with a bounty.

After the bounty was frozen, heavy footsteps made their way across the floor of the hull. But they always stopped a few paces away from your bed, halting for a moment. Mando would complete his nightly routine. Setting the Crest’s coordinates for the next planet and showering in the fresher if he needed to–he usually did.

No matter what the events of his nightly routine were, it always ended with him standing in the doorway of his bunk–the sound of his footsteps always stopped partially inside.

“Good night, cyar'ika.”

You didn’t know what the Mando’a meant, since Mando never used that word around you, but you knew that the, “good night,” was all you needed to finally fall asleep.

You always waited up for him, only until reasonable hours of the night, of course, but he didn’t know it.

The sound of his footsteps in the present snapped you out of your hazy state. Crying really does a number on your brain.

“Just…couldn’t fall asleep,” you offered him a small smile as you pulled some products out of the tiny fresher cabinet. You wet your face and applied a small amount onto your fingertips, tapping them together for both hands to have the product. As you lifted your face and your hands to the mirror to begin washing your face, you were met with swollen lips, puffy eyes, and slight tear trails dried onto your face, despite the water you just splashed onto it. You froze.

There goes any of your chances to get away with how you spent your night. Staying up late staring at the Crest’s ramp. Waiting for Mando to come home. At least what you thought was home.

“What’s wrong?” Mando’s voice got clearer as he approached the fresher door. His strides long, footsteps clunking, as he removed his leather gloves and tucked the pair into his utility belt.

You went to turn away from him but he got there faster than you could. His ungloved hand rested on your shoulder, grip slow yet firm as he turned you to face him. He rubbed tiny circles onto your skin with his thumb once his eyes beneath the helmet noticed yours.

Your reflection on the silver beskar of his helmet stared back at you. Could you even get away with a lie at this point? What else would have made you cry? It’s not exactly like you could have said the truth either.

Oh yeah, I was sitting here having a panic attack as you participated in a perfectly normal service that is offered on this planet. Then I spiraled and thought about how you might not even want me to be here, that you’ll find another partner to be on this ship with you, and toss me away like none of this meant anything to you.

Mando’s hand waved in front of your face and it brought you back into the present moment. “Did someone come onto the ship while I was gone?” His voice gritted out from the helmet’s modulator.

“Maker, no,” you huffed and tried to look less suspicious, hoping he’ll just drop the topic.

“Then what is it?” He murmured, his modulator barely picking up his syllables. His wide shoulders took up most of the fresher’s door frame. The grip on your shoulder tightened slightly.

“It’s…I don’t think you’ll want to hear it.” You shrugged and repressed the heat of anxiety creeping down the back of your head. Turning to wash and dry your hands, you let out a sigh and started to walk towards the main open space of the hull. Your shoulder gently bumped him as you slid past his large frame in the doorway.

Suddenly your hips were being snapped backwards and dragged back towards the fresher. His damn finger was in your belt loop again.

He pulled you close to him, feeling the heat from his knuckle dig into your hip and spread throughout the rest of your body. His helmet leaned down to look you in the eye and tilted once again.

“Try me,” he paused. He brought his hand up to grip onto the valley where your neck meets your shoulder, slowly enough so you could back away if you so desired. His large palm and thick fingers were calloused and warm. The grip he had on you was still gentle, slightly squeezing. “You know you can tell me, right?”

You let a deep inhale permeate through your lungs. The words flowed through your individual cells. Thoughts of lying escaped your body with each breath. The debate inside your head would end. Whether he had those feelings for you or not.

“I got upset because you went to the brothel.” You told him. Lips trembling and eyes squinted open in an attempt to meet his gaze.

“The brothel?” He held both of your shoulders and brought his visor closer to your face. Thumbs rubbed your shoulders yet again. He sighed as your name left his lips and traveled through his helmet, “I didn’t go to a brothel tonight.” A titled T-shaped gaze met yours. You knew he was looking you in the eyes, and yours into his.

Brows furrowed, you sniffled slightly, “I-, I saw that condoms were on the market receipts.” The thumbs on your shoulders stopped, his chest didn’t rise and fall. He froze. You made Mando freeze.

“Look I know I’m just being dramatic and paying for that kind of thing is completely normal. I just,” you trailed off and thought of a quick replacement for your worry, “I was worried you would get hurt there.”

Mando’s shoulders fell and his helmet cocked to the side. “What?” He questioned. “How would I get hurt? None of the workers there had weapons.”

“How would you know that if you didn’t go?” You whispered to him. Your gaze left his and it dropped to the shape in the center of his chestplate. The crystal shape rose up and down slowly.

“I got information on a bounty there earlier,” he sounded like he was talking to a hurt animal. Gentle. Slow. Calm. “What's the actual reason you’re upset?”

Kriff it.

“I had a panic attack because I thought you went to the brothel. Maybe you would like the worker there more than you like me, I spiraled and thought about how you might not even want me to be here, that you’ll find another partner to be on this ship with you,” your chest heaved and as you listed off your previous thoughts of worry. Your hands shook as they landed on top of Mando’s, and you took a deep breath, eyes meeting his gaze like before, “and toss me away like none of this meant anything to you.”

Mando is quick. He flipped his hands to grab one of yours and tugged you into the hull. Kneeling, he opened a cloth bag, one from the market, and dug into it to search for something.

He actually went to the night market. You thought, now you look so clingy. So needy. He was just going to show you what he got to prove he went.

He turned and held his hand out. Sitting on top of the golden skin on his palm was a bracelet.

The bracelet from the market.

“I saw you looking at these, you looked for a long time and then put them down,” He stood up and set his gait to slow steps as he made his way over to you.

You laughed nervously, accompanied by a small sniffle, “Sorry yeah, I know I just should have been getting the stuff we needed. You didn’t have to go back and get it for-.” Mando raised a finger to halt your speech and continued what he was saying previously, “you put them down. You had two bracelets.”

“They had lots of them that I liked…I had two that were a tie and I just decided to get neither-.” Mando cut you off again.

“You were holding one bracelet consistently and then picked another in a bigger size,” you froze at his words. Dank farrik. Now he was going to think you’re super clingy.

“I wasn't completely sure who you wanted to wear the bracelet, but I took a guess.” He pulled his long sleeve past his elbow and revealed his bare forearm. Strong. Capable. Solid. And a matching bracelet was donned on his wrist.

Your cheeks radiated with heat as he took your wrist and put your bracelet on you. His warm fingertips brushed the soft skin of your wrist, sending chills throughout your body at the meticulous skin-on-skin contact.

Once the bracelet was secure around your wrist, Mando dipped his head and looked down at the floor. One of his hands gripped the underside of his helmet, and the other held onto your wrist. Your breath caught in your throat at the gesture. He quickly lifted his helmet to release his mouth, and he pressed three kisses on your wrist where the bracelet was. Mando’s lips were soft and timid, his hand caressing the skin on yours. Silver from his beskar helmet blocked your view, but Mando sealed his helmet and brought his eyes underneath the visor to look into yours.

“This means everything to me.”

Supply Run - Exchange (part three)

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yvetteheiser · 8 months ago

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Yvette Heiser - Phone Photography Essentials without Formal Education

In today's digital world, the art of photography has become more accessible than ever. You no longer need a formal education or expensive camera equipment to create stunning images. With advancements in smartphone technology, your phone can be a powerful tool for capturing professional-quality photos. Here’s everything you need to know to excel in phone photography without a formal education.

Understanding Your Phone’s Camera

Before diving into photography, it’s essential to understand the capabilities of your phone’s camera. Modern smartphones are equipped with high-resolution sensors, multiple lenses, and advanced image processing software. Take some time to familiarize yourself with the various settings and features available on your phone's camera, including HDR, portrait mode, night mode, and manual controls for ISO, shutter speed, and white balance. For more detailed insights, consider exploring resources like Yvette Heiser Texas – All You Need to Know about Phone Photography.

Mastering the Basics of Photography

Even without formal education, you can learn the fundamental principles of photography. Start with the basics:

Composition: The rule of thirds, leading lines, and framing are essential techniques that can help you create balanced and visually appealing photos.

Lighting: Excellent lighting is essential for taking outstanding photos. Natural light is your greatest ally, so it's important to learn how to use it effectively. Understand the differences between soft and hard lighting and how to leverage shadows and highlights to enhance your images.

Focus and Exposure: Ensure your subject is in sharp focus. Most smartphones allow you to tap the screen to set the focus point. Adjusting exposure can help you manage the brightness and contrast of your photos.

Leveraging Photography Apps

One of the advantages of phone photography is the plethora of apps available to enhance your images. Here are a few must-have apps:

Editing Apps: Tools like Adobe Lightroom, Snapseed, and VSCO provide robust features for tweaking exposure, contrast, saturation, and other elements. They also come with presets and filters that can add unique and creative touches to your photos.

Camera Apps: Apps like ProCamera and Camera+ offer advanced manual controls, allowing you to fine-tune settings like ISO, shutter speed, and white balance.

Special Effects: Apps such as Lens Distortions and Afterlight can add unique effects and overlays to your photos, helping them stand out.

Building a Strong Portfolio

Your portfolio is your introduction in the photography world. Create a diverse collection of your best work to showcase your skills and style. Include different subjects such as landscapes, portraits, and macro shots. Regularly refresh your portfolio with updated and enhanced photographs. Sharing your portfolio on social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest can help you reach a wider audience and attract potential clients.

Networking and Marketing

Building a successful photography career requires more than just taking great photos. Networking and marketing are essential components:

Networking: Join online photography communities, attend local meetups, and participate in photography challenges. Networking with other photographers can lead to collaborations, referrals, and learning opportunities.

Social Media Marketing: Use social media to market your photography services. Regularly post your work, engage with your audience, and share behind-the-scenes content. Consider creating a website to establish an online presence and make it easy for clients to find and contact you.

Continuous Learning and Experimentation

Photography is an ever-evolving field, and staying updated with the latest trends and techniques is crucial. Follow industry leaders, read photography blogs, and watch tutorial videos. Don’t be afraid to experiment with new styles and subjects. Continuous learning and experimentation will help you grow as a photographer and keep your work fresh and innovative.

Conclusion

Excelling in phone photography without formal education is entirely achievable with dedication and practice. By understanding your phone’s camera, mastering photography basics, leveraging apps, building a strong portfolio, networking, and continuously learning, you can create stunning images and establish a successful photography career. Yvette Heiser- Is it possible to start a career in photography without formal education? Embrace the journey, and let your creativity shine through your lens!

#wedding #moments #camera #pictures #photographer #photography #childphotography #yvette heiser #photographytips #events

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silverflqmes · 1 year ago

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𓏲𓍢 𝐈 𝐑𝐄𝐌𝐄𝐌𝐁𝐄𝐑 𝐈𝐓 𝐀𝐋𝐋.

synopsis. in which our fourth anniversary is spent at the place where we first meant, complimented by a tupper of strawberries for us to share.

genre. fluff + comfort

disclaimer. selfship oriented post between tooru and i, written for an event and my own enjoyment. not comfy? click off, thanks.

event details. combination of ‘love story’ and ‘strawberry sweethearts’ for the selfship sweethearts event by mari<3 more information is on her blog!

it had been four years now, being in a relationship with tooru, ellie realized. time flew by so quickly, it almost felt like she’d known him a lifetime with how much joy he’d brought her on the daily. it was enchanting, being around him as she was.

the setter would spoil her endlessly with his love, purchase whatever her heart desired in the moments they shared and squeezed her to him to wash away the blues. it was complete bliss, like a fairytale come true between a knight and her king, who had somehow chosen his protector over a frilly princess.

it made said knight yearn to do something in return for his love and kindness over the years. although she had written him a mountain of letters on each day of july leading into his the day of his birth.. ellie felt compelled to go the extra mile this time around.

therefore — while her dearest boyfriend laid in their shared bedroom with his rayban frames situated on the bridge of his nose in exchange for the contacts he frequented, watching his nightly usual — old volleyball games.. ellie dried off strawberry after strawberry from the batch she’d bought earlier that morning at the market, letting out a breath.

cleaning the fruits were hard work when she couldn’t just give in and snack on them. however, the author’s desire to make her anniversary with tooru absolutely magical.. overpowered her longing tastebuds.

“pour chocolate pellets to your heart’s content into a mug and microwave when ready to dip strawberries..” she read over the directions before humming. “seems simple enough.” and that, it was. the final touches involved her dipping each berry into the bowl of chocolate before dropping a cat shaped sprinkle on each — a cute, final touch.

with her work done, she popped them into a container before pushing them a little towards the back of the fridge — a place tooru’s eyes wouldn’t easily reach. he always did snoop!

speaking of which..

“oh?? is that for meeeee?” a cooing voice inquired, the owner wrapping his arms around the brunette which had her rolling her eyes a little, suppressing a smile.

“it could be if you weren’t trying to spoil yourself a day early.” she huffed out, but there was no hostility to her words, as she turned around to look up at her boyfriend. “hi tooru-san.”

a grin etched itself onto his lips as he leaned down to nuzzle his nose against hers, laughing quietly. “hi ellie-chan, how’s my love fairing with the absence of her analytical, volleyball enthusiastic boyfriend?” he joked, pecking her lips ever so gently.

it made her face warm a little, though his descriptions drew a laugh out of her as she fixed his turtleneck for him. “oh tooru, it’s been horrific with your absence.. i simply cannot go on without you.. whatever will i do?”

a gasp left his lips as he carded his fingers through her hair, holding her closer. “truly?? oh no, that simply won’t do.. i can’t possibly have my dearest ellie-chan suffering!” he responded dramatically, on part with her own share — maybe worse. actually- very much worse. “i say we go fix that, hm?” he followed up, pushing up her own lenses — a pair that was nearly the same as his ( it was the feminine version ).

she allowed her head to tilt in thought as her eyes squinted. “mm.. and how do you propose for fix that?”

the smile he wore became cheshire as he lifted her up into his arms with little warning, racing off towards their room. “why, only with the best piece of cinema ever created, of course??”

ah. revenge of the sith.

what a good boyfriend, tooru was.

at last, the day of the anniversary had arrived. albeit six days after the national holiday of love and all the sappy stuff, it was still an important day for ellie and tooru. as it was the official proclamation of their love for one another.

“ellie-channn, how much longer do i have to wear this?? what if you turn around and impale me with a lightsaber to spend my entire salary on books?? i’ll be heartbroken and have become padmé rather than anakin!”

the female flattened her lips as she pulled on his ear as a means of scolding him, letting out a huff. “i’m never taking on anniversary plans again if this is what you think of me. we’re almost there now stop being stingy.” she pouted, guiding the pretty setter a few more steps before stopping.

tooru had his cheeks puffed out in offense, not happy with her choice of retort. “why are we stopping?? are we finally here??”

ellie was almost ready to throw hands ( she wouldn’t ). “yes. yes we are, now bend down..” she mumbled reluctantly, her face warming. “can’t reach you like that..”

“aww~ poor ellie-chan, see i told you to eat milk bread when we were kids! but it’s okay~” he cooed, somehow dodging her attempts at whacking him despite the lack of vision. “i love my teddybear-chan just as she is! and i can give her the perfect cuddles when she’s all cute and compact~!” he grinned, at long last leaning down for her to remove the cloth.

the first thing he saw was his girlfriend close to his face, flushing profusely, and the second thing.. was the scenery behind her.

confused, he blinked at her. “you.. brought us to iwa-chan’s doorstep?”

in her right hand, tooru now realized, was a container with a bow atop of it, and in her left, a crimson colored rose.

a deep breath left her lips as she nodded slowly. “this is where we first met — where hajime introduced us.. i remember being so scared for my accent and lack of proficiency, but you welcomed me with a warmth that made my heart beat incredibly fast..” she tried explaining, willing her voice to not quiver as she lifted her head to meet his eyes, her own glossing over.

“i’m so happy to have met you, tooru-san.. and so grateful to receive your love, i-i feel so lucky..” she whispered, wiping at her eyes with the back of the hand holding his flower before it was suddenly encased by tooru’s warm ones.

his eyes were tender, filled with adoration and a love that could carry into every lifetime they shared. “i should be the lucky one to receive all your affections — to have been able to meet you and become this close with.. you are my everything, ellie-chan.” he paused, releasing her hand to cup her cheeks. “my heart is yours, i love you so so much, agape-mou..” he whispered the last part, flushing a little.

oikawa heard the term between her family and her a lot — had even been called it before, himself. he figured it would bring his feelings across perfectly, even if more tears had left his girlfriend’s eyes..

without further delay, he pulled her into a mixture between a spin and hug — her most favorite type of hug. as a child, she had always expressed that whoever she got with would be the one if they held her as anakin did padmé. last night, even, revisiting the film again — tooru was reminded of the hug.

it made him smile as he leaned his forehead on hers, before letting out a breath. “what an anniversary, and there are still strawberries to be had.” the seijoh graduate commented, to which the girl blinked.

“h-how did you??”

“i may have spotted them in the fridge at midnight..”

“you WHAT??”

“whoops- did i say that?? i meant love you ellie-chan!!”

notes. and that’s a wrap, february 20th is when i first watched hq which was 4 yrs ago now yeesh.. so i brought that into this drabble in a sense with tooru<3 just a little late ehe.. anyways, bed time<3

#— ; 🏹 ) toorellie.#candy hearts : an event ♡#made my own self blush writing this #aside from sky flustering me with tooru being a total sweetheart anshsksj #anyways that was my entry #hope it was ok mari!!<3

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lasikcomplications · 7 months ago

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Lasik Complications

I created this account to share my story with Lasik. I hope my experience informs others of the truth behind the Lasik industry—its deceptive marketing practices, medical negligence culture and hidden complication rates.

I got Wavefront Optimized Lasik in 2023 with the ex500 laser with an Ivy League faculty surgeon in the USA. My myopia was between -5.00 and -6.00 in both eyes beforehand. My astigmatism was minor and uncorrected beforehand, between -.25 and -.50. I actually didn’t even know I had astigmatism before getting Lasik. Since that is a normal amount for most people, it is not noticeable or corrected. My prescription had been stable for over 3 years before proceeding with Lasik.

I have many complications after Lasik and it has been traumatic both physically and mentally. It is singlehandedly the most devastating thing to ever happen to me.

The surgeon should be discussing the risks with you in relation to your specific screening and eye health history during the initial consultation, but the problem is that many do not, rather they just send you a consent form after approving you as a candidate, without explaining why thoroughly. It is solely up to you to educate and inform yourself of the risks beforehand, but you are not an expert in the field so may not know what to look for in your own research.

Below are the things I wish I had known before going through with the procedure.

1) The risk of ectasia in relation to your individual screening results (corneal thickness, age, prescription, etc.). How corneal thickness impacts possibility of retreatment down the line if needed, how further treatment would greatly increase the risk of ectasia by further thinning the cornea. The risk is also very dependent on your current prescription and current corneal thickness. Higher prescriptions require more tissue removal.

2) Dry eye risk in relation to your screening. Explanation of how Lasik severs nerves which causes dry eye, risk of corneal neuralgia if nerves do not heal adequately. Explanation of how nerves never return to preoperative levels.

3) Loss of best achieved/corrected visual acuity and loss of contrast particularly at night due to pupil dilation.

4) Risk of starbursts/halos at night in relation to the patient’s pupil size vs. treatment zone.

5) Risk of under and overcorrection, and irregular astigmatism.

6) Explanation of what the Lasik flap is, scarring risk and permanent loss of corneal strength. Comparison of risks to other procedures: PRK and Smile.

7) Risk of floaters in relation to myopia, lattice degeneration, and risk of retinal detachment or early posterior vitreous detachment due to trauma caused by suction used during procedure.

8) Risk of rainbow glare due to laser pattern.

9) Explanation of how Lasik increases higher order aberrations which are uncorrectable through regular glasses/soft contacts and lead to visual side effects such as irregular starbursts, etc. There is no guaranteed fix--one can try topography guided retreatment, but it may not work. Scleral lenses can potentially correct but not cure.

10) Explanation of how Lasik makes cataract surgery harder to get if needed down the line. Patients getting Lasik should hold onto all previous eye records and topography scan for future cataract surgery. 11) Explanation of how Lasik leads to falsely low IOP measurements which may increase risk of undiagnosed glaucoma

Of these possible short-term and long-term risks, I currently have the following.

Rainbow glare, a rare side effect caused by the laser pattern. Usually transient over 2 years but not for all. Retreatment can fix it but cannot do due to post-Lasik dry eye syndrome and suspected corneal neuralgia.

Massive, irregular starbursts and halos at night, making night vision significantly poorer than before. I was told after the procedure during a second opinion consultation that I have larger than average dilated pupils, causing light to enter the untreated area at night which causes these visual disturbances. Only temporary pupil constriction drops can treat it, or risk topography-guided retreatment to widen the treatment zone, which may not work either. I'm not sure why I was approved for Lasik given my pupil size, but they told me nothing.

Diagnosed under correction, diagnosed worsened astigmatism after the procedure by .50 diopters in left eye

Diagnosed severe flap scarring

Diagnosed Higher order aberrations (HOAs). Spherical and coma in particular as shown by aberrometry. In only one eye I see diagonal streaks of lights on cars even during the day time, and ghosting at night making it hard to read subtitles, digital clocks, any text on dark screens (can no longer use my phone in dark mode, for example). I also see starbursts and halos at all times of day but they are massive at night. Again, HOAs cannot be easily corrected. Topography guided retreatment may or may not fix it, could make it worse, and scleral lenses may or may not help.

Floaters: I thought I had retinal detachment given all the floaters gradually appearing 1-3 months after Lasik, so I had an emergency appointment. The ophthalmologists cannot explain definitively why Lasik causes more floaters. I have been told that Lasik may just make them clearer. Another has said that the suction during the procedure stirs them up, and may damage the retina. Another has said that Lasik isn’t “supposed” to cause floaters the way cataract surgery does. But no one could provide a concrete answer. However, studies show that Lasik can lead to early Posterior Vitreous Detachment and and Retinal Detachment is a known risk of Lasik, so damage to the retina caused by the suction makes the most sense. In the most recent laser information, all of these are now listed as side effect so I was lied to.

Post-Lasik dry eye and corneal neuralgia. My nerves may or may not regrow adequately over the course of 18 months. I am currently being treated with serum tears which cost around $300 (not covered by insurance) for a 3-month supply. Serum tears are made from your own blood. Another treatment option is IPL which can be around $450 a session (also not covered by insurance). Previously tried prescription Xiidra eyedrops which is around $60 a month with insurance. Before Lasik, I rarely used eye drops. I now use them daily alongside frequent painkillers, nerve medication (Gabapentin), warm compresses and icepacks. I was told I likely had Dry Eye Syndrome before Lasik by an outside eye doctor, but wasn’t aware. I had thought I was becoming intolerant of contact lenses due to allergies. The ophthalmologist should have seen my dry eye during the Lasik screening, but if they did, they didn’t say anything and still approved me as a candidate. Many doctors will also say that Lasik “only causes dry eyes for the first few months,” but this is not true for many people. Some develop long-term or permanent dry eye syndrome and corneal neuralgia due to poor nerve regeneration. My life is very different than it was 8 months ago due to the daily discomfort and pain caused by dry eyes. This is the most devastating impact of Lasik so far. I would strongly advise against getting Lasik if you already have dry eye symptoms.

All this to say, I also knew around 10 people who got Lasik, PRK or Smile before I went through with it, and none had serious complications. Only one regretted the procedure due to regressing with his astigmatism a few years later. Another got Lasik in 2000 for -4.00 myopia and is still 20/20 today without side effects.

But given my side effects, I am shocked to be the “1 in 11.” I have wondered if the statistics are really accurate that most fare well. Even if I am the unlucky one, the 1 in 11, I would still argue that this probability is still way too high for such devastating risks.

When I did the procedure, I was mostly basing my faith on the people around me who had gotten it, rather than digging deeper into the research, data and stories of those with complications.

A report from the FDA in 2022 highlighted some statistics around Lasik side effects/complications and they are actually quite high despite the overall short-term satisfaction rate: https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/lasik/lasik-quality-life-collaboration-project#:~:text=Questionnaire%20with%20Filenames-,Study%20Results,halos)

The study also admits it doesn’t have much data on long-term side effects, long-term risks and satisfaction.

In general, the marketing around Lasik is that it has the highest satisfaction rate in the world, and is a quick and casual miracle. Given that Lasik is an elective, expensive, privately paid procedure, I believe that this is why many clinics don’t adequately discuss these risks or review the patient’s screening with them in detail.

I am now in a Lasik support group with a lot of people who have both similar and different issues from the procedure.

The consequences of Lasik are honestly the hardest thing I have ever gone through, so I want to make sure the next person considering Lasik is more well-informed than I was, and knows their risks in relation to their individual screening and health history. If I could go back in time, I would’ve stuck with glasses and contacts.

All in all, the effects of Lasik on my physical and mental wellbeing have been truthfully devastating. My outcome and experience thus far is something for me to adapt to, cope with, accept and move forward from.

Thank you for reading.

-C

#lasik #eyes #surgery #laser #prk #myopia #lasik industry #fda #astigmatism #vision #healthcare #higher order aberrations #lasik complications #chronic pain

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skarletchains · 8 hours ago

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@cc-one-piece-grand-adventurers

After a long time of research, but above all, observation and analysis, Kurapika found the necessary information to know that the Marine was not as pure as they wanted to be seen, in fact, there was a whole black market going on beneath them in which they were clearly also involved.

And if it is about the black market and highly valuable transactions, there had to be at least a few pairs of Scarlet Eyes around there. Maybe bought by themselves for the huge sum of money they meant, or simply confiscated from pirates… or maybe both.

Kurapika trained enough to be accepted into the Marine, then, once inside, he could have a better view of the situation and get back them. What he was sure of, was that he was going to need a lot of money to bring some back.

What he didn't expect, was to be admitted into the Marine together with another recruit. Kurapika sighed softly, it's okay, they'll probably have them train together and that kind of thing, it shouldn't be that hard to bear. But what he didn't expect was that they would also make him share a room.

This is going to be a problem. He thought to himself. How many chances did he have that the other man wouldn't butt in? He would have to pretend all day that he really wanted to be there and that he was an honorable Marine so as not to raise suspicions.

"Don't touch anything in this cabinet" A sharp, judging look fell on the other when he finished organizing his things in the small cabinet. Not because he had anything incriminating in there, but small, precious memories of his family that was no longer with him.

His whole life was reduced to a simple suitcase, so the room was too big for him. "You can use everything else, I don't need it, just don't touch my things and don't be loud, those are my conditions. Do you understand?" His hazel eyes (hidden by his black contact lenses) fell on the other man, analyzing every expression, analyzing every movement of his to try to get information from him.

#ic; kurapika #cc one piece grand adventurers #v;hxop #one piece #Hey! I'm so excited to be writing with you again after almost a year!!#Please tell me if you need me to change anything

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healthtechpulse · 3 months ago

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#market research future #contact lenses market #contact lenses market size #contact lenses market share #contact lenses market trends

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renubresearch · 8 months ago

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Contact Lenses Market will be US$ 15.41 Billion by 2032

The contact lenses market is a significant sector in the healthcare industry, with a growing demand for various types of lenses to correct refractive errors and improve vision. Here is a comprehensive overview of the contact lenses market, including its size, growth drivers, and key players: Market Size and Growth Contact Lenses Market size was valued at US$ 9.67 Billion in 2023. It is expected…

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#contact lenses market #contact lenses market report #contact lenses market share #contact lenses market size #global contact lenses market

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databridgemarketresearchreports · 12 days ago

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Strabismus Market Overview | Trends, Growth, and Future Outlook 2025 - 2032

The Strabismus Market is undergoing a significant transformation, with industry forecasts predicting rapid expansion and cutting-edge technological innovations by 2032. As businesses continue to embrace digital advancements and strategic shifts, the sector is set to experience unprecedented growth, driven by rising demand, market expansion, and evolving industry trends.

A recent in-depth market analysis sheds light on key factors propelling the Strabismus market forward, including increasing market share, dynamic segmentation, and evolving consumer preferences. The study delves into crucial growth drivers, offering a detailed outlook on industry progress and future potential. Additionally, the report leverages SWOT and PESTEL analyses to assess market strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats while examining economic, regulatory, and technological influences shaping the industry's trajectory.

DataBridge Market Research has newly launched the NUCLEUS Platform, a Cloud-Connected Intelligence Platform that allows users to analyze and integrate macro and micro-level data seamlessly. This revolutionary tool bridges the gap between data analytics, market research, and strategy, providing businesses with a fully automated, Interactive Dashboard with Real Time Updates throughout the Year to drive profound growth and revenue impact.

Competitive intelligence plays a pivotal role in this sector's evolution, with leading companies innovating and expanding across key regions. The latest market insights provide a comprehensive overview of emerging opportunities, investment hotspots, and strategic business approaches.

For businesses and investors looking to stay ahead in the Strabismus market, this report serves as a vital resource, offering data-driven insights and strategic recommendations to navigate market challenges and capitalize on future growth opportunities. As 2032 approaches, staying informed about industry trends and leveraging intelligent market platforms like NUCLEUS will be crucial for maintaining a competitive edge in this fast-evolving landscape.

What is the projected market size & growth rate of the Strabismus Market?

Market Analysis and Insights :

Global Strabismus Market

Strabismus market is expected to gain market growth in the forecast period of 2021 to 2028. Data Bridge Market Research analyses the market is growing at a CAGR of 6.30% in the above-mentioned research forecast period. Increasing prevalence of eye disorders and rising cases of Down syndrome may drive the market growth.

Strabismus is also known as crossed eyes in which both the eyes lose its ability to look at the same position at the same time. It usually affects the people who have weakened eye muscle control. This disease has been reported to affect children and infants mostly at the age of 3 years but older children can also develop the disease symptoms. Strabismus is of four types based on the direction the eye turns including esotropia, exotropia, hypertropia, hypotropia. Strabismus can be transferred from affected parent to offspring, people who already have uncorrected farsightedness can also develop strabismus; moreover children suffering from Down syndrome are at higher risk of developing strabismus. Eyeglasses or contact lenses, prism lenses, vision therapy, eye drops, botulinum toxin and eye muscle surgery are some of the options indicated for strabismus treatment.

Moreover, increasing focus of market players towards the development of advanced treatment options and the presence of pipeline therapies also boost up the market growth. Furthermore increasing research and development and rising healthcare expenditure act as opportunities for the market growth. But, sometimes adverse effect related to the eye drops, strict regulatory framework and high cost of vision therapy among others may hamper the strabismus market.

This strabismus market provides details of market share, new developments and product pipeline analysis, impact of domestic and localized market players, analyses opportunities in terms of emerging revenue pockets, changes in market regulations, product approvals, strategic decisions, product launches, geographic expansions and technological innovations in the market. To understand the analysis and the market scenario contact us for an Analyst Brief, our team will help you create a revenue impact solution to achieve your desired goal.

Browse Detailed TOC, Tables and Figures with Charts which is spread across 350 Pages that provides exclusive data, information, vital statistics, trends, and competitive landscape details in this niche sector.

This research report is the result of an extensive primary and secondary research effort into the Strabismus market. It provides a thorough overview of the market's current and future objectives, along with a competitive analysis of the industry, broken down by application, type and regional trends. It also provides a dashboard overview of the past and present performance of leading companies. A variety of methodologies and analyses are used in the research to ensure accurate and comprehensive information about the Strabismus Market.

Get a Sample PDF of Report - https://www.databridgemarketresearch.com/request-a-sample/?dbmr=global-strabismus-market

Which are the driving factors of the Strabismus market?

The driving factors of the Strabismus market include technological advancements that enhance product efficiency and user experience, increasing consumer demand driven by changing lifestyle preferences, and favorable government regulations and policies that support market growth. Additionally, rising investment in research and development and the expanding application scope of Strabismus across various industries further propel market expansion.

Strabismus Market - Competitive and Segmentation Analysis:

Global Strabismus Market, By Type (Esotropia, Exotropia, Hypertropia and Hypotropia), Treatment (Eyeglasses or Contact Lenses, Prism Lenses, Vision Therapy, Eye Drops, Botulinum Toxin and Eye Muscle Surgery), End-Users (Clinics, Hospitals, Homecare, Therapy Centres and Others), Distribution Channel (Direct Tender, Hospital Pharmacy, Retail Pharmacy, Online Pharmacy, Others), Country (U.S., Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Peru, Rest of South America, Germany, France, U.K., Netherlands, Switzerland, Belgium, Russia, Italy, Spain, Turkey, Hungary, Lithuania, Austria, Ireland, Norway, Poland, Rest of Europe, China, Japan, India, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam, Rest of Asia-Pacific, Saudi Arabia, U.A.E, Egypt, Israel, Kuwait, South Africa, Rest of Middle East and Africa) Industry Trends and Forecast to 2032

How do you determine the list of the key players included in the report?

With the aim of clearly revealing the competitive situation of the industry, we concretely analyze not only the leading enterprises that have a voice on a global scale, but also the regional small and medium-sized companies that play key roles and have plenty of potential growth.

Which are the top companies operating in the Strabismus market?

The major players covered in the strabismus market are Essilor, AbbVie, BIOVENCER HEALTHCARE PRIVATE LIMITED, BIO-MED, Merz Pharma, Medytox, Metabiologics, AdvaCare Pharma, Accelius Global, Henry Schein, Inc, Bausch & Lomb Incorporated, Cirondrugs, Allergan, Galderma, Ipsen Pharma, Edmund Optics Inc., THE FRESNEL PRISM AND LENS CO., Optimax Systems, Inc., Smart Optometry, Vivid Vision, Inc., BYNOCS, Dynamic Center for Vision Therapy among other domestic and global players. DBMR analysts understand competitive strengths and provide competitive analysis for each competitor separately.

Get a Sample Copy of the Strabismus Report 2025

What are your main data sources?

Both Primary and Secondary data sources are being used while compiling the report. Primary sources include extensive interviews of key opinion leaders and industry experts (such as experienced front-line staff, directors, CEOs, and marketing executives), downstream distributors, as well as end-users. Secondary sources include the research of the annual and financial reports of the top companies, public files, new journals, etc. We also cooperate with some third-party databases.

Geographically, the detailed analysis of consumption, revenue, market share and growth rate, historical data and forecast (2025-2032) of the following regions are covered in Chapters

What are the key regions in the global Strabismus market?

North America (United States, Canada and Mexico)

Europe (Germany, UK, France, Italy, Russia and Turkey etc.)

Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India, Australia, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, Malaysia and Vietnam)

South America (Brazil, Argentina, Columbia etc.)

Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa)

This Strabismus Market Research/Analysis Report Contains Answers to your following Questions

What are the global trends in the Strabismus market?

Would the market witness an increase or decline in the demand in the coming years?

What is the estimated demand for different types of products in Strabismus?

What are the upcoming industry applications and trends for Strabismus market?

What Are Projections of Global Strabismus Industry Considering Capacity, Production and Production Value? What Will Be the Estimation of Cost and Profit? What Will Be Market Share, Supply and Consumption? What about Import and Export?

Where will the strategic developments take the industry in the mid to long-term?

What are the factors contributing to the final price of Strabismus?

What are the raw materials used for Strabismus manufacturing?

How big is the opportunity for the Strabismus market?

How will the increasing adoption of Strabismus for mining impact the growth rate of the overall market?

How much is the global Strabismus market worth? What was the value of the market In 2024?

Who are the major players operating in the Strabismus market? Which companies are the front runners?

Which are the recent industry trends that can be implemented to generate additional revenue streams?

What Should Be Entry Strategies, Countermeasures to Economic Impact, and Marketing Channels for Strabismus Industry?

Customization of the Report

Can I modify the scope of the report and customize it to suit my requirements? Yes. Customized requirements of multi-dimensional, deep-level and high-quality can help our customers precisely grasp market opportunities, effortlessly confront market challenges, properly formulate market strategies and act promptly, thus to win them sufficient time and space for market competition.

Inquire more and share questions if any before the purchase on this report at - https://www.databridgemarketresearch.com/inquire-before-buying/?dbmr=global-strabismus-market

Detailed TOC of Global Strabismus Market Insights and Forecast to 2032

Introduction

Market Segmentation

Executive Summary

Premium Insights

Market Overview

Strabismus Market By Type

Strabismus Market By Function

Strabismus Market By Material

Strabismus Market By End User

Strabismus Market By Region

Strabismus Market: Company Landscape

SWOT Analysis

Company Profiles

Continued...

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Data Bridge Market Research:

Today's trends are a great way to predict future events!

Data Bridge Market Research is a market research and consulting company that stands out for its innovative and distinctive approach, as well as its unmatched resilience and integrated methods. We are dedicated to identifying the best market opportunities, and providing insightful information that will help your business thrive in the marketplace. Data Bridge offers tailored solutions to complex business challenges. This facilitates a smooth decision-making process. Data Bridge was founded in Pune in 2015. It is the product of deep wisdom and experience.

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#Strabismus Market #Strabismus Market Size #Strabismus Market Share #Strabismus Market Trends #Strabismus Market Growth #Strabismus Market Analysis #Strabismus Market Scope & Opportunity #Strabismus Market Challenges #Strabismus Market Dynamics & Opportunities #Strabismus Market Competitor's Analysis

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