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astralisbelle · 1 year

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Silk For Armor 2 - An Offer He Cannot Refuse

Silk For Armor Masterlist tags: dancer!reader, singer!reader, reader has backstory, s3 not canon, diverges around TBOBF, half fix-it fic, half super self-indulgence, original locations and lore, eventual reveal of reader backstory, angst, fluff, hurt/comfort, eventual smut

chapter summary: The Mandalorian receives a strange request. He begins to suspect that there is more to this job and dancer than meets the eye. WARNINGS: attempted assault, attempted SA, coercion, major violence

note: WHEW It's been a while since I uploaded. I'm so excited to share this very long chapter with you all but PLEASE PLEASE mind the warnings. Thanks!!

“Kidnap me.”

The Mandalorian jerks himself back, startled by the bold request. The wording also throws him off, but that’s the least of his worries right now. “E...Excuse me?”

“Kidnap me!” she echoes. “Please. You have to take me away and take me away soon.” She clasps her hands in front of her chest, a burning desperation in her eyes.

“Why?”

“Kaslur. He’s… getting impatient.”

“Impatient for what?” She drags her gaze away, looking at the floor. Din’s eyes widen behind his visor. “What… is going to happen to you?”

She shakes her head. “I’m not entirely sure, but Kaslur has been begging me to quit dancing to go live with him. We’ve been playing this game for years, but the fuse is wearing thin.” As the realization sinks in for him, he thinks about how a girl like her has little options in a place like this. No one can help her. No one would, lest they wanted to incur the wrath of a crime lord, himself included.

“And if I do? He’d come after me. Might even chase you to the ends of the galaxy.”

The dancer pouts. “I… I-I’ll help you. Or, when you take me back home, I’ll make sure you’re properly compensated.”

“Home?” He thought someone like her was out of place here. “And where is home?”

She straightens her posture. “...I will tell you if you agree to this.”

“Now’s not the time to be keeping secrets.”

“If you knew my secrets, then you’d know why I keep them.”

He stares at her, scrutinizes every bit of her. How confusing this dancer is… She carries herself with a certain grace that only performers of her caliber are capable of. Her manner of speaking is eloquent. Yet, there is a certain spark in her eyes that wouldn’t be found on anyone else on this planet, not after its corruption takes hold. Beneath the humble clothes, behind the extensive makeup and costumes, there is someone who clearly needs his help.

“...I don’t know,” he says with a sigh. “I can’t make any guarantees.”

“In that case, I’ll sweeten the deal.” She smiles with confidence. “Let me help you on this job that Kaslur has for you.”

“And how would you help?” She doesn’t look like a fighter, but this girl is full of surprises.

“First of all, you’re new to this planet, aren’t you? Tebin Ramm operates a certain way and I can help you navigate through the channels. Second of all.” She glances around. “You need a place to stay the night where you can actually get some sleep, right? Unfortunately, most of these hotels charge by the hour if you understand my meaning.” He nods. “I have a flat above the theater. It’s… cozy. And since it’s my place, it’s technically protected.”

Din holds up his hand. “Won’t Kaslur object?”

“What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him.” She reaches into a pocket and pulls out something small, popping off the cap and twisting the bottom. Before he asks what it is, she presses the red wax to her lips and applies it, bringing out the color of her skin. Then, she rubs some of it on her fingers. “Give me your arm.”

“W-Why?”

“You just walked into a working hotel. It’d be strange if you didn’t come out with marks.” She holds out her hand. “C’mon, it washes off easy with just some water and it’ll cover our tracks.” Mostly hers, he’s guessing. With a sigh, he gives her his arm. The dancer smudges the cosmetic onto his beskar then makes another smear on his chest. “And now…” She steps forward. “For the final touches.” She closes her eyes and plants a quick kiss on his chest armor, leaving a red mark. Din is about to stumble back, but she leans up on the tips of her toes and catches him, kissing the bottom of his visor.

“H-Hey!” He lifts a hand to wipe it off, but she shouts.

“Don’t! Not until you get to my place.”

Din groans, his hand finding it hard to leave all those marks in place. “I look ridiculous.”

“So does everyone else on this forsaken planet.” She glances back at a clock on the stand. “We’re almost out of time. You leave first. Tell no one I was here. When Kaslur’s men have ditched the front door, just enter the theater and I’ll take you to my place.” With that, she pulls the hood of her cloak over her head. “I’ll go now. You wait ten minutes, then go back to the theater.”

“...Fine.”

Din can’t remember the last time someone got that close to him and lived. The last — and only — person to touch his face was Grogu. Each time he thinks of his companion, his heart yearns. Though, he is thankful that Grogu does not have to see any of this planet. As he walks back to the theater, escorts and bystanders call out the marks, flushing red to his cheeks. This better work as an alibi.

He returns to the theater, finding that it has emptied itself of gangsters for the time being. Workers wipe down the tables and stage and when the last of them has gone, the dancer reappears. She takes him around the back and up the stairs into a loft that overlooks the entire red-light district. It’s a humble apartment, but it is kept tidy and clean. “Are you hungry?” she asks, putting her cloak on a coat rack.

“I am. But I cannot eat with you.”

“I know.” She points to a covered plate on the counter. “I warmed up some soup for you. I’m going to change, so I’ll close the door. Knock when it’s okay to come out?”

This girl… she has everything so perfectly planned out. From the meeting, to taking him in, right down to his food. Din stares at her for a moment. Who is this woman? And what is she doing in a shithole like this?

“...Sure,” he replies. He watches her go into the bedroom and waits a few seconds to confirm that she is gone before walking over to the covered plate. Sitting at the counter, he hesitates, but he takes off his helmet finally and sets it next to him. Steam touches his face from the noodle soup, its salty scent wetting his tongue. He isn’t polite about practically inhaling it, shoving large wads of noodle and beef into his mouth and swallowing the broth. Din eats fast, as usual. When he finishes and cleans his face, he puts his helmet back on and puts the dishes in the sink, noting its cleanliness as well. He wanders to the room and knocks.

“Come in!”

Come in? That throws him off. He opens the door and walks in. There is a single, rickety bed inside the room along with at least two different dressers. Various dancing costumes hang about with special accessories. Her room is a flourish of color that distracts him momentarily from the sight. She reaches for the top of one of her dressers to place a jewelry box back in place, her short robe showing off those shapely legs that he spotted earlier. When Din catches himself staring, he mentally berates himself and looks away. “How was dinner?” she asks, turning back around.

“D-Delicious. Thank you.”

She nods, her hands resting on her hips. “Alright, well, I know this is kind of a mess.” She laughs, looking around her room. “But, I made the bed for you. Talk to you tomorrow.” Just before she can leave, Din holds out his arm, blocking her from the door.

“I’m sleeping in here?”

“Yes, but don’t worry, I have a couch.” She tries to go; he stops her again, this time by holding her arm. The dancer tenses.

“You’re going through an awful lot of trouble for me.”

She lifts her chin. “Because I hope that you’ll do the same for me.” Kidnap me. “It’ll be dawn soon, Mandalorian. Please, get some rest. The sooner we find Kaslur’s man, the sooner we can both get off this awful planet.”

“I haven’t entirely agreed to take you.”

She grins. “Then I have a whole day to convince you.” She lifts her hand, thumb swiping some lipstick off his helmet. Shit, he forgot that was there. “Red’s a good color on you.” He lets her go immediately and she leaves the bedroom all to him. Now, Din is alone with her bed and her army of costumes surrounding him. As he removes his armor to clean off the makeup, he takes in the sight of every piece. Some outfits are… more revealing than others. He recognizes the one she wore earlier and then his eyes wander to some of the accessories: fans, feathers, all sorts of fun things. Din wonders how she uses them.

Just before he settles into bed, he has half a mind to look around. This woman is more than dancer, that much he can surmise, but to what extent? He’s curious, but he knows better than to violate her privacy, especially when she has been so considerate of his. When he settles into bed, her scent assaults him: clean and flowery. It oddly calms him and lulls him to sleep fast.

“So, who is the unlucky fellow?” she asks, sitting at the counter and eating a piece of bread. Din remains standing and slides the puck towards her, turning it on. Her brows lift in recognition of the Weequay. “Huh, that’s Mazarg Eq.”

“You know him?”

“Used to be an enforcer for Kaslur a few years back. Last I heard, Kaslur caught him in one of the spice dens, getting high on the boss’s supply. He’s not dead? That’s… lucky?”

“Kaslur mentioned something about him having a necklace.”

“A necklace?” She strokes her chin. “Don’t know anything about that. But, if I were Eq, I’d likely still be hooked on spice. Unfortunately. But I can’t get high at any of the dens that are supplied by Kaslur. So… I’d have to go to a rival’s supplied den. You know, for sanctuary.” Din slowly turns his head so the T of his visor faces her directly, as if asking how in the hell she ascertained that. The dancer shrugs. “That’s just the way things are around here.”

“...It would make sense. Also, if that’s true, then that’s the reason why Kaslur can’t send any of his own men. He’d start a turf war.” Din stands up, swiping the puck off the table and sliding it into his belt. “Would you know where these rival dens are?”

“I would.” She stands too, grabbing her cloak. “It’s not gonna be pretty.”

Once again, she is correct. Din’s throat tightens as she leads him through the district. Nearly everyone he sees is either stumbling, passed out, or expelling some body fluid in some way right in the street. No one seems to care. But, when he comes in, shiny expensive beskar on his chest, the junkies take notice. They lick their chapped lips, gaze with blood-shot eyes and fantasize about how much spice they can get with just a scrap of his armor.

Din is ready for someone to try to take it, but he hopes his imposing walk will hold them off.

He glances towards the dancer, her hood up as she stays close to him. “You being spotted here won’t be a problem, will it?” he asks.

“Technically, no. I’m not affiliated with anyone. That being said…” She scans the area. “I’d rather Kaslur not find out I was here.” She taps his shoulder. “In here.” He follows her into an alleyway with a single door, a faded neon sign blinking on and off above it. As soon as the door slides open, the foul stench of spice assaults his senses, even behind his helmet.

Smoke fills the den and makes it so hard to see that Din adjusts his visor to seek out heat instead. He sees red and orange shapes lounging on couches, taking long drags from pipes, and draping on other people. He prays that Eq is here, because he doesn’t want to comb through another one of these.

A Twi’lek man approaches them. “You gotta pay up before you take a seat.”

“We’re not here for spice,” she says. “We’re looking for Mazarg Eq.”

The Twi’lek flashes a look at the Mandalorian then back at the dancer. “And who is looking for him?”

“A friend,” she responds. She tilts her head up, giving the Twi’lek a glimpse of her face. “I know how this works.” She folds her hands together in front of her. “We need an address. How much?”

He grins. “...How about some of that beskar?”

Din leers at him. “Try again.”

She steps forward. “You deal with me, not the Mandalorian.”

“I don’t know what you can offer me, sweetheart.”

The dancer closes the gap between them, leaning in. “Tell you what.” She holds him close. “If you stop by…” She whispers, giggling and drawing shapes on his chest. The Twi’lek’s eyes bulge as she sweet talks him, ending her offer with a kiss on his cheek. She steps back with a polite smile. Without another moment to lose, the Twi’lek blurts out an address that Din commits to memory.

“Thanks… sweetheart.” She blows him a kiss. “Tomorrow right, remember.”

And with that, they leave. Once they’re out of the den, Din turns to her. “What did you offer that man?”

“You don’t want to know.”

“...You’re not seriously going to do it.”

She laughs. “We’ll be on a Razor Crest tomorrow night already in Hyperspace. C’mon, let’s go find our guy!”

One of the benefits of his helmet is being able to scope and scan any person of his choosing with discretion. Din sneaks in a few glances at the dancer as she walks with her hands behind her back. She hums, reminding him of the powerful vocals she displayed the other night. She is remarkably odd in a place like this. She is so… normal. Her demeanor, her manner of speaking doesn’t fit in with the rest of the people on Tebin Ramm.

Din wants to ask about her, but he isn’t curious enough to actually open his mouth. In fact, he knows it’s for the better. He’ll get her off this planet and drop her somewhere and that will be the end of that. Everyone that entered his late Razor Crest had their own stories — some he knew, some he didn’t, but most of the time, he didn’t care what they were. The dancer will simply be the girl that helped him get his ship.

Daylight does not last long on Tebin Ramm and the veil of space is nearly done creeping over their heads. Not that anyone can see any of the stars through the pollution. They wander further from the city’s center, finding crumbling buildings and tiny shacks for housing. The air is deathly still, but the stench of bodily fluids and trash wrinkle their noses. She pulls the collar of her cloak up to cover up her lower face.

“Stay close,” Din says, his hand hovering over his blaster, ready to draw.

“You don’t have to tell me twice.” She walks closer, their shoulders brushing against each other. They close in on the address given to them, standing before a tall building with cracks along its walls and broken signage. “He must be squatting here.”

“C’mon.” This shouldn’t be hard. When he first began bounty hunting, Din felt pity for the easy targets. That changed when every target became easy. They entered and went up the stairs, passing by bodies (asleep or dead?) sprawled on the floors and against the walls. He feels her hand cling to his cape. Din doesn’t wait anymore and he draws his blaster as they creep towards the marked door. “Stay here,” he says to her at the end of the hall. She nods.

The Mandalorian takes a few hunkering footsteps towards the door. Before he knocks, he gives it a nudge to see if it’s open. It is. He inhales fast and kicks it open, brandishing his blaster. On the floor, a Weequay yelps in surprise and stares at the tall mass of silver beskar in front of him. He scrambles backwards until he hits the wall. “Mazarg Eq?”

“Wh-who’s askin’?” The Mandalorian says nothing. Instead, he pulls out the puck and clicks the button, showing Eq’s face. “Aw shit… who hired you?” he asks between hyperventilating breaths.

“None of your concern.”

“It was that fucking prick Kaslur, wasn’t it?” he asks, voice panicked. “Shit, sending a fucking Mandalorian after me.”

Din continues, voice cool and collected. “You’ve got a necklace. Or did you hock that for spice?”

Eq laughs, body trembling. “Oh, that’s what you’re after! Look, if I hand it over, will you leave me alone?”

Din’s pulled this trick before. “Where is it?” Eq wobbles as he crawls a few feet away to where Din sees a crowbar. He’s ready for Eq to swing it at him, but to his surprise, the Weequay uses it on the floor instead, prying open the floorboards. Inside a secret compartment are a few credit chits, a handful of spice bags, and a black box. Eq crawls back to the Mandalorian, presenting the box to him. “Take it. If it gets Kaslur off my back, just take it!”

He holsters the blaster, giving the Weequay a false sense of security. Din takes the box and opens it. His brows furrow at the contents. It doesn’t look like a necklace, it looks like a small, metal collar with a small crystal charm. Kaslur described it as having the finest jewels… was that a lie? He goes to the door-frame and beckons the dancer over. “Necklace.”

She takes the box and looks down, peering at it. “Really? This? But it’s so… simple…” Shrugging, she closes the box. “Get Eq. We’re almost done. You go to Kaslur, I go home and grab my things.”

“You think it’ll be that easy?”

“Been thinking about it the entire way.” She smiles and steps back. “Do your thing.” Once she is a safe enough distance away, Din looks back inside.

“So… is that it? You said you’d leave me alone, right?”

The Mandalorian stalks forward. “Never did.”

Din drags Eq’s unconscious body through the halls and down the stairs. Kaslur would give him more credits if he brought him in alive, and fuel isn’t any cheaper these days. The dancer carries the black box for him for now, but something in his gut tells him that there is more to that “necklace.” He can’t worry now.

Soon, he tells himself. Soon, a new Razor Crest. Soon, off this awful planet.

The dancer opens the door to the outside and freezes. She gasps, finding a crescent of mobsters surrounding the exit. Din keeps a calm head, already running his eyes over their blasters and conjuring strategies if they cannot talk their way out of this. But then he sees Kaslur there in the center, tall and wide. He claps slowly, an unfriendly grin on his face. “Well done, Mandalorian. Well done. Though, you can’t take all the credit for this job, can you?” His eyes gloss over to the dancer’s, an uneasy stillness within them. All Kaslur has to do is gesture with his head and two mobsters dart forward. One yanks the black box away from her while the other grabs her arm.

“Hey!”

“Stop!” says Din. “Don’t punish her. I’m the one that needed her help.”

“Punish? My precious doll?” The mobster drags her over to Kaslur. “She helped you. Which meant she helped me.” He turns to her, stroking her cheek. “And I know the perfect reward. Mando, hand over Eq.” The Mandalorian hesitates, eyes flicking towards her. She nods. He steps forward and shoves the Weequay forward who barely registers what is going on. Another two thugs hold him up by his arms while Kaslur opens the black box. “Don’t you love it?” he says, presenting it to her.

She bites her bottom lip. “It… is very lovely.”

“I know it’s simple. But I went through a lot of trouble to acquire this for you, darling. You want to see what it does?” She remains silent, eyes flashing to the Mandalorian. Kaslur takes the choker and walks up to the moaning, half-awake Eq and clips it around his neck. “Hm. It doesn’t look as great on him as it will on you, my dearest. But you see, this collar is made of kyber crystal.” Her eyes widen and her skin pales. Kyber? Din thinks. “And I have its sister right here.” Kaslur presents a small bracelet around his fat wrist. “And with a touch of a button… it can do this.” He presses it.

It happens in the matter of seconds. Eq’s head falls clean off and topples to the ground as the inside of the choker fills with a hazy white light. It too falls to the ground, having cleanly sliced the flesh it wrapped around. She lets out a horrified shriek and Din knows that he cannot let this go on a second longer. He brandishes his blaster but gets more than a few barrels pointing at him. As if that would stop him.

“I’m sorry, darling,” says Kaslur. “I didn’t mean to frighten you. But we could have prevented this.” He holds her head, not caring that she is the one having panicking breaths now. “I’m tired of waiting. You’re coming with me.” She shakes her head with a whimper that he shushes. “Don’t worry, love. I won’t press the button if you do as I say.”

“Not happening,” says Din behind gritted teeth. “Step away.”

Kaslur lifts his head. “Look around you, Mando. It’s five against one.”

“I like those odds.”

He laughs. “Of course you would, you fucking Mandalorian.” Kaslur stands up straight, his hand falling on her shoulder. “’Course if you did, then there’s no way you’re leaving here alive, much less on a Razor Crest. That was the deal, wasn’t it?” He snaps his fingers and a gangster brings him a comm device. With a few button clicks, it displays a hologram of a Razor Crest. “Walk away now and I transfer all ownership of this ship to you. My men will let you ride off into Hyperspace.”

Din freezes. The Razor Crest was the only reason he came to this planet in the first place. He needs it. It’s right there in front of him; the hard work is done already. But then his brown eyes flash back towards her.

She breaks the uncomfortable silence. “Just go, Mando,” she tells him. “Go. Take it.”

“I-I…”

“Go.” She forces a smile, tears welling in her eyes. “One of us should get off this awful planet.” And just like that, Din watches the tears streak down her cheek as she gives up her dream. His hand shakes as he lowers his blaster as the weight sits uncomfortably on his chest and shoulders. Someone walks over to grab the choker off the ground, placing it back in the box.

“I’ll get that nice and cleaned up for you,” says Kaslur. He presses a few buttons more before the hologram disappears. “Alright, she’s all yours. Congratulations.”

Din wants to punch him right in the teeth. He stands still as a statue as the mobsters move out, dragging along the dancer. She does not resist, she doesn’t even falter in that smile. One of us should get off this awful planet.

Most bounties leave a somewhat bitter taste in his mouth, but only one made him feel vile and wretched. Now, that number is two.

Din starts in the direction of where he can pick up the Razor Crest. Kaslur’s men greet him with ease and show it to him. They go over the details, but honestly, Din cannot concentrate on them. With every explanation, every demonstration, he sees her face. He sees her smile as the tears stain her cheeks. He hears the horrified scream she let out when they saw the collar.

And he imagines it on her neck. Always present, always a threat. He imagines a broken smile on her lips as she does everything Kaslur asks of her, too afraid to refuse.

The men leave him alone in the Razor Crest. He sits in the pilot’s seat and thanks to muscle memory is able to power it on and go through the motions. Good, he succeeded, he has a home for the time being. Yet, any thought of celebration is rebuked with disgust.

And her smile.

He knows what he has to do.

Never before had a choker had a more apt name. The dancer sits at the end of the fancy table in Kaslur’s dining room in his penthouse overlooking the city. Across from her, he tears at his food, getting juices stained on his chin and shirt. Her body trembles and she stares at her untouched plate. The thought of swallowing against the choker vanishes her appetite. “I’ve already sent for your things,” he tells her, startling her. “No more dancing for ungrateful twigs.”

She keeps her hands on her lap. “Am I… never to dance again?”

Kaslur laughs. “No, my dear. You will simply dance for me. And only for me.” His voice lowers to a certain register that makes her skin crawl. “And this time, darling, everything is going to come off.”

“E...Everything?”

Kaslur wipes his lips with a napkin. “Come, I’ll show you your room.”

With wobbling knees, she stands and follows him. Kaslur takes her hand and leads her through the large space of his penthouse, opening the door to an ornate bedroom. The windows are ceiling to floor and the bed is large with plush pillows and a canopy. He shoves her inside and closes the door.

Oh no.

“I’ve been dreaming about this day for years,” he starts. “The day I finally claim you… how should I do it? Should I make you dance for me? Or sing? How you seduced me every night with your voice, your body…” He creeps closer to her as she steps back. “I don’t know where you come from, my love, but I know a one-of-a-kind woman, especially on this shithole of a planet.”

She gulps. She feels the choker around her.

“Haha… I digress. So I was thinking, how do I want this night to go? Then, I realized… it doesn’t matter.” He laughs. “You’ll do every single one. Tomorrow, you’ll dance. The day after, you’ll sing. On day three, I want you crawling to me, offering your body.” Kaslur shoves her onto the bed. She tries leaving, but he rests a knee on her legs. “For every fucking year you made me wait for this, you’re gonna do everything I want, understand?”

“P-Please—”

Kaslur grabs the fabric of her dress and tears it off with a loud rip, making her scream. “And don’t give me that look! You’re gonna enjoy every second of it.” He seizes her breast, twisting the flesh and making her whimper in pain. “If you don’t, if you’re not enjoying it, there’ll be consequences.” He groans. “Fuck, your body is so beautiful.”

She shuts her eyes. She wills time to turn faster. How foolish she was to think that she could escape this place, escape him. More tears well up in the corner of her eyes, but she is afraid of crying. His hand curls around her neck as he tears away more of the fabric. She thought she heard the sound of a door sliding open, but Kaslur does nothing about it. He forces his hand between her legs and she is about to cry out.

Something knocks Kaslur to the side. In a flash of activity, she sees a blur of silver and sees Kaslur tumble to the floor. A blade of pure black light materializes and stabs right through Kaslur, choking him and expiring his life. The dancer sits up, her eyes taking in the sight of the Mandalorian sheathing his weapon and standing over him. He turns his visor towards her before quickly looking away from her state of undress. “I-I’m sorry. I wasn’t here in time.”

It takes her a second to process what has happened. When she realizes that she was rescued, that she didn’t have to endure what she braced herself for, she chokes out a sob. She lunges forward and hugs the Mandalorian despite her nakedness. He lifts his hands before looking around the room, finding nothing. With a sigh, he takes off his cape and wraps it around her shoulders. “We don’t have a lot of time. We have to go now. I’m sorry.”

“We...We’re going?”

“Yes.” He steps back, away from her. “I’m getting you off this planet.”

“I’m…” Elation fills her expression. “Wait.” She leans down and grabs the bracelet from Kaslur’s wrist. With bated breath, she clicks the other button and just prays in that split second she doesn’t die. Then the collar falls from her neck. The relief almost brings her to tears. With that, she takes the cape and holds it around her torso. Then, she gives one last look at Kaslur's corpse. With a rare scowl, she kicks his head. “Okay, let’s go.” She turns away, her expression softening.

“Do as I say,” he says. “This will be rough.”

“Okay.” She follows him. “Thank you, Mando. Thank you…!”

#the mandalorian x reader #din djarin x reader #the mandalorian #din djarin #the mandalorian fanfic #the mandalorian x you #work: silk for armor #tw assualt #tw sa mention #tw attempted sa #THIS TOOK SO LONG #IM SO SORRY LOL

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lilaclunablossom · 6 months

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Metroid Prime Review

I played Metroid Prime. It was incredible.

Retro Studios perfectly translated Metroid game design into 3D, with a satisfyingly complex non-linear map, and puzzles that feel more alien than any Metroid I’ve played so far.

The environment design and atmosphere are some of the best I’ve ever seen. Every single region and room on Tallon IV is gorgeous and fun to explore, and collecting upgrades is just as satisfying as the 2D games. The graphics are amazing, with awesome lighting, and cool details like seeing rain droplets on Samus’ visor, or even her own reflection.

I got used to pressing R to aim decently quick, and after a while it became second nature. Plus with the lock-on it’s really not a problem. The sidestep dodge is fun, too, and the bosses are very challenging but rewarding.

The story is also wonderfully fantastical, with some really cool sci-fi ideas, and some very disturbing content for a first-party Nintendo game. I love how you collect pieces of the backstory through documents, like a traditional horror game.

Kenji Yamamoto and Kouichi Kyuma’s music is mind-blowing. It’s officially dethroned Super as my favorite soundtrack in the franchise I’ve heard so far. The synths are sweeping and beautiful, the grooves are badass, the melodies are fantastic. It’s perfect. In fact, this entire game is perfect. A total masterpiece. I can’t stop gushing about it enough. I’m almost completely sure it’s my new favorite Metroid.

5/5

#Metroid Prime #review #game review #2000s game review #Metroid #GameCube #GameCube game review #2000s shooter review #2000s shooter game review #2000s sci-fi shooter game review #metroidvania #adventure games #adventure game review #2000s adventure game review #Retro Studios #Nintendo #Kenji Yamamoto #Kouichi Kyuma #2000s shooter game

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stargalaxyshooter · 1 year

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Since it's probably coming up in this cour?? Or maybe in the next, but I will always be salty with how dirty Kubo did Ukitake throughout the whole manga - but especially in tybw. Not really utilizing him the way you utilized Shunsui was one thing, but not even giving him a fight before you take him out was dirty 😭

And don't even get me started on how his death was - from what I remember - ultimately pointless, he was giving up his life for the soul king only for Ywach to absorb him anyways. Maybe that did sorta help, idk my memory of it is kinda foggy, but it forreal felt like a "oh damn this guys still a thing gotta give him this random thing to do and then kill him off".

I appreciate that because he's gone, there was a vacancy in the 13 division but Kubo could've given ukitake a battle in tybw and maybe have him either die from said battle or survive it & choose to retire afterwards due to the injuries he sustained from it (like his body was already frail, so maybe he pushed himself too far after using his bankai WHICH WE NEVER SAW). Which then leads to canon with rukia being captain.

There's sooooooo many sternritter's that are introduced and instead of giving some of them to other characters - or have them group together if you don't want too many individual fights - we instead get the same characters have multiple fights with diff opponents or have some of the sternritter's off screened.

For example, we get characters like Kenpachi or Hitsugaya who are given multiple fights in this arc (not necessarily complaining I do like them), while Rukia, who is the second most important character in this show gets one actual good fight where we finally see her bankai. And is then not really utilized after that. That's wild imagine if Sasuke, who is also a deuteragonist, was only given one fight in the 4th war and then fades into the background while naruto/others go fight madara. Side tangent, but I'm just pointing out how weirdly characters were used from the main cast to side characters.

And it's not like it's just Ukitake, kubo also seemed to not like the visored (vizard?) either. Goddamn were they heavily underutilized, got introduced in the story as being one of the major new factions + given a backstory that gave them a connection to both the seireitei & aizen but were ultimatley cast aside for no reason.

Even their inclusion in tybw was pathetic, had them taken out anytime they tried to do something like what was the point Kubo what do you have against these characters?? At least chose to either have them fade into the background after only serving their purpose during the arrancar saga or have some die a meaningful death. (Not that killing characters off when they "serve" no more purpose = good writing. It just would've been something to actually chew on than what we actually got)

Idk something other than that half assed shit, as someone who likes the visored it was painful to watch. There's so many frustrating things about Bleach when I think about it, you have all these cool characters/designs who have interesting personalities, purpose, backstory and then they never get to do anything other than serve as "characters who get offed or beaten up to make the ones who save them look good", which sucks.

Hopefully, in the second cour, or third, some of these things change? I don't expect Kubo to care about ukitake or the visored now but maybe some other side characters like hisagi or yumichika who can finally complete his character arc of never using his shikai in front of others, he was about to use it but got taken out by a zombie. Oh, and also! Ikakku, similarly to yumichika, he also didn't get to have his character arc come full circle. We never got to see him use his bankai again, it seemed he was about to but got taken out by the same zombie - so maybe next cour...? Fingers crossed 🤞 that at some point both him & yumichika can show their concealed powers without fear of one not being accepted and the other not being allowed in the squad anymore. Especially when we know that at the end of the manga, ikkaku replaces yachiru as lieutenant

#Bleach #tybw #bleach tybw #tybw spoilers #Ukitake Jushiro #Visored #Kuchiki Rukia #Vizard #Ayasegawa Yumichika #Madarame Ikkaku #my ramblings #my frustrations back when reading the tybw arc and now having it finally air reminded me how #dirty kubo did a lot of his charactets especially when they were introduced as being some new important force in the world #deutragonist gets like one actual fight and then doesn't get to do anything else?#And i love kenpachi but this is what I mean by the same set of characters get #the same fights while other characters are staring off in the background providing commentary or getting beat up #Also! dont let this rukia layout fool you this isnt coming from a biased place #i love her but shes not my number one nor the reason for this rant #this was just something i've always been bothered about

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tarisilmarwen · 1 year

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Rebels Rewatch: "Blood Sisters"

Enemies To Friends Speedrun: The Episode.

Fond of that detailing on the overhang there, look at it.

I think Sabine already knew the mission was meant for her, she seems a little bit flustered and agitated that Ezra's trying to insert himself into it.

And of course doesn't pass up an opportunity to give him a playful elbow jab.

Hera gives the two the mission, telling Ezra that Sabine's in charge, which he's perfectly okay with. Continuing with the previous episode it's obvious Ezra has sorted out his growing pains teenage angst and has returned to normal.

Normal being "adorable eager puppy", especially around Sabine lol.

I do wonder... from how she acts in the beginning here and some of the later dialogue it sounds kind of like Sabine is going through a bit of a midteen crisis too. Could be either triggered like Ezra's by the events of "Always Two There Are" or could just be her having One Of Those Moods.

Ezra's rambling suggests it's more the latter, that Sabine just sometimes gets All Up In Her Feelings and starts self-isolating and wanting space and pushing people away.

I do like the implication that Ezra's sought her out when she's gotten in these Moods to see if she's okay (and had to be told to go away because Sabine's in, "I don't have any problems, leave me alone." denial lol).

Him checking up on her in concern when he can sense she's out of sorts is a cute thought. :)

Sabine spies some of Ketsu's graffiti but doesn't bring it up and the two proceed to the mission, or as I like to call it, an exercise in secondhand embarrassment.

Someone help these poor children.

Still cannot get over how tiny Ezra was in the early seasons.

Kestu makes her appearance with a flurry of exotic-sounding percussion in the score. This new theme (linked because it's hard to hear under the dialogue) is full of drums and clappers and synth strings and a wild flute and sounds appropriately tense and dangerous for Ketsu.

Ezra nervous little glances between the girls aww.

A little bit of classic Western Gunfight with the shot choices here.

Subtle animation appreciation moment: Ketsu's reflection in Sabine's visor. (Reflections be a bitch to animate.)

Ezra's resigned look when the Stormtroopers stumble across them lololol.

Okay I GUESS the friendly way Ketsu and Sabine can banter in the middle of a firefight and how they wound up shooting from behind the same stack of crates with no issue despite being at odds literal moments ago was supposed to be a sign that they're still friends deep down but--*grumbles, mutters something about rushed writing*

"Bet you're glad you brought backup!" "Yeah, it's working out great! Exactly as planned!"

Ah nice to know the two don't change when it comes to stealing Imperial ships together. :)

She told you to hang on, Ezra.

I do have to laugh at this one poor trooper's veeeeeeeery close call ha ha.

Ketsu's flutes trill out again for this little chase. Which is decently staged, the blown airlock sequence does feel nicely harrowing.

Sabine looks very pretty this episode.

Chopper being a menace, per usual, lol.

Right so whose idea was it to have Chopper cover his eyes because that was a pretty good idea, definitely makes us believe he's scared.

Sabine calling Chopper her friend, aww.

Surprise! She's actually hella cute in a fierce way. I do dig that she has legitimately violet eyes, just a nice little touch reminding us we're not quite in our galaxy.

Sabine's speech here recalls some of Ezra's, about how she used to be out for herself.

"I forgive you." Ssssshhfjhhhhh okay. Okay Sabine. Sure. Seems a bit quick and this is definitely at odds and doesn't quite fit with what we know about her tragic backstory later but... sure. Whatever. We'll just... go with it.

Probably a good thing they established two episodes ago that there's an Imperial checkpoint out here in general Garel airspace, at least this interruption doesn't come completely out of nowhere.

Aaaaaaaand just like that they are suddenly friends again. Okay.

Well now that they've completely dropped all animosity they hash out a predictably explosive plan. One they kind of overexplain a bit.

"Contain the problem immediately!" Oh right, like it's their fault their reactor core's going to explode.

I mean it is their fault in this case but still.

This poor droid pilot though. He was just doing his job, man.

There is an awful lot of Telling instead of Showing this episode, it's kind of irritating me.

Dunno where this is but it's pretty.

Lol Artoo and Chopper's grumpy acknowledgement of each other.

I really can't praise the environments on this show enough.

"Last time I saw these two, they were gonna shoot each other." "If I recall correctly when we first met you, you were stealing from us." Yeah that's not even remotely the same thing, Hera.

Ezra still immediately attempting to befriend Sabine's friend, who's like, "Oh yeah Sabine told me aaaaall about you."

Help me he's so cute. <3

*grumbles in frustration at this conversation* Nothing about this is merited, there is no character throughline here hkfjhdkjhnn.

A very soft and gentle variation of Ketsu's theme here to close us out.

I... don't really rewatch this episode a lot, as you can probably tell. I always thought Sabine just blindly and unconditionally forgiving Ketsu didn't make sense. Not necessarily on her end, because Sabine obviously thinks meeting her new family in the Spectres is the best thing that could have happened to her and she's had a Jedi around probably teaching her a few things about letting go of grudges, but I never understood why it would make Ketsu turn and just... drop her apparently lucrative and desirable bounty hunter career. And it just seems even more weird with what we learn about Sabine's backstory later, that she'd already had her trust broken deeply by her family and then again some time down the line by her supposed best friend who escaped the Academy with her.

Ketsu really doesn't get enough actual characterization for her turn to be believable either.

Beyond those issues the episode is just... kind of dull? Sabine and Ketsu's interactions aren't really that engaging for me so as soon as we leave Garel my brain kind of checks out.

We do get a little bit of backstory stuff that informs and adds layers to Sabine and some other cute bits here and there. But it's not exactly one of my favorites.

Back to form next episode, though, for character arc completions and some "Zero Hour" relevant foreshadowing.

#star wars #star wars rebels #rebels rewatch #ezra bridger #liveblog #sabezra

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turnbackthependulum · 1 year

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Let's make things easier for all of us, shall we?

If you're new here, welcome. This is a blog full of shitposts about BLEACH, the masterpiece created by Tite Kubo. I do post/reblog actual quotes from the manga or scenes from the anime, but only like 0.1% of the time.

Below are the main categories you can use to find specific interactions between various characters. It probably won't lead you to find every single thing that's been posted in this blog (for example, Espada-Shinigami interactions, etc.) but you can at least get almost all the incorrect quotes via this hashtag -> #incorrect bleach

Quotes which I think the characters would highly likely say can be found here -> #things they'd totally say

Everything Karakura Town:

» Karakura Gang (includes Ichigo & his schoolmates, Ichigo's family, Rukia & Kon, Ikumi-san & her son, everyone associated with Urahara's Store, as well as the Visoreds & Fullbringers too) » Karakura High School students » The Kurosaki Family » Urahara Shop (specifically those in Urahara Shop, including Yoruichi, and yes RENJI too) » Visored » The Ishida Family » Fullbringers » Mayuri's Washing Machine Inspiration Backstory au » Zaraki's Squad in Karakura Town au » Grimmjow (g)raveyard party in Karakura Town au » Karakura High School English Lesson au

Everything Soul Society:

» Gotei 13 Captains only » Gotei 13 » Royal Guard/Squad 0 » 1st Division • 2nd Division • 3rd Division • 4th Division • 5th Division • 6th Division • 7th Division • 8th Division • 9th Division • 10th Division • 11th Division • 12th Division • 13th Division » Shinigami Women's Association » Shinigami Men's Association » Shin'ō Academy au » Turn Back the Pendulum arc au » Yamamoto's Past au » "Accidents happen, don't they?" - Shunsui Kyoraku au » Washing Machine isn't for humans, Kurotsuchi-taicho! au » Keigo cuts hair in Soul Society au » Mayuri discovers Spottyfy [Spotify] au

Everything Las Noches:

» Arrancar, in general » Espadas » Espadas trying to hack Aizen's personal computer series au » Featuring the 'troublemaker trio' - aka Nnoitra, Grimmjow & Szayelaporro

Everything Wandenreich:

» Sternritters

Lists of other AU that I've made up or taken inspiration from popular/known sources:

» Adventures of Renji, Rangiku, Toshiro, Ikkaku & Yumichika au (spinoff from "The Shinigami Have Come!" episode) » Gin, Rangiku & Toshiro live together under one roof au » Shinji's Cooking Show au » "I wasn't that drunk last night" series au » Nnoitra committed the "7 Deadly Sins" under an hour au » Isshin, Car & Reservations au » Overprotective papa Toshiro au » Puns for Fun! » "It's 3 AM go to bed" series au

#masterlist #for ease of navigation

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c0tards--s0luti0n · 2 years

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mini guide to the mechanisms for my non mechs followers who have zero clue what im saying when i talk about them

jonny d'ville;

role: captain first mate mechanism: heart last death: stabbed straight through the heart during a bar fight backstory: born and raised on a planet called new texas, took hitman jobs from one eyed jack to pay off his father's debt . in one of the jobs, he killed his dad . after he got mechanized, he went back to new texas and burnt down the casino one eyed jack ran.

gunpowder tim;

role: master at arms mechanism: eyes last death: crashed into a space station with a gunship backstory: him and his best friend bertie joined the starborne infantry to fight in the war against the moon kaiser . bertie died during the war, sending tim into a crazy rage, absolutely destroying kaiser's forces, eventually getting caught and taken away for execution, he managed to distract the guards and set off a canon, blowing up the moon. he survived by hiding in an escape pod, but couldnt get the visor closed in time, therefore losing his eyes.

drumbot brian;

role: pilot mechanism: everything except his heart last death: threw himself back into space backstory: landed one day on a random planet with no memory, the townsfolk were convinced he was a witch and threw him into space , everything except his heart completely froze .

ashes o'reilly;

role: quartermaster mechanism: lungs last death: dropped a match into gasoline on an un-named planet , setting it on fire as the final light in the universe . backstory: recruited into a gang at the age of 11, 12 years later, was framed as a double agent and trapped in a burning building. got mechanized, went back to the planet and burnt the whole thing down.

raphaella la cognizi;

role: science officer mechanism: wings last death: took a piece of the broken aurora, and flew into a black hole with it, as one last experiment. backstory: N/A

ivy alexandria;

role: archivist mechanism: brain last death: got trapped inside a library planet that caught on fire in a war . backstory: she was born and raised around books, she died (unexplained why) and had her brain mechanized. she cant remember her past , it comes back to her in dreams that she doesnt remember when she wakes .

marius von raum;

role: ship's doctor mechanism: right arm last death: eaten by octokittens after checking on them . backstory: he's from a planet with what used to be very powerful weapons, that slowly degraded from years of war . him and an un-named person tried to stop the war, but failed .

nastya rasputina;

role: ship's engineer mechanism: (quicksilver) blood last death(?): she ejected herself out into space before the bifrost incident, because the aurora 'wasnt the same ship anymore, being replaced piece by piece until she was a different person.' backstory: she was raised on a technologically advanced planet, and killed during a revolution, then being mechanized.

the toy soldier;

role: N/A, does almost anything it's told to as long as the directions are clear (autism) mechanism: everything but its voice last death: after all the other mechanisms died, it simply stopped pretending. backstory: The Toy Soldier originally lived with a widow who collected clockwork figures. She treated the Toy Soldier like it was her husband and tried to teach it to act like him. she died, and the Toy Soldier was donated to a museum. one day, it just decided to leave, wandering out into the street and ending up joining the Salvation Army.it met person who it ended up falling in love with. but they were in love with someone else, and the Toy Soldier killed them and took their voice. It was then found by an antiques dealer, and ended up being bought by the Mechanisms to replace Jonny for a show while he was in prison . then it just stuck around .

erm . sorry that probably made everything more confusing !

#this is also for myself because i keep forgetting their backstories and mechanisms lol #WHY ARE THE PHOTOS FOR TOY SOLDIER ND NASTYA SO SMALL WHA #yeah this bands lore gets . a little silly with it

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tutchando74 · 1 year

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Eldritch J (Split Drones)

Backstorie:

After J was killed by Thad, her body was disposed in the tunnels. After some time this abomination appeared, no one knows how, but it wasn't the first time. There is a myth about a specie in the tunnels that take over dead bodys, since their own are very fragile, but there are no evidences of them. It came back with some memories of it's past life and wanted revenge. With it's new knowledge about everyone that lives, lived and is going to live in the city, it created an entire labyrinth and sent J's legs to the surface to catch Uzi's attention. When N and Uzi arrived at the labyrinth it tormented N and Uzi with holograms of V and N's second personality (for N); Uzi's father and mom (for Uzi). It was eventually killed by N's second personality.

Personality:

Eldritch J thinks it is better than anything that exist, including humans. it's main goal is to rebuild J, but revenge got in the way. It doesn't have all memories of it's past, but it has enough to know that it hates Uzi and N. During the battle between them, Eldritch J tormented both of them as much as it could, enjoying every part of it. It still is very smart, but it lets the emotions take control way more often.

Appearence:

A giant centipede, more than 7 meters, with each pair of legs having stingers in the bottom. On the top of it's body there is a path in it's skin, that is just it's spine, but in some parts it grows, forming an egg shaped path, in this part 2 tentacles come out of it's skin, this tentacles are sharp and slimy, they are so close together, that they seem like giant spikes on Eldritch's back. In the place of the head there is a jawless J head, her visor broken on the left eye, her hair still the same, but from the bottom of her head, there are tentacles coming out.

Eldritch J has some cameras that are covered in some meat like material, only it's lens out. Some of this meat cameras are so large that can be used as walls.

#Murder Drones #Au #Eldritch J #Split Drones #Eldritch J Murder Drones #Murder Drones Eldritch J #Murder Drones Au

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newpathwrites · 2 years

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Mandomera Week 2022 - Day 5

Prompts: Vacation/Possessive

Note: This one-shot takes place in my A New Creed Universe and was written for Mandomera Week 2022. This story takes place during “How to Build a Clan” and features Jai, a teenage Mandalorian from Din’s former tribe who he and Omera have taken into their family. The full backstory can be found here.

This one feels a bit disjointed to me, but once I got the idea, I couldn’t bring myself to change it. Hope it flows well enough. I may rework it at some point and repost.

No warnings, but Din’s a little hotheaded.

Read my Din/Omera backstory here.

Word count: ~1.2k

AO3: NewPath3432

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It had been a long and arduous mission… and unusually lonely. Din had insisted that Jai sit this one out for the teenager’s safety and had opted to limit contact with Omera and the children due to tracking concerns, leaving him completely alone for weeks - a condition to which he was no longer accustomed.

But the danger had passed, and Bo-Katan had finally dismissed him to return home. Din’s nerves were thoroughly frayed, and he was utterly exhausted, but laying eyes on his family would make everything alright. Knowing he’d be with them soon provided the final burst of energy he needed to carry himself to the village.

Finally, the cabin came into view, and he managed a smile. Stars, he couldn’t wait to get out of the armor.

His gloved hand went to the lip of his helmet, and he began to lift it off before he’d even unlatched the door, unconcerned in that particular moment about the neighbors catching a glimpse… only to quickly drop it back over his chin as he took in the sight that lay just inside the small abode.

A stranger - a human male - was standing next to Omera… very closely… with a hand wrapped fully around her waist. Din barely registered what he was seeing before his fingers moved toward his blaster.

Jai materialized at his side immediately, pushing his hand quickly away from the weapon.

“Din… What are you doing?” Jai questioned under their breath, trying not to call attention, concern and confusion clear on their face.

Their face… Why wasn’t Jai wearing their helmet? In front of a stranger? What was happening?

Grogu and Winta noticed Din then and broke out into genuine smiles, exclaiming happiness and surprise at their caretaker’s sudden return. They didn’t seem to think anything otherwise unusual was going on here. Apparently this as yet unidentified man wasn’t a physical threat. That almost felt worse somehow.

Meanwhile, Omera extricated herself from the stranger’s arms and moved toward Din, reaching out to embrace him. She appeared completely unperturbed that she’d been caught with… Who was this person? Her lover? He could think of no other explanation in his irritable state. The idea made Din want to vomit - his worst fear realized.

Was this some kind of weird nightmare?

Omera brought her forehead to his visor briefly in greeting and then moved to turn away, gesturing toward the other man with intention as if she was about to introduce him. But Din, now feeling uncharacteristically possessive, pulled her back to his body as his visor turned pointedly toward the stranger. Omera belonged to him… or maybe more correctly - he belonged to her. But anyway, the ultimate message was the same - the stranger, whoever he was, had better back off.

Omera had never known Din to posture, but that was clearly what was happening right now… for some reason… and she didn’t like it one bit.

She slapped his chest plate lightly and looked at him with the sternest expression she could muster against his commanding form. “What in the galaxy do you think you’re doing?”

Jai, still on guard, added quietly, “Seriously, Din - what’s going on with you right now?”

Din looked between the two of them and gestured toward the man. “It seems I should ask you the same thing…”

“What?” Omera’s face scrunched up in confusion. “Din, this is…”

But in his weariness, exhausted and upset and confused, he cut her off. “How long have you all been hiding this from me?”

“Hiding?” she questioned. “Din, it was more like a surprise…”

“What?!” Din was lost… She was surprising him with her… infidelity?

The stranger, to his credit, came to realize the misunderstanding just then and approached Din with an outstretched hand - cautiously, of course. This heavily armed Mandalorian was a lot scarier than Omera had previously led him to believe.

“Mando… I’m Eto, Omera’s brother. It’s good to finally meet you.”

Din froze for a moment before dropping his shoulders in defeat and humiliation with an exaggerated sigh. Maker, he felt like an idiot. The resemblance was in fact quite striking - the brother who’d raised her - and who’d been planning to vacation in Sorgan with his family someday soon…

Din released Omera gently and pulled off his helmet before taking the man’s offered hand. “Din Djarin…” He glanced apologetically at Omera before turning back to Eto. “Sorry… for… you know…” He really didn’t know what else to say after embarrassing himself so thoroughly.

“Not to worry, brother. Just please give my wife a warmer welcome, will you? Don’t need her having any heart attacks today.” Eto winked and slapped Din on the back good-naturedly, poor behavior forgiven. “So Din, Winta tells me you’re a skilled pilot. What are you flying these days?”

——————————

As it turned out, Eto and his family were some of the most pleasant people Din had ever met - a hereditary trait it seemed. And despite his bone-deep tiredness, Din enjoyed chatting with them, gratefully sans armor, over a couple bottles of spotchka well into the late night hours, Omera at his side happily watching the two most important men in her life bond over a shared love of space travel.

Din stopped Jai as the group retired for the night. The teen was oddly skilled in quiet de-escalation, but Din owed them an apology nonetheless. “Hey, you did good earlier… I’m sorry that I put you in that position.”

Jai shrugged. “It’s alright, Din. I can tell you’re exhausted.”

Din shook his head. “It’s been a long few weeks without you, Jai… I’ve gotten used to your company. Or maybe I’m just getting too old to do this alone.”

Jai smirked. “You said it, vod - not me…”. They embraced him briefly before turning to head out to the barn. “I’m glad you’re home safe, Din.”

“Me, too, verd’ika. You have no idea.” Din chuckled lightly and approached the bedroom. He hoped Omera was as forgiving as the others had been.

He stood before her nervously, expecting a verbal reprimand.

But instead, she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him softly. “You ridiculous man... I’ve missed you.”

He pulled her into him, basking in the comfort of having her close again as his head fell to her shoulder. “Will you forgive me for almost murdering your brother?”

She smiled. “Well, he certainly has. I suppose I can do the same. It makes me very happy to see you two together…”

Din paused before speaking with reverence - allowing him to meet her kin felt… significant. “I’m honored to know your family…”

She leaned back to look into his eyes, recognizing the gravity of the sentiment, as well as the awareness which was lacking - a byproduct of being raised without a sense of personal identity, she guessed.

“You’re my family, too, Din,” she said as she pointed a finger to his chest. “And no one could ever replace you. Don’t let me catch you doubting it again.” Ah, there it was - the loving reprimand. Omera was very good at those.

Stars, it was so easy to forget after such a solitary existence that he wasn’t just some guest in her life. Omera and Winta and Grogu and Jai… they were his family… forever.

“I won’t, cyare. I promise.”

#mandomeraweek2022 #mandomera #din djarin x omera #din djarin fanfiction #the mandalorian fanfiction #newpath3432

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littlepanduh-writes-365 · 2 years

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Day 101

Title: “I Still See Those Stars”

Features: Jiyoo (Dream Catcher) | Seola (WJSN) | Seulgi (Red Velvet)

Word Count: 2,609

Inspiration: angsty one shot starters - "It really hurts."

Tags: Apocalypse/Dystopian AU | Angst | Open Ending

cw// blood

(I actually think this might turn into a full flic. There's a little more backstory regarding Hyunjung and a continuation for Seulgi and Jiyoo. I'll keep posting WIPs for the time being. Enjoy this little excerpt for now!)

(Minor context that will be in the full version: I haven't fully developed the story, but this is taken place some time in the beginning of an apocalypse. Just from a little research, it seems that electricity and satellites would still be working, especially in bigger cities. That's why my characters are still using them.)

“It really hurts.” Yoohyeon wants to follow up with another snarky comment, but finds herself completely winded after saying those three simple words. She lets out a gasp and attempts to cover it with a chuckle.

Doom washes over Minji and ferociously drains into the car seat below them. Yoohyeon wasn’t one to bluntly voice her pain. She was only like this in dire situations. Minji checks the gash on Yoohyeon’s side. Fighting her tears, she puts pressure on an area that was still bleeding and ignores Yoohyeon’s wince.

“We’re only twenty minutes away from the nearest encampment.” Hyunjung presses down on the accelerator.

Minji knows she needs to stay positive, but the logical side in her couldn’t help but think of the worst case scenario. What if the next encampment was already run over by a mob of monsters? What if it didn’t have medicine or food? They were running out of backup plans and extra supplies.

The weak woman puts a hand over her girlfriend’s fist. Not wanting to look at a bloody bandage, Minji looks back up at Yoohyeon and brushes away some stray hair.

What if she lost Yoohyeon?

“Stay strong.” Hyunjung’s timely advice is directed towards Yoohyeon, yet looks at Minji through the mirror in the sun visor.

Minji hates it. Twenty minutes was a long time. So much time, with little to do. She could stare out the window to calm her anxieties or stare into the love of her life’s eyes in case it may be the last time she does so. She could think about what her life will be like in a new base or reminisce about her college days with her girlfriend before this biological warfare started. Twenty minutes in this universe could be nothing or everything. Should Minji help look into other encampments and check radio signals or should she comfort the person she loves the most and mentally prepare for the worst?

She looks out the window to check for any signs of refuge. They were driving on a road that was right in between farmland and the city. Unfortunately, there were no signs of activity on either side. The factories were far out and didn't promise resources. Scavenging city buildings was risky and they already showed signs of abandonment. “How far out are we?” She isn’t coherent enough to think of a plan, but she could at least brainstorm something. The other passengers can put together the pieces.

Hyunjung looks at the GPS. “I’d say less than 30 kilometers.” Minji hates how unsure she sounds, but understands any satellite device has a growing margin of error in terms of accuracy. Time will only tell when cell towers and the electric grid will start to fail like in the movies.

Due to its damaged suspensions, the truck shakes rather violently as Hyunjung runs over some carcasses. Minji wants to scold her for driving so fast but still feels a wave of anxiety when Hyunjung slows down to an appropriate speed. The internal battle irritates the leader, making Minji hate her desperation for a safe haven.

Yoohyeon grunts. The aggressive shaking caused her to bleed out again. Minji fumbles around for the first aid kit. After making so much noise, Seulgi reaches behind them to pass on a clean bandage.

Minji dresses the wound. Thankfully, it’s not deep, but it’s undeniably sizable. “You’re gonna be okay, Yoo.” The patient reaches up to bite on her first. Minji hates seeing her in so much pain.

“Make a left at the intersection,” Seulgi commands in a low voice. Hyunjung follows her orders.

“Do we know anyone at that encampment?” Minji continues distracting herself.

Thankfully, Seulgi doesn’t hesitate to respond. “Our main point of contact is Kim Taeyeon.”

“Kim Taeyeon.” Minji ponders over her name. “Why does that name sound familiar?” Uncertainty hasn’t ever been a stranger to Minji ever since this horrid adventure started, but she wished there wasn’t so much of it at a time like this.

Seulgi visibly gulps. However, she knows not to test Minji’s patience. “Taeyeon-unnie took Joohyun-unnie into her care.”

It’s a rather bitter memory.

This Taeyeon-person seems trustworthy, but considering Joohyun’s fate…

Minji doesn’t like how there hasn’t been a single odd in their favor.

Still, she pushes for answers. “How do you know we can trust her?”

Seulgi bites the inside of her cheek. Even Hyunjung glances over to check on her. “Taeyeon-unnie took Joohyunnie in without any question.” She pauses to brace herself and to push back the affection. “I understand what happened to Joohyun-unnie, but we all know that was out of our control. I’m still grateful that sunbaenim took her in without question and treated her as best as she could.”

Minji can hold onto Seulgi’s hope, but continues to dig for a peace of mind. “And what if she’s not there?”

“I was in contact with her yesterday. They still have control over a communications tower and haven’t had to resort to using a backup power generator. They seem to be doing fine.” Seulgi’s defensive nature is a rare occurrence and tips Minji off.

“That was before the attack.” Minji sounds a little more volatile than she ever wants to be. “What if she’s not there? What if they were affected, too?”

Seulgi sighs. She doesn’t know how to give an answer that an angry Minji will accept.

This time, Hyunjung steps in. “The next camp after is another 12 kilometers from Taeyeon-ssi’s base. Hyojung-unnie and Hyunwoo-oppa are there. I haven’t contacted them, but their base camp is pretty big and I’m pretty confident that they’re still there. We’ll radio in when we get close.” Her supposed backup plan still had holes in it, but the concept was enough to ease some of Minji’s worries.

In the back, Yoohyeon takes a shaky breath. Minji immediately consoles her.

Hyunjung looks at her backseat passengers in the rearview mirror. “You think you can hold up, Yoo?” She won’t be able to see, but Yoohyeon smiles.

“She’s holding a thumbs up.” Minji lets out a chuckle.

It’s enough to keep the driver going.

“How about you?” Hyunjung lowers her voice and looks towards Seulgi. “Are you doing okay?”

Seulgi hesitates. Her silence is enough of an answer.

The tension in the car is rather unbearable, so Hyunjung rolls down her window and turns up the music. She mentally prepares herself for what she’s going to see—who she’s going to see. It’s a lot to think about and she may never be ready to return, but knows she doesn’t have a choice.

At least there’s a hint of excitement. That’s gotta count for something, right?

Trying to stay awake amidst the silence, Yoohyeon looks out the window and notices the Lotte World Tower. She smiles. “We’re on our way home.”

The message was a little too obscure for Minji’s comfort. Was Yoohyeon starting to see The Light ™? “What do you mean by that?”

Yoohyeon continues to stare out the window. “Everytime I took the bus home from uni, I knew we were close to home when I saw the Lotte World Tower. Don’t you remember?”

Minji doesn’t remember, and she’s about to lie, but suddenly remembers bus rides with Bora and Siyeon and finds comfort in the past. She wonders if her other friends are there. She wonders if they’re alive. She wonders if she can go home.

The car stops. Minji looks outside and sees that they have reached a bridge.

Hyunjung turns in her seat to crack her back. “It’s a rather long line, but the coast is clear and at least things are moving along. She pauses to take a deep breath. “We won’t be moving for a while. I’m going out to stretch and—” to brace myself. Hyunjung doesn’t complete her thought. “Is that okay with everyone?”

Seulgi looks back, mostly for Minji’s approval. She senses this magnetic pull between her and Yoohyeon that is just begging to be satisfied and mentally scrambles a way out of the car as well. “I’m going to check our inventory.”

Hyunjung unbuckles her seatbelt and scurries out. “Knock on the window in case you need something. I won’t go far.”

The driver’s window and the back door are open, but it’s the most privacy Minji and Yoohyeon have had in a long time. Minji allows herself to decompress, but tries to keep her emotions at bay. She can’t relish in relief until they pass this bridge.

“Minji-yah,” Yoohyeon weakly calls out to her.

The owner of the name looks down at her girlfriend and squeezes on her weakening hand. “We’re almost there, Yoo. Just wait a little more.”

The injured woman pitifully smiles. “Do you remember the time we went stargazing after finals?”

Minji doesn’t like this one bit.

She doesn’t like how Yoohyeon sounds tired of clinging onto hope. She hates thinking that Yoohyeon is resorting to their time at university to stay optimistic. She doesn’t want to remember their happiest memories at a time where it might be her worst one.

Yoohyeon chuckles. Even if her eyes were jaded, that smile peaked through the windows of her soul. “I was exhausted, but you pulled me out of bed and drove an hour out. You held me as we stared into the sky.” Despite her diminishing health, she forces herself to talk. It’s something she wants. It’s something she needs.

Minji remembers that day. She doesn’t think she’ll ever forget the moment she finally confessed to Yoohyeon. Yoohyeon doesn’t have the energy to retell the story in detail, but Minji probably doesn’t need it.

“Can I tell you a secret?” Although faint, there’s a hint of mischief in her smile.

Thinking this is Yoohyeon’s way of lightening the mood, Minji plays along. “What’s that?”

It takes a moment for Yoohyeon to respond. Be it the fact that the adrenaline is no longer numbing out the pain or the reality of Yoohyeon digesting the idea of exposing the truth because she might not have the chance to do so at their wedding, the younger woman musters up some courage. “You were so upset about all the fog at the top of the mountain.”

Minji giggles out of embarrassment. “Yeah. You tried to make me feel better by saying you saw a shooting star.” She stares out the window. It was barely past noon. If only Minji could wish on a star, she’d pray for Yoohyeon’s safe recovery. “I know you were lying, but you were persistent that you saw it.”

Yoohyeon’s smile is so beautiful yet painful to witness. “You’re right, I didn’t see a shooting star that night.”

She pauses to catch her breath. When she closes her eyes, memories seem to flash in a span of seconds. Yoohyeon does see the day they actually went to see a meteor shower. She remembers wishing how she wanted to spend the rest of her life with Minji. Oh, how unfortunately short that time might end up being. It’s a shame she never got to give Minji the ring she bought considering how their apartment was blasted over like the rest of the neighborhood. Just like the star she bought, the ring was only a form of symbolism in their relationship, but it was better than nothing.

After a long period of silence, Minji caresses her. “Save your energy, Yoo.” She presses a gentle kiss on her forehead.

Rushing back into consciousness, Yoohyeon decides to push through. She opens her eyes. Minji’s face is full of concern. Yoohyeon wishes she could simply wipe away all of her worries, but knows that’s only possible if she were to stay alive, so she tries to stay positive. “Minji, I did see stars that night though.” She reaches towards her girlfriend to caress her cheek. Even if this memory may be short-lived, she wants to ingrain it in her heart along with the other ones that she’s collected throughout the years. They longingly stare into each other’s eyes. “That night, throughout university, through this apocalypse, right now, I still see those stars.”

Minji doesn’t understand Yoohyeon. She doesn’t understand how she can be so gentle and poetic and caring and romantic at a time like this. She doesn’t understand how through all this pain, she tries her best to rid someone else’s.

It breaks Minji’s heart even more.

She grabs Yoohyeon’s hand and gently kisses each knuckle. At a time like this, she wishes she could give Yoohyeon every romantic phrase every language could offer, but when words fail her she does her best expressing herself physically. “I love you.” It’s the best thing she could muster up without falling apart. It’s short and sweet and doesn’t measure up to how she’s feeling, but she knows it’s enough.

Yoohyeon continues, “Your eyes were the first thing I fell in love with. I liked a lot of things about you, but once you finally confessed to me, I allowed myself to dangerously fall in love with you. Your eyes were the first of many things.”

It’s the tip of Minji’s emotional iceberg. Tears break free past her ducts. They don’t go far though. Yoohyeon won’t allow it. She knows Minji hates when that happens. She does her best wiping her tears with her thumb.

Actually, she understands why Yoohyeon is like this.

Just like her, loving her girlfriend was easier than loving herself. Loving Minji was easier than fighting for her own life.

What she doesn’t know is that Yoohyeon has been brainstorming this speech for years. It’s a shame because Yoohyeon wanted to say this at the altar with Minji and all their friends, not while she was bleeding out in a dead friend’s car with two of Minji’s roommates. It’s the best she can do in this apocalypse and as long as said apocalypse is going to last, she’s going to keep wishing she could give Minji the better they deserved.

Minji grabs her hand and kisses each knuckle again, this time a little more slowly and one by one. Yoohyeon is saddened by the fact that she can’t feel the sensation anymore.

The adrenaline is definitely running low. A wave of exhaustion hits Yoohyeon and she’s not sure if she can fight it anymore. “I love you.” Yoohyeon blurts out.

This time, Minji can muster up some words. “I love you, too, Kim Yoohyeon. I love everything about you. I love everything we’ve shared, even this damn apocalypse. I’ll love you ‘til the end of time, even if that may be sooner than later, but you deserve to hear it.” She continues peppering Yoohyeon’s hands with kisses. The words are still not enough, but she knows she needs to say it.

It’s bittersweet. The words are comforting, yet dampen her spirits. At least she knows that Minji will always be there for her. “Hold me?” Even if it were to be the last time?

After staring into each other's eyes for a moment, Minji looks down to check on Yoohyeon’s wound. The most recent bandage has a small peak of blood, but nothing as bad as Yoohyeon's initial gash. A little cuddling doesn’t seem to hurt.

She unbuckles her seatbelt and shimmies closer to Yoohyeon. Not wanting to move Yoohyeon too much, she wraps an arm around Yoohyeon’s shoulders and pulls her close.

They stare at the unmoving tower. It’s not as sparkly as the stars Minji promised that fateful night and Hyunjung’s yelling isn’t as romantic as cicada chirps, but with the way Minji holds her close and whispers her profession of love to her, Yoohyeon falls just like the first time.

#something about apocalypses and confessions #sad but a guilty pleasure #didnt want to post considering whats happening in other fandoms but ive been wanting to post this for a week so i hope yall understand #need to rid some angst #apocalypse au #open ending for now #angst #littlepanduh #365 challenge #jiyoo #jiu #yoohyeon #dream catcher #dreamcatcher fanfic #kpop fanfiction #littlepanduh heartbroken era #blood cw

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