#inject this shit directly into my veins

[guardian-angle22]

911: Lone Star ↳ "You don't know what it's like to not be seen."

[wonder-harley]

Courting

Pairing: Din Djarin x reader

Words: 5.3k

Based on this request

A/N: As you can tell by the word count, I went ham on this prompt, I seriously love it so much. @deceiverofgodss and I worked on this probably too much for both of our own good, but I am so in love with what we created and I hope you like it too! Lots of fluff, actual decent angst this time (not my usual bullshit), a fun dive into both canon and fanon Mandalorian culture, and just lots of fun 😊

Warnings: canon level violence–use and mention of weapons & combat, angst, Mandalorian lore, I made a Mandalorian specifically for this, semi-established relationship? I explain it, I tied it into the plotline of the show even, the child is a contributing member this time (kinda), idk this is the longest fic I’ve written so I feel like I’m forgetting something

Seeing a Mandalorian covert was an interesting experience to say the least, and an experience not hardly any other non-Mandalorians like yourself would share. It was like an entire civilization, though on a much smaller scale, hidden beneath the surface of the planet above. Din had received a heavily obscured and ambiguous message from who he believed was the armorer, his assumption coming to be true as she welcomed his little clan into the covert, offering protection for you and the child as well as information before the three of you had to continue on your search for the Jedi.

While Din had busied himself with information gathering, as well as doing what he could to provide for the tribe, you had taken to putting your own set of skills to use. You and the child would often entertain and watch after the Mandalorian children and foundlings that ran around the tunnels of the covert, telling stories of your adventures with your Mandalorian that seemed to inspire them, many a Mandalorian parent thanking you for it. You offered your limited medical help, helping with anything from minor scrapes, knife wounds, and brushes of blaster fire. As well as, with the experience you’d gained working on the Razor Crests’ constant repairs, being able to offer some mechanical support in the rare cases needed.

Overall, you proved to be a favorite among the Mandalorians, and even though you took it very modestly, Din couldn’t help but feel his pride being inflated. He’d had a handful of Mandos tell him about how perfectly suited you were to be a Mandalorian Riduur, and it took a lot for him to ignore his body’s response.

The child loved the attention, and quite honestly, you didn’t mind it either. The women were welcoming and taught you different styles of fighting, the children were sweet, and there was one Mando in particular with green markings on his shoulder who would often give you gifts. Just little things, but it was a nice gesture, and made you feel like you fit in amongst the beskar clad warriors.

“What did you tell them about me this time?” Din asked as he made his way into the little cove you three had occupied in the covert, pushing the drapery meant for privacy aside. “The foundlings were all over me when I walked through.” You giggled at the thought.

“We told them about the Mudhorn today, they wanted to know how you earned your signet,” you told him fondly, the child wriggling out of your grasp to descend onto the bed that took up most of the space in your little cut-out of a room. “They seem to idolize you.”

“That’s because you keep fluffing up the stories you tell them, mesh’la,” he sighed as he deposited his rifle in the corner beside the bed, and you couldn’t help but smile at him. There was an unspoken connection between the two of you that just lit your entire being on fire. Especially when he called you sweet names like that. You didn’t technically know what it meant, but you figured it had to be a term of endearment by the way he said it.

“Any luck with the…” You trailed off, asking him about the Jedi, but trying not to get the kid’s hopes up. The two of you had noticed his ears perking up at any mention of it, and after a while with nothing new, Din suggested the two of you keep things low-profile around him.

“Same as always,” he admitted, and you could hear frustration creeping into his voice. “We’re running out of options, and I don’t even know where I would start if we can’t find anything.”

“I’m sure something will come up,” you tried to reassure him. “Why don’t you come sit down, you’ve had a rough few days,” you offered. He tilted his helmet at you in just the right way, and you knew he was looking at you as fondly as you were him. He turned his focus to the troublemaker fumbling around the large bed.

“What have you got little one?” he asked affectionately, picking the child up and examining the object he had been trying to put in his mouth. It was a miniature carving of what looked like a Nexu, complete with four eyes, a wide mouth, and a long two-tipped tail. “Another Nexu, huh?” You chuckled softly, the sound making his soul light up. While your time here in the covert had been stressful in terms of the search for Jedi, Din had enjoyed these moments with his little family, finding absolute bliss in the comfort they allowed.

“Mmhmm, it also came with this,” you offered, bringing him out of his daze as you held a dagger delicately in your hands. He’d almost let it slip as he looked up at your smiling face, doing a double-take as he took a closer look at the weapon, a silver blade fixed to a hilt of beskar. Din gently set the child back down on the bed, his visor trained on the dagger in your hands.

“Who gave you that?” He asked abruptly, his shift in attitude catching you off guard.

“You remember that Mandalorian with the green designs on his shoulder? I think he goes by Tairoh.”

“Has he given you anything else?” Your eyebrows were furrowed in confusion, hinted with concern.

“All of these were from him. He has something for me almost every time I see him,” you admitted cautiously, referring to the assortment of trinkets and toys amongst the pile of your things, most of which were variations of the exact same thing. The fucking Nexu. He’d heard that Mando tell too many stories about the ugly animals before, he should have known it was a signet.

Tairoh was much taller, bigger, stronger, and younger than Din was. He was good with the foundlings, had a soft spot for them. As a fighter, he was reckless, never thinking before he leaped, yet every action he took was one for his tribe. He was a prime example of a Mandalorian warrior, and it made an uneasy feeling start to settle in the pit of Din’s stomach.

“Dank farrik… I thought you got those from the foundlings,” he grumbled, looking seemingly anywhere but you. Which didn’t help make you feel any better about whatever was going on.

“Why, what’s wrong?” you tried. Din just kind of let out a heavy breath as he hesitated a few moments. “Should… should I not have taken them? Should I give the blade back?”

“No no, you should keep it… it’s a beautiful weapon, it suits you.” Din tried to be genuine, but it wasn’t working, his comment coming out passive and cold. In all fairness, it was well crafted and would fit your fighting style well. But it was wrong.

“Alright… then what is it? Why are you upset?”

“I’m not upset,” he lied. You simply raised an eyebrow at him, seeing right through his act. He huffed in frustration. “I’m not upset, not at you.” That was all he said before he flung the drapery “door” open and stormed off through the tunnels of the covert, leaving you and the child alone again.

“Yeah, that was a great talk. Glad we cleared that up,” you muttered sarcastically to the empty space where Din was standing a few moments before, the child simply looking up at you with wide eyes. You had half a mind to take the Nexu out of his mouth, but you didn’t need both of your boys throwing fits, one was plenty.

...

“Why did you make the blade?”

“I have made a handful of blades in the last few days, you’ll have to be more specific.” The Armorer had her back to him as she worked in the large circular room, her voice calm and collected like it always was. It was starting to piss him off.

“The blade Tairoh gave to her. A courting gift, when she’s mine.” He was seething, his words hot on his tongue.

“Not by Mandalorian customs,” The Armorer answered with a lilt in her voice. Din froze.

“She’s not Mandalorian, she doesn’t understand.”

“That does not stop the others from being able to try. She does not carry your signet, she wears no ring, pendant, or other signifiers. While she may have a bond with you and your foundling, she has no true tie to your clan.”

How could someone be so right and so wrong at the same time? You did belong to his clan, you made it a clan of three. You were always there to have his back, you cared for his foundling as if he were your own. Maker, after everything you had been through together, he was as much your child as he was Din’s. He thought of all your lingering glances, your gentle touches, warm smiles. The way your eyes lit up at the sight of him, the way you looked at him as if he had put the galaxy in your hands.

But he hadn’t given you his signet. Despite having thought about it more times than he could count, you had nothing that bore his mudhorn. So while by common standards you were his, to the Mandalorians… there was still room for doubt, for interference, for competition.

And yet, he had such a personal knowledge of you, he felt like there hadn’t been a need for such a bold claim, such a strong statement of possession. He knew your facial expressions and what each subtle change reflected, as you knew every tilt of his helmet. He knew which meals and snacks disappeared quicker, he knew how softly you would sing in the ‘fresher, which sleeping positions you found the most comfortable during cold nights on the Crest. He knew you as intimately as you knew him. Wasn’t that the point? Wasn’t that enough?

“She possesses the Mandokar, the virtue of a true Mandalorian. She has an aggressive passion, tenacity, loyalty, and a clear lust for life. He will help strengthen this in her, and together they will raise strong warriors.”

Din could physically feel his heart shatter. Just the thought of you with another man, another Mandalorian, having children that were not his own… it was never something you had discussed, but in that moment Din knew it was everything he wanted.

“This is the way,” the armorer tried. For the first time in a long time, he did not reply. He turned and stormed out of the room, his cape swishing behind him as he sped off with one thing in mind.

You.

…

“I don’t understand, do you not like it?” Tairoh asked.

“No, it’s a lovely weapon, it really is,” you started, the kid in his satchel on your hip while you held the knife out to him with both hands. You had no way to know whether this was right or not, but after sitting in your room racking your brain for an answer with nothing else to go off of but Din’s reaction, this was the best solution you could think of.

“My Mandalorian did not react the way I expected him to when I brought this back.” You tried to choose your words gently, terrified of accidentally offending him by some part of his culture you didn’t understand, unaware that Tairoh knew exactly why it had set Din off. That he had almost anticipated it, though your clear statement of ‘my Mandalorian’ threw him off. “I clearly don’t understand what this means, and I think it might be best if I returned it to you.”

“He didn’t explain it to you?” Tairoh questioned, his hands remaining on his hips as he towered over you, still not taking the knife out of your hands like you wanted so badly for him to.

“Neither did you,” came the modulated voice you were so familiar with, and you could feel the kid’s ears perk up at the sound. You peeked behind the hulking Mando in front of you to see your favorite wall of beskar storming down the hall of the covert, beelining towards the three of you. Tairoh turned to face him, his size quickly becoming evident as his bulky frame towered even over Din, who you were used to feeling small standing next to.

“Did you think she knew?” You could hear the anger in his voice, hot and boiling over the edge. “Or did you disregard that she had no idea what you were doing?”

“Being so close to someone with such a strong Mandokar, it’s a wonder you haven’t gotten farther than I have.” How they can have a whole conversation and still not say a damn word about what the hell was going on was almost impressive. It’s like they were doing it on purpose. They had stepped dangerously close to each other, and the tension of the situation was so thick you could have cut it with the blade that was, unfortunately, still in your hand.

“You don’t know her like I do,” Din sneered, his voice quiet but unwavering. You had to ignore the shocks it sent through your body.

“Maybe I don’t, not yet. But I’ll know her better.”

You couldn't even interject before Din had launched at Tairoh. You watch in shock as Din’s shining silver vambrace became a blur until his gloved fist collided with the other helmet, his opponent only flinching a little. In that brief pause where they both processed what was happening, you felt like your heart was stuck in your throat. A green armored hand shoots out to grab Din behind the neck, and he moves to swing the other one at his helmet. You watch, almost in slow motion, as Din managed to duck himself down and out of the way, headbutting the much larger Mandalorian in the gut. You’re almost impressed by your own reaction time considering how distracted you are, quick to move out of the way as he plows Tairoh into the wall behind you.

You glance around at the others gathered around the covert, and no one is even batting an eye. Well, figuratively. There’s only one helmet turning anywhere near your direction, and his body language just looks bored. The child at your hip, on the other hand, seemed to be having a great time, cooing and cheering in his own little way, being far too used to watching his father beat the shit out of people for his own good.

Tairoh kicks Din off of him, sending the silver-clad Mando stumbling backward, your attention brought back to where it should be. Pushing himself off the wall, he sauntered over to Din, grabbing him by the collar and hoisting him into the air. Din scrambles a little bit, his legs swinging as he tried hitting Tairoh anywhere he could reach, but nothing seemed to make any progress.

After a few moments, you started to get even more nervous than you already were, watching as nothing happened, Din struggling and Tairoh seeming to stand victorious. What he was winning was lost to you, but he seemed pretty comfortable with his accomplishment, bringing his other hand up to prop up against his hip. Almost as soon as he got comfortable, Din’s legs shot up to hook around his opponent’s upper body, catching him off guard. He ignites his jetpack, causing Tairoh to stumble backward with the offset, dropping Din to the floor with a metallic thud.

This was what was getting people’s attention, you figured, watching as a crowd of Mandalorians had started to congregate in the nearby halls when the combatants started pulling out their fancy toys. You’d seen a couple of Mandos brawl through the covert during your stay, it was like sibling rivalries, they fought over anything and everything. But it was usually just with their fists, and the occasional vibroblade if they got fired up. They didn’t pull out their jetpacks or other impressive weapons, like your Beskar clad dumbass was doing right now.

Din was quick to his feet, or at least to one of them as he scrambled up from the floor and onto one knee, throwing the grappling line out from his vambrace to wrap around Tairoh’s legs and send him to the ground. The larger Mandalorian plants his feet and grounds himself, and reached out to start pulling the line, and Din with it. You watched almost in awe as Din’s strength was tested, holding his own against his hulking opponent until his boots betrayed him, sliding against the floor. You can hear his struggle, grunting and groaning as he used all his strength to stop from being pulled in, and combined with the sight of his broad stance ... it was certainly having an effect on you.

There was a soft clink of metal, Din having found his footing in a grate on the floor, wrapping the line around his fist and pulling it taught. You didn’t know who drew their weapon first, but in a flash, both of the armored men in front of you were throwing fire at each other, blasts meeting in the middle and canceling the other out. The air was not only hot, but it was thick with rising tension, and you knew it was only a matter of moments before one of them launched to further attack the other, and your stomach was tying itself in a knot as the other Mandos around you egged them on.

You physically flinched as a clang reverberated through the halls, turning to see the Armorer at the end of the corridor, her forging hammer in hand, likely having collided it with Beskar to produce the sound. The flamethrowers were disengaged, and a crowd of ‘T’ shaped visors turned to look at her, even from their positions on the floor.

“Enough,” her calm voice came through. “We cannot let our personal battles overpower the strength of our tribe. While strength is life by the Canons of Honor, for the strong have the right to rule... loyalty is life, for without one’s clan one has no purpose. Do not let your flames burn down that bond, nor our newfound covert, crucial in our continued survival.” There was a pause as they all absorbed her words, and you could see as the two in front of you started to let go, releasing the cable for Din to reign it back in.

“Our secrecy is our survival, our survival is our strength. This is the way,” She finished. There was an echo of voices, ‘this is the way’ resounding through the crowd that had gathered as they reiterated the aphorism the way they often did. You looked to Din at that moment, still unsure whether answering or not answering was more offensive, only to find his visor already pointed at you.

As the crowd dispersed, Din offered a hand to help Tairoh off the floor, and they gave each other a silent nod before turning to you. The latter gave you a similar nod before walking in the other direction, leaving you, the child, and Din to yourselves as he made his way to your side. The child started squirming in his satchel on your hip as he tried to get to his father.

“What the hell is going on?!” you questioned him in a harsh whisper, handing him the wiggling green swamp rat. Din let out a deep sigh, holding the kid close to his chest with one arm, his other slotting at the small of your back to gently lead you forward.

“Let’s head back to our quarters, I’ll explain there.”

…

The walk back had been a quiet one, aside from the Child’s happy gurgling, while Din was racking his brain to figure out where he was going to start and you silently waited for him. You passed a handful of other Mandos on your way, and you figured word must have traveled quickly by the way their visors lingered on your party.

Peeling the curtain back to let Din walk in before you, you tossed the satchel and unwanted dagger onto the large bed and propped your hands on your hips, waiting for his explanation. He almost looked sheepish as he set the child down in his pod, begrudgingly handing him the Nexu toy that he had taken a liking to.

“He was courting you,” Din started, always quick to the point when he decided to give you any explanation. Your eyebrows shot up in confusion. “All the gifts he was giving you, they were courting gifts. He wanted… he wanted to marry you.” He had to take a shaky breath to manage the last statement, and your heart ached.

“Din…” you sighed, dropping your hands to try and get closer to him.

“You couldn't have known, and… and I should have told you, I just...” You placed a hand on his arm as you came up to him, his body responding almost instinctively as his hands found your waist to hold you against him. One gloved hand came up to cup your cheek, his thumb gently caressing your soft skin. “I just didn’t want to lose you,” he whispered. You almost laughed at him, unable to hide your grin.

“What made you think that would ever happen?”

“Do you realize how many Mandalorians would have been happy to make you their partner?” he said, almost shocking you with how steady his voice was, like he’d thought about this many times before this. “You have a lot of key Mandalorian qualities, and many of them have told me directly that they’d be honored if they got the chance to court you.”

You just kind of looked at him with wide eyes, barely processing the words coming out of his mouth. You had started as an outsider, doing what you could to prove your value, let them know they could trust you… and apparently, you had accomplished much more than just fitting in.

“What stopped them?” You asked, almost amused at the absurdity of all of this.

“Me.” The conviction in his voice sent chills down your spine. “They understood that you’re mine, that you’re with me, under my protection.”

“They’re damn right,” you smiled, placing your hands on the broad expanse of his chest plate.

“But you do not wear my signet,” he continued, not sounding quite as amused as you did, and your smile fell. “By Mandalorian standards, I have no claim over you. Tairoh saw that, and took his chance.” His hand fell from your cheek, but didn’t go far as it resided at your waist. “He is much bigger, stronger, younger than I am… he would have provided well for you.”

You finally got a glimpse into what was going on inside that bucket on his head, and you were not successful in holding in your laughter this time.

“What’s funny?” He sounded irritated, securely holding you in place as your laughter had you leaning back in his arms.

“You’re dumb,” you replied, earning a huff in response. You righted yourself, trying to contain your giggles as you looked back up into his visor. “Do you think I care about any of that?” His helmet tilted the slightest bit, and you knew he was listening intently. “I didn’t choose you because you could provide for me, or because you were Mandalorian. Apparently, I could have my pick of the lot.” That comment made him give you an amused exhale, and you dreamed about the smile that accompanied it.

“I want you, Din Djarin. I want you just as you are, beskar helmet or no,” you admitted softly, hoping to soothe his nerves, and help him realize just how far you would go for him. “But dank farrik, you have got to start telling me things. We could have avoided all of this if you had just told me what was going on,” you poked at him, and you got to hear one of the rarest and most beautiful sounds– the deep, belly laugh of your favorite Mandalorian.

“That takes the fun out of it, mesh’la,” he smiled. Your hands flew to cradle his neck in between your hands, sitting just under his helmet and pulling down ever so slightly to get him closer to you.

“You can start by telling me what that word means, you’ve been calling me that forever!” Din’s helmet tilted to the side, far more prominent this time, and it made your cheeks grow hot. You knew he was about to say something absolutely adorable, or something that would make your sides hurt with laughter. Always a gamble with him.

“It means beautiful,” he muttered, and your heart swelled.

You remembered the very first time he’d ever called you that. It had taken you completely off guard and had probably been the only time you could have asked what it meant and actually have gotten an answer, at least before he got stubborn and made it something secret he could get away with as he pleased.

It had been on Sorgan, in the weeks spent laying low in the quiet backwater village, well after the initial battle that had brought you there. Din had been standing on the porch of the little hut they had graciously provided for the three of you to stay in, standing with his thumbs hooked into his belt, his back to the door as he waited for you.

I want to show you something, you had told him, and you could hear his smile when he couldn’t resist you. You remember what it felt like as his visor gazed up and down your body as you modeled the blue, apron-shaped piece you had woven yourself. It had taken weeks and immeasurable amounts of patience learning from the villagers, and you would never wear it again once you left the planet, but you were proud of yourself.

It looks great, mesh’la, you did well. It had made you light up like a plasma charge, the intimacy in his voice made you melt.

“Why didn’t you ever tell me that?” you asked the Mando in your arms, enamored with the man who had been calling you beautiful for almost as long as he’d known you. He dropped his head down to meet yours in a Mandalorian custom you did recognize– from legends and stories before you had your own to interrogate– the Keldabe Kiss.

“Because I’m dumb.”

…

Weeks had passed at the covert, and you welcomed the growth that came with it. The child had gotten over his fussy-ness when being left with other Mandos, happy to play with new friends and other foundlings while you and Din were away. In this time, you continued doing what you could to help around the covert and did more training with the Mandalorians you had grown close to, helping you hone in on a fighting style that suited you best in both preference and build. As for Din, he’d been much more talkative since the fight and had been more than happy to indulge you in any mando’a translation you asked of him, even going as far as to give you some of his own. It was nice, having a little routine. It was almost domestic.

But that kind of domesticity just didn’t fit your party’s lifestyle, and soon enough you were on the move again. You were to meet an informant, Gor Koresh, who frequented an underground fighting pit and had a lead on the location of other Mandalorians. With nothing to go off of in the covert’s position, this was your best option. And while you had enjoyed your time at the covert, you were itching for something new.

You settled yourselves back into the Razor Crest, the child already having forgotten about his missing Nexu toys – a crime Din refused to answer for – when he was reunited with the beloved ball topper from the cockpit. The other Mandalorians had been gracious enough to help stock up your supplies, and ensure the ship was prepared to travel. Tairoh had been one of those people, heavy lifting where it was needed, but gave you nothing more than another silent nod. It would have been the opportune moment to return the blade back to him, had you not misplaced it before leaving the covert, even though it remained in one spot since it had been in your possession. Though you couldn’t lie, there was an incredible lack of remorse for the missing object on your part, and you were sure that one person would be relieved.

“How far do you think you came in your training?” Din had asked, turning the pilot’s chair to face you now that he had set a course through lightspeed.

“I’m doing much better since what you taught me on Sorgan, I could hold my own,” you answered proudly. “Why?”

“I’m half expecting trouble with this informant, but I want you to come with me.” There was something different about his tone. You knew he was grinning, you could hear it, but you couldn’t for the life of you figure out why.

“Yeah? You and me against a bunch of underground fighters?” You teased, knowing full well that it was an image he’d enjoy.

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep,” he chuckled. He hesitated for a moment, almost unsure of himself as he fidgeted with his glove. “Do you want to fight me? Show me what you’ve learned?”

“If you’ve got something I can use,” you replied, shrugging your shoulders. You turned to look down at the hull below as you explained, “I got pretty good with hand to hand, but I’m used to using their blades. Yours look a bit bigger, and I lost the one from…” Your words were caught in your throat when you turned back around to face him.

He was still sitting in the pilot’s chair, and though his posture was relaxed you could tell all of his muscles were at attention. In his hands was a sleek dagger, much like the ones you were used to. The blade was attached to a beskar hilt that had intricate designs, and a very distinct image of a mudhorn.

“Is that…”

“I had it crafted before we left,” he answered as your question trailed off. “I hope you don’t mind, but I reused the beskar from your last blade, and had it made into something better.” You let out a laugh at his implication, some of the tension released from your body.

“Din, does this mean you’re courting me?” you teased, raising an eyebrow at him. He gave an airy chuckle as he let go of a breath he seemed to be holding.

“I figured it wouldn’t hurt to make it count by Mandalorian customs as well. We would be recognized as a clan of three.” You stood from the co-pilot’s chair to stand between his legs, and he leaned up from his position to look at you properly, a gloved hand caressing the side of your leg as he held you there. “It’s yours if you’ll have it, mesh’la.”

You gently took the blade from his hands, beaming at him while you examined it. Another hand came up to your other side, pulling you down into his lap to hold you close.

“What do you think?” You gave it a brief moment of feigned contemplation.

“I think I’m gonna kick your ass with it when we land.” You felt his body rumble with the chuckle that came from deep within his core, his hand moving to cup your cheek.

“Save it for the fighters my love.”

...

Taglist: @janebby

Din Djarin: @spideysimpossiblegirl @cats-are-a-girls-bestfriend

[nonranghaes]

it's weird that you don't call out to jun when he comes into your apartment. jun knows that you know he was coming over at some point to spend time with you, and usually you greet him in some way when you hear the apartment door unlock. he's a little earlier than he planned, but you told him to 'come over whenever' and now he's a little worried that you didn't mean it. he quietly slips into the pair of slippers that stays here at your place, and makes his way further into your apartment to set down the bag of groceries he brought on your kitchen counter. your bedroom door is open, but the tiny room you use as a home office is open just a sliver.

he makes his way over, leaning in to listen for a moment... only to hear your voice. there's a little strain to it as you struggle through a sentence, and it clicks all at once: you're speaking chinese. albeit not very well (it's clear to jun that this is one-hundred percent new to you), but you're still trying. your pronunciation is a bit clumsy, but he can hear the way you try to use the right tone with what you're saying...

when did you start learning this much? jun had taught you little things in the past--the absolute basics, really, plus a few other little phrases that veer into his own cheesy need to hear you say sweet things--but this...? he steps back from the door. why hadn't you told him? you could have told him and he'd happily help you learn. but he trusts you: you must have your reasons to keep this a secret, so he won't push. he steps away, deciding to busy himself with getting ingredients put away--or set up for the two of you to cook together, in case you're hungry now.

then he knocks a cup into the sink, and immediately he hears you coming out of your office. relief crosses your face when you see it's just jun, and you lean against the open doorway.

"i didn't know you were here." you pause, and then he sees you get hit with realization. "... how long were you here?"

"i just got here," he says. it's technically the truth, isn't it? he's only been here for a few minutes. "were you working?"

you nod. "yeah. just had to answer a phone call," you lie to him, but he just nods and acts like he doesn't know that. you come up to his side, wrapping an arm around him. "is this for lunch?"

he leans over to you and presses a kiss against your cheek. "are you hungry?"

"mhm," you just snuggle in for a moment, enjoying his presence. "you should teach me more recipes you learned from your mom sometime."

jun finds himself smiling already. was that what this all was...? an attempt for you to understand him better? to show that you care for him so much that you want to know his culture, too? "i'd love to," he says softly, and wraps an arm around you to tug you closer to his side. "only if you teach me things you learned from your family, too."

then he'll make more efforts to understand you and your background, too. just to show you that he loves you as much as you love him.

[allastoredeer]

I just found some Hazbin Hotel leaks, pre-being pick up by A24 and, do you know we could have had an episode where Charlie meets all the Deadly Sins? We were absolutely robbed of a pretty good filler episodes before the big finale with heaven.

Here's link to the leaks: https://imgur.com/a/nCorcZq

In case the link doesn't work, you can also look at this tumblr post: https://www.tumblr.com/hellaverse-critical-confessions/727383242254204928/hello-the-pre-a24-leaks-anon-again-heres-link?source=share

I really hope they use some of this old concepts on the next season cause they seem quite funny and interesting. Those ideas could help flush the characters out a bit more and the worldbuilding. What do you think?

Me writing notes while reading the leaks:

OOOH HOO WE GOT SOME WONDERFUL CHARACTER INSIGHTS! Especially with Husk!

“Angel and Charlie drag Husk out to a carnival show to show him the not-so-sleazy side of life. This proves difficult with Husk being raised to know nothing but crime and no experience with innocent fun.”

Husk has no experience with innocent fun. He only knows the sleazy side of life T.T Also he has mob connections 👀That is good to know. I find that so, so interesting. It explains it grim outlook on life. Why he's hardly every smiling or having fun. I think one of the first times we actually see him smile is after fighting those shark demons with Angel Dust in "Masquerade."

Now that I'm thinking about it, he smiles a lot more after that. Or, at least from what I remember. I might need to rewatch the show (for the dozenth time, LMAO). But, that kind also goes to show how much this guy needs friends. Good relationships. Connections outside of crime, which is all he's known all his life.

I WANT HUSK TO HAVE PURE, DUMB FUN AND TO LAUGH AND SMILE AND IM SOBBING JUST THINKING ABOUT IT

Also love delving more into Vaggie too. How she's incredible responsible, but controlling. After reading through a few of the episode description about her, my personal headcanon/take is that she still has a bit of that "angels are superior" mindset in the way that when she challenges Maxine, she's quickly reminded of her own limits when she's defeated "very easily." It's like what Carmilla was saying in the show. The angels are arrogant in their fighting. They leave themselves open, they're brash, and uncoordinated because they're not used to fighting demons who can actually fight back.

As far as we've seen, all of their victims are regular demons. None of the Overlords. Well, except Carmilla that one time, and she'd taken down the Exorcists with relative ease because she knows how to fight, and she's powerful. Given that this is the first time an Exorcist has been killed, and the first time we hear about an Overlord being attacked during the Extermination, I assume not a lot of Exorcists come face to face with the Overlords.

So, this kind of brash arrogance still lingering in Vaggie, who see's a demon talking down to her and automatically challenges them to a fight, only to lose immediately. Then her falling back into her insecurities that if she's not able to protect/fight for something/someone, than she's useless (which is ANOTHER thing she's learned from her time as an Exorcist angel--if she's unable to fight for the cause, what use does she have?). It's like this double-edged sword, and I'm rahhhhhh I'm gnawing on it.

ALSO ALSO, getting not only one annual event held in Hell, but TWO! "Hells Weapons Exo," (which I like to think Vox co-hosts with Carmilla, as she is a weapons manufacturer, and Vox is the guy to go to if you're looking to sell/buy something. Also, Vox HAS to have a showmanship side of him. Like, a legitimate showy, entertainer side--which I also like to think is what brought him and Alastor together before their, uh, falling out.)

Their second event being "Challenge Day" where lower tiered demons can challenge higher tiered demons for control over souls? I interpreted this in two ways, 1) challenging a higher tiered demon for the souls they already own, or 2) challenging the person who owns your soul as a way to get it back - both of which I really like. It actually fits really well with some of the world-building I've been doing for the last few days, so I am eating it up.

ALSO THE FACT THAT THERE'S A ROYAL BALL HELD AFTER "CHALLENGE DAY." My RadioApple brain LATCHED onto that so quickly. Imagine Lucifer taking Alastor to the royal ball as his date T.T I wanna see them all dressed up fancy, and I want them to dance, and dsofslknjljblkjbj FUUUUUUCK

Thank you SO Much for sending me this! I am soaking up these lore pieces like a sponge.

It also mentions Angel and Charlie taking Husk to a carnival show, which makes me wonder if there are places like carnivals open in Pentagram City, or if it's similar to the traveling circus thing Blitz grew up in. Like, do hellborn demons who doing travelling circus/carnivals just go through all the rings, one-by-one, including the Pride Ring? That way the Sinners get to get in on it too? AH! I just love thinking about it.

Thank you thank you I am feasting so much right now.

(THIS ALSO MAKES ME SO UPSET ABOUT STUDIOS LIMITING SERIES DOWN TO 8-10 EPISODES A SEASON, WE COULD'VE GOTTEN SO MUCH CONTENT AND WORLD BUILDING IF THEY'D GIVEN VIVZIE AND HER TEAM A PROPER SEASON TO BUILD IT ALL UP AND GRRRRRRRR)

Oh, also, I just realized I didn't answer your original question about the Sins, GOD I wish we got that. I want to see Charlie interacting with all the Sins so badly. Though, I suppose with Amazon not really owning Hazbin Hotel, where all the Sin's have been showing up, I wonder if they'd be able to do an episode like at all.

I don't know. Things to think about.

But to sum up! Thank you so much for this! I know this answer kind of went on long LOL, but you have given me so much brain food and I am eternally grateful 🙏

[wellhalesbells]

the thing that fucks me up about rereading instructions for dancing is trying to pinpoint when it is that derek becomes obsessed with stiles and realizing the answer seems to be always. from the beginning. the moment they met. that poor bastard. he probably should have tried to be a little nicer about it, though, saved them both some hardship.

I think it slides so quickly from fear and annoyance that Stiles will steal Scott away to 'Oh no, oh fuck,' I'm not even sure Derek knows himself. Poor guy hamstrung himself by starting out with the 'I'm going to scare him away' mentality then wondering where the hell that went and trying to find it again through almost every subsequent interaction (while something so much bigger and so much worse - Derek's Thoughts™ - completely eclipsed it). Meanwhile Stiles also helps cultivate Derek's dickish-ness by assuming that original motivation to be his only interest in him at all, essentially until the moment Derek tells him he's in love with him.

Which is hopefully why it seemingly comes out of left field for Stiles and the reader, because that's what I wanted.

[ghostinthegallery]

Meeting Kabru: ooh, he seems interesting. Can't wait to learn more

Learning more: I wanna put you in a jar and shake it you perfect, beautiful, fucked up little man

[mettywiththenotes]

IT’S THE WAY THE HERO SAVED THE VILLAIN BUT THEN THE VILLAIN SAVED THE HERO. THEY SAVED EACH OTHER

[emerald-wing]

Can it be later yet?

[prettybbychim]

alien stage couldn’t have come to me at a better time bc as of late, i’ve been steeping in two sizable whump fics with morally dubious relationships/characters so it’s just serving to fuel my stories further (and arguably worse than they already were)

let’s not forget about the choking kink-

[kenonade]

guys idk if u can tell but i did not have english today…

[sendpseuds]

Mike Flanagan is writing a Clayface movie and suddenly I care about comic book movies again

[qu33rr1t4bl3]

arcane is insane. They made it for ME.

[tarvyunderscore]

Y'know what is always insane to stumble upon, those drug simulation videos. Like I saw one for deliriants and bro?? Is your plug the Scarecrow 💀 are you snorting fear toxin???

[jack-starling]

I love rabbits so much, bro. I wanna get so many rabbit tats.

[tr4panrot]

watching spiderverse a million times isn't enough, I need that shit injected directly into my veins