#like the whole reason cults are so insidious is because oftentimes there is real love and acceptance there and it's hard to turn away from

[icecreambeach]

watching a couple mandos give Din a friendly punch got me thinking. i really would appreciate just... ANY indication of what growing up in the covert was like for Din. like obviously he must've grown up with SOME of the mandos who are still there (unless they ALL died, which, idk possible,) but we've seen zero evidence of any kind of familial connection. ppl have HC'd Paz as having this brotherly OR semi-romantic relationship with Din (which I love) but all we've actually seen is Paz being a huge COP. like a real state trooper "you were doing ten miles over" kind of a dick. like yes he patched Din up that one time and doesn't seem to actively HATE Din, but helping other mandos is just part of the Creed. so far all i've gathered from Paz is that he cares about one thing: the Creed, and making sure he and everyone else follow it. like the fuckin group hall monitor. lol. whether it's soldiers, monks, or soldierly monks, even the most fanatical groups form intimate relationships with one another. if these are the people who raised Din, who grew up alongside him—if this is his FAMILY, where's the FAMILY of it all??? i'd just love for like one mando to push Din into the water and call him a bitch and then later they're sharing food or something. like literally anything. i know it's probably meant to be assumed(?) that familial bonds exist there, but it would be nice to actually see. one.