#snowy mando

[nobedofroses]

December 7th

pairing: Din Djarin x reader

warnings: fluff

words: 1.5k

a/n: falling in love with possibility of Din, basically. "blackout/only one bed/warmth" prompt from @toomanystoriessolittletime's winter writing challenge ❄️

more Din, Full List

🌨️🌨️🌨️

This kept happening. For the third time in as many months, there was only one lodging available. Since you and Din had started hunting together, you had only had to lodge anywhere but the Razor Crest a handful of times but the last few had been odd. 

The first time was six months ago. You arrived at an inn late into the night, and had to practically beg the owner to let the three of you, including Grogu, to stay so you could get out of the terrible storm. The Crest wasn’t an option because it was too damaged from a battle on the same planet. 

There had only been one tiny room, with just enough room for two cots and a chair. Luckily, Grogu’s pram floated, and with the three of you exhausted from the day, any awkwardness about the arrangement was quieted when you fell asleep immediately. 

So, a couple months later, when a similar situation presented itself, you thought it would be just as easy. It was not. 

This time, the room was bigger but there was only one bed. And Grogu’s pram had broken, so he needed somewhere to sleep. Din had tried to sleep on the floor, but you argued with him until he agreed that he needed to be alert in the morning. So the three of you would share the bed. Except since the baby was so small, you didn’t want him sleeping in between you, especially since you knew Din would sleep in his armor. 

The solution ended up being giving Grogu the pillows to make a bed on the floor and you and Din sharing the bed itself. It was fine, mostly, apart from the strange tension from being so close to him, even in his armor. The pull in your chest when you heard his deep breathing, soft and vulnerable in his sleep in a way he never was when he was awake. 

You had decided that sharing a bed was not a good option. 

But then it happened again. And now again. It was like the entire star system was against you, sending you on bounties to tiny little towns with unreasonably small numbers of accommodations. Places where the Crest would stick out like a sore thumb. 

The second time you shared a bed, it was in a place Din had been before, where he felt more secure than he usually did. As such, you were able to convince him to sleep just in his flight suit and helmet. It was honestly as much for yourself as him because that first time you had woken up pressed against the sharp metal and it was less than comfortable. 

This had led to a fun combination of your most secret daydream and your worst nightmare when you woke up wrapped in his warm body. That close, you could smell him, the clean scent of soap from the fresher, the slight scent of the oil he used to polish his armor, and the sweet smell of his skin. 

If it had ended there, that would have been fine. Instead, Din woke up too and froze the second he realized the positioning of your bodies, which led to many harried apologies on your part and lots of silent awkwardness on his. 

For the past month, you had been able to avoid any extra lodgings at all. This was despite Din’s best efforts, as he continually offered to find lodgings while on planet so you could have a real bed instead of the hammock in the Crest. You appreciated the gesture, but would rather save the money for a more permanent house of your own on Nevarro. Possibly close to the one that Din and Grogu had. 

But today, it was unavoidable. There had been a gas leak in the Crest, and it needed to air out for several hours before it was safe to inhabit it again. 

It brought you to the smallest, neatest inn you had ever seen with a staircase leading to the last of two rooms that were even in the place. When the innkeeper opened the door, it was to a bright, spacious room with exactly one bed. 

You prepared yourself for another incredibly awkward 12 hours, especially because the baby was being watched by Greef during this hunt, so there was no buffer to focus on. About an hour after your arrival, you had both eaten, with you sitting in the fresher while you waited for him to, and there seemed to be nothing left to do but talk or go to sleep. 

“I think maybe an early night would be a good idea,” you suggested, hoping he wouldn’t take it as you avoiding talking to him, which it was. 

“Of course, you can have the fresher first,” Din agreed, and while you were only going to change clothes, preferring to use the fresher in the morning, you didn’t contradict. 

A couple minutes later you stepped out of the fresher dressed in your sleep clothes. You hadn’t realized, but Din was still removing his armor and you stopped in your tracks as you saw what he was doing. 

It was fascinating, watching the practiced ease he used in removing the beskar, mixed with the reverence and respect he clearly held for each item of armor. It made you wonder if he could be just as familiar with anything else, anyone else. 

You didn’t know whether to turn away, the whole thing feeling slightly taboo. Which of course made it impossible to look away and added a slightly erotic undertone that you hoped was just because you associated the removal of clothing with those types of things. 

If Din had caught you watching, he hadn’t said anything, absorbed in taking off and arranging his beskar carefully on a bench at the foot of the bed. In just another minute, he was done and he did notice you then, nodding to the bed and saying, “Please, you first,” as his only acknowledgment. 

Feeling nervous, you got under the covers on the side closest to you as quickly as you could and then laid flat on your back, stiff as a board. 

The light flicked off and you felt the bed dip as Din joined you. Oftentimes you wondered if the helmet could be comfortable at all when he was sleeping, but this time all you could think was that this bed seemed smaller than the one you shared before. 

That is, until you heard a loud shifting down sound, like all of the humming electrical systems in the building shut down. 

“What was that?” you asked, worry creeping into your voice. 

“The town has lost power,” Din told you, apparently using his helmet or some other technology to figure that out. 

“The whole town? What do we do?” you asked, panicking slightly because you could already feel the air getting colder without the electric heat pumping through the room. 

“Everything will be fine. There is enough ambient warmth in this room that with it’s insulation, we can stay the night without worrying of hypothermia,” Din tried to reassure you. 

“Hypothermia??” you exclaimed, moving closer to him under the covers because like hell you were going to freeze to death when there was a warm man right here in your bed. 

Din didn’t say anything, didn’t yell at or scold you even when your hand touched his arm. And as you pushed further and further, you wondered if maybe he liked it, liked your touch. It seemed too much to hope for until his hand found the bend of your waist and pulled you just that bit closer. 

You got comfortable, physically, but you weren’t sure you’d ever be able to fall asleep with the way your heart was racing. You were tangled up with Din in bed, the very man you had been pining after for so damn long you couldn’t believe this was actually happening. 

Minutes ticked by as you over thought about what each breath, each slight shift might mean. When you had to adjust a blanket because it fell off your shoulder, your hand was shaking with anticipation and nerves. 

“You’re shivering. Put your head under the blanket,” Din told you, surprising you into obeying without even thinking why he would tell you to. 

Then you heard a strass click and hiss and then a heavy thunk on the small table next to the bed. Your mind didn’t put two and two together until you felt the blanket move again and saw the blurry, dark shape of hair ducking under the gap until the blanket was dropped down and everything was dark again.

“Are you—?” 

“I’m keeping you— keeping us warm. That is all that needs to be said right now,” Din cut you off, and you shut your mouth, not wanting to make this any harder than it must already be for him. 

But then you felt him move, laying more on his back than his side. And then you felt his hands on you again, pulling you until you could rest your head on his chest. It was the last thing you expected, but there was no way you were going to say something and ruin the moment. 

Finally, you felt his head tilt down to yours, could feel his breath fan over your hair, and if you let yourself believe your imagination, the ghost of his lips at your temple. It was easy to fall asleep then, with Din’s body and dreams of what could be keeping you warm.

🌨️🌨️🌨️

[thefrogdalorian]

Hello and welcome to my masterlist!

You can find most of my fics on my AO3, if you prefer to read over there, and I reblog all new fics on @thefrogdalorianfics if you want to be notified here on tumblr when I post something new!

Ongoing Works:

Modern AU!Din x F!Reader: The Best of Both Worlds

Newest Work:

The Bake Sale: When Grogu brings news of an upcoming Bake Sale hosted by the little school he attends between missions with the New Republic on Nevarro, his father enthusiastically throws himself into baking the the sweetest treats to impress his classmates. Even though Din's devotion to the task makes you feel like there is a third person in your marriage, you are charmed by his determination. While the fruits of his labour are delicious, but you discover that Din Djarin's love is the sweetest treat of them all...

Requests:

Currently open, here. No guarantees but if you have anything you'd like to see, feel free to let me know!

I write: Din x Reader, Din x Bo-Katan (but as long as it's Mando related I'm open to giving it a shot!)

I don't write: smut (on request) some ships (ask if unsure!)

Note:

Most of my fics are for general audiences and GN!Reader

I tag my fics thoroughly, please look at the specific warnings for each fic before you read!

I do not own any of these characters (I wish I did). However, this writing is my work and I do not give permission for any part of it to be reposted without prior consent from me.

All headers/dividers are created by me, I do not give permission for them to be reused.

The Best of Both Worlds [ongoing]

✯ Read on AO3 ✯ Mature ✯ 84k+ ✯

Modern!AU Din x Female Reader: To maintain his privacy and his son Grogu's well-being, Din Djarin agreed to the role of The Mandalorian on one condition: complete anonymity. He has never engaged with fans of the hit Star Wars show... until the day he visits a convention and crosses paths with you...

General:

Dincember 2023

✯ Read on AO3 ✯ General ✯ 54k ✯

Summary: Snapshots from your first chance-meeting with Din Djarin on your homeworld, to the life you are building together with Grogu in his cabin on Nevarro and ultimately your preparations to celebrate Life Day together for the first time, including a trip to a snowy mountain paradise.

Downpour

✯ Read on AO3 ✯ General ✯ 1k ✯

Summary: Leading a solitary, nomadic existence for much of his life means that Din Djarin has never cuddled up to someone he loves during a rainstorm. Until one night in his cabin on Nevarro, when unseasonably poor weather introduces him to one of life’s simple pleasures.

My Pain Fits In The Palm Of Your Freezing Hand

✯ Read on AO3 ✯ General ✯ 2.2k ✯

Summary: When you and your Mandalorian companion are ambushed by a group of bandits, you hope that his stubborn nature will not make the task of treating his wounds any more difficult than it needs to be. But that is not the only obstacle. You also hope that the depth of your unrequited feelings for Din will not impact on your ability to care for him...

The Bake Sale

✯ Read on AO3 ✯ General ✯ 3.8k✯

Summary: When Grogu brings news of an upcoming Bake Sale hosted by the little school he attends between missions with the New Republic on Nevarro, his father enthusiastically throws himself into baking the the sweetest treats to impress his classmates. Even though Din's devotion to the task makes you feel like there is a third person in your marriage, you are charmed by his determination. While the fruits of his labour are delicious, but you discover that Din Djarin's love is the sweetest treat of them all...

Hold You in My Arms

✯ Read on AO3 ✯ General ✯ 2k✯

Summary: Even with its outdated interior and the limitations that entails, The Razor Crest is your home. You find there is a certain charm about the old ship even if the bunk is a little uncomfortable. Though, it's even better when there is a Mandalorian to cuddle, armour and all.

Rest

✯ General ✯ 3.1k ✯

Summary: Despite how often you have pleaded with Din to stop and rest, your calls have gone unheeded. Your stubborn Mandalorian will not stop and take care of himself. So, when he arrives back from his latest job with the New Republic utterly exhausted, you take matters into your own hands and ensure he gets the rest he so desperately needs.

Sanctuary

✯ General ✯ 1.2k ✯

Summary: It's one of those days when your emotions threaten to overwhelm you. Despite the horrible day you're having, you try your best to keep it together. A feat you manage, until a certain Mandalorian arrives home and takes you into his arms.

Hold Me Close

✯ Read on AO3 ✯ General ✯ 3.4k ✯

Summary:  In the aftermath of Grogu's departure to be with his own kind, your riduur is nowhere to be found, with little indication - other than a message disk - as to his whereabouts. You anxiously await his return. Yet the man who eventually comes back to you is a broken, shadow of the man you fell in love with.

Always

✯ Read on AO3 ✯ General ✯ 1.5k ✯

Summary: You wake up from an incredibly distressing nightmare in which Din and Grogu had suddenly vanished from your life without a trace. Fortunately, Din is there to console you with his comforting embrace and soothing words. He leaves you feeling optimistic about the future, rather than dreading what lies ahead for the pair of you.

Such a Heavenly View

✯ General ✯ 2.3k ✯

Summary: For the past few months you've been babysitting the child of a mysterious Mandalorian who lives on Nevarro. One day, to your surprise, he wants to spend the day with you and hike to the top of a volcano. After an unfortunate mishap on the way, you discover that the man beneath the armour is surprisingly gentle and sentimental...

All The Nice Things In Life

✯ Read on AO3 ✯ General ✯ 2.5k ✯

Summary: During a weekly trip to your favourite Market on Nevarro, you get a little overwhelmed by all the crowds and noise. Fortunately, you have an exceptionally caring and attentive Mandalorian for a partner, who manages to calm you down and make you see that you are not a burden to him, despite your worries.

Even Your Worst Days

✯ Read on AO3 ✯ General ✯ 4.3k ✯

Summary: After returning from a recent job with the New Republic, Din finds you feeling overwhelmed and burnt out due to his absence. Din had not realised how much you were struggling and when he realises how upset you are he moves to reassure you, lifting your spirit and boosting your confidence in the way that only he is capable of. You realise that Din loves you unconditionally... even on your worst days.

From Now Until The End

✯ Read on AO3 ✯ General ✯ 5.4k ✯

Summary: After being away from you as part of his job with the New Republic, your partner Din surprises you with a trip to the Boonta Eve Classic on Tatooine to make up for it. But instead of the fun-filled day he had planned, you are overwhelmed by the many sights, sounds and noises. It leads you to finally share a part of yourself with Din that you had been hiding from him until now.

Teen:

Candles

✯ Read on AO3 ✯ Teen ✯ 3.8k ✯

Summary: Even though Din insists he doesn't want you to make a fuss over his birthday, you cannot resist spoiling him in your own special way. Although your perfect day does not go entirely to plan, you are determined to make the best of it...

Nowhere Else To Run

✯ Read on AO3 ✯ Teen ✯ 3.4k ✯

Summary: Despite the fact that sharing a cabin with you and Grogu on Nevarro has given him the peaceful life he was searching for, Din cannot escape the nightmares of his past which haunt him most nights. Although he feels unworthy of your love, the only time things make sense is when you take him in your arms and dutifully put his pieces back together. Even on nights when he feels he does not deserve it.

Ner Aliit

✯ Read on AO3✯ Teen ✯ 5k✯

Summary: Travelling through the galaxy in the Razor Crest with a formidable Mandalorian is a harsh, unforgiving life. The feelings you have developed for him as you soar through the stars together have mitigated the unpleasant aspects. Still, you know it can't last. After all, you and Din are from different worlds. He follows a strict Creed and you know that you do not have what it takes to be Mandalorian. Journeying with the best bounty hunter in the parsec has often brought you face to face with danger. It has never fazed you before. Until one day you come face to face with danger without Din's reassuring presence at your side, and everything changes.

A Crisis of Faith

✯ Read on AO3 ✯ Teen ✯ 6k ✯

Summary: Although travelling through the galaxy with a Mandalorian bounty hunter was a daunting prospect at first, you were pleasantly surprised by how swiftly the two of you bonded. However, despite your initial closeness, the man who you were thought enjoyed your presence in his life now seems disgusted by his every encounter with you. When you finally land on Nevarro after weeks of being confined to the Razor Crest together, you hope that perhaps, something might fix your fractured relationship...

A New Dawn

✯ Read on AO3 ✯ Teen ✯ 5.1k ✯

Summary: Travelling through the galaxy with a mysterious nameless and faceless Mandalorian with a reputation as the best bounty hunter in the parsec would probably terrify most people. Instead, over the months you have known Mando, you have discovered his gentler, more affectionate side. Living in such proximity to the man you have an enormous crush on threatens to suffocate you as you determine that he must never find out. But after a job seemingly goes badly wrong on a forest planet, the fear of losing him will perhaps finally be the tipping point for a new dawn in your relationship...

Pieces

✯ Read on AO3 ✯ Teen ✯ 3k ✯

Summary: Your worst fears are almost realised when Din returns from his latest job with the New Republic injured and distressed. Despite your emotions, you diligently tend to his wounds and put his pieces back together.

Mature:

Across The Stars

✯ Read on AO3 ✯ Mature 18+ ✯ 5.8k ✯

Summary:  Your riduur, Din Djarin, whisks you away to Naboo to enjoy the Festival of Love celebrations on the bountiful planet. While there, you reflect on just how much the formidable man, who chose you to be his, truly means to you.

Explicit:

The Arrangement

✯ Read on AO3 ✯ 18+ MDNI ✯ 7.1k ✯

Summary: You entered into an arrangement with Mando find some physical relief from the monotony of hyperspace as you travel through the galaxy together as a formidable team of bounty hunters. When you did so, there were three clear rules: that it would not impact your professional relationship, that there were no strings attached and most importantly of all: that Mando would never, ever remove his helmet. When you carelessly let your emotions get the better of you and undermine those rules, you fear you have lost the man who means everything to you and discover that you miss much more than merely the physical encounters…

Din Djarin Headcanons/Imagines

Din Djarin + Falling In Love

Flowers for My Mandalorian (Valentine's Day imagines)

Booping Din Djarin

Only The Father You'll Be

✯ Read on AO3 ✯ General ✯ 1.7k ✯

Summary: As he sits on the porch of his new cabin, looking on proudly as Grogu entertains himself with frogs outside their new home on Nevarro, the moment awakens old memories in Din Djarin. He reflects back to a moment when he watched The Child playing with other children in the idyllic village on Sorgan. Back then, Din wanted something very different for him and The Child… it was an occasion when their fates could so easily have diverged from their destiny. But now Din has the one thing that had always eluded him, that he never imagined for himself: a family.

Welcome Home, Son

✯ Read on AO3 ✯ Teen ✯ 4.1k ✯

Summary: Din Djarin finds himself back on a mysterious planet that is strangely familiar to him, despite the years that have passed since he last stepped foot on it. A visit to the cabin he once shared with his family brings Din face-to-face with someone he never imagined he would again encounter for the rest of his days. Content Warnings: Grief, PTSD, survivor's guilt, grieving for parents.

Soon, I Will Be Back With You

✯ Read on AO3 ✯ Teen ✯ 1.2k ✯

Summary: Centuries after the last time he saw his buir, Grogu reflects on memories of the life they shared together until it ended in devastating circumstances. MAJOR CHARACTER DEATH.

You Are Eternal

✯ Read on AO3 ✯ Teen ✯ 1.4k ✯

Summary: When devastating news that High Magistrate Karga has become one with the Force reaches Din in his cabin on Nevarro, he reflects on the complicated nature of their relationship. Din pays his own tribute to the man who witnessed firsthand his shift from bounty hunter to father. MAJOR CHARACTER DEATH.

Some of these fics are explicit so no minors, please.

Carry Your Throne

✯ Read on AO3 ✯ Explicit ✯ 182k ✯

Summary: Set one year post-Mando season 3. Mand'alor Bo-Katan Kryze is struggling to contend with the pressure of living up to the Kryze name and her dark past, while also bearing the responsibility of leading her planet and overseeing its continued stability. Plagued with feelings of guilt and unworthiness - and a suspicion that not everyone supports her claim to the throne - she is haunted by nightmares as she relives her past mistakes. Those around her are concerned for her wellbeing, including Bo-Katan's loyal friend and advisor, Koska Reeves. News of Din Djarin and Grogu's return to Mandalore sets off a chain of events that will change both the course of Bo-Katan's reign and possibly her life, too.

With Every Atom of His Being

✯ Read on AO3 ✯ General ✯ 1.6k ✯

Summary: Din Djarin's increasing closeness to Bo-Katan Kryze causes an accidental slip of his tongue during a picnic the two share with Grogu during one of Bo-Katan's visits to Nevarro. Din's choice of language has profound consequences, not just for the two of them but also the child they love so much.

Written In The Stars

✯ Read on AO3 ✯ Mature✯ 11k ✯

Summary: Din Djarin hoped that by pledging to serve Bo-Katan Kryze until her song was written, he had clued her into the depths of his feelings for her. As the months pass after Din left to train his new apprentice with still no word from the Mand'alor, he begins to accept that his feelings are unrequited. Din wishes he could stop dwelling on his feelings, but at night visions of red hair and shimmering green eyes haunt him. His aversion to returning to Mandalore continues until one day, his son takes matters into his own tiny hands and forces Din to confront his fears...

To Being Together Again

✯ Read on AO3 ✯ Mature✯ 10k ✯

Summary: When Din Djarin returns to his cabin on Nevarro after some time away he finds something he would never have expected, that will change his life forever. It seems that the woman he pledged to serve until her song was written has finally acknowledged her feelings and found her way back home to him. He can't even be too angry that it cost him a bottle of expensive wine. Or: Peli Motto and Bo-Katan Kryze get wine drunk and overshare... fluff and smut ensues.

The Worm Conundrum

✯ Read on AO3 ✯ General✯ 2k ✯

Summary: When Mand'alor Bo-Katan Kryze hears about a recent conversation Koska Reeves had with her new girlfriend one night, instead of finding its premise cringeworthy, she instead finds that the ridiculous question will not leave her mind no matter how hard she tries. There is just one thought, turning in her mind, over and over...: Would Din Djarin still love her if she was a worm?

Red Hair, White Cake and Nite Owl Blue

✯ Read on AO3 ✯ General✯ 27k ✯

Summary: After retaking Mandalore, Din Djarin abruptly leaves the Mandalorian homeworld with his new apprentice and throws himself into his work with the New Republic in order to avoid dwelling on the nature of his relationship to Bo-Katan Kryze. But a job several months after Mandalore was retaken changes everything for him. When Din is sent to Plazir-15 to track down an old troublemaker, his return to the planet brings back fond memories of time spent with Bo-Katan and causes Din to reflect on his lingering feelings for the woman who he once shared such a special bond with. But before he has a chance to act, a surprise feast thrown in honour of Bo-Katan's recently-announced engagement destroys not only Din's heart but an extravagant white cake too. Has Din left it too late to claim the heart of the red-haired woman he loves? Or will the Mandalorian foundling and the Nite Owl finally find their way to each other?

A New Year on Mandalore

✯ Read on AO3 ✯ General ✯ 2.2k ✯

Summary: It's almost the start of a new year on Mandalore and Bo-Katan Kryze is feeling the absence of a certain Mandalorian, despite the elaborate celebrations that have been planned. The Mand'alor is feeling lonely... until Koska Reeves brings news that a familiar starship has landed at the spaceport.

Dinbo Week 2024

✯ Read on AO3 ✯ Teen ✯ 14k ✯

At The Water's Edge ✯ Teen ✯ 4k ✯

Take My Whole Life, Too ✯ Teen ✯ 2.7k ✯

A More Noble Calling ✯ Teen ✯ 2.4k✯

A Sense Of Belonging ✯ Teen ✯ 3k ✯

The Meiloorun Fiasco ✯ General ✯ 2.5k ✯

Dinbo Drabbles

✯ Read on AO3 ✯ General ✯ 0.4k ✯

Summary: Series of drabbles based on specfic episodes from Season three.

Hello again!

Thanks so much if you made it this far, happy reading! I really hope you find enjoyment somewhere in something I've written.

I would love to know if you did, you can always come and chat to me about anything I've written, I would love to know your thoughts!

[furious-blueberry0]

Have some Aq Vetina/Mandalorian lore for my AU:

Mandalorians of Aq Vetina do not paint their armor, but they decorate it with engravings, this happens because in Vetini culture metal (of any type) is seen as the material of labor, fatigue and survival, and to honor its existence they engrave religious symbols into it, like prayers of good luck, of endurance etc. so the beskar'gam gets the same treatment.

Instead of using paint to showcase their life experiences, their beliefs, or their affiliations, they do so with their clothing. They all use the traditional Vetini red, to then embroider symbols and/or writings onto the clothing. The symbols can either be Clan insignia, various mandalorian symbols, Vetini prayers, songs, names etc.

Vetini mandos also prefer a more sedentary type of life, no flying across the stars or fighting on battle grounds, just a rather peaceful existence on the snowy mountains of the small planet.

Mando villages and Vetini villages have almost no differences between each others when it comes to life-style and routines, but there are of course some.

Mandalorians tend to prefer hunting trips, and have more fighting based festivals that they go from mando culture, they also have a different cuisine with many type of foods being a mix of the two cultures.

Since the first Mandalorians that came into contact with the planet centuries before followed the rule of "the helmet stays on", many Vetini/Mando communities there follow the same creed, with some differences. They can take it off when in mortal peril (head injuries etc.) or in front of close family members, otherwise it stays on especially around strangers or off-world people.

[sinisterexaggerator]

Stars Above! | Cad Bane

Chapter 14

Explicit: Semi-slow burn, gratuitous smut /pwp, canon-typical violence, mildly dubious consent, angst, Tatooine Slave Culture.

This chapter: Flashbacks / nightmares, whump, mild-medical procedure involving a needle/dispenser and sedatives.

Word count: 5.3k+

Notes: It only took me TWO YEARS TO UPDATE. SORRY ABOUT THAT. I promise that I will try to update more regularly from now on.

[ Ao3 ] - [ Masterpost ]

《 Previous chapter || Next chapter 》

“Supposin’ us bein’ partners don’ mean nothin’,” Bane flippantly offered. Though feeling despondent, he masked it well. The two men were a lot alike in that respect; Bane hardly knew what went on inside the Mando’s over-complicated mind.

“You’ve learned everything there is to know, Cad. And what you don’t know, you don’t want to learn, even if given the opportunity.”

“What’s dhat even mean,” the Duros asked bitingly, throwing down the butt of his cigarra on the cold, hard ground. The two began to make their way, Jango sighing under the beskar helmet that hid his face, Bane trudging along behind, albeit slowly; he was freezing.

Vandor was an icy planet, located in the Sloo Sector of the Mid Rim, currently home to a target that had made his home in Fort Ypso, a snowy village that lay sequestered in the foothills of the Iridium mountains, only crossable by bridge. The wooden planks groaned under their feet as the pair of hunters ventured onward, Slave I left beyond its borders so as not to attract attention and give the game away.

“It means you are stubborn,” Fett returned, his voice carrying over the blistering wind. “Perhaps it is time for you to branch out on your own; be your own man. I am beginning to think I cramp your style.”

The Duros sneered, offended in more ways than one, fangs chattering even though he wore specialized gear meant to curtail the cold from leeching through to his very bones. “Says de man who don’ know when te turn down a job; if Ah had nips, dhey’d already be frozen off.”

“You didn’t have to come with me,” Jango informed him, his joke lost on the dour man. He wasn’t in the mood for Bane’s attitude, much less his complaints.

“As fer style, Ah got plenty,  naht countin’ dhis ridiculous ‘fit ye’ made me wear.”

Bane frowned despite himself, feeling each minor movement of his facial muscles; they were stiff from the frigid temperature, the younger man desiring to find a place of warmth. At least his body glove was able to retain some heat, otherwise he was sure to succumb to this positively ridiculous weather within mere minutes, seconds.

“Fine; maybe Ah should leave ye te it dhen; wait in de ship, if yer so keen on gettin’ rid of me.”

Then, his sour expression deepened, Bane’s footfalls ceasing as he came to a full stop. “It’s ‘cause Ah don’ agree with ye, ain’t it.”

“It’s not your life, nor your decision,” the Mandalorian shot back without delay, unable to hide his bitterness. “I know what I want, even if you don’t.”

Bane braced himself, realizing this was about to become more personal than he had bargained for, Fett having never bothered to explain his motives. All Bane knew was he had won some contest, proving he was the best bounty hunter in all the galaxy—a title he assumed might one day rightfully be his.

Fett had trained him, after all. More than that; he had become his friend, his confidant. Bane might go so far as to think he even loved the man, though never voicing those sentiments out loud; he buried them, like everything else he felt.

Perhaps it was fear that kept him quiet. Fear, or maybe anxiety. They both lived in the same place—inside his chest. The chest that currently housed a heart beating furiously behind a wall of ribs, even as Bane reached out to touched Fett’s shoulder.

What he couldn’t understand was why he needed a million of himself; Jango would be tasked to train an army for an unknown benefactor, an army of clones.

The idea sent shivers down Bane’s scales. He understood there were credits to be made, and lots of them. But even so, this was a line Bane himself would never cross—playing God by ignoring ethics, by ignoring quandaries he thought might only come about in science labs. Not in the field; not in the relatively short life of a bounty hunter.

“Ah know what Ah want,” he muttered softly, “de one of ye.”

The Mando whisked around, batting his companion’s hand away. He could not see his face, but Fett’s annoyance easily radiated out beyond his suit of armor. He thought Bane would never understand his hatred for the Jedi; the duty he had assigned himself that consumed half his personality. “Come off it.”

Bane hesitated. The sky began to darken; he thought he had been to this place before.

“You’re a fool,”Fett’s voice, a low baritone, seeped into Bane’s ears, in turn causing the Duros to tremble. It was not out of the coldness of the weather, but the coldness of his words, that Bane’s body involuntarily shuddered, wide, red eyes blinking away flecks of snowflakes as they floated toward the ground; they were gossamer, each one intricate by its own design.

“But Fett-”

“Shut up,” the Mando cut him off. Something wasn’t right. Bane gazed around himself, even as Fett continued. “You really think I care about what you think?”

Bane stared at him, a wounded look taking over his already glum face. Even so, he thought to follow-up, wondering if he had said these words before. “Just dhat-”

Flames were birthed from blankets of white snow, shooting up as pillars of an all-consuming heat, Bane taking a step back as he watched the fire cast a shadow on Jango’s beskar helmet. Those little flecks, those tiny snowflakes, were now tendrils of hot ash, the icy ground nearby the bridge they stood on a carpet of dirt and soot.

“Ja-Jango?” Bane stuttered out; the man approached, deliberate, even as his voice rose in his anger.

“You are nothing to me, Cad. You are nothing.”

The fire blazed more luminous than a main-sequence star; the heavens were black as pitch and no sun shone; Bane heard another sound, this one the creak of weakening ropes as the Duros realized the bridge they stood upon was near to collapse. It was old, rickety, and the only way into town.

“You are not my friend, and you will never be my family,” Fett assured, his vehemence laced with mockery. The Mando laughed, dry, and borderline sadistic; it was out of character for him. Bane grimaced.

“Fett, we gotta go back!” Bane ignored his hurtful remarks, noticing the bridge was starting to sink and give beneath their weight and the onslaught of the flames. The youth would peer over the side, eyes set to broaden as he realized the mountain valley was now nothing but a pit of hellfire.

“You are weak; pathetic; worthless-”

“-stop it!”

“-just a frightened little boy.”

“Enough!” the Duros shouted; he could hear the panic in his voice. He cursed himself, wanting to be brave; wanting to prove to Fett that everything he said was erroneous, inaccurate – but he was right; Bane was frightened.

Suddenly, Bane had nothing below his feet, just a gaping hole and a river of bright flames. Fett was hovering; he had activated the thrusters of his jetpack; Bane aimed to do the same, pressing a button on his wrist gauntlet, except his boots wouldn’t fire; they sputtered and died out.

He kept on falling.

“Jango!” He heard his voice crack, Bane reaching out and up toward the Mando. The man only laughed that wry, cruel laugh, even as Bane fell to what he knew would be his death.

With hands grasping, arms flailing, and legs kicking erratically, Bane yelled one last time as his body was engulfed, swallowed by the void.

“Ah’m sorry!”

---

“Oh, no!” Todo 360 articulated. “I was afraid this might happen!” the droid verbalized in a mild state of panic. He began zooming around the room, peeking into cabinets and pulling out various tools, utensils, and medical implements. It appeared to Zulara that he might be looking for something in particular, so hurried were his movements in his haste.

“Can I help?” she asked quietly, though eager, not sure what was even wrong or what it was she would be looking for. The girl had been seated on the floor, tinkering with one of Bane’s fancy vambraces; it was sparking.

The girl glanced to the bacta pod where Cad Bane slumbered, but something was amiss; his eyelids twitched. She stood, then approached with caution, peering down into the coffin-like contrivance – that’s when she noticed.

The Duros trembled, the muscles of his face distorting into what looked like fear, then pain. His head shifted back and forth from side to side, though not awake. Zulara’s heart ached for the man.

“What’s wrong with him?” she asked, turning to stare at the frantic Todo. He was too busy in his search to hear her, muttering his many grievances and even a few expletives.

“Todo?” she asked again, the concern apparent in her voice. She stepped forward toward the little droid, tapping him gently on his tiny shoulder.

Todo whirled on her, having forgotten momentarily that she was even aboard the ship, Zulara noting she had startled him by the widening of his citrine eyes.

“Do not do that!” he proclaimed, immediately taking back up the search. Zulara’s lower lip quivered as she turned on her heel, refacing the injured man; he at least seemed calmer now, which Zulara pointed out.

“He’s stopped moving,” she whispered.

Todo zipped on by, a cool rush of air tickling her arm. He observed his master through the glass, a pane of two-inch thick transparisteel.

The droid sighed a human sigh, then rounded on his thrusters. He stared up at the girl, finally managing to find the time to give her a halfhearted story of some kind.

“When in the bacta pod, Bane’s subconscious is left totally unguarded! He is vulnerable to whatever it is his mind can conjure up, and I will have you know these things are not pleasant.”

“He had a nightmare,” Zulara stated, though the end of her phrase had a questioning lilt to it.

Todo nodded in assent, then added: “He has a lot of those, I am afraid.” He wondered if he should be telling all Bane’s secrets. Was this a secret? Nightmares were common among organics. He was unsure.

Zulara frowned at him, then looked down at her boots. She often had nightmares herself, a reoccurring one; the one where she was stripped from her mother’s arms by her drunken father; the one where she was ushered off like chattel into a life of slavery.

Her gaze returned to Todo once she had repressed that bit of sordid memory. “Will he be all right?” she questioned anxiously.

“You are humorous, human. Mister Bane has endured much worse. But I must find this pneumatic dispenser! It holds a sedative we may need; it is only a precaution.”

“You are going to sedate him?” Zulara asked, perplexed.

“Well, it is better than what Bane would do!” Todo scolded, continuing his rummaging. “I, for one, do not wish to suppress my memories, but in all likelihood Bane will hurt himself in this state, and he is already wounded.”

Zulara seemed confused. “What do you mean?”

Todo was becoming irritated. If this woman was not present, he could work in peace! Just who did Boba think he was, leaving her with him! Granted, she seemed to care about his master, but she was still a nuisance! Perhaps the droid was now beginning to understand why Bane called him that on limitless occasions - and when he meant well.

He started to have a change of heart, though his metal shell was empty besides his circuitry; his own thought process set him straight. Todo simply sighed again, though trying to be patient. “Mister Bane seems to think that libations will solve his problems. Why, ever since Boba Fett shot him in the head, he has never been the same!”

Zulara’s frown remained fixated, though deepening. She had heard this mentioned once before as they had dragged Bane inside his ship. Why would the man that had helped to rescue him want him dead instead? It made no sense. She thought to ask, but wondered if the droid would answer her.

Todo seemed two things: high-strung and untrusting, though Zulara’s interest was not self-serving, she was only curious. It was hard not to want to learn all she could about the Duros, his history, and those things that made him tick.

“What happened?” she finally managed, fingers trailing a path down the outside of the convex, transparent glass. “Boba would not tell me how he knew Bane,” she added, studying the curves and angles of the hunter’s face despite the mask he wore that fed him oxygen.

“Because then Boba would be admitting to attempted murder!” the incensed droid piped up, rounding on her. He was flustered by the question, and even more so aggravated by the answer he was about to give. Young Fett was a traitor and a deserter in his opinion; a fly-by-night, disreputable scoundrel to say the very least!

“When one commits to a job, or when one is given a home and specialized training - for free might I add – with only the expectancy of loyalty, and then for that person to defect, to try Mister Bane’s patience after all he did for him!”

Todo scoffed, turning back around. He opened up a lower cabinet, somehow sticking his large head inside, so his words were muffled. “To question his authority is one thing, but to shoot him?!” Todo’s voice was elevated, despite being dampened within the cupboard he was scouring. “Simply because you do not agree with his methods!?”

Zulara watched Todo’s metal chassis shift back and forth as his upper half continued with its plundering, tossing things haphazardly behind him. The girl would lift one leg, dodging something sharp that vibrated—a sonic scalpel? What did Cad Bane need that for?

Zulara bent down to pick it up; she switched it off. Her eyebrows furrowed as she thought about the head plate Bane always sported. “So, then Boba betrayed him? He shot him at point-blank range?”

Her thoughts drifted to the man whose comlink was in her pocket. The youthful face, the curly hair, the deep brown eyes – so soft and rich – she could not imagine him to be a killer, yet he was another bounty hunter. A bounty hunter like the Duros she had feelings for, the one who left her, the one who desired her dead for the sand she had thrown into his stark garnet eyes.

“Well, no,” Todo admitted. He had been there, after all, observing it all unfold. “There was a duel. It was a tie-” the little droid emerged to swivel toward her once again, “-but Boba cheated! A Mandalorian’s helmet is made of beskar! And while Boba is no Mandalorian, his -er- father was.”

Todo 360 made an irritated harumph. “A solitary clone should have been grateful to have Mister Bane mentor him! I know I  would be. Of course, he did owe Jango many favors, or so Mister Bane has said…”

His voice trailed off; Zulara realized something. It was no matter that this droid was comprised of ones and zeros, or its many servos. Something clicked inside her brain—Todo had no bolt, no way in which he was restrained. He loved his master, and to some extent, Cad Bane must love him.

She could only imagine this Fett harbored some kind of guilt, as well he should. If she ever saw him, if he ever commed her…yet it was not her business.

Zulara refocused her attention, “a pneumatic dispenser, no?” Her inquiry was soft, calming. Todo perceptibly unwound, as the organic’s voice was somehow soothing.

He was not used to women hanging around; he had only known those that Bane kept on retainer for one reason or another, namely Aurra Sing; she had not one gentle bone in her whole body. In fact, he might blame her for the way young Boba had turned out. While Mister Bane had a hand in it, it was not until he had been abandoned and thrown in prison thanks to the Palliduvan that his master had offered Fett his guidance.

“Yes,” the exhausted droid replied, returning to his work. He kept one eye on her, but he was thankful for the girl’s assistance, however wary. One could never be too careful.

---

“Boba?” Bane had heard the name, floating out in empty space, inside his mind, or spoken by a God. It lingered, the two syllables leeching their way into his cerebral cortex, even as pure darkness surrounded him, enveloping his cold flesh like a thickset, heavy blanket of unease.

His stomach lurched; he felt like throwing up. Instead, he sat upright and was faced with a nearly obscene brightness. Someone had unveiled the stars, but one shown more luminous than all the others; the one that warmed the desert planet he was now stationed on.

“Bane!”

The Duros’ eyes rolled to his left, spying within his hand a bottle of dark liquor, Bane ascertaining this might be the reason for his sickness; the empty feeling that tarried in his guts. But still, nothing was making sense.

Bane dropped the bottle, glancing up. Some distance away was a teenaged Boba Fett.

How many times would the kid shout his name in anger? How many times would he have to remember his father’s face when looking into his? That armor, that helmet – all a cruel reminder.

“You should have been there.”  That’s what the boy had said that fateful day.

Bane stood, gazing out. He was supposed to say something, words that had been repeated time and time again. The outcome would never be any different, he suspected, but the hunter was caught in a web of his own delusions. Maybe this time he could make it right; maybe this time Bane would not lose his self-respect or his dignity to a fourteen-year-old brat.

“Ah wouldn’ be so-” Bane’s voice dropped; he said the rest quietly and to himself, “-hasty now, boy…”

No. This wasn’t at all accurate. This had happened once before. Bane studied his surroundings, noting the placement of the buildings, a fire that burned in the distance, wisps of dark-colored smoke emanating in tight curls.

Fire.

There was a fire.

He had fallen.

Boba turned his head; Bane followed his lead, spying C-21 Highsinger and his faithful droid companion. Held prisoner in their grasp was a white-haired old man. The child - Fett’s offspring - demanded that he be released along with all the other hostages.

What hostages.

“Let them go, Bane.”

What had he done? He could not remember, the Duros craning his hat and head to stare down at both of his blue hands.

“This isn’t their fight anymore.”

Bane knit his brow in thought, his gaze returning to the boy. He took a new approach, or at least he thought. He was unsure, second-guessing, caught in a place that resembled reality, yet Bane was positive none of this was real.

“Yer daddy ain’t here, boy. Ah knowit. But ye gonna go ‘head an’ bite de hand dhat feeds?”

Bane took two steps forward, somehow knowing what came next. He had always wondered if there was some other way than this, something he could have done to change Fett’s mind. But in the end, he had it out for him; it was a part of history that could never be rewritten. Boba had got it in his head that Cad Bane was his enemy, and the sole executioner of the people here, as if he was the only one who was unscrupulous among those present.

“Yer gonna wind up poor, or dead, out on yer own – dhis galaxy is harsh. Ye think Jango was perfect? Ye think he wouldn’ do whateva’ it takes te get de job done?”

“Shut up! I am not my father!” Boba scolded beneath his helmet; Bane ground his teeth as he glared at him, his expression full of venom. Always such an impudent, brazen child.  He hated Jango then – all of them – and his clone army; his poor decision.

“No more innocent people are going to die, or be locked up, or live in fear,” Fett reiterated, brandishing a finger. It was ironic, all this talk, when Boba Fett was supposed to be a bounty hunter.

“Did ye ferget what profession ye’s in? We’re hunters, Boba. Unless ye ain’t one. Maybe yer just soft.”

A poor choice of words, considering the circumstances. Bane was sure he had only made things worse. He did not have the time to contemplate anything beyond that, for Bossk and Embo had arrived.

At least they were fairly trustworthy, the Kyuzo only second to Bane himself. Bossk knew how to take directions, even though he had connections, strong ones, to the Guild. Bane had thought, incorrectly, that they might back him up and take his side, but the blood that ran through Boba’s veins was a testament to his skill and to his mounting leadership, despite his age and stature.

Bane smiled a crooked smile. “Looks like yer lil’ insurrection has failed.”

Boba looked behind himself and to the others; Bane’s smile faltered. He glanced around as the thin shroud separating this world from the next shimmered and disjoined. He saw stars; realspace; a depthless abyss of nothing, like a curtain had been pulled back to reveal the stage, and he was the main character.

“I say we give the kid his shot,” he heard the Trandoshan rasp.

Bane dug his boots into the sandy earth. There was a suction pulling him, like a vacuum, toward a gaping hole that now stretched so wide the entire town was gone. The only thing that remained were the other hunters; Bossk and Embo had stood down, and Boba was rounding on him.

Bane realized they did not seem to be affected; it was like none of this was happening. He knew what he was supposed to say, as if only reciting his own name.

“So, dhat’s it – just ye and me dhen, Boba Fett.”

“I guess it is,”the boy would reply.

Their eyes met, or at least he thought they did. That damned bucket was in the way, Bane mentally cursing its utility – it’s why he hated them – it was a place to hide.

And kark the others; their loyalty was forfeit, Bane reminded of a most important lesson: he was alone, and he always had been. Always would be, save his droid for company.

A sharp wind picked up, yet Bane’s hat did not fly off—not yet. He fought with all his might against an invisible adversary, even as his fingers danced above one LL-30 BlasTech pistol. If he could only be a fraction faster, if he could only put this disgruntled adolescent in his rightful place, his anger, his heartache, his headaches—they all might vanish.

His quick draw was the cause of his notoriety. To be outdone - to lose to a snot-nosed kid - it would be an embarrassment, though highly understated. The only thing he had left to him was his reputation, and Fett was out to steal it from him, albeit fair and square. He couldn’t – wouldn’t – let that happen.

Bane pulled his weapon; he squeezed the trigger. Simultaneously, another shot was fired. Superheated plasma - imbued with an explosive quality - transferred kinetic and thermal force to the armor plating that lined his signature bolero.

It was not enough to stay the bolt; he felt a searing pain on the left side of his head, radiating across his brow and the upper part of his domed skull. He fell back flat, staring up at a now starless, barren sky. He was out of breath, and he thought this is where he ought to die.

Bane would close his eyes, legs stretched out and arms taut at his sides. He had no idea the outcome; that it had been a tie; that Boba Fett had saved himself from his demise by wearing that accursed beskar, yet the young hunter’s aim had not betrayed him.

“Mister Bane!” he would hear his droid call aloud in a worried tone. He had repeated it three times now, though the Duros found he could not move. The only thing he could perceive in this state was a scathing ache; an excruciating, endless throbbing, right where the bolt made contact with his hat and ricocheted.

The plasma had been so hot, so volatile, it had dissolved his scales clean off and scorched him to the bone—the durasteel panel had dented inward before his hat rebounded off his head and fluttered to the ground, molten metal boring easily through flesh and osseous tissue, slowed only partially.

Tears welled behind shut eyelids, as in that moment, he wished the boy had killed him.

---

Zulara, hours later, had traversed Mos Eisley’s streets. She had been looking for something, something good to eat. While she was not hungry, she imagined Bane would be the moment he awoke. The girl had not strayed far in her search for the right ingredients.

She aimed to concoct a Twi’lek dish, though she would modify it. Her palette did not enjoy the fungi that accompanied the rycrit meat. She would add carrots and potatoes, along with various other root vegetables, to cook a hearty stew, a thing to keep Bane’s strength up and paid for with her own meager credits.

Todo had confirmed there was nothing much edible aboard Bane’s ship; she had found out shortly that its name was the Justifier; curious, though she would not mention it. Once they had found the lost dispenser, Zulara made it her new objective to prepare a home-cooked meal for the healing Duros. Perhaps he would be appreciative and would not mind that she was here, doing her best to look out for him.

To think, she could still be napping in Ohnaka’s arms if Fett had not sounded the alarm. It was something more complicated than a mere regret; she did not feel that way. In fact, it pleased her. It had scratched an itch Cad Bane had left behind. Still, she had been hurt, a stupid thing, as the youth had asked how long she had known this man; her answer proved unsatisfactory, even to herself.

Why? Why care? As if his attempt to free her was not enough, though Bane had made her feel things she had never felt before. Maybe Zulara has naïve, a woman with no sense, but what sense could she have considering her circumstances? Some might call it a learning curve, though that did not mean she was not harboring intelligence.  In this case, she was thinking with her heart and not her head, but she could not help it; all she cared for was Bane’s good health.

Zulara absentmindedly stirred a pot; it was something she had located in a cabinet by the conservator. It barely appeared used; she wondered if Bane ever liked to cook, or if his starship had come equipped with those things he needed, whether utilized or not.

Once the rycrit stew was at a simmer, she lowered its heat setting and placed a lid on top of it. With this accomplished, she thought to find Todo and pose another question: where was there a workroom, a space with tools? She had it in her mind to fix Bane’s gauntlet, wanting to feel useful.

Now, just where had that droid gone off to?

---

Glowing embers of crimson red bothered to open up again as Cad’s body began to move of its own volition.

No – it was the wind, that suction. It had gained momentum; it was stronger, rolling him like a tumbleweed toward the open maw of nothing!

The hat went first, vanishing beyond the veil. Bane grimaced as he dug his fingers into the pliant earth. There was no stopping it, head pounding as his legs thrashed violently. He was like a fish out of water, surrounded by only grit and sand. Death, once more, seemed imminent.

The Duros panicked.

---

Zulara heard a crash, like something falling. She rushed back to where Bane rested, Todo’s mental state in a disarray as he had dropped something. Her eyes traveled toward the pod; Bane was seizing. The girl would gasp as she ran for the tank at lightspeed.

It wasn’t that the droid was clumsy, he had simply moved too quickly. Seeing his master at the mercy of his nightmares had drawn out all his worry; it must have been preprogrammed, but by who was an unsolved mystery—unless it was Vertseth Automata. Surely, Bane would have preferred a model with more strengths than weaknesses, but he had his purpose. Currently, it was to act as nurse, though he was not one; he had been built for techo-service.

By the time Todo arrived, Zulara had already pried open the bacta pod. Bane was coughing, sputtering, even while unconscious. The girl tried lifting him, cupping his upper back as he broached the surface; the sticky gel still held him, her face strained with the effort, though Zulara kept him aloft, fighting the weakness of her arms—Bane was too heavy for her alone.

“Todo, do something!” she pleaded, though she needn’t ask. The droid had readied the dispenser that housed the sedative mid-dash.

“I am sorry, Bane, but this will only hurt a moment!” he said in warning, still somehow afraid of incurring his master’s wrath, no matter that he was incapacitated. He aligned the needle and pressed with all his might; the medicine was injected directly into the site; it would disperse and travel throughout his bloodstream, suppressing his dark memories to the best of its ability.

Todo sighed, dropping his hand and arm. He let the empty dispenser fall onto the floor. Bane had noticeably relaxed; his breathing evened out. Zulara finally felt convinced enough to lie him back down within the healing gel.

“Is-is that it? Will he settle now?” the girl asked fretfully, adjusting Bane’s breathing mask for him; it had become somewhat crooked.

“I do believe so, yes,” Todo stated, though his confidence was shaken. He backed up a foot to let her work, watching how Zulara tended to his master carefully.

It was then Todo wobbled on his axis, believing himself to be tuckered out. For a droid to feel this way was like when organics suffered from lack of sleep. He could not remember the last time he had plugged in, knowing that his power supply was finally dwindling. “I do not feel so good,” he reluctantly admitted.

“What?” Zulara appeared alarmed, turning now upon the droid. He placed his feet down on the ground - too much time spent hovering was another drain on his internal generator – knowing he had only a few minutes left.

“It is not..hi..ng…to worry a..bo..ut,” Todo’s speech came out garbled and slowed down, “I am in need of a re..ch..ar..ge…There is a sta..tion…do..wn the ha.ll.”

Bane’s companion’s eyes flickered, like two glowing yellow fireflies, flashing her at intervals. What would she do without him? What if Bane woke up again? She ran to his aid as he began a make his way, albeit awkwardly.

“You can’t leave me! What if the tank malfunctions, or what if Bane has another nightmare!” Zulara begged of him.

“Bane will most likely be remain un..con..scious for se..veral hours n..ow,” he tried to reassure, his tiny, robotic hands trailing the wall to his right side; his eyesight was no longer reliable, and he had to feel for it: the door that would lead him to his charging bay where he would gladly sit and wait to be replenished. “Do not wor..ry, he is safe. You can always ca..ll… Bo…ba.” He could not believe he was saying this.

“Are you sure? But I don’t want to call him!” Zulara argued, watching as Todo ambulated toward another room. It was the place with all their tools, the one she had been searching for. Todo had nearly made it to his recharge station when he stopped dead.

“Todo?” Zulara whimpered.

There was no response; he had lost all power.

[antianakin]

Funny thing about the Mandoclone idea is that the Clones are in a unique position to experience a ton of different cultures as well as having their own on Kamino.

Via the Clone Wars they'd have the chance to experience the culture of the Jedi, Ryloth, Courusant, Kashyyyk and any other allied planet where they may have spent an extended period period of time. As compared to Mandalore which was an unaligned system that didn't interact much with them.

Like imagine if instead of "vode" the 212th used the word "nera" after Waxer and Boil introduced it to them from their time on Ryloth.

A group of Clones spend a long time living with the Wookies and adopt some of their behavior.

They spend a bunch of time on Courusant and get used to big city living.

There're limitless possibilities for the different divisions to branch out into their own miniature cultures based on who their Jedi is and the kind of people they meet out in the Galaxy. I don't know why people fixate on Mandalore.

I imagine people fixate on Mandalore because there's a lot of EU content and lore describing what Mando culture might look like which has spawned a lot of fandom engagement sort-of expanding on what Mando culture is and could be. Mandoclones are just... simple and easy. You never have to put a ton of work or thought into them, tbh, because everyone who goes for it just copy/pastes some variation on Mando culture onto the clones and calls it a day: armor means everything, they say riduurok vows or whatever, they speak Mando'a and call each other vod/vod'e, they exchange gauntlets as a form of courtship or marriage ritual, they adopt everything that moves, they like spicy food. I don't even CARE about Mandos and have never sought out fics about them or read a single book from the EU that focuses on them, but I feel like I know basically everything there is to know about them because I've read a lot of fics with clones in them that repeat the exact same things over and over.

Whereas having to go for, say, Wookie culture or even Twi'lek culture via Ryloth means having to be a lot more creative with your headcanons because you're likely going to have to come up with most of it yourself since they're VASTLY less examined in Star Wars than the Mandos have been (at least, so far as I'm aware of). It just takes more work and not everybody wants to go for that in fanfic when the easy simple obvious route is right there for the taking and it's probably in your head via osmosis anyway (despite the fact that canon doesn't showcase almost any of these traits).

But I am immensely tickled by the idea of a bunch of clones bonding with wookies during the war and learning how to understand the language the way Han does and absolutely loving the idea of living in trees and stuff and in a happy fix-it AU they just move to Kashyyyk and get adopted by a wookie family.

I'd love to see more stories of clones getting invested in various different cultures. Clones who go to Pantora because they love the cold snowy weather and the various different festivities Pantora has involving winter and snow and ice and the pretty fuzzy clothing they wear to keep warm. Clones who love Tatooine or Jakku because it might be a hive of scum and villainy in some of the towns, but deserts have their own beauty. Clones joining the community on Kiros after the war as they recover from the trauma of Kadavo and find peace. Clones who figure out a way to live alongside aquatic species like Mon Cala and Nautolans because they're still drawn to water worlds even years after leaving Kamino and they're drawn to the large ocean worlds even though they can't breathe underwater like the native inhabitants.

The options are truly endless once you break away from Mandoclones and they're all great and nobody talks about any of them ever.

[malakia215]

I did an overhaul on Luke's Mando armor

So for my Mando Luke/Jedi Din AU. I did a complete redesign for Luke's armor. Here is the new look:

Art is done by the lovely @its-kinda-snowy (ppsssttttt, they are having a super deal on sketches if you want to commission them). Bless them for taking this:

And being able to make it into some super amazing art!!!! Thank you so much!!!! (reminder this is what Luke's armor looked like before and the new look is super better.)

If you want to read the fic associated with this AU, here ya go!

Technically it is a sequel to a fic that has yet to be written but don't look too hard into that.

[darlin-djarin]

people i'd like to get to know better

tagged by @rochenn

last song: secret door by arctic monkeys (though if you wanna get REAL technical, i was listening to ayatul kursi after that)

favorite color: yellow

last movie/tv show: demon slayer (which is why i had to listen to ayatul kursi lol)

sweet/spicy/savory: spicy

relationship status: single

last thing i googled: eman esfandi (lmao)

current obsession: nothing really, other than star wars which i have been slowing down on to focus on other more important stuff in my life. i'd like to get back into it soon though

tagging: @ashlanoree @moonsika @stealingpotatoes @death-by-ladybug @mando-din-lorian @kuiilandtorch @its-kinda-snowy

[elesianne]

So I did manage to finish a little fic (or a chapter of a fic, if inspiration keeps coming and I write more later) in 2023! Here it is for you guys on Tumblr.

About a version of Caranthir who married a Sindarin woman in Beleriand while lord of Thargelion; technically a sequel to these fics but can be read on its own, no problem. Rating G.

Caranthir steps out of his fortress as dusk gives way to night and walk to the ramparts, to the ones that face the frozen, snow-covered dark waters of Lake Helevorn. He walks very carefully on the icy stone on top of the wall, cradling close to him the precious bundle he carries.

It is midwinter, and his son is so swaddled up in warm clothes and furs that only his face is visible. All the guards Caranthir passes try peer at the child anyway, eager to catch of a glimpse of their lord's firstborn. Aramdir blinks up at the sky, sleepy, unaware of the interest in him.

In between greeting the guards, Caranthir takes deep breaths of the fresh, cold air that smells of coming snow as well as woodsmoke. He has not been outside since Aramdir was born a week ago. He has been supporting Cedweril and caring for Aramdir, and the past week has been perhaps the best time of his  life, but he has missed fresh air and seeing more of his realm than the bedchamber.

Cedweril is sleeping deeply now, and Caranthir decided to take Aramdir out with him to show him more of the world he was born into.

He stops by a brazier, close enough to warm him and Aramdir but not so close it'll be uncomfortable for the child, he hopes.

He lifts Aramdir a little, showing him the land. The lake, the woods beyond it, the mountains behind the fortress.

'All this is ours', he says to him. He speaks quietly enough for the closest guards not to hear. 'Ours to keep and protect.'

'It is a rather cold land, windy and snowy. Wolves from the mountains, ice in the lake for months of the year. But it is a fair land, even the dark lake. I will teach you to swim there, or your mother will. She is a better swimmer than I. We will ride and hunt in the forest, and climb the mountains, and I will take you to meet the dwarves near their mountain-cities.'

If he ever prayed, Caranthir would pray for peaceful times for his son to grow up in. Instead he makes a silent vow to do all he can to make the coming years peaceful, to fight as many battles as he has to, to slay all the monsters that creep close to the fortress.

His son's will not be a childhood like his was, with tree-light and six brothers and a society wholly unlike what Caranthir has built in Thargelion with his loyal Noldor and his brave Sindar, but it still can be a good one.

Caranthir has to believe so. He may be damned and oath-sworn, but his son isn't him and isn't doomed – surely he cannot be – his half-Noldorin, half-Sindarin son born many years after Mandos's doom. Little Aramdir is his own person, full of possibilities, full of light that Caranthir can see shine brighter than starlight even though his eyes don't shine with the light of the Trees like Caranthir's do.

As he stands there in the cold, clear, evening with his son, they watch the stars come out. The stars and their light, cool but beloved and reassuring, have ever been there even for the banished Noldor. After the trees were gone and before the sun and moon rose, the stars brought light and hope to the world. In spite of everything the Noldor had done, the stars lit their way as they travelled and fought and hunted to keep away evil and hunger and hopelessness alike.

The lord of Thargelion whispers to his child, 'May starlight always light your path, my son, whatever roads and hidden paths of the world you take.'

[nobedofroses]

December 18

pairing: Din Djarin x reader

warnings: fluff, allusions to spice

words: 862

a/n: i know nothing about mandalorian marriage, so just go with it please lol

Last, Full List, Next, More Din

🏔🏔🏔

Din had gotten back from his hunt earlier than you expected. But after saying hi and holding Grogu for a second, he had turned around and left again, causing you and the baby to look at each other in confusion. By the time he was back a second time, the baby was asleep and, still curious, you asked him where he had gone. 

“I was setting something up.” 

That didn’t answer your question substantially at all, but before you could ask anything else, Din was asking you to get dressed for going outside. The planet you were on was much colder than you were used to, the ground of the forest the ship had landed in was covered with snow. 

Again, you were perplexed, but you were down for a little adventure, so you did as he asked. As you got ready, he carefully moved Grogu from his hammock to his floating pram to bring with you, but hopefully still asleep. When you were both ready, Din led you out of the ship and then behind it to a little path that you could see was softly lit. 

There were little paper lanterns along a short route, and you gasped as you realized that that’s what Din had been doing for the past hour. 

“Din!” you exclaimed, eyes roving over the view of the trees lit by warm light. You stumbled along a little too fast to follow the line of them, “This is so gorgeous, oh my stars.” 

Din followed steadily behind you, the pram right alongside him. He was so happy to see how excited you were, and hoped you would be excited about something else, too. 

After a few minutes of walking, you came upon what had to be the end of the path: a small clearing ringed by lanterns that was surrounded by some of the tallest trees you had ever seen. 

You were gazing at them in wonder when Din caught your attention by grabbing your hand by your side. Turning to him, you were a little surprised when he grabbed your other hand. He didn’t normally take the lead in showing affection like that. 

But things didn’t seem exactly normal with him lately. He was a little more withdrawn, a little more hesitant, which was confusing with how far the two of you had gotten in your relationship. Even now, he seemed to be a bit fidgety and was taking deep breaths and shifting his weight like he was nervous. 

You tried to smile reassuringly at him, hoping that it would help him with… whatever it was he was doing. The lights and everything certainly did seem like a good sign. 

Din cleared his throat and squeezed your hands lightly, “I… I love you.”

Your chest warmed from your heart, “I love you, Din.” 

But apparently, you had interrupted him, because he took an awkward second to re-evaluate what he was going to say, “I love you, and I want— I want to commit, I want us to commit to being wed.” 

Nothing could have prepared you for him saying that. The two of you had talked about Mandalorian marriage and that spouses could be unarmored with each other, as well as other things, but you hadn’t thought that he was thinking about wedding you. 

“I—I—” you couldn’t even get a full word out, too full of ecstatic shock to say everything you wanted to. 

You didn’t even realize that you were crying until Din reached up and brushed a tear from your cheek, “You’re crying.” 

With your now free hand, you felt the tears on your cheek as well and then smiled at Din and laughed just a bit. He wasn’t sure what to think, but you put your hand over his where he was still touching your cheek. 

“Din, nothing would make me happier than being married to you,” you told him, stroking your fingers over his glove. “I love you beyond words, Din. I can’t wait to get to love you with no barriers.” 

Din pulled you to him in a nearly crushing hug, only relaxing a bit when you tapped on his arm, and he had to remember that he was still in all of his armor. But once you could breathe again, you tucked your head under the edge of his helmet, seeking out the warmth you could feel through his cowl. You held each other close and tight for a moment before you heard a small coo come from next to you. 

Letting go of each other, you saw that the baby had woken up and opened his pram on his own, looking at your embrace with his big, curious eyes. You smiled and reached out to him, picking him up easily and then leaning back into Din. 

The three of you stood there, talking about little things and relishing the love that coursed between you until Grogu fell asleep again and you decided to go back to the ship. 

With Grogu still in his pram, you and Din took advantage of the privacy and darkness of the bunk, showing each other the love you had that would only grow.

🏔🏔🏔

[words-are-fireproof]

Red Ribbons - (Din Djarin x f!reader)

Summary: After seeing his face, you and the Mandalorian end up in a snowy town with the kid and red ribbon.

Rating: T, just to be safe

Word Count: 3.1k

A/N: I don't celebrate the holidays but I started this as part of @toomanystoriessolittletime's December challenge and I finally finished it so...here you go! As always, my work is unedited. Whoops. And, also, as always, I can't write short stuff to save my life. Double whoops.

This is a sequel, of sorts, to Haalur but I don't think you'll have had to read that one to understand this one. Still gonna link that one, though.

[Masterlist] || [Part One]

-----

The minute he saw you, he had two questions–one, why was the kid wrapped in a bow; two, why were you wearing almost the same bow in your hair?

Holidays weren’t exactly something that he understood. The Outer Rim had festivals to honor gods and different tribes had different celebrations for harvests and the like, but you’d come from a place that chose to exchange gifts at the end of every year to encourage an uptick in morale. The morale sustained your culture through the long, harsh winters, and often the gifts were practical in nature. You’d explained it a few times, but he still didn’t understand the significance or why you couldn’t just exchange gifts all year long. If they were practical gifts, wouldn’t they be better suited to give at any time instead of the end of the year?

He never argued, though. He just nodded and went on, tending to the repairs of a newly rebuilt gunship that Peli Motto had found when he’d complained about the lack of space on the N-1. He knew of only one holiday on Tatooine–Boonta Eve–but he never celebrated it, and he made it a point to not be on the planet when the celebration happened. Mandalorians and celebrations weren’t exactly good bedfellows. However, he didn’t exactly mind. He also was careful to avoid most places during Life Day celebrations. What could he say? He wasn’t big on celebrations.

But he still was curious about why Grogu looked pleased as punch in a bright red bow and why you looked far too cheerful for a normal day on an almost deserted planet. Thankfully it wasn’t too deserted. You still managed to procure a rather nice room in town, framed by a big window that opened to a panorama of a snowy forest. He didn’t think he’d ever seen that much snow that wasn’t mostly ice, but you weren’t complaining and, strangely enough, neither was Grogu.

The little bog goblin toddled around the warm, enclosed landing pad. Only a sliver of cold air filtered to them through a small crack between the overhead bay doors. It barely ruffled the bow around his little neck. Mando couldn’t believe he was keeping the bow on. Sometimes changes in his routine threw the little tyke off. Most of the time, he went with the flow with small squeals of excitement that filled the Mandalorian’s chest with happiness, a strange and foreign feeling even now. He’s sure what he felt squeezing underneath his sternum– as he fiddled with a bolt cutter–was that ever elusive emotion. He couldn’t be so sure.

“Where did you get that?” He asked, crouching down to see under the chassis of his ship and to be more on Grogu’s level.

The kid pointed in your direction. His breath hitched, the sound crackling through his modulator. You didn’t hear it, but the kid glanced over him, his head tilted curiously.

You’d found a stash of wooly sweaters Mando had recently filched from a bounty. You were surprised they fit, but you were grateful, especially when his ship required emergency maintenance in the snowiest planet possible. The red ribbon had been acquired from the inn owner. Something about being easy to see in the snow. Maybe. You couldn’t understand half of what the woman–or you assumed it was a woman–said. She spoke in a language you didn’t understand. At least you had him to procure the room.

You took it upon yourself to do your hair in the room, curling it delicately in long ringlets one lock of hair at a time. When you’d finished, you pulled on one of the sweaters, a deep maroon one that brought out your eyes. You ignored the way it itched and clung to your body. You never wore form fitting stuff. You preferred loose clothing, and you rarely wore colors, preferring the browns and tans that you usually wore on Tatooine. And you were fairly certain he’d never seen you with your hair down like this, which might explain why the ‘t’ of his visor was trained on you, head tilted, Grogu making little squeaks of confusion at the change in you. But, as soon as you smiled, he came toddling over to you happily, asking silently to be picked up and you obliged. You settle the little green bean on your hip as you regard Mando closely.

The ‘t’ of his helmet was still trained on you. You couldn’t be sure what he was thinking. Ever since that night on Tatooine when he asked you to take off his helmet, he’d been different. You enjoyed that night, and you made sure to tell him, especially when he took you to bed without his armor and held you in his broad frame like you were the best thing to ever happen to him. Maybe you were. You weren’t about to argue with him, not as he held you like that. But after that night, after he’d flown away, he seemed to grow distant, intent on not touching you, intent on doing other things and not giving you the time of day.

It hurt, but you weren’t so easily swayed in your affections and you’d like to think that he wasn’t either, whatever those affections might be.

“What’s the occasion?” His voice came through the modulator, quiet and uncertain.

“I thought I’d dress up for you.”

His helmet tilted to the side. “Why?”

“Why not?”

He stood slowly, his entire frame raising smoothly, even with the heavy beskar on. “You’ve never done it before.”

“It’s too hot to dress up on Tatooine.”

He snorted. “I noticed.”

You shifted Grogu onto your other hip as he played with a ringlet of your hair. “And maybe I wanted to entice you away from your ship.”

The kid cooed and looked between the two of you, dark eyes catching the dim light of the landing bay, his little fist curled into your hair.

He shifted on his feet, his helmet straightening as he peered at you. “You don’t want to get out of here?”

You shook your head as you said, “Why would I have had you get us a room if I wanted to leave?”

That seemed to flummox him. He didn’t have an answer for that. He just stared at you and his kid. He hated to admit it, but Grogu liked you as much as he liked him. The two of you weren’t attached like he was to Mando, but you knew he missed you when you were gone. Mando would tell you when he inevitably came back for a visit, Tatooine in his veins, calling like a siren’s song, pulling him in.

“You…like the snow?”

You shrugged elaborately. “I’ve never really been in snow like this. It’s nice.”

“The kid and I’ve mostly just seen ice planets. Haven’t we, little guy?”

Grogu cooed and continued to look between the two of you intently, like he could feel the shift in the two of you, like he knew something had happened while he was gone. You couldn’t be sure if he registered the time apart from Mando. You were sure he had, though. When the two of them came staggering back to your door after the fight with the rancor and the Pykes, you’d tended his wounds while Grogu remained attached to Mando’s hip. The kid’s eyes were trained on you as you stitched Mando up, having been out of bacta spray and other modern medical miracles. You prefered the old fashioned way. You’d been raised that way. That’s when Mando told you about the little green guy. Fully told you. He didn’t skirt around it like he had before. He’d told you the kid was actually fifty. You barely believed it, but when he told you about Grogu’s life before, the memories he’d suppressed, the power he had… a lot of things suddenly made sense.

“Ice planets can be pretty, too.”

Mando snorted softly and shook his head. “Not when you’re getting chased by ice spiders.”

You make a face, a shudder sliding down your spine. “Oh, god, no thank you.”

“I think Grogu made them mad.”

You lifted an eyebrow and peered at the kid. “Did you eat some of them?” The kid giggled and babbled which gave you all the confirmation you needed. “Of course, you did.”

Silence flowed between the two of you for a moment longer than it should’ve. Your eyes trained on him and you wished he would take off his helmet. You longed to see his deep, soulful eyes again. You wanted to drown in his gaze. Maybe you even wanted to drown in him but then you thought about the fact that the kid was there with him this time and there was no one to watch him but the two of you.

“You really want to stick around?”

You nodded. “You should see the room you got,” you said by way of answering him. “It’s beautiful.”

He heaved a heavy sigh, turning to survey the raggedy gunship. “I’ll get a pack together.”

“No need,” you sing songed happily. “I grabbed what you needed already. Same with the kid. It’s in the room.”

He turned back to face you. Once again, the ‘t’ of his helmet trained on you, but you couldn’t be sure what the Mandalorian was thinking. You wished you could see his face. You pushed that thought away. You couldn’t get attached. Not like that. It was inevitable that he’d leave you again, and this time, maybe he’d leave you for good. You pushed that thought aside. You wouldn’t let him do that.

“Come on, then,” his voice sounded different through the modulator. You couldn’t put your finger on it, but you followed him regardless, Grogu still settled on your hip.

The chill of the air cut through your desert acclimated body. It settled deep in your bones despite the cozy sweater you wore. You wondered how he could possibly be warm but then you remembered he often wore many layers under that beskar. You selfishly hoped he would take off some of those layers just in case anything happened. You didn’t relish the idea of the cold metal brushing against your bare skin.

When you finally made it back to the inn and to your room, your curls were all over the place thanks to the wind. Snow clung to Grogu’s little face and without even thinking, you took care of him first, making sure he was all clean and dry and changed into warmer clothes. But you made sure to re-tie the ribbon around his collar. He started to make a fit when he thought you weren’t going to give it back to him.

Mando watched the two of you closely through his visor. A strange feeling percolated in his chest. It wasn’t the normal happiness he usually felt when he saw the two of you. It tightened under his sternum. His heart pounded under the wide breastplate of his armor. What was this feeling that seemed to fill him up with pain and warmth all at once? He didn’t understand it. He wasn’t even sure if he liked it.

He cleared his throat softly. “He likes that bow.”

“I know. It surprised me.” Your gaze settled on him as you sat him down in his pram. Almost immediately, the little bog goblin settled down into his blankets, yawned, then began to doze, his little snores filling the ensuing silence.

You shifted on your feet, unsure of what to do now, unsure of what you could get away with, unsure if you even wanted to get away with something. It was your turn to clear your throat, stepping away from Grogu to let him sleep as you ran your fingers through your knotted curls. You winced with discomfort when you found a particularly big knot, but before you could do anything about it, you felt his large, strong hands brush away your small, slender ones as he picked almost timidly at the tangle. You still couldn’t believe you’d forgotten to pack a brush from home.

“It’s your turn to feel different, you know?” His smooth voice slid down her spine like molten lava, warming her from the inside out.

“I do?” You could almost feel him nod behind you.

“You’re uncertain.”

A wild laugh strains its way out of your chest and throat. “Uncertain?”

His hands and fingers pause in your hair. “Yes.”

Here you thought you’d done such a good job hiding it. “I’m not uncertain.”

His fingers continue their work on the knot, gently teasing it apart. “Are you afraid I'll be upset if you are?”

“No,” you answered far too quickly.

The truth was, you weren’t scared of him being upset. Uncertainties happen all the time. You both know they happen. You both know that being upset at uncertainties was the quick way to arguments and little resentments that would tear the two of you apart. You didn’t want that, and you imagined he didn’t either.

“Don’t lie to me, mesh’la.”

“I’m not,” you answer honestly.

“Then why–”

You cut him off quickly with a finished question of your own. “Why did you show me your face and then disappear for months?”

You swear you can hear him swallow thickly behind you, his fingers pausing again in your hair before they fall away completely.

“I had to see the kid, remember?”

“Yeah, but when you came back…” You still remember the exact time he came back. Down to the very minute, the noise of the N-1 was far different than the Razor Crest as it settled in the landing pad.

“I was hurt. Maybe that had something to do with it.”

You shake your head. “You and I both know that’s not the truth.”

This time, you did hear as he sighed and stood to get away from you. At least that’s what you reckoned in your mind. He was getting away from you because he really didn’t want to be close to you anymore.

“I shouldn’t have done what I did.”

“Show me your face?” You snap bitterly.

“Let you in.”

Your brief flare of anger deflates. “You regret letting me in?”

“I regret not letting you in sooner.”

You blinked in confusion as you turned to face him. “I don’t–”

“You’re great with the kid. You’re great with me. You make me feel…special, cyare.”

You breathed in a shaky breath, unable to look at him. Instead, you focus on the snowy expanse out the window as big, fat, fluffy flakes begin to fall from the grey-blue sky. Special? You made him feel special? What did that mean? Beyond the pet name in Mando’a, beyond the fact that you took care of the kid rather well when you were allowed to be around him, beyond all that–what exactly did it mean? What did he mean? Special? How special? Less like a killer? More like a man? Your mind reeled. You didn’t even know why it did. You just wanted it to stop.

“Then, why–”

“It scared me.”

That you understood. You finally turned to face him, gazing into the darkened expanse of his helmet.

“I won’t tell anybody.”

He shook his head. “I don’t care about that.”

“But your Creed…” you found yourself foundering again, much like you had so many months ago.

“I broke my Creed a long time ago.” He tilted his head in the direction of the pram. “For him.”

Your gaze fell to the pram with a soft smile. For some reason, that didn’t surprise you. Of course he’d do that for Grogu. The little tyke was worth it, and you knew the attachment you both had to each other transcended everything else, even whatever attachment they both had for you.

With a soft hitch of his breath, he gently removed his helmet, setting it down on the bed to fully tune his gaze to you. You tried to hide the happiness as it bubbled inside of you, but it broke across your face in a wide smile and a bright pink blush. You ducked your head against it, but his fingers quickly settled on your chin, tilting your head back up to face him.

“It scared me,” he continued, “because I’ve never felt like this before. Not with anyone. Not like this.”

The blush deepened as you chewed on your bottom lip. He brushed his thumb over your upper lip gently, your teeth yielding and releasing before his mouth slotted gently and briefly against yours. A happy little shriek from Grogu made you both jump away from each other. You laughed as you watched him clap excitedly.

“I think he’s happy about this new development.”

He chuckled, his turn to turn pink, the tops of his ears a deeper color than his cheeks. “I think you might be right about that.”

You shake your head, leaning in to steal another kiss, properly this time, tongues tangling together as you deepen the kiss, wrapping your arms around his neck to tug him closer. But you immediately frown and pull back, shivering at the chill coming from his beskar.

“You going to take this all off and get comfortable?”

He turned to survey the plush bed, adorned with sheets as white as the snow outside the window. “Maybe. Are you going to join me?”

You grinned, eyes shining as you slowly began to undress, peeling off the sweater you put on just for him until all you wore were your bra and underwear.

“Can I see your wrist?”

He still hadn’t taken off his flight suit or his beskar, too enthralled with watching you get ready for bed. You chuckled as he quickly took off the arm armor, letting it fall on the floor with a heavy thud before he divested himself of his heavy woolen flight suit. The scratchy material found its way to the floor as well. It was only then that he offered you his wrist readily. You wound the red ribbon around his wrist and tied it in a pretty bow to match the one around Grogu’s neck.

“There you go. Both my boys are my Life Day presents.”

He wrinkled his nose. “I don’t celebrate Life Day.”

You shrugged. “Neither do I. But I do love having the both of you around.”

He fell quiet for a long moment before he murmured, “We love having you around, too.”

And you knew as soon as he spoke those words that he meant more by it than what he said. You let it fill you up and give you light and warmth, especially as you both tumble into bed, the snow falling heavily as Grogu hides in his pram, seeming to know exactly what’s about to happen.

[gravvitywritestrash]

Dincember Day 2, Promp: Snow

Gender neutral reader. Let me know if I need to fix anything!

Warnings: none!

Prompt Masterlist

The snow crunched under your boots as you made your way off the ramp and onto the white covered planet you had landed on. Mando stomped ahead of you, doing yet another perimeter sweep of the area, after you had insisted on coming off the ship with the kid. It had been so long since you had seen actual snow. After leaving your home planet all those years ago, your travels never lead you to a snowy planet. Snowy planets didn’t have shipyards big enough for a new mechanic, at least not one you've come across. You had traveled to ocean planets, desert planets, and even ship stations for work, but none of the places you had briefly settled on snowed, not like home, and certainly not like this.

You weren’t sure if the kid had ever seen snow, but based on his reaction when he saw the white covered planet come into view through the viewport, you doubted it. He was curious, climbing onto the console so he had a better view, babbling incoherently and pointing out at the snow below. He wanted to go outside, and explore what caused the planet to be covered in the white blanket. You wanted to go outside too, and though you knew Mando would be hesitant to let you outside on a planet he was hunting a quarry, especially since you’d be alone in the middle of a tundra forest, but you knew he’d crack after some light convincing.

“It’s snowing, Mando. You think the kid has ever seen it?” You gestured to the kid, who was still sitting on the console, hands and face pressed against the transparisteel. Din turned away heading to the ladder that led to the hull of the ship. Without looking back at you following him, he answered. “I’m not sure if it’s safe. It’s freezing, and we can’t be sure that we’re alone.” He began busying himself with preparing for his hunt, opening the weapons locker and ensuring he had enough charges for his blaster. “Just for a bit, to let the kid see.” You were already dressing the kid up in his warmer clothes, setting him down to wrestle a pair of socks on his feet before moving over to your crate of clothes and slipping on a parka. Din sighed to himself, knowing that arguing with you would lead to nowhere. He couldn’t force you to stay on the ship, and he didn’t want to confine you inside either. He never used to get this anxious, but since the addition of the kid, and later you, he has to worry about more than himself. Not that he was upset with either of your presence, the complete opposite in fact. He knew you were relatively capable of handling yourself and protecting the kid, but there was this instinct burning inside of him to protect you. Prevent any harm from reaching the kid or you, a desire to keep you both safe.

Din did a perimeter check before letting you come out. You had bargained with him, promising that you’d stay inside of the ship until he came back with the quarry if he let you and the kid check out the snow before he left. You didn’t plan on spending too long outside, as traveling on a ship meant you had very little clothes, nothing that would keep either you or the kid warm enough to stay out for too long. You also knew he probably wanted to start his hunt soon, and you appreciated the time he was taking to ensure yours and the kids safety and happiness before he left. While you were happy to travel with the mandalorian and the kid, sitting inside for long periods of time was not yours, or the kids', strong suit. You stopped only a few steps away from the ramp and tilted your head back. Despite the clouds covering the sun, it still felt nice against your face, and the little flakes of snow slowly descending from the sky had that nostalgic bite when it made contact with your cheeks.

-

Din stopped pacing when he heard your boots stop crunching in the snow. He turned slightly, looking back at you, and he sharply inhaled at the sight of you and the kid. You had your head tilted back, eyes closed and face upturned towards the sky. The kid was held tightly to your chest, copying your posture, watching as flakes of snow fell towards his face

 Din was stuck watching you, watching as your hood fell back and revealed more of your face, which was perfectly lit from the sun filtering through the clouds. His attention only moved away from you when the kid squealed in delight after a snowflake landed on his cheek, and his hands raised above his head in an attempt to catch more falling flakes. You looked down at the child, who was now babbling and stretching his hands up to the air.

Din knew he needed to focus, he had already swept the area checking for any threats. He didn’t find any, and he knew it was very unlikely for anything to become a threat. He had chosen the landing spot specifically because there were no people or native species that could pose a threat. He still felt anxious, worried that if he slacked for even a minute, he’d be too late in spotting a threat. He turned his back to you, blocking the site of you crouching in the snow with the child in your lap, and returned his attention to the sparse forest.

It wasn’t until something collided with the back of his helmet, knocking his head forward, did he turn back around. You were still crouched in the snow with the kid in your lap, looking away from him. Din was almost worried there was a threat in the area he had missed, but when he reached back and touched the back of his helmet, he knew what had happened when his fingers became cold and the tips of his gloves became wet with snow. Now that he was paying more attention, you were making a point to look away from him, trying to hide the grin on your face. The kid was giggling, leaning over the side of your lap and playing with snow on the opposite side of your body. Even though your body shielded what you and the kid were doing, Din was sure another snowball was in the making. He couldn’t fight the smile pulling on his lips at your antics.

Maybe he could relax for a few minutes. Clearly, you and the kid were enjoying the snow, and maybe, he could too. So, as quietly as he could, he walked over the snow, using his past footprints to muffle the crunch of snow under his boots as he made his way over to your crouched form. He stopped just a foot behind you, facing the sun so his shadow didn’t alert you to his new position. Now that he was closer, he could hear you and the kid quietly giggling, and rolling a large snowball on the ground.

His chest vibrated with the laughter he tried to contain, not wanting to alert you of his presence right behind you. He waited until you picked up the ball in your hand, winding up and turning slightly to throw it where he was previously standing. He saw the look of realization on your face when you realized he wasn’t there, and you yelped when you finally noticed him standing behind you. You stood quickly, clutching the kid to your chest with one arm, and still holding the snowball in your other hand.

He should have gotten a snowball for himself. Din couldn’t help thinking to himself. He had thought that the surprise would cause you to drop your weapon, but was very wrong, and incredibly aware of how you still held it in your hand.

“Woah, you move way too quietly.” You were trying to fight the grin on your face, hiding the snowball behind your back. Din was very aware of what was coming, if the shameless grin on the kid’s face was anything to go off of. Still, he entertained it, wanting to join in on your fun, wanting to spend even a little bit of time with you before he was gone for a bit.

“What are you going to do with that thing behind your back?” He tried to keep the smile out of his tone, tilting his head slightly downward and to the right in an attempt to appear intimidating, daring you to throw it at him.

“Oh, this little thing?” You produced the snowball from behind your back, shrugging your shoulders and giving him your own head tilt. You made no move to throw it, instead holding steady eye contact with him. Unknowingly to you, he was matching your smile, waiting for your next move. He doubted you would back down, not now, and hopefully not ever. He enjoyed your lack of fear of him, your bravery in any setting, and the fun you brought to not only the kid, but himself.

You were quick when you wound up your arm and threw the snowball at him, he expected that. He also expected you to maybe throw it at his shoulder, or his chest. But when the snowball landed on the front of his helmet with a ‘thwump’ and his visor was blocked by the offending weapon, he realized he should have expected this instead. He found himself laughing as he lifted his hand up to wipe the snow off, both you and the kid laughing loudly as you disappeared inside the hull of the ship.

His laughter died quickly, the realization that this, that you and the kid, meant something that he wasn’t quite ready to confront, the way he felt today, in that moment, was a feeling he didn’t know he’d ever feel, didn’t know himself capable of. And it scared him, and it excited him. It made something bloom in his chest, and he knew he’d remember this snow covered planet, not because of a quarry that might do something rememberable, but because right here, right now, standing in snow that reached his ankles, on a planet that was cold enough to seep past his armor and layers, he felt hope.

[furious-blueberry0]

Aq Vetina

Some Aq Vetina headcanons:

The small planet is mostly composed of tall snowy mountains, and the villages are composed of white buildings;

The people there have a high cold tolerance, and are not bothered in the slightest by going out in the snow in short sleeves;

Their traditional red clothing comes from a a type of alien sheep (no idea how to call them) whose wool is naturally red;

They have domesticated a white type of fox (again no idea how to call them) which work as the equivalent of the dog;

Another animal they domesticated is a horse-sized mountain goat, which they use to travel on the mountains;

They also communicate with a language made of whistles, which reverberate thanks to the mountains;

They also use huge trumpets to communicate imminent danger, the start of celebrations etc. to the whole town;

There's no government or capital city or things like that, it's a very communal style of living and the villages are pretty isolated from each other thanks to the mountains;

The majority of the people there are either artisans, shepherds or farmers;

Thanks to the effort of the whole community, they can easily live a self sufficient life;

All genders wear the same type of clothing, with slight changes that vary person to person;

All their jewels are made of stones, which is considered the material that connects all the souls of the Vetini (aka people of Aq Vetina), in the same way the rocks of the mountain unite the world;

For work tools they either use bones or metals;

Parents typically have to work a lot, so kids are often taken care of by relatives or other members of the community, who are often older people or members of the religious order;

Since they are in mando space Jedi cannot go and meet them, so force sensitive Vetini, over the millennia, created their own Force related religion;

Force sensitive Vetini often use a particular rare herb (which is strongly force-connected), which if inhaled through smoke can make their connection to the Force stronger, and trigger visions of the future, unfortunately it has the nasty side effect of making the user extremely paranoid and, if used too much, can provoke the death of brain cells, leading to irreversible and even deathly brain damages;

The planet has 3 small moons orbiting around it;

[majorshiraharu]

Holiday Secret - Din/Paz

Holiday secret trip on a snowy planet, a Din (Mando) / Paz fluff fanfic gift. My gift for @omaano​ as part of the @starwarsfandomfests​ holiday fest <3 thank you so much for doing these, I’m always happy to be a part of it, happy holidays and new year!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Paz had taken Din on a much-needed vacation to take his mind off all the recent stress that had been consuming his mind day to day. Din was only told this was about a mission, Paz knowing all too well that Din would find a trip for a vacation a waste of his time with everything going on, but Paz knew him best and knew he needed to relax. They landed on the planet, fluffy flakes of snow falling outside the ship, slowly sticking to the hull.

"So, what's the job?" Din questioned, the snow reflecting off the black of his visor.  "Just follow me, we have time." Paz replied as he started walking off, his footprints left behind him as a trail for Din to follow.

As they walked, Din's thoughts got lost like the ground beneath the snow, the calming presence of Paz relaxing him. He had been wondering what this mission was, as he was not told much and while he was both eager and annoyed about this, he felt at ease with Paz leading him through this place. After some walking and navigating through the trees, they came to a small hut. Din turned to Paz, a puzzled expression hidden by his helmet as he waited for Paz to speak. "This will be our place for the next day," he said, turning around to Din.

Before Din had a chance to respond, he was hit in the face with a snowball. Confusion slowed his reaction time, falling back into the snow, the softness cushioning his fall. He dodged the next one Paz hurled towards him, grabbing some snow as he rolled to the side. Gripping it tightly in his hand and quickly formed it into a ball, throwing it quickly at Paz after dodging his next throw. The snow collided with the armor, turning back into small flakes as it blew apart.

 "Nice one," Paz said before charging at Din, picking him up, and throwing him into a large pile of snow, before slipping on it and falling into the same pile. A laugh escaped from Din as he watched Paz fall face-first into the snow. Snow slid off his helmet as he turned to look at Din, who was trying to hold back more laughter. The two of them entered into a wrestle match in the snow, tossing each other around while laughing like children.

After some time passed they became exhausted, the armor becoming heavy and the cold slowly getting to them. Paz recommended they go inside and take a break, releasing their armor and starting the fire to warm up. The light of the fire shone through the small hut. Paz hung a small pot above the fire, its glow getting more intense as steam escaped the top. He walked to the kitchen tucked in the corner near a window, pulling something out of a cabinet. It was two cups and some items. Din couldn't make out what exactly he was doing, it looked like some kind of drink. He walked over with the cups, passing a cup to Din. It warmed his hands as he held it, looking at it. Tilting his helmet up, he drank some of it, feeling the heat thaw out the cold that remained. "Thank you," he whispered, finally understanding what this mission was actually about. Paz looked at Din, bowing his head slightly before taking a sip. Din relaxed into his chair, putting his feet up on the small table between them and the fire.

They relaxed for a while, chatting about life and what both of them had been up to recently while away from each other. Happy to be together during this time, a time that was meaningful to Mandalorians who value each other more than most. After refilling his cup, they joined each other on the floor closer to the fire, leaning into each other, watching the flicker of the flames.

Paz stood up, grabbing a box from the corner, and placed it on the small table behind Din, he stood up looking into the box as Paz opened it. They were symbols, and some animals, little wooden and metal cut-outs, with a string tied around them. He took some out, holding them in his hand, admiring the pieces before looking at Paz who began hanging them near the fire along the boards that lined the walls. Din did the same, taking the pieces in his hand and slowly hanging them on the wall. It didn't take too long before the box was empty, and the wall was decorated. Taking in the joy of seeing them all hung up, Din asked Paz where he got these. Finding out he had made them, as they had lost most of their things when their hideout was attacked. There was a small bit of sadness in realizing their cherished items had been lost, but knowing Paz took the time and effort to recreate and make new ones filled Din's heart with love. As he looked at Paz he noticed him standing close, moving his arms to put a scarf around Din's neck.

"The sun is setting, we don't have much time," Paz said before walking past Din, to the door leading outside, motioning Din to follow him. So he did, walking back out into the cold, which was more noticeable without his armor on. Paz began moving snow with his hands, piling it carefully and forming it into shapes, Din joined him, before questioning what they were making.  "A Mythosaur," he replied. Neither of them had ever seen one in person before, but they had seen art and heard stories, repeating those same stories to foundlings. It had been some time since they had spoken its stories, so while they built it they recited them to each other. Reminiscing about memories and their favorite stories told to them as kids. It took a long time and the sun had set a while ago, the only light coming from the two moons slowly moving across the skyline. They stood there looking at their creation in the dim moonlight, proud of what they made together. Their hands stung from the cold, snow melting from the warmth of their hands having soaked the gloves they wore. They decided it was time to go back inside. 

Din threw more wood on the fire as Paz was rummaging around in another box. What was he doing now, Din wondered, ready for a rest after all the work. Paz approached him, removing the scarf around his neck that had become wet from melted snow, replacing it with a blanket, that wrapped perfectly around Din's shivering body, barely touching the floor. Din removed his gloves and placed them near the fire before crashing on the soft couch, Paz joining him after grabbing his own blanket. 

Pulling Din against him as they both leaned back, Paz wrapped the blanket around himself and Din. Exhaling as the tension in his body relaxed, Din’s eyes slowly closing as Paz told him stories, thanking Din for being here with him and that these activities brought him so much joy, especially sharing them once again with Din after everything. They both slept soundly, the fire crackling next to them, the light from the flames dancing around the hut, reflecting off some of the decorations as the moonlight crept in through the windows. Dreaming of the holidays they shared with family as children and now shared with each other in their own way, something that was special to each of them and that they wished would continue for years to come. Joyful memories in an unknown but more peaceful time than recent years, something they both needed and would cherish. —------- Happy Holidays, I hope you enjoyed this cute Paz/Din story, all the best for the new year!

[something-tofightfor]

There’s rumor that Season 4 starts filming in October…and if both Bella and Pedro said filming could beging ‘later this year/fall’ and they already have a location scouted. Mando Season 4 could be much of the same 🤷🏻‍♀️

Vancouver has been rumored for a long time (I believe there were people posting about scouts there before season 1 had even ended production), so the confirmation isn't exactly a surprise - and I can't wait to see it as a stand-in for Seattle. (they also said they're going back to canmore for an episode or two, too - so that will be amazing to see more of snowy Jackson!)

(under a cut because spoilers)

I think they're writing right now, are going to start casting within the next couple months, and will start seriously doing pre-production with props and location scouting and finalizing scripts late summer, maybe have people in for costume/wardrobe fittings and all that late fall, and then actually start filming in the new year after the holiday break. It makes no sense to get everyone there, film one episode and then send everyone home for a month. (in my opinion anyway).

Since a lot of the crew are Canada-based, they wouldn't have to travel as far or worry about as many logistics as the cast , so having them there to prep but not needing the cast full time until later just makes sense.

So, in THEORY ... if Mando 4 does in fact start filming in September/October, following my timeline, that would put Pedro there for the majority of the first half of filming for the season.

Also, depending on when they film his scenes for tlou 2 (the need him there in winter, in summer, and in what could be fall OR spring, that could determine what happens with Mando/his other, newer projects too.

It also makes sense to me to film all (or most) of his stuff at the same time if possible. Since his scenes all have the same vibe/feel (with the exception of the very first one that takes place DURING the actual game timeline) they could have the same director film them all so they're cohesive.

We'll see what happens, though. It'll be interesting to see how they navigate Mando 4 with his reduced screentime in TLOU2 - and how/where they choose to even break TLOU2 into multiple seasons.

[malakia215]

@its-kinda-snowy did it again!!!!! 😭😭😭😭💜💙 (Reminder that they are having a special price going on for sketch commissions. Get them before they are gone!)

JEDI DIN, BY BELOVED!!!!

Snowy even drew him his pike weapon! I didn't even ask for them to do that!!! might change later but so happy he has one!!!

It is a companion piece to the Mando Luke sketch Snowy also did! Tied to the story 'Revealing My Heart'

Thank you again Snowy for the commissions!!!

[valkblue]

1: among the two actual trilogies that have been made, of course.

4: Yes, you can name mandalorians. 😔

6: Marbled or not, it’s open bar today.

7: Mandalorians are not a race, it’s a creed. 😑

9: Go ahead, nerd on.

12: All Media Included.

15: ALL MEDIA INCLUDED.

Hehehehe... 🙃👍

1. movie

Of course. My fave, I'd say, it would be a tie (lol) between The Phantom Menace and The Empire Strikes Back. The first is because it holds a very special place in my heart because of how I saw it the first time (and the 345663213 times after), how my friends and I, we rushed out of school at lunch each saturday of every weeks to grab a burger and a ticket, and sit in the theatre, and then…

We knew the film by heart at some point! But it was the whole point, actually. It was magical for us…✨

As for The Empire Strikes Back, it taught me an important storytelling lesson as a child: that your heroes don't always have the upper hand, sometimes the bad guys are on top of things and put up a real challenge to the main characters, even if they still win at the end of the story.

My least fave though would sadly be Attack of the Clones… while there are some of my favourite characters and moments in it. 🤔

4. character

I better be allowed to name Mandos! Because, obviously, my fave character is Canderous. But I also like Din very much.

Which character is my least fave is a little less easy, though… I could say Jar-Jar, but I don't hate him all that much. He's just an annoying character to me. Characters I don't like usually are from media I don't like and steer clear from, so… I couldn't really say. But from those I like or even love?! Now, I have food for thoughts.

6. planet

Fave planet would be Dantooine and Naboo. I kinda like Corellia (don't say that to Ela) and Onderon (from KotOR, please…) too.

And least fave planet… Hoth. I love the cold and snowy landscapes and all but, it looks like too much there! I like the taun taun, though… I could add Telos post bombing too.

7. species

But Canderous said they were a breed appart!!!! 😲 So, clones then? 🤡… Ok, ok! I can't choose just one fave, anyway. I love Mon Calamari and Nautolan. Even Quarrens! And Bothans. And I know Kal and my babies the clones would hate me for it but… Kaminoans! 😅

Least fave, I'm sorry but Aqualish and Bith are making my skin crawl. They always did! I never watched the cantina scene as a child. Jabba is just disgusting (as a person, lol) but the Bith…?! I'm sorry, I can't. (Same goes with the Ood in Doctor Who, btw.)

9. ship

Fave ships!!! I love the LAAT/i the larty the GAR/clones gunships! 😭 And the Razor Crest definitely grew on me after a while and a few snickers. I have a few classes of freighters I like too. Like a certain Lantilian short hauler. And I know someone who's very proud of his newly acquired Gozanti… and I can understand why.

Least fave ships… Honestly, it may surprise you because how much I speak about them in Lost and Found, but I never liked the TIE fighters all that much.

But my real two least faves are the weird Jedi starship Obi-Wan is piloting in AotC, because of that dubious hyperdrive ring and how claustrophobic it looks, even compared to TIEs ans X-wings. And — unpopular opinion — Jango's Slave I. The way that thing takes off and fly like it's standing up… It hurts something in a corner of my mind, I can't explain! 🤣

12. moment/scene

Fave moment, more like moments, I'd say. Mando checking the Crest's vicinity on Arvala (the use of silences and calm ambient in this season!!!!!! 😭💖✨) Mando against the mudhorn (and almost all of episode 2, actually), Mando rampaging the safehouse to snatch the kid back + the whole scene with Pershing of course, Cara yelling 'Weapons ready!' in episode 4, Peli caring for the child and shoving Mando aside after he shot Toro, Din fist fighting Gideon's TIE… 🤣 Ok, sorry, I also like a lot of scenes in other medias of course! Shmi and Anakin saying goodbye brings tears to my eyes, when Leia hears Luke throught the Force the first time, Luke coming to 'negotiate' to Jabba's palace and when Vader yeets Palps down the shaft… Vader asking Luke to take his mask off too, and the pyre scene while everybody is celebrating. 😭💔

Also, in OG Clone Wars, Fordo and his brothers wrecking Sep forces on Muunilinst in apparent silence like the badasses they are!!! And don't get me started on Republic Commando.

Least fave moment would be in Revenge of the Sith, the whole Mustafar light saber fights between Anakin and Obi-Wan. I always found it awkward and dragging… 😫 Yes, much more than the Utapau chase.

15. line of dialogue

I'm going to stick to the media I like, because if I didn't it would be too easy to quote this and that… 🙄 So, fave line is from A New Hope, when Owen and Luke are fighting over him leaving Tatooine at the beginning.

Aunt Beru: Where are you going?!

Luke: Looks like I'm going nowhere.

This quote gets me everytime. 😔👍

Least fave, I had to think a little longer about it. There are a lot of things the Jedi say that rubs me the wrong way, and the turbo-cringe way Anakin is flirting with Padmé… But I think it would be 'Unlimited Powaaaaah'!!! 🤣 Because it kills the gravitas for me and makes me burst into laughter!!

> Ask me my fave and least fave!