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So I've seen some posts going around regarding characterization of this pairing, specifically Din, but I wanted to put my two cents in for the other half of the pairing.

Luke.

As much as I adore the Sunshine X Grumpy dynamic (and they are the epitome of that dynamic cmon) I do see a large amount of folks pushing the 'Sunshine' trait to the absolute max that it almost takes away Luke's autonomy. And in some cases infantiles him. That's not good.

This man is a war veteran, martyr in the making, the 'Last Jedi' as of the ROTJ/Mando/BoBF timeframe. He's seen and done things that have proven his mettle many times and left him scarred both emotionally and physically. Most importantly he's a full-ass adult with complex emotions and traumas that affect his relationships.

The beauty of this pairing for me is seeing how the typical 'Sunshine' character can still carry that darkness and learn to confront it and grow with those emotions as opposed to detach themselves from it (looking at you sequels). Din, being emotionally repressed but in a different manner, gets to grow with Luke as opposed to Din just taking care of Luke's issues 'magically' by being with him. It doesn't work like that and can too easily read as problematic.

In my mind, Din falls for Luke both for his strengths (looking that hot in Gucci and Chanel while kicking ass is peak Mando bait fight me) but also for how he carries his faults. How they've made him grow and mature into the badass warrior he is while still leaving him kind and compassionate. He wants to be there for his weakest days but only when Luke learns to ask for it. And simultaneously, he learns to be a more compassionate and forgiving person by proxy.

“Still think it’s stupid?” Luke whispers before diving in again, fingers combing through Din’s hair, pulling a little as they get closer and closer. 

Chapters: 2/? Fandom: Star Wars - All Media Types, The Mandalorian (TV), The Last of Us (Video Games), The Last of Us (TV) Rating: Mature Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Relationships: Din Djarin/Luke Skywalker Characters: Din Djarin, Luke Skywalker, Grogu | Baby Yoda Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, Alternate Universe - Post-Apocalypse, Good Parent Din Djarin, Protective Din Djarin, Hurt Din Djarin, Luke Skywalker has PTSD, Luke Skywalker Has Issues, Grogu | Baby Yoda Ships Din Djarin/Luke Skywalker, BAMF Luke Skywalker, BAMF Din Djarin, Alternate Universe - The Last of Us Setting, Heavy Angst, Angst and Feels, Rating May Change, Force sensitives are immune to cordyceps trope Summary:

“What I’m offering you is a trade.”

And with an unceremonious gesture, he removed one of the gloves that concealed his hand.

“My life, for his.”

-

Din’s son’s immunity to cordyceps makes him the perfect test subject for creating a cure. However, what the Fireflies are unaware of is that he’s not the only one, and Luke would gladly trade his life if that meant the child was safe.

Howl Jenkins Pendragon (Howl's Moving Castle) vs Luke Skywalker (Star Wars)

IT'S FINALLY HERE, GANG! You know who they are, you have your biases, you have your propaganda ready...