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injuries-in-dust · 2 years

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An alien race that is feared across the galaxy because no one can communicate with them until a human diplomat teaches one sign language.

A sign of trust.

Part 1.

Even though Rin had never seen them before she knew who they were.

Of all the planets, in all the galaxy, to crash on, it just had to be theirs.

They went by many names. Humans from Australia called them "Kooks," because the sounds they made reminded them of the Kookaburras native to their homeland. They were also known as "The singers," "The Screamers," "The Howlers," and many other names.

Whatever they called themselves, no one knew.

Their language was just too difficult to translate, at least that was the consensus of the galaxy. Every single note just seemed to overload even the most sofisticated translators. It was guessed that theirs was the most complicated language in the known universe, and every sound they made could convey anything from a single word to an entire concept of thought and imagination.

With no way to comminicate, no way to put forth intention and meanign to actions, to put desires and needs into context, they could find no common ground with the wider galaxy. Telepaths couldn’t even speak with them, finding either a cold silence where there should be thought, or something which caused great pain. So, inevitably, as was the usual case with anything that was both unknown and stubbornly stayed unkown, mistrust took seed.

You didn’t know what they were thinking or feeling. You couldn’t learn where they stood on any single issue. Was that an innocent gesture, or a signal to some hidden assailant? Was their arrival on your planet a search for trade or a declaration of war? Where their ships flying through your system merely exploring, or searching for colonies and conquest?

Either they had managed to learn that they were unwelcome wherever they went, or they had also grown mistrustful of being unable to communicate with every being they encountered. Either way they had taken to keeping to themselves and it was rare for them to even leave their home system these days. That was a situation the more paranoid races of the galaxy liked; let them stay in one spot where we could better keep an eye on them.

They floated toward her like ghosts. They seemed able to defy gravity as naturally as humans breathed. Their skin was pale, ashen, grey, their faces flat, with wide mouths, and deep, sunken eyes with just the smallest hints of golden yellow irises peeking out from those dark sockets, two tall antennae rose from their heads, thick and fleshy, very unlike the slim and chitinous antennae of insects. They had no legs. Instead, their lower bodies formed a thick, snake-like tail, which served as a kind of rudder to steer them through the air. Their torsos were, more or less humanoid, and they either had two, or four, arms. The jury was still out on that. Two of their arms; dubbed the lower set, were recognisably arms, growing out of the torso at about the same height as the pectorals, they had biceps, elbows, forearms, and hands, with six fingers. The other two arms; called the upper set, actually grew out of the shoulders. They were barely recognisable as arms, but their stiffness and range of motion told anyone who was versed in even basic biology that there were bones in there, as withered and vestigial as they might be. These arms were connected to huge fleshy membranes which stretched over their whole bodies, reaching from those upper arms, connecting to the snake-like tails of the beings. It was probably comparable to the flying squirrel of earth. Or perhaps a manta ray, if they swam upright and moved through the air instead of water.

It was at this point Rin entertained the idea she might have a concussion. That was the least that could happen when you crashed your ship into a planet at reentry speeds.

She certainly had, at least, one broken bone, in her leg. Adrenaline was wearing off and shock was starting to set in with pain as its passenger. She couldn’t control the trembling in her hands and the cold feeling growing in her spine.

They approached her slowly, with the caution of anyone who was encountering the unknown for the first time. They were chirping to each other. Was that their version of whispering? She imagined that humans would be doing the same if they had encountered a crashed Kook; whispering to each other about who, or what, this thing was that was now amongst them.

Her mind was filled with the images of all the things humans might do if they saw an unknown alien crashing into their world. Would they try to help her? Try to get her some kind of medical attention? Would they stick her in some labratory to dissect and understand? Would they just leave her here to die? Would they kill her? Eat her?

One of the beings started to approach.

“NO!” She stuck her hand out in front of her as a very clear gesture of ‘Stop!’

To her surprise the thing did stop. Had it somehow understood her? Could the Kooks understand people, even if they couldn’t be understood? “Just back away, please.”

The being did not move. It stared down at her but there was no sin of recognition on its face. There wasn’t really a sign of any emotion on its face.

Rin’s pained mind tried to work it out, but it was so hard to focus. Maybe the tone of her voice? That couldn’t be it. She’d told it to back off in pretty much the same tone and it had done nothing but stay there.

Maybe the ... the hand signal? A ghost of a thought, the beginning of an idea, was trying to draw itself across her mind.

She didn’t get a chance to see it fully form as she passed out.

***

I was trying to make just a short story out of this, but the idea won’t be contained and I think this is going to be a multi-part story. So this is part one and I’ll get onto part 2 right away.

EDIT: Read Part 2 here.

#ask #answers #writing #my writing #original writing #humans are weird #humans are strange #humans are space orcs #aliens are cool #A Sign of trust

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stillflight · 2 years

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I would like to offer this resource for therians, an extensive list of all of Sir David Attenborough’s nature documentaries that are available on soap2day, and a full list of what species* they each (notably, prominently) feature the natural behaviors of, separated by episode, and omitting species that were only shown dead, juvenile or being predated on. This took me a while (I have been working on it since Prehistoric Planet’s release) because I did in fact have to watch every single series in full in order to list all the species and the episodes are around 50 minutes long, but enjoy.

Long post ahead:

Most of these shows have closed captioning, which is why I’ve picked soap2day. Planet Earth is the only one that doesn’t. I did not include Dynasties and Dynasties II because each episode only features one species.

Thank you to Birch (@ambiguousmutt) for his help (he watched about half of the episodes) so I didn’t have to do it individually. Credit goes to him as well.

*Sometimes Attenborough doesn’t say the specific species and I was too busy trying to get through the episodes to identify it. In those cases I just put the most specific name I could.

Planet Earth

Episode one (From Pole to Pole): emperor penguin, polar bear, caribou, arctic grey wolf, Amur leopard, six-plumed bird-of-paradise, superb bird-of-paradise, great white shark, African elephant, African buffalo, lechwe, baboon, African wild dog

Episode two (Mountains): gelada, walia ibex, Ethiopian wolf, guanaco, cougar, grizzly bear, markhor, snow leopard, golden eagle, grey wolf, panda, golden snub-nosed monkey, red panda, demoiselle crane

Episode three (Fresh Water): giant salamander, grizzly bear, smooth-coated otter, Nile crocodile, dolphin fish, midge, Amazon river dolphin, dorado, piranha, spectacled caiman, crab-eating macaque, snow goose

Episode four (Caves): wrinkle-lipped free-tailed bat, cockroach, bat hawk, cave swiftlet, yellow-red rat snake, Texas blind salamander

Episode five (Deserts): Bactrian camel, dromedary camel, red kangaroo, fennec fox, guanaco, long-nosed bat, Nubian ibex, flat lizard, lion, African elephant, locust

Episode six (Ice Worlds): snow petrel, Antarctic petrel, south polar skua, humpback whale, emperor penguin, eider, muskox, arctic grey wolf, polar bear, little auk, arctic fox

Episode seven (Great Plains): Mongolian gazelle, red-billed quelea, wildebeest, snow goose, arctic fox, arctic grey wolf, bison, wild ass, Tibetan fox, pygmy hog, African elephant, lion, baboon

Episode eight (Jungles): magnificent bird-of-paradise, spider monkey, howler monkey, siamang gibbon, gliding tree frog, colugo, red crab spider, African elephant, chimpanzee

Episode nine (The Shallow Seas): humpback whale, multiple corals, banded sea krait, trevally, dugong, bottlenose dolphin, Socotra cormorant, salp, comb jelly, sea lion, dusky dolphin, sea urchin, sunflower starfish, short-tailed stingray, great white shark, king penguin, fur seal

Episode ten (Seasonal Forests): Eurasian lynx, moose, crossbill, wolverine, western capercaillie, pine marten, great grey owl, pudu, kodkod, mandarin duck, cicada, red deer, Amur leopard, tiger, mouse lemur

Episode eleven (Ocean Deep): whale shark, oceanic whitetip shark, common dolphin, Cory's shearwater, manta ray, sea spider, vampire squid, spider crab, unnamed deep sea eel, giant isopod, chambered nautilus, Pacific spotted dolphin, mola mola, frigatebird, sailfish, blue whale

Planet Earth II

Episode one (Islands): pygmy three-toed sloth, Komodo dragon, sifaka, marine iguana, Galapagos racer, Buller's albatross, fairy tern, Christmas Island red crab, yellow crazy ant, chinstrap penguin

Episode two (Mountains): Nubian ibex, red fox, golden eagle, grizzly bear, bobcat, flamingo, mountain viscacha rat, snow leopard

Episode three (Jungles): spider monkey, flying lizard, sword-billed hummingbird, river dolphin, jaguar, glass frog, paper wasp, click beetle, red bird of paradise, Wilson's bird of paradise, indri

Episode four (Deserts): lion, Harris's hawk, shrike, locust, sand grouse, pale chanting goshawk, feral mustang, golden mole, desert long-eared bat, darkling beetle, Namaqua chameleon

Episode five (Grasslands): saiga antelope, lion, harvest mouse, carmine bee-eater, Kori bustard, African elephant, serval, Jackson's widowbird, grasscutter ant, compass termite, giant anteater, bison, red fox, arctic grey wolf

Episode six (Cities): langur, peregrine falcon, leopard, European starling, great bowerbird, raccoon, rhesus macaque, spotted hyena, wels catfish

Our Planet

Episode one (One Planet): lesser flamingo, orchid bee, golden-collared manakin, red-capped manakin, blue manakin, cormorant, booby, common dolphin, shearwater, African wild dog, timber wolf

Episode two (Frozen Worlds): gentoo penguin, wandering albatross, narwhal, Pacific walrus, humpback whale, orca, leopard seal, polar bear

Episode three (Jungles): lowland gorilla, forest elephant, black sicklebill, twelve-wired bird-of-paradise, western parotia, mountain treeshrew, Philippine eagle, black spider monkey, leafcutter ant, Sumatra orangutan, velvet worm

Episode four (Coastal Seas): northern fur seal, compass jellyfish, giant trevally, mobula ray, Atlantic stingray, bottlenose dolphin, grey reef shark, whitetip reef shark, sea otter, California sheephead wrasse, Steller's sea lion, bald eagle, humpback whale, Guanay cormorant, Inca tern, Peruvian booby, South American sea lion

Episode five (From Deserts to Grasslands): Socotran cormorant, Arabian leopard, Arabian oryx, African elephant, cheetah, bison, Alcon blue butterfly, saiga, Przewalski's wild horse, tiger

Episode six (The High Seas): blue whale, spinner dolphin, mobula ray, oarfish, anglerfish, bristle worm, giant petrel, black-browed albatross, wandering albatross, bluefin tuna, sea lion, humpback whale

Episode seven (Fresh Water): Australian pelican, torrent duck, grizzly bear, manatee, giant mayfly, common kingfisher, osprey, jaguar, callipterus cichlid, Siamese fighting fish, hippopotamus, lion, African elephant, sandhill crane

Episode eight (Forests): Siberian tiger, bald eagle, rough-skinned newt, great hornbill, African elephant, African wild dog, fossa, gray mouse lemur

A Perfect Planet

Episode one (Volcano): lesser flamingo, marabou stork, Galápagos land iguana, vampire ground finch, Aldabra giant tortoise, North American river otter, coyote, Kamchatka brown bear, wildebeest

Episode two (The Sun): yellow-cheeked gibbon, fig wasp, arctic grey wolf, wood frog, garter snake, arctic fox, Saharan silver ant, golden snub-nosed monkey, sooty shearwater, humpback whales

Episode three (Weather): straw-colored fruit bat, fire ant, Amazonian giant river turtle, desert rain frog, Bactrian camel, Christmas Island red crab, carmine bee-eater, Nile crocodile, African fish eagle, hippopotamus

Episode four (Oceans): common dolphin, marine iguana, flightless cormorant, flamboyant cuttlefish, eider, bottlenose dolphin, lemon shark, manta ray, blacktip reef shark, trevally, rockhopper pengin, Eden's whale

Episode five (Humans): none

Life

Episode one (Challenges of Life): bottlenose dolphins, cheetah, panther chameleon, orca, brown-tufted capuchin, stalk-eyed fly, hippopotamus, Clark's grebe, giant Pacific octopus, strawberry poison-dart frog, leopard seal, orangutan

Episode two (Reptiles and Amphibians): pebble toad, caiman, basilisk, Brazilian pygmy gecko, panther chameleon, Namaqua chameleon, red-sided garter snake, collared iguana, hog-nosed snake, horned lizard, sea krait, African bullfrog, Komodo dragon

Episode three (Mammals): Weddell seal, elephant shrew, aye-aye, caribou, straw-colored fruit bat, lion, spotted hyena, polar bear, brown-nosed coati, meerkat, African elephant, humpback whale

Episode four (Fish): sailfish, flying fish, weedy sea dragon, convict fish, sarcastic fringehead, mudskipper, Hawaiian freshwater goby, hippopotamus, barbel, silvertip shark, clownfish, sea lion, ragged tooth shark, multiple snapper, whale shark

Episode five (Birds): spatuletail hummingbird, lammergeier, red-billed tropicbird, magnificent frigatebird, red knot, horseshoe crab, lesser flamingo, chinstrap penguin, great white pelican, Clark’s grebe, sage grouse, Vogelkop bowerbird

Episode six (Insects): Darwin’s beetle, unnamed damselfly, monarch butterfly, alkali fly, Wilson’s phalarope, oogpister beetle, mongoose, bombardier beetle, honey bee, black bear, Japanese red bug, Dawson’s bee, grass cutter ant

Episode seven (Hunters and Hunted): ibex, short-tailed stoat, brown bear, Ethiopian wolf, California ground squirrel, star-nosed mole, cheetah, red fox, greater bulldog bat, bottlenose dolphin, Bengal tiger, rattlesnake, orca

Episode eight (Creatures of the Deep): Pompeii worm, Humboldt squid, nemertean worm, moon jelly, fried egg jellyfish, spider crab, stingray, cuttlefish, giant Pacific octopus, sunflower sea star, king crab, cleaner shrimp

Episode nine (Plants): monarch butterfly, purple-throated carib hummingbird

Episode ten (Primates): Hamadryas baboon, Japanese macaque, lowland gorilla, spectral tarsier, phayre's leaf monkey, ring-tailed lemur, Sumatra orangutan, chacma baboon, white-faced capuchin, brown-tufted capuchin, western chimpanzee

Blue Planet II

Episode one (One Ocean): bottlenose dolphin, tuskfish, tern, giant trevally, mobula ray, false killer whale, Asian sheepshead wrasse, orca, humpback whale, walrus

Episode two (The Deep): sea toad, Venus’ flower basket, unnamed shrimp, ethereal snailfish, cock-eyed squid, pyrosome, barrel-eyed fish, unnamed siphonophore, yeti crab, Humboldt squid, fangtooth fish, sixgill shark, scabbardfish, zombie worm

Episode three (Coral Reefs): broadclub cuttlefish, coral grouper, day octopus, multiple corals, green turtle, bottlenose dolphin, manta ray, bobbit worm, saddleback clownfish, marbled grouper, grey reef shark

Episode four (Big Blue): spinner dolphin, yellowfin tuna, mobula ray, sailfish, sperm whale, sea turtle, blue shark, great white shark, multiple jellyfish, Portuguese man o' war, whale shark, wandering albatross, shortfin pilot whale

Episode five (Green Seas): Garibaldi, Australian giant cuttlefish, weedy seadragon, common octopus, pyjama shark, sea otter, tiger shark, smooth stingray, zebra mantis shrimp, common dolphin, humpback whale

Episode six (Coasts): Pacific leaping blenny, king penguin, southern elephant seal, Sally Lightfoot crab, Galápagos sea lion, ochre starfish, clingfish, chain moray eel, Atlantic puffin, arctic skua

Episode seven (Our Blue Planet): none

Prehistoric Planet

Episode one (Coasts): Tyrannosaurus rex, Tethydraco, Phosphatodraco, Tuarangisaurus, Mosasaurus hoffmannii, pycnodont fish, ammonites, Kaikaifilu

Episode two (Deserts): Dreadnoughtus, Tarbosaurus, Velociraptor, Mononykus, Barbaridactylus, Secernosaurus

Episode three (Freshwater): Velociraptor, Tyrannosaurus rex, Deinocheirus, Quetzalcoatlus, Masiakasaurus, Beelzebufo, elasmosaur

Episode four (Ice Worlds): dromaeosaur, hadrosaur, Ornithomimus, Olorotitan, troodontid, Antarctopelta, Pachyrhinosaurus, Nanuqsaurus

Episode five (Forests): Austroposeidon, Triceratops, Carnotaurus, Qianzhousaurus, Edmontosaurus, Atrociraptor, Anodontosaurus, Therizinosaurus, Telmatosaurus, Hatzegopteryx

The Hunt

Episode one (The Hardest Challenge): African leopard, African wild dog, Parson’s chameleon, nose-horned chameleon, African mantis, Darwin’s bark spider, Nile crocodile, Amur falcon, orca, cheetah

Episode two (Arctic): polar bear, arctic grey wolf, arctic fox, glaucous gull

Episode three (Forests): tiger, American marten, sparrow hawk, Portia spider, tarsier, harpy eagle, chimpanzee, army ant

Episode four (Oceans): blue whale, frigatebird, dorado, sargassum fish, spinner dolphin, Beroe ovata, Chiroteuthis, lionfish, black-browed albatross, sea lion, tuna, copper shark, common dolphin, Bryde's whale

Episode five (Plains): cheetah, caracal, honey badger, termite, bald eagle, lion, Ethiopian wolf, hotrod ant, spoor spider

Episode six (Coasts): bottlenose dolphin, algae octopus, sand bubbler crab, long-tailed macaque, marine otter, grizzly bear, grey wolf, peregrine falcon, orca, humpback whale

Episode seven (Conservation): none

Life In Colour

Episode one (Seeing In Color): Indian peafowl, mandrill, Costa’s hummingbird, magnificent bird-of-paradise, blue moon butterfly, fiddler crab, mantis shrimp, flamingo, poison dart frog

Episode two (Hiding In Color): Bengal tiger, langur, ptarmigan, crab spider, zebra, Cuban painted snail, blue-striped fangblenny, common waxbill, pin-tailed wydah, Augrabies flat lizard

Frozen Planet II

Episode one (Frozen Worlds): emperor penguin, orca, Pallas’s cat, Siberian tiger, grizzly bear, hooded seal, polar bear

Episode two (Frozen Ocean): polar bear, beluga, harp seal, skeleton shrimp, crested auklet, orca

Episode three (Frozen Peaks): high-casqued chameleon, japanese macaque, kea, andean flamingo, giant panda, golden eagle, andean mountain lion

Episode four (Frozen South): king penguin, Antipodean wandering albatross, blue whale, Weddell seal, chinstrap penguin, snow petrel, leopard seal, orca

Episode five (Frozen Lands): grey wolf, arctic fox, Amur leopard, Siberian tiger, painted turtl, Lapland bumblebee, snowy owl, caribou, grizzly bear

Episode six (Our Frozen Planet): none

Africa

Episode one (Kalahari): fork-tailed drongo, ostrich, black rhinoceros, Angolan giraffe, African leopard, armored ground cricket, spider wasp

Episode two (Savannah): Agama lizard, shoebill, bee-eaters and rollers, lesser flamingo, African elephant, crowned eagle, African fish eagle, martial eagle

Episode three (Congo): chimpanzee, central African rock python, Angola banana frog, African skimmer, rockfowl, African elephant

Episode four (Cape): emperor swallowtail, giant kingfish, African penguin, monkey beetle, springbok, yellow-billed kite, pied crow, ghost crab, vundu catfish, Nile crocodile, Bryde’s whale, great white shark, common dolphin

Episode five (Sahara): Grevy’s zebra, naked mole rat, barn swallow, Dromedary camel, dung beetle, crocodile, western yellow wagtail, Saharan silver ant

Episode six (The Future): none

#alterhuman #therian #resources

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sailtomarina · 6 months

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Yes or no

They’d been dancing around one another for weeks.

The tension that had built up and nearly combusted in Potions working together as partners continued to bubble beneath the surface, threatening to spill over in their study sessions. Hermione supposed she had Madam Pince’s ever-watchful eye to thank—never in her wildest dreams would she ever risk her library privileges to distractions like Draco Malfoy.

Admittedly, he made for a lovely distraction.

She asked herself for the millionth time what had possessed her to invite him to study with her. Hermione could barely think every time he leaned over her shoulder to peer at her notes. She thought he’d be cold, what with his general paleness and the haughty manner in which he’d always carried himself. Instead, close proximity proved him warm in a way that made her want to lean in and soak him up skin to skin.

Would his hands be silky soft, or calloused from years gripping a broomstick? Would his hold on her be firm, or gentle?

He kept sitting next to her so he could shuffle his chair close as they shared texts and checked each other’s work. In the instance that she arrived after he had already settled in and she tried to sit across from him, there was always some excuse preventing her from taking a far seat. Either he’d have his legs kicked up, or his bags would be strewn across the chairs, or he’d get up to search for another text, only to return and settle in right next to her. Once in place, Hermione couldn’t find the willpower to put distance between them.

Before she knew it, being close to Draco was as natural as reaching for pumpkin juice at breakfast. They shared a natural harmony in and out of class that already rivaled the pace she’d taken to get to that point with anyone else.

Maybe if they’d lived in another reality without all the prejudice they could have become friends much sooner. Who knows how close they’d be by this point if that were the case?

The tip of her quill snapped after a particularly hard jab at her parchment, prompting her to curse loud enough to draw Pince’s glare.

“Sorry, sorry,” she muttered, nodding apologetically. With an annoyed sigh, she cast a reparo at her battered instrument.

“How many times have you repaired that by now?” Draco mused. He eyed the battered end in a way that had Hermione flushing in embarrassment.

“Does it matter? I’ll fix it as many times as necessary.”

“Yours looks like it’s on its last legs.”

She paused to inspect the quill more closely, taking in the slightly crooked nib, the chewed up feather tip, and the worn-away color from where she gripped it.

“I suppose I should have a backup in case the spell finally gives up.”

“You could—” Draco paused to clear his throat before continuing, “I mean, I would be happy to accompany you to Hogsmeade this weekend.”

She must have stared at him in shock for just a beat too long, because pink bloomed in his cheeks as he squirmed in his chair in a distinctly un-Malfoy-like way.

“I just thought you’d like a replacement and I’ve been wanting to go for a while now and—”

“Are you asking me out on a date?” Hermione blurted out.

“I…I suppose that’s what some people might call it? It’s not like you have any obligation to indulge me, and actually there isn’t any rush, you absolutely don’t have to go if you don’t want to. I promise I won’t be offended if—” he continued to babble on, now Howler red.

“Draco.”

His mouth clicked shut, wide grey eyes fixed on hers.

“Are you asking me out on a date—yes, or no?”

She watched him struggle to speak, mouth opening, then closing, throat bobbing as he swallowed and shut his eyes before opening them up again, determination setting in.

“Yes.”

One word never sounded so sweet, and Hermione wanted nothing more than to jump and squeal in all the ways she would have rolled her eyes at in the past.

Another tiny part of her, the one with a mean streak a mile wide, wanted to make him repeat himself.

“Then ask me officially.”

Their homework forgotten, the presence of all others in the library fading away to nothing, Hermione and Draco stared at one another in their own bubble, every breath heavy with intent.

“Hermione, would you go on a date with me to Hogsmeade this weekend?” he said slowly, enunciating each word carefully.

For the first time since they’d started working together in class and studying together in their free time, Hermione turned directly into his space. Both legs pivoted around to slot between his own as she held him steady in her warm gaze.

“I would love to.”

Watching his face transform was a memory Hermione never wanted to forget. What started as a somber plea flitted to hope as she faced him, almost immediately tilting up into unabashed joy that lit up his entire countenance.

The weekend couldn’t come fast enough.

WC 852

Cross-posted on Tumblr and AO3

Twitter prompt “yes or no” from DramionePrompts

This short is a bit of a successor from another Twitter prompt of mine, “Don’t tell me it’s over.”

#dramione #dramione prompt #dhr fanfiction #harry potter fanfiction #draco malfoy x hermione granger #hermione granger #draco malfoy

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kaaragen · 23 days

Text

By the Scenic Route

(A short(ish) fic inspired by this conversation with @stellanslashgeode)

Ahsoka glared at her datapad as if narrowing her eyes further would force the information to align in a way she liked. Sat in the Noti pod that was now her base of operations, the data was refusing to comply. However she spun it, twisted it, rearranged it, pleaded with it, argued, and threatened to throw it against the wall, the datapad was resolute.

No purgil migrations would be happening for another two years. Minimum.

Which meant her chances of escaping Peridia were zilch. Nada. Nought.

She sighed and leaned back against the cold metal of the wall, stretching her legs out across her cot, long lekku draping down toward her waist. Months they’d been out here, with no sign of a way out. She’d briefly scouted the space around the planet with Huyang, scoping with the sensors as far as possible, but wherever Peridia was it was the ass-end of it. Nothing was out there for light years.

And while she was stuck here, Thrawn was back home. Doing who knew what. Yes, sure, she trusted Ezra, trusted Hera and Luke and everyone, but still.

The sound of running feet scuffing through dust twitched her montrals and the sigh was leaving her lips before Sabine even skidded to the open hatch.

“Master!” Sabine shouted, doing nothing for Ahoska’s headache. “The bandits are attacking!”

Ahsoka feathered fingers to her temple. “Sabine, for the love of the Force, can you and Shin find other ways of hanging out...”

Sabine looked affronted, even as her cheeks reddened. “Hang out--what do--they’re murderous, rampaging bandits!”

Ahsoka crossed her arms sourly. “Really? And when was the last time they murdered something more valuable than flowers?”

“I--”

“Never mind!” Ahsoka threw up her hands and stood, storming past Sabine and into the cold light of the village. The Noti looked spectacularly unbothered for people apparently about to be raided, going about their daily tasks of mending the curving, snail-like pods, caring for the children and organising the supplies. A couple poked their eyestalks toward Ahsoka and Sabine but most paid them no mind as Ahsoka strode for her howler, Yoti, snoozing at the edge of the village circle. She gestured and Yoti responded to her presence, yawning and stretching.

“I’m going out,” Ahsoka said, gathering up her saddle and reins and putting them on Yoti, “I place you in full charge of the defence of the village.”

Sabine put her hands on her hips, frowning. “Well, thanks for the vote of confidence.”

“You’re welcome Padawan. Enjoy the lightsabre duel. Make sure the plant pots stay safe.” She cracked the reigns and Yoti shot off, bounding across the mottled earth.

“Sheesh...go have a wank or something, don’t take your frustration out on me...” she heard Sabine mutter.

----------------

Ahsoka wasn’t aware of how long she rode, or even where. The light didn’t change much at the best of times, and much of the planet had a drab, hewn grey. But she could pick out some markers to lead her back to the Noti. For everything else, she had the Force.

She breathed deeply. Casting her eyes up into the cloudless day, the pale blue of the sky revealed nothing, save for the purple line cutting across the heavens like a lightsabre blade. Huyang had determined that that phenomenon, whatever it was, was several million lightyears away but was unable to determine what it was. Focusing on it and questing through the Force in the past had brought Ahsoka nothing but a deep, sickly feeling so she’d ignored it since.

What was she going to do? Everything inside her was screaming at her with visions of destruction, death, returning to the galaxy to fine the Empire renewed and everyone she knew gone. Again.

Sometimes she could shut it out. Sometimes she could keep it quiet. But there were nightmares. And during the day, they would intrude into her consciousness, jabbing like needles into her skin.

It was happening again.

She breathed. She let the rhythmic thump of her mount’s stride reverberate. She reached through the echoing pulse of her feet striking the ground. Followed the ripple of its waves into the grass. Followed the pollen leaking from the grass up and up into the air. Followed them as they dappled down, landing across furrowed ground and then some tools and then the sides of a hut and up and up and landing on...

Something...familiar?

She opened her eyes, confused. Ahsoka cast her gaze to the East and directed Yoti to follow a path she hadn’t traversed before. The path led her toward a mountain, where tumbled statues fell across the ground, large stone hands that had once been upraised in triumph now beseeching to anyone passing by. She ignored them, focusing on the horizon getting closer and closer, crossing a small stream.

The curve of the planet unrolled and she came across a small hut with a flat roof, sat at the end of a ploughed field. Several crops poked from the furrows of the ground, some hanging fruits as well as rooted vegetables. Ahsoka swung off the howler, and walked across the field, her eyes never leaving the figure sitting in a cross-legged meditation pose on the hut’s roof.

Ahsoka halted a meter away and stared. “Barriss?”

Barriss Offee, for it was she, cracked open an eye and turned her head slightly. She wore a plain, loose black tunic, a shawl wrapped over her hair, the black freckles of her diamond tattoos across her nose and cheeks standing out from the yellow skin. A few lines streaked her face, but still recognisably her.

“Ah, hello Ahsoka,” she said, closing her eyes again. “My apologies, I’m in the middle of completing an exercise. Would you mind waiting?”

Ahsoka raised a bewildered brow.

Barriss’ eyes flew open and her mouth twisted into a rictus. She toppled off the side of her hut as if she’d had a heart attack.

Thud!

“...Owww...”

Ahsoka looked down at Barriss, rather inelegantly sprawled upside down with her ankles in the region of her ears, wincing at what was an almighty whack to the head when she fell.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Ahsoka asked, more in shock than anything else.

“I live here!” Barriss replied. She scooted herself around to a seated position, rubbing the back of her head. She cast a vicious glare at Ahoska, as if she’d missed a ‘private property - keep out!’ sign. “What are you doing here?”

“I...” Ahsoka started and then trailed off. She’d been asking herself that same question, repeatedly. “I...live here too...I guess.”

“You guess? Are you not aware?” Barriss scoffed, getting to her feet. She froze slightly and cast a worried eye at her. “You’re not...you’re not here for...?”

“You? No. Until this moment I had no idea you were here.” Ahsoka frowned. “What are you doing here?”

A dry, mirthless chuckle escaped Barriss’ throat. “What do you think? Hiding. Trying to find some semblance of life away from it all. I had to run to entirely different galaxy to escape my demons.” She paused, her expression falling into a pit. “Seems they found me anyway.”

Ahsoka swallowed. “I’m...Barriss I’m not looking to...” She shook her head. “How did you find your way here?”

“The fairy tales. I always like them. I read up on purgil migration patterns and thought I’d take the chance. Anything was better than...than where I was.” She cleared her throat. “The Inquisitorious...it was...”

“I know,” Ahsoka interrupted. “We found the list.”

She’d spent days staring at it, when she’d seen Barriss’ name among the reports, declared dead some two years after the rise of the Empire. There had been a part of her that had ached. Ached for the loss of closure. For the missed opportunity to talk. But she’d put it away and had largely not thought about Barriss for nearly thirty years.

Now she was suddenly, quietly, back in her life.

She almost couldn’t process it. There was the face she remembered from her youth. Older now, but still her. The person she’d almost died with, multiple times. The person she’d gone through a war with. The person she’d grown up with.

The person she’d felt...

Who had betrayed...

Barriss’ eyes flicked to her, and their gazes hooked into each other for a long moment.

Barriss’ lip trembled. “I...I wouldn’t presume to hope that you’d know...but I want to say that I’m so sorry for--”

“Barriss, stop.”

Just like that, she couldn’t take it anymore. She collapsed into a squat, energy draining out of her. Her arms hung limp over her knees and Barriss said nothing, just watched her.

“I’m...I’m so tired.” Admitting it felt strange, but it came with a pulse of truth. She took a deep breath and ploughed through. “I get it. I don’t agree with what you did, but I understand it. I’ve been fighting, constantly, since I was fourteen years old. The Empire has been gone for twelve years and I’m still fighting. Even now, stuck here, all of my thoughts are about trying to get back, trying to keep fighting, and what will happen if I don’t.

“I was angry with you. I’m not going to lie, I spent a lot of hours imagining confronting you in the aftermath of...of it...”

“Did any of them take place in a galaxy far, far away?” Barriss asked weakly.

Ahsoka cracked a smile. “No, but a spectacular number ended with you getting punched.”

Barriss’ face twitched. “Can’t say I wouldn’t have deserved it.”

“But seeing you, now, just makes me think...that I’m too exhausted for this anymore. I’m too exhausted to stay angry. Or anything.”

A long silence stretched between them.

Barriss cleared her throat. “I don’t...I don’t want to give advice but...if you really can’t get back, then perhaps take that as a sign?”

Ahsoka squinted up at her.

“The Force and I...we don’t have the best relationship. I’m trying to find my way back to it, to let it back into my life. But it’s been good out here. It gave me time to think. To decompress. To...” She waggled her hands. “To rest. Maybe you’re getting a signal that you should do the same?”

Ahsoka swallowed. There as a part of her that rebelled at that idea. That couldn’t stand the idea that she should just leave things be. That wanted to rage against the infinite box she was placed in. But...but what good would it do to even return to the galaxy if she was this tired?

Her confrontation with Anakin had told her something; that death wasn’t the right path. But that didn’t mean she couldn’t have some rest. That she couldn’t take a break. That she couldn’t let herself truly breathe...

She chuckled softly and stood. Maybe the Force had led her with its pollen path?

“Thanks, Barriss. I think I needed to hear that.”

Barriss smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “You’re welcome, Ahsoka. May the Force be with you.”

Ahsoka nodded and turned to go to Yoti. She reached halfway across the field, before pausing and then swinging back. Barriss stared at her, rooted to the spot, eyes wide and a trembling across her face.

Ahsoka swallowed and opened her mouth--

“Do you want to see my village?”

Barriss blinked. “What?”

Ahsoka squeezed her eyes shut. All the vaunted maturity she’d thought she’d gained over the years fled out of her system and suddenly she was a teenager again, desperate to say something but not knowing how to or even what the something was beyond a vague feeling. But this time the feeling was clear: she wanted her friend back.

She opened her eyes, and there was Barriss and for the first time she saw all the fear that had coagulated in her being. “Do you...do you think we could just pretend that we talked it all out a long time ago? That we moved past it?”

Barriss held still a moment, then she crumpled back against her hut. Her breath came thick and short, and she squeezed her eyes closed. For a moment, Ahsoka thought she was going to vomit, but she seemed to get herself under control.

“I would like that,” she gasped. “I would like that very much.”

A wave of relief, carrying with it a long-buried feeling, settling over her like an old cloak. Not exactly comfy, perhaps, and maybe not fitting right anymore. But comfortable, with the familiar scent providing warmth. She walked to Barriss and lightly put her hand on her shoulder. Barriss looked up at her wide-eyed, hopeful and scared.

“Then let’s do that.” Ahsoka smiled.

-----------------

The ride back was comfortable, the two catching up on the way. Barriss didn’t have much to tell, apart from her “less-than-daring escape” as she put it, and Ahsoka chided her to come up with something more entertaining to tell later. From Ahsoka’s side there was so much.

“So they built two superweapons?” Barriss queried, riding behind Ahsoka on the mount, her hands resting on Ahsoka’s thighs in a light way that suggested she was afraid of touching something scalding.

“Yeah. I think there must have been an underspend in the budget somewhere.”

“And they called this planet killing weapon the Death Star?”

“They sure did.”

“What have they called the solar system destroying weapon? The Sun Crusher? The Starkiller?”

Ahsoka laughed. They crested a rise and came onto view the village, the pods all miraculously undestroyed and unraided.

“Here we are,” Ahsoka said. “It’s not much, but it’s a base.”

“It looks lovely. I’ve traded with the Noti before. Very friendly people. You’ve done well.” Barriss squinted past Ahsoka’s arm. “Are those Scar-Waste Bandits?”

“Yes.” Ahsoka frowned. Alright, this was unusual. Usually the bandits scuttled off after a bit of ritual bellowing and a lightsabre fight between Sabine and Shin, that usually ended with Shin fleeing and threatening vile retribution like some HoloNet serial villain. But this time, they were hanging about. Drinking tea with the Noti, spinning some of the kids in their disc-shaped hats, and generally being pleasant people. Their helmets were off, pale blue skin with green eyes peering out. “This isn’t normal.”

“From my experience, they’re not ones to trade or be pleasant, even when it would be more advantageous to them. But they leave you alone if you give them a sufficiently thorough kicking.”

Ahsoka raised a brow at Barriss, and her cheeks darkened. “They caught me on a bad day and took a potato crop that had just ripened. I’m not perfect!”

Ahsoka slid off Yoti and Barriss followed her through the village. She reached out, trying to locate Sabine and twigged her presence as coming from their pod.

With...someone else...

Ahsoka halted outside of the pod, the hatch door shut. “Sabine?” she called.

Someone swore. There was a fumbling, stumbling noise, two people in a hushed argument. Sounds of items being thrown and clinking against the walls and floor. An isolated curse. And then the hatch popped open and Sabine popped out, flushed and panicked and wearing a light grey tunic that was familiar and also not Sabine’s.

“Oh! Hey, Master, I thought you would be longer--that is, it’s good to see you back!”

“Master?” Barriss queried with a twitch of her lips.

Ahsoka flapped her hand. “What are you doing?” she asked Sabine.

“Uh...well, actually, I’m in the process of negotiating a peace treaty with the bandits.”

“Really?” Ahsoka’s voice dripped with so much sarcasm it nearly pooled at her feet.

“Pretty intense negotiations actually.” Sabine toed her boot into the ground, the ankle and leg above its hem bare.

Ahsoka closed her eyes and let out a suffering sigh. She turned to Barriss. “I don’t suppose I could stay at your place?”

For what might have been the first time in her life, Ahsoka saw a genuine smile cross Barriss’ face. She slid her hand into Ahsoka’s and gently squeezed.

“Come on, I’ll take you home by the scenic route.”

Home. She liked the sound of that word and the implications it held.

Ahsoka squeezed the hand back. “That sounds like just what I need.”

#star wars #fanfic #barrissoka #wolfwren #my writing #fluff #mild angst #hope you enjoy!

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cosmic-comet-19 · 3 months

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The Stars to his Moon: Part 5

"...make sure you get Sirius' set, not mine..." the voice of James drifted after him. "Don't know why my bishops keep running away..."

Remus rolled his eyes, having volunteered to fetch a wizard chess set for James and Frank back down in the common room. The truth was, he wanted a ciggy in peace - he knew James couldn't stand the smell of them, so he took moments for himself every so often up in the dorm.

Casually pushing open the door, he spied Sirius' wizard chess perched on top of a precariously-stacked pile of books.

"Accio cigarette," he muttered, and a small tin box flew towards him from under his bed. Taking out two, Remys tucked one in his robes and one expertly between his lips.

"Want a light?" came a drawl beside him. Remus jumped, the fag almost falling from his lips.

Behind his curtain, Sirius sat crossed legged on Remus' bed. With a raised eyebrow, the latter twitched his own curtains open a few inches more.

"If you'd be so kind," he replied, curious. The Black heir clicked his fingers and the end of Remus' fag caught alight instantly. Taking a long drag, he fixed his eyes on Sirius, who suddenly avoided his gaze. Something crackled under Sirius' knee, and Remus waited, before clearing his throat.

"You ok?"

Barking out a laugh before he could stop himself, Sirius pulled out a quivering red letter, clearly desperate to be opened.

"My mother," Sirius explained unnecessarily, boredom masking the uncertainty in his voice. But Remus heard it all the same. Wordlessly, he flicked his wand toward the door, closing it softly. He met pale grey eyes, unknowingly betraying boyish fear so unlike the brash and confident flirt Remus knew.

"No way around it," he said steadfastly, and Remus shook his head.

"Ignore them. They don't know you."

"Remus-"

"They don't, Sirius! They are the worst excuse for parents I've heard of - and trust me, I've heard a lot."

Sirius sighed, then motioned to the cigarette Remus was intermittently puffing on.

"That any good?"

A grin tugging on his lips, Remys handed it over wordlessly. Thoughts about having corrupted the posh boy would have to wait, he told himself sternly.

"D'you want to be alone?" Remus ventured, knowing immediately that he would hate for Sirius to say yes. He didn't think he would...

"No." Sirius puffed out a small ring of smoke, coughing slightly. His eyes were raw and genuine, younger than Remus have ever seen them. "No. Just. Stay."

Remus' heart leapt, but he knew that's not how Sirius meant it. Still, he thought.

Quickly, Sirius ripped open the scarlet envelope, and the Howler rose into the air.

"How dare you disgrace the Noble and Most Pure House of Black!? Joining the Gryffindor quidditch team! Duelling with your brother! Befriending half breeds and blood traitors! Mudbloods! You will answer for this in July, mark my words, Sirius!"

After the Howler had screeched its final vile word, it shredded itself into a thousand blood-red pieces. Silence descended, but the instant Remus saw Sirius' blank, scared expression, he took his longest drag yet and interrupted the silence:

"So, your family are vile."

Despite himself, Sirius laughed, the unexpected amusement jarring.

"Didn't know you had it in you, Remmie," he drawled, Howler forgotten. Remus rolled his eyes.

"I hate that," he grumbled, watching the dark-haired boy carefully. Mischievously, Sirius smirked.

"Do you, Remmie? I think you quite like it, actually."

Rolling his eyes, Remus took another drag.

"Bet you'd like that," he replied, without thinking. Taken aback for a split second, Sirius smirked back at him, raising an eyebrow. The sight was so funny that Remus groaned.

"It is honestly a mystery to me how all these girls fall for you," he told him sarcastically. Sirius narrowed his eyes.

"I'll show you-"

But before he could finish that thought, the door burst open. A mess of curls and glasses entered the room, and Sirius leapt up off the bed, feeling slightly guilty. What for? he thought. "James!"

Casually, Remus scrolled over to open the window to let the smoke out. As he glanced back to the infamous duo, he caught sight of something new in Sirius' eyes.

#james potter #marauders #remus lupin #wolfstar #marauders era #sirius black #dead gay wizards #remus x sirius #grimmauld place

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magpiecrust · 1 year

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Miyako : What do you crave more than anything? Tom : Stability. Noah : Peace of mind. Orville : Pancakes.

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statecryptids · 1 year

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OZARK HOWLER- ARKANSAS

The Ozarks are a range of low mountains found primarily in Northern Arkansas and southern Missouri with portions extending into Oklahoma and Kansas. Their origins lie in the late Paleozoic when sand, silt, coral, and shells built up as layers of sludge on the bottom of a sea that covered what would eventually become the American South. Over time these sediments hardened into rock- sand became sandstone, silt became slate, and the shells and coral became limestone- and the movement of tectonic plates pushed them upwards into a low dome-like plateau. Over the next 485 million years rivers and rain gradually eroded the soft rocks into canyons, cliffs, and caves that have provided habitat for bears, bobcats, otters and other Southern wildlife along with more unusual creatures like blind cave fish, collared lizards and endangered grey bats. And perhaps a cryptid or two.

According to legend, the people of the Ozarks have been haunted for decades by the unearthly screams of a beast dubbed the Black Howler. Those who have caught a glimpse of the monster describe it as a dark-furred cat nearly the size of a bear. Other reports claim it has glowing red eyes and demonic horns sprouting from its head.

Explanations for the beast range from a normal, though unknown, species of large cat to something more supernatural. A few people have even compared the beast to English and Welsh legends of black dogs, cŵn annwn, hellhounds, and other supernatural beasts that bring misfortune to those who see them.

More skeptical people have speculated that the Howler is simply a misidentified cougar. Though these big cats are believed to be extinct in this region, it’s possible that a small population has survived. Or perhaps a few lone individuals have wandered in from other areas. This theory is bolstered by photos from trail cams showing creatures that strongly resemble these animals, and by similar cases of “phantom big cats” occurring in areas of the US where they are not normally found.

Though some claim that legends of the Howler go back generations, cryptozoologist Loren Coleman has found that the first reports of the beast originated from posts on online forums in the late 1990s. His investigations indicate that the “folklore” about the beast was a deliberate hoax to mock the widespread reports of chupacabras and bigfoots that were becoming increasingly widespread at the time thanks to the advent of the internet. Hoax it may be, but the Howler has since become a popular piece of Ozark folklore and sightings are still regularly reported.

The Howler is especially significant as one of the first urban legend monsters to be created online, laying the groundwork for later, more famous internet creatures like Slenderman, The Rake, Momo, and Trevor Henderson’s Siren Head.

RESOURCES

#cryptids #monster #ozark #ozark howler

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respectfulkitfistosimp · 5 months

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Imagine the absolute chaos Ahsoka is gonna have with not one but two disaster padawans. Goes to the closet to fetch something? Shit one of them is napping in there best not disturb them. Huyang where is- oh they’ve somehow taught the Noti how to gamble. There’s fresh new mural spraypainted on a cliff face that says “Thrawn Sux” but it’s in calligraphy so that’s nice. No, you have to dry your howler’s paws before before he can come on the ship I don’t care how cute Tota is he’s covered in mud. Sabine how the fuck did you smuggle a loth cat in? Shin got hyper fixated in Huyang’s craft room and passed out surrounded by tools and parts, at least he put a blanket on her? No the training room is for sparring not kissing. I hope Ahsoka packed plenty of tea and likes dramatic sitcom shenanigans because she’s about to have dinner and a show every night 😂

I love how your brain works, whatever the togruta equivalent is of grey hairs Ahsoka is gonna grow them.

But not gonna lie, after what happened with Baylan Shin is probably going to develop some type of abandonment issues, something that Ahsoka is most likely going to relate to and hopefully comfort her. Also! I feel like they're going to exchange Jedi tales which Sabine is definitely going to listen to and say something like "everything would've been resolved if they had just blasted that guy".

#star wars ahsoka #ahsoka #ahsoka tano #shin hati #shin #sabine #sabine wren

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melanie-ohara · 3 months

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A Hunt For Gold - Chapter 2

Whumpuary2024, Bonus - Prompt: Rescue

Ahsoka sets dangerous events in motion

I accidentally made this almost 4,000 words, so I'm splitting into two angsty, angsty chapters

AO3 Here

The days were getting shorter. Sabine had been keeping track since they were stranded, and sundown was almost an hour earlier. She initially thought the cold was from heading north, but now she was sure winter was settling over Peridea. The lower the temperature dropped, the more restless and distant Ahsoka became. She spent days on her Howler, scouting the path ahead and looking for Baylan's trail into the mountains. Sabine had lost track of how many days ahead he was now, but she could feel Ahsoka's anxiety. Something was pulling her up that mountain, and she didn't understand what it was.

To distract herself, Sabine focused on her armour. Once she finished applying the grey top-coat to the repaired metal she started sketching a new design with a pencil, drawing directly onto the matte grey surface. She could have done it with a holo - it would have been much faster and neater - but with her armour compromised Sabine felt she had to reconnect with the Mandalorians of old, and work on it the old fashioned way. Shin kept her company while she worked, sitting close and watching intently with wide, fascinated eyes. They ate together, and every so often Shin's hand would seek out Sabine's if it was free, and they would sit in a strangely comfortable silence. She liked to run her thumb along Sabine's knuckles, which made her smile every time.

"What about the other pauldron?" Shin asked, when Sabine had carefully outlined her Starbird sigil on the right shoulder plate. It didn't feel right to use the Republic's symbol any more, even if she had helped design it, not while they were a galaxy away.

"I'm not sure," Sabine said. "In the old days, Mandalorians would claim signets. Something that affected them deeply, usually represented by an animal." She touched her finger to the metal and remembered the previous beasts that she had carried with her - a loth wolf, the strange bird Ezra saw whenever Ahsoka was around, and the purgill that had taken him away. Now she needed something new, and she was at a loss.

"A Howler?" Shin suggested, shuffling her chair a little closer and putting her weight gently against Sabine's side.

Sabine shook her head. "I don't know. I don't feel… connected to this place." Shin's hand found her own and Sabine smiled as their fingers intertwined. "Maybe I'll paint you there," she teased.

"Am I an animal, then?" Shin asked, giving her a sideways look from under her hair.

Sabine raised her eyebrows and nodded. "Oh yeah, definitely."

Before Shin could reply, Huyang's voice rang out over the speaker. "Lady Wren, there is a problem. Please come to the cockpit." There was an urgency in the droid's tone that Sabine didn't like, and she had a sinking feeling in her stomach as she hurried out of the workshop towards the cockpit. Shin followed her a few steps behind, like she was unsure she was invited. One backwards glance at her face was enough to tell Sabine she was thinking the exact same thing she was.

"What's happening, Huyang?" she asked as they reached the cockpit. She dropped into her seat before the droid had started to reply, and Shin hovered awkwardly by the door.

"Ahsoka's comm unit is sending a direct ping to the ship, a half-second burst every six seconds," he said, calling up a 3D map of the mountain and highlighting the location of Ahsoka's comm.

"A distress signal?" Sabine asked, getting more and more concerned.

"Standard Jedi operating procedure is to initiate this protocol automatically, when the unit has been separated from its operator," Huyang explained. "It also transmits the previous ten seconds of captured audio."

"So play it," Sabine demanded.

Huyang hesitated. "I am not sure that Lady Hati - "

"Play it," Shin growled from the back of the cockpit. Even now, her tone sent shudders up Sabine's spine.

"Right," Huyang said. "Very well." His metal fingers clattered quickly over the interface for a moment, and then the sound of ignited lightsabers filled the cockpit. The hum was low and consistent, the sound of two opponents squaring off.

"I'm not here to kill you."

Sabine heard Shin draw a sharp breath and saw her stand up straight. "That's Baylan," she said. Sabine held up a hand to hush her.

"So put down the lightsaber," said Ahsoka. There was a change in the hum as one of them moved. Sabine felt her breath still as she listened.

"We want the same thing, Ahsoka Tano." Baylan's voice was calm, measured, and assured. It was the same tone he'd used to convince Sabine to surrender on Seatos. "That's why you're here without your friend."

"What is it that we want?" Ahsoka asked. It stung a little that she didn't correct him to say apprentice, but Sabine ignored that feeling. And focused on the lightsabers in the recording. They were still at rest, but it felt like they could spring into frenzied clashing at any second.

"Allow me to show you."

Ahsoka didn't speak for a few seconds, and then the sound cut out completely.

"What happened?" Sabine demanded from the silence in the cockpit.

"I do not know," Huyang admitted. "Ahsoka must have disabled her comm at that moment."

Sabine got out of her seat with a growl of frustration. "Damnit, Ahsoka! What happened to staying together?" Huyang turned in his seat to say something, but Sabine silenced him with a glare. "Do not answer that question, Huyang."

"We have to go after her."

Sabine turned, surprised that Shin had spoken up. She was still standing in the corner, wide eyed and more frightened than Sabine had seen her - more frightened than the day she had rescued her from the bandits that betrayed her and left her to die in the woods.

"Baylan said there was power here," Shin continued, taking a step towards Sabine. "He was obsessed with it." She looked down at her feet and her voice dropped. "I'd never seen him like that before."

"What happens when we find her?" Sabine asked. Shin's jaw tightened and she swallowed, and didn't say anything. Sabine caught herself before she reached to put a hand on Shin's arm and instead took a half step back so she was out of her personal space. "You and Baylan are close, and I - "

"He's like a father to me," Shin interrupted, lifting her eyes to bear down on Sabine with a furious glare that almost made her take another step away. "And if he won't stop then we kill him." Before Sabine could even think of something to say, Shin turned and stormed out.

Sabine started after her, then stopped and turned back to Huyang. "Get us out to that signal source. The Noti will just have to manage without us for a while."

As Huyang laid in a course, Sabine went to find Shin.

The temple Baylan led her to was carved into the side of the mountain. Above the entrance, great stone faces stared down at Ahsoka as she walked up the steps and snow swirled around her. It was undoubtedly Nightsister architecture, but it wasn't like anything she'd seen before. The style was different - where the ruins of Dathomir were smooth and curved, the Nightsister statues watching her were carved to be sharp, with teeth like knives and eyes like wounds. The Force was choked with strange emotions: fear, respect, certainty, control, pity. A billion parsecs from anywhere she had ever known, Ahsoka felt a strange pang of familiarity.

She had been here before.

"This is the place," she said.

"Yes," Baylan replied, even though it wasn't a question.

The darkness inside the temple wasn't absolute. Light spilled down from somewhere high above, but most of the illumination came from a shining inscription carved around a great circular door. Ahsoka had no idea how it was lit up, but it was bright enough to fill a room the size of the council chamber at the Jedi temple.

"You know, the old stories say this used to be a volcano," Baylan said conversationally, turning to look at her as she walked cautiously towards the door. His hands were clasped in front of him, and Ahsoka could see her lightsaber clipped to his belt alongside his own. "The ancient Nightsisters used all of its power to build this place."

"It took a lot more than that," Ahsoka said. She had surrendered to Baylan not out of choice, but because something deep inside her demanded that she come here - that she return here - like a magnet drawn to a pole. She had given in to it for one simple reason, which was that she knew categorically that it wasn't the Force pulling her. It was something that had become a part of her, a very long time ago.

"Do you need a translation?" Baylan asked, with a pointed glance at the glowing lettering.

'A great and endless prison, for the great and endless. The way is shut to all who bear not my blood.'

"I know what it says." Ahsoka realised her mistake in coming too late, but there was still a slim chance Baylan didn't know that. "A pity there are no Nightsisters left to open the door for you."

Baylan smiled grimly. "You know I don't need a Nightsister." He took a few steps towards her, and Ahsoka firmly stood her ground. "Where is Morai?"

#whumpuaryno12 #rescue #whumpuary2024 #fanfic #writing #star wars #ahsoka #shin hati #wolfwren #sabine wren #baylan skoll #the angst #oh baby the angst

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heartofspells · 2 years

Text

@wolfstarmicrofic

Prompt: map

"Have you gone mad? You can't show him that!"

"Why not? He'll make good use of it just like we did. Good thing I managed to snag it back from Filch when I went to visit, huh? I've missed the old girl."

"Padfoot, no."

"Aw, c'mon, Moons. Where's the harm?"

"The harm is in all the things we did with it. Do you want those owls every other day like our parents got?"

"My parents sent Howlers in return. The most Harry will get is a stern look and a sneaky high five when no one's paying any attention. Especially you, seeing as you're so obviously against the idea."

"Do not pout at me. You know that stopped working years ago."

"Did it? Hadn't realized since it worked only yesterday."

"Shut. Up."

"What's that?"

Remus snatches the map from Sirius' hands with little finesse as Harry's voice sounds from behind them, hiding it at his back as both men round quickly. Sirius squawks a little but doesn't fight back, though now he is pouting a bit, but the expression is slowly being drowned out by the spreading grin over his face.

"Nothing!" Remus hastily denies. "Shopping list. Nothing of intrigue. What, er…what're you up to, Haz?" Remus furtively steps directly on Sirius' foot as he opens his mouth to speak. Sirius squeaks.

Harry's eyes shift back and forth between them silently for several seconds, brows pinching together. "Right," he says finally, shaking his head. "Came down to see if we had any plans for this week. Ron wants me to come round at some point."

"We thought we might take a trip to the seaside like we did when you were younger, but we can do that anytime. Just let us know when you'd like to go to the Burrow. Ron and Hermione can come with us whenever we venture out, if you'd like," proposes Remus, still standing on Sirius' foot.

"Sounds great, yeah," mumbles Harry, still staring between them with an odd expression. Harry turns to leave the kitchen, but he stops, glancing back over them. "You two are starting to go round the bend, d'you know that?"

"Comes with raising teenagers, or so I've heard," returns Sirius easily, hands slowly creeping behind Remus.

Harry grunts a little and then he's leaving them alone, still shaking his head slightly. Sirius angles a glare at Remus once he's gone.

"James would be outraged," he scolds.

Remus huffs. "And Lily would be in full support," he counters. "No map."

"Moony," whinges Sirius, leaning forward a little, something almost enticing in his grey eyes.

"No," denies Remus pointedly, and Sirius' pout returns.

"You're no fun." And then he's plucking the map from Remus' hands as smoothly as a talented pickpocket. Remus sputters as Sirius darts away. "Oi, Harry! Wait up. I've got something for you!"

"Sirius, get back here!"

Sirius only laughs as Remus gives chase.

#wolfstar #sirius black #remus lupin #sirius x remus #sirius/remus #wolfstar raising harry #marauders map #wolfstarmicrofic #shh the kid is sleeping #don't wake her for the love of everything #i cannot deal with the snot any longer #my writing #my microfics #holli writes

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up-to-some-good · 5 months

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Traditions (2/9)

A little later than intended, but here it is: second year, second tradition

Previous Part

Next Part

December 1972

Second year was tough for Sirius. Regulus was finally with him at Hogwarts, but across the castle in a different house and refusing to be seen talking to his brother. They still spoke, but Regulus insisted on hiding in broom closets and leaving separately, lest someone report back to their parents that he had been seen with the traitor.

His parents were getting progressively more insufferable. At first, they had sent him a weekly Howler, bemoaning that he couldn't be more like Regulus and that he kept getting into trouble. Thankfully, that didn't last very long. By his thirteenth birthday, they were completely ignoring him, not even sending a note for the rest of term, even though he knew they'd been told about the Marauders' latest antics.

The next he heard from them was a short note, just one sentence sent by owl the day before winter break began.

"Your presence is neither required nor welcome home this holiday."

He showed the note to McGonagall immediately, added his name to the list of students staying over the break, and watched with resignation as his brother left with everyone else to go home for Christmas.

His only saving grace was that he wouldn't be alone in Gryffindor tower, as Remus was staying over the holiday too. The full moon fell too close to Christmas for his comfort, and his parents were visiting his great-grandparents who he had never met for the holiday, so he had opted to stay at school too.

There weren't any other Gryffindor students staying behind, although there were a few scattered between the other houses, but Remus and Sirius had the tower to themselves. They spent their days playing in the snow and warming up by the fire in the common room, playing endless games of chess. They once again made a gingerbread house and ate the whole thing just the two of them.

The problem came at night, when Remus was already asleep and Sirius found himself wide awake, staring out the window and wondering what was going on at home. Was Regulus having fun? Did he know that their parents had asked Sirius not to come? Or did he think it was his brother's idea? Had anyone asked about him at all?

On Christmas Eve, Sirius found himself in the same place as midnight drew closer. He knew he wouldn't be receiving any gifts from his family, not even Reg, and for the first time wondered if he should just suck it up and try to be a better son.

"Sirus?"

He jumped and turned to see Remus staring at him groggily from his bed.

"Why're you 'wake?"

"Couldn't sleep," Sirius whispered back. "Go back to sleep, Rem. I'll be okay."

Remus shook his head and sat up. He rubbed his eyes before reaching for a book at his bedside and gesturing for Sirius to come over.

He obeyed easily, going to sit next to Remus, leaning against the headboard. Remus pulled the covers over their legs and opened his book to a dog-eared page.

"My mom used to read this to me before bed every Christmas Eve," he explained. "It would help me sleep even though I was overexcited about the next day."

He shifted until he was lying down properly and pulled Sirius, indicating that he should do the same.

"Close your eyes, Sirius," he whispered.

Sirius stared at his friend across their shared pillow for a moment, grey eyes meeting brown in the dark dorm. Finally, he closed his eyes and Remus began to read.

Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house

Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;

#wolfstar #remus lupin #sirius black #wolfstar fic #pre relationship #baby wolfstar #christmas fic #christmas fluff #hurt/comfort kinda #also accurate full moon because i'm pedantic #i'm basing most of these traditions on real things my mom did/does when i was little and am feeling very nostalgic about it all

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samandmaxfan · 3 months

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The Great Zootopian Detectives

What if the great mouse detective helped Judy and Nick on their night howler adventure? How would things change? Let’s find out!

I OWN NOTHING, NADA, NOTHING AT ALL!! THIS IT JUST FOR FUN!!!

MAJOR SPOILERS FOR ZOOTOPIA

CHAPTER 1: Young Youth

“Fear, treachery, blood-lust.”

A bunny ran through the jungle, afraid of every waking moment,

“Thousands of years ago, these were the forces that ruled our world. A world where prey were scared of predators. And predators had an uncontrollable, biological urge to maim and maul,”

The young rabbit stopped and drank some water, unknownst to her that a tiger was stalking her slow but fast enough when-

“AHHH!!!”

The young rabbit screamed when a tiger pounced on her,

“Blood! Blood! Blood,” she started to milk it as she ran out of string and grabbed ketchup “And death!”

The bunny squeezed the ketchup one more time for dramatic effect, which none seemed to care for or were disgusted by, then she got up,

“Back then the world was divided in two, vicious predator,” The young tiger hisses, “and meek prey.” The rabbit dropped her ears and put her hand over her heart.

Just then, two boxes, one named viscous (vicious) predator and the other, meek prey, came out of the top of the stage and they went into it as a sheep danced around. When the boxes lifted they were all in a white robes,

“But over time, we evolved and looked beyond our primitive savage ways.” the rabbit says as the sheep pops a noisemaker, then the rabbit and tiger hold hands “Now, predator and prey live in harmony and every young mammal has multitudinous opportunities”

The sheep walked closer to the edge of the stage. “Yeah, I don’t have to cower in a herd anymore,” she took off her robe. “Instead, I could be an astronaut!” The crowd cheered, then the tiger walked forward and started to talk in a robotic voice because he was sort of scared “I don’t have to be a lonely hunter anymore,” takes off robe revealing to have a suit and tie, “today I can hunt for tax exemptions; I’m gonna be an actuary”

“And I’m gonna make the world a better place, I’m gonna be…” She takes off her robe “…a police officer!” Her mother an father look at each other in a worrisome manner

“Ha! A bunny cop! That’s the most stupidest thing I’ve ever heard!” a young fox laughs to his friend who was a ferret as the rabbit puts on her hat,

“Although it may seem impossible to small minds,” she looks over at that fox “I’m talking to you Gideon Grey,” then looks away when he scowls at her “but, just two-hundred and eleven miles away,” the jungle backdrop leaves and incomes a colorful cardboard city with the words ‘Zootopia’ on top of it, “stands the great city of Zootopia, were our ancestors first joined together in peace and declared,” the tiger and sheep grabbed a banner “That anyone can be ANYTHING!” and all the mammals cheered.

After the show had ended, Stu and Bonnie Hopps decided to try to change their daughters future plans, not to discourage her, now they still love her the same as all of her 125 brothers and sisters, but they thought that being a police officer would be very complicated, especially if you're the first rabbit cop.

Ever.

“Judy, have you ever wondered how your mom and me got to be so darn happy?” Stu asked his nine year old daughter,

“Nope!” The rabbit, Judy, said as if they just asked her if she wanted to go on a ride again, but Stu still continued, “Well, we gave up on our dreams and we settled, right, Bon?” He looked over at his wife, “Oh, yes, that’s right, Stu. We settled hard.”

“See? That’s the beauty of complacency, Jude. If you never try anything new, you’ll never fail!” But Judy still wouldn't budge on her opinion,

“I like trying, actually” She told her parents as she jumped on a haystack, Bonnie sighs and tries something else, “What your father means, hun, is that it’s gonna be difficult, impossible even, for you to become a police officer.”

“Right! There’s never been a bunny cop,” her husband said

“No!” agreed his wife,

“Bunnies don’t do that.”

“Never!”

“Never.”

Judy started to walk slower, indicating that she was sad or thinking, or even both.

“Oh,” She said, lowering her head for a second before lifting it again, “then I’ll have to be the first one! Because,” She jumped “I’m gonna,” She did a backflip and struck a pose “make the world a better place!”

“Or, uh, heck, you know, if you want to talk about making the world a better place, no better way then becoming a carrot farmer.” her father tried

“Yes! Your dad, me, your 125 brothers and sisters, we’re changing the world!”

“Yeah!”

“One carrot at a time!”

But Judy stopped paying attention to what they were saying when she saw two sheep one of her sisters and a mouse go to an area with no one and a certain fox and ferret follow them, so she ran in their direction and hid behind a line of hay,

The mouse was the only one who stood up to the bully the most “You can’t have our tickets!” He yelled but Gideon paid very little mind to what the mouse was saying “What are you gonna do, pipsqueak? Fight me? I’m much larger than you and you know it!" "That's to say the least,” The mouse said with a smirk on his face,

“Hey!” The fox was clearly offended by this and picked up the mouse and held him in a way where his hands were stuck and his legs were dangling, “The. Tickets. Are. Mine!”

“Over my dead body” Even if the mouse was at a clear disadvantage, he wouldn’t quit without a fight, so the fox laugh and was about to through the young mouse on the ground when Judy interfered:

“Stop!”

Gideon looked over at the bunny in a cop costume

"Oh look who it is, the bunny cop here to save her useless friends!” The fox laughed as he gave the mouse to the ferret, who was now squirming to get out of the ferret’s grip and failed.

“Kindly return my friends’ tickets,” she told him

“Sure, but where are you gonna find them? They ain’t in my hand or Travis” Gideon laughed, but the mouse wouldn’t let him get away with this,

“They’re in his pocket!” He yelled, and the fox, annoyed and confused, looked over at him.

“How do you know that? You never saw it happen!”

“Your pocket is opened outwards more stretched than it should be, and the long rectangular pattern your pocket has near the middle, indicates that the tickets are in that pocket!” The mouse said as everyone when quiet, staring in disbelief, he was right. The mouse was so busy fighting the fox and, yet was still able to observe all this.

“Well then, I’ll finish you later,” He said as he looked over at the small mouse who was still stuck in Travis’ hand, “but right now if our little bunny pal wants her tickets back, she’ll have to come and get them! But watch out! ‘Cause like you said in your stupid little stage play, us predators used to eat prey, and our killer instinct is still in our denah!” Gideon told the now scared Judy, but Travis interfered that moment, “Umm, I’m pretty sure it’s pronounced D-N-A.” But the fox looked over at the ferret in annoyance, “Don’t tell me what I know Travis!” Gideon yelled looking back at Judy,

“You don’t scare me Gideon!” she yelled before being pushed to the ground, the free animals ran and hid,

“Scared now?” He asked, smirking. The young bunny started to breathe faster, and Travis laughed “Look at her nose twitch, she is scared!” But the mouse wouldn't have it, he kicked Travis right between the vein and bone on his paw, in pain Travis dropped the mouse. Just then Gideon grabbed the mouse, “Oh you two don’t know when to quit do you?” He asked holding the mouse up high, “This is what happens when you mess with me,” He told the mouse as he scraped Judy on the cheek with his claw, he heard the screams of the other animals, then he looked over at Judy “I want you to remember this moment you think that you ever be anything more than just a stupid, carrot-farming dumb bunny!” He yelled in Judy’s face before leaving,

“Judy you ok?” Yelled one of the sheep

“Yeah,” she said holding up their tickets,

“Wow you got our tickets back!” the sheep exclaimed in happiness,

“Your awesome Judy,” Said the other, Judy smiled as she said “I couldn't have done it alone,” She looked over at the mouse, “Say, I’ve never truly met you before,” she told him as he turned to look at her, “what's your name?”

“Basil,” he said, “Basil of Baker Street.”

I WOULD LOVE FEEDBACK!!! THIS IS MY FIST FANFIC AND IM VERY PROUD OF IT, AND IF I GET LOTS OF LIKES AND/OR COMPLEMENTS I’LL DEFINITELY CONTINUE IT, IF NOT, I MIGHT CONTINUE IT!!

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ms-erin-kallus · 7 months

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I’m of the thought that Peridea is Mortis. Hear me out.

When there are aerial shots as they fly around Mortis in CW, you see tall, scattered towers in the distance. In Ahsoka, they fly through a field of similar structures on Peridea.

When it’s day on Mortis there is sunshine and lush, numerous plants but at night it all dies. I know that it’s not actually said, but it could be construed that day was aligned with the Daughter and night with the Son because when she died the tree behind her changed. It didn’t look like it died, but something definitely happened to it. Peridea is dead. It’s grey, there’s no sun and there’s very little vegetation. The Daughter’s statue at the end is partially destroyed, it’s probably not related, but again, it’s Filoni so who knows. Also, the Son was the only one of the three that wasn’t stabbed by the dagger. Anakin got him with his lightsaber. The Father could hold a saber’s blade with his hand and Star Wars characters love to survive being stabbed in the abdomen. I dunno.

Now the fun part, a few lines from CW.

‘[…] I don’t even know if we’re in our own galaxy.’ Maybe ya weren’t?

‘An intersection like I’ve never felt before.’ The end credits are a visualization of numerous paths that eventually intersect through Peridea.

‘A conduit to which the entire force flows. An amplifier and a magnet.’ Baylon notes several times that something incredibly strong is going on there and that he’s drawn to it, so much so that he literally bails on his Padawan, that he obviously cares about and claims to have been training as something more than ‘a Jedi’, the second he doubts her dedication to ‘his’ cause.

Speaking of our silver fox, ‘the Jedi archives spoke of this place,’ and, ‘a land of dreams and madness, children’s stories come to life (interesting wording). Stories of the galaxy are considered folk tails of ancient past, long forgotten.’ Anakin tells the Father ‘the Jedi have never spoken of this’ and he answers ‘few still know of our existence.’

When the Daughter takes Obi Wan to the alter for the blade that can control her brother, it’s surrounded by suspiciously familiar green flames and when he takes it, it looks an awful lot like blades created/wielded by Nightsisters. Ya know the people that had been there ‘since before days were counted’. The Father admits that the three of them immigrated there. Later it’s mentioned of the Nightsisters, ‘perhaps they flee a power stronger than their own.’ Maybe they left when the first group of ‘Ones’ showed up and they realized ‘nope’ and ducked out.

It’s made more than clear that the Ones are not immortal which means they couldn’t have been the only triad. This brings me to the picture. Looks reeeeal familiar. Even one of the hands appears to be positioned similar to the Daughter’s, it’s also on the same side as hers. The other is hard to make out but obviously is not the same. This is a stretch but I think the map was in the indentation in the middle figure and perhaps the Nightsisters took it with them when they left in case they ever wanted to go back? Could explain how Morgan knew about it, the Mothers told her. Also, the lines on either side don’t match up so it could’ve been clawed out?

So, if there have been more than one trio and they were both on Peridea, (and we haven’t seen the whole planet to see if there could’ve possibly been more) then it could explain when Obi Wan told Anakin ‘the planet is the force’.

This kills me. It was one of the portals in Rebels when Ezra was in the WBW. Those figures on the top look awful familiar and those look like howlers on the sides. If Filoni had been cooking this up since then, can you imagine what we could’ve had if they hadn’t cancelled it? Ahsoka should’ve been animated to continue it. I digress… There was a mention of a ‘pathway’ in the show. I thought that word choice was interesting because it was never used in regards to the whales….

There’s also that hypothesis that Baylon is looking for the WBW to stop ‘the cycle’.

Worth noting, the Father told Anakin ‘this place is strong with the force. Darkness has no hold here.’ I don’t think it’s an insinuation that the light side does solely, but, rather, that neither does/can/should. It’s only been ~30 years since they died. I doubt there was another group on standby, so the force is probably in a bit of disarray, especially if the Son could still around in some way. If Baylon really wants to try to ‘stop the cycle’, then this is the perfect time to do it because the force is basically unguarded. We all know that doesn’t happen, but he doesn’t.

This got chaotic. Be gentle, I’m no SW expert and I cry easy.

#star wars #star wars ahsoka #ahsoka show #ahsoka spoilers #star wars rebels #star wars clone wars #peridea #mortis gods #mortis arc #baylon skoll

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