#Traveler Interplanetary Interplanetary

[yusufalioglu]

The Ghost Moon by Yusuf Alioğlu Via Flickr: The Ghost Moon Interplanetary Travel Camera: Canon EOS Kiss X7i Photograph by Yusuf Alioglu Location: Outer space (space) Facebook Become a Patron! Instagram (Yusuf Alioglu Photography) Instagram (UnbornArt) Twitter Youtube iStock Blogger Vimeo UnbornArt deviantART Tumblr Check out this portfolio on Shutterstock!

[theofficialastronomy101]

ISS view of the pacific ocean

[leonardalphachurch]

haloheads can you tell me: how does space travel work in halo lore? like, are we doing faster than light travel? wormholes? i know there’s some stuff about cryosleep that spartans get put in i think? how do they go from one planet to the other basically

[g-h-o-s-t-2000]

last chance to win the war

[boopsloop363]

"uhm ackshually teh moon landing was faked" wrong it was an achievement of German scientists and if the Nazis had their way we'd be honeymooning on Venus rn

[libraryofbaxobab]

April 13, 2024:

Based on how much I loved her other book, Dead Silence, my expectations were too high. I spent the first half of this book concerned that this was wayyy too similar to We Have Always Been Here by Lena Nguyen but by the time the good stuff (i.e., the horrors) started happening I finally perked up.

I just love when a character is losing their mind, tries to speak, and then hears what they *actually* said. It must be so hard to write that in a way that scans, but it also wouldn't work in any other format. That scene was fantastic.

However, in general, the characterization "ineffectual psychologist who is more damaged and neurotic than literally everyone else" does not speak to me. Somehow they're always overly concerned with subtle power dynamics & what every little utterance or facial expression could mean, while also simultaneously acting clueless, overreacting, & speaking like they've never studied psychology. They're more like paranoid sociologists but it's harder to shoehorn in a sociologist into an interplanetary mission (hello, Invisible Things by Mat Johnson, I see you). People who watch Dr. Grande's YouTube channel have more clinical knowledge. To be fair, this particular Unwelcome Sci-Fi Psychologist is the best one I've come across, but I still just generally don't like it. Personally.

I was also waiting for a big twist and there wasn't one. I also didn't like how happy the ending was. For what was going on and the impossible position the characters were in, that pulled punch was way, way too soft. Not that everything has to be grimdark edgy shit, but this ending was all just a little too convenient.

6.5/10 #WhatsKenyaReading

[tenth-sentence]

Suppose we could transfer human beings instantaneously to any planet we wished by a mere snap of the fingers and with no further expenditure of energy than that.

"The Stars in their Courses" - Isaac Asimov

[whatudottu]

OP I hope you know your banger headcanons have got me to start wondering if there’s memes on the extranet about stuff like “introducing your Galvan friend to your Tetramand friend vs introducing your Cerebrocrustacean friend to your Appoplexian friend”

Anon I also hope you know that my first thought after I saw this ask had kinda ‘Introducing our bass player to things he’s never seen before’ vibes I guess especially for the galvan friend, who in the world of Whatudottu (and all the influences I have) headcanons is the stereotypically socially isolated intelligent species between them and cerebrocrustaceans lmao-

…hmm I wonder if I should add the names of Ben 10 aliens into my dictionary :P

Hehe, I’ll admit that while I have headcanons on the fly for galvans and cerebrocrustaceans to guess at how they’ll react interacting with a friend’s friend (ccs being more obvious and welcoming in the friend group, potentially galvans having jealousy issues or even just fascination someone can have more than one friend and ones with such differences), but I have no idea how tetramands and appoplexians would react lmao, at least not beyond your appoplexian friend being confounded by how nice your cerebrocrustacean friend is (potentially versus any bias they might’ve learnt) met with a mutual confusion when your cerebrocrustacean friend sees you and your appoplexian friend verbally and or physically roughhousing :P

[tildeathiwillwrite]

Deals Cut, Questions Answered

Records of the Torrent Watchers: The Blood Moon Specter, Part 7

Tales from Valaria Masterpost

<- Previous

Fandom: Original Work

Words: 2100

Tag List: @fourwingedsnake @whumperofworlds @pigeonwhumps @mr-orion @scaewolf

@the-ellia-west

CW: fantasy whump, captivity, deception, threats, stab wounds, bleeding out, hostage situation, swearing

A/N: Finally done! Took a bit longer than just October but I'm glad to say I didn't draw it out over several months like certain... other short stories *looks at Magician's Bait*

----------

If Damian were to rank the past day in his mental list of adventures, the investigation of the Blood Moon Specter would have to be one of the top strangest things to happen to him.

Sure, the whole business with Natali Tallis had happened a year before, where he was abducted and held in the abandoned catacombs as bait for magician Caiya Ebony. But he didn’t consider that particularly strange. Damian had at least somewhat understood what was happening then. Everything fit within the known laws of rune writing, even with Natali being one of the Stalkers, magicians who figured out how to speak runes, granting them more power.

Reese’s ability to resist the runes had confused him at first, until he’d found out about her heritage and how it negated the runes’ power. Draigo were known for their immunity to that sort of thing, and being only half-Draigo didn’t seem to dilute the ability.

But that was all logical. It all made sense to him.

What didn’t make sense to him now was the current situation.

Damian and Luc stood at the far corner of the small cell, inexplicably separated from their bodies, but not dead, either. The culprit, the woman wearing an orange, silk dress, stood at the opposite side of the unnaturally blurry cell, her frustration obvious as she tried and failed to do the same thing to Reese.

Reese, for her part, was completely oblivious as she checked Damian’s body for first a pulse, then signs of runes.

The woman cursed, her hands passing through Reese’s shoulders as if she were simply made of mist. “How?!” she demanded, batting at the younger woman as if that would accomplish anything. “How can she just… this?!”

Damian glanced at Luc, who shrugged, but didn’t provide any more explanation. In a blink, the woman stood in front of them, her hands clenched into fists as if she intended to throttle the answer out of them. Luc stepped forward slightly. “Release us,” he commanded, “and we’ll tell you what we know.”

She gritted her teeth. Behind her, Reese moved to check Luc, frown deepening. She didn’t appear overly concerned about being locked in the cell. Her knife was sheathed, but Damian had witnessed firsthand her speed and skill. Whoever opened the cell door next would be greeted with a rude welcome.

So long as they were in the physical realm, he supposed.

“You will still be trapped,” the woman finally said, composing herself. “Chained and unarmed, save for your apprentice’s knife.”

Luc tilted his head, regarding her. “I’ve been in worse binds.”

“Yes, that curse of yours Rycellus mentioned.”

“Not what I was thinking in particular, but yes. Might I know the name of my… host?”

The woman’s eyes flicked up and down, studying first him, then Damian. “I am Laiose. Tell me, how is it you survived this long? There was no record of you ever actually removing the runes.”

Luc hissed through his teeth. “What is with you people and my curse?”

Laoise smirked. “I know many things. I simply share information as I see fit. Now, how is it you survived, hmm… is it fifteen years now?”

“It’s closer to thirteen,” Luc said through gritted teeth. “And as I said before, I will only answer if you release us.”

Laoise considered this for a moment, then nodded in satisfaction. “I will accept this. My answers for your return to your physical bodies. Fair trade?”

Before Luc could respond, Damian cut in. “No. We answer your question about Reese in exchange for letting us go. For the answer about Luc’s curse, you must answer a question from us.”

Luc nodded in approval as Laoise glanced back to Reese, who had settled on the ground close to the cell door, knife drawn, head tilted as if listening. The woman turned back to Luc and Damian. “These new terms are acceptable. The curse?”

Luc pulled off his jacket and undid the first button of his shirt, pulling the collar aside to reveal the bandages wrapped around his torso. “The runes are still there,” he explained, “we found a way to weaken them. I won’t bleed out. But they’ll never fully heal.”

“Fascinating. Do they affect any injuries sustained more recently?”

Luc buttoned his shirt and put his jacket back on. “Will you answer a second question for us?”

Laoise frowned, thinking. “Perhaps. But ask your first question.”

Luc looked to Damian, who already had his question ready. “How is it you are able to do this?” He gestured to himself, Luc, and the surrounding cell, blurred as if viewed through a glass fogged over from condensation. Even Reese was slightly blurred.

“Simple. I forced your spirits into the dream realm. You might call it something else here, but where I’m from, that’s what we call it.”

“Where are you from?”

She tilted her head knowingly. “A planet far from here, with different cultures, technologies, and unique abilities.” She glanced at Luc. “Do the weakened runes still affect your natural healing?”

Luc’s eyes flicked to Damian. “Somewhat. Major injuries require a magician’s intervention, but if there’s a difference with more minor ones, I can’t tell. How is it you are from another planet, and now here?”

“Secret of the trade,” Laoise answered, exuding a certain air of smugness. “Would you like to be returned now?”

Damian eyed Reese, who still had that same unbothered expression and the stance of a hunter lying in wait for her prey. Perhaps waiting on Rycellus or one of his underlings to check on their trap. “How is it we could not see you until you… forced us here… but Rycellus speaks to you?”

A mixture of emotions crossed Laoise’s face. Anger. Frustration. Confusion. Amusement. “I do not know. He is the first we have found, both here and back home. I have yet to observe your other apprentice write runes, and yet Rycellus claims her to be a magician. Is she?”

Damian didn’t hesitate. “Yes. Rune-writing is less useful in combat as it takes time to construct even the simple ones. It is common practice to apply runes to weapons, clothing or skin prior to expected combat.”

“She is not in combat now. How hasn’t she tried to escape yet?”

“I… I’m not sure,” Damian admitted, hoping his uncertainty was convincing. “Why has Rycellus been abducting and torturing people?”

Laoise cocked her head, considering this answer and his new question. “We are looking for something,” she replied, “and we have yet to find it.”

Damian opened his mouth to ask what they were looking for, but Luc spoke before he could. “How can we trust that you are telling the truth?”

The amusement was prominent. “You can’t. But I can’t trust that of you, either.”

She had avoided giving a concrete answer to certain questions. How she’d gotten to Valaria. The name and specifics about her supposed home planet. Perhaps it was information she didn’t typically give out. Or perhaps she was lying about the business of it all. Not entirely out of the question….

Damian doubted she would reveal anymore about her origins or her goals. Doing so was guaranteed to jeopardize them whether Damian and the Watchers could do anything or not. Even with Reese trapped in the cell with them, she was still armed and any attempts to bind her would be met with pain.

He glanced at Luc, who nodded once, coming to the same conclusions he had. “We’d like to be returned to our physical bodies now,” Luc stated, crossing his arms. “I cannot provide you with a concrete answer for your first question, so an educated guess will have to suffice. She has found a way to nullify magic used directly against her. I do not know exactly how it is.”

“A rune,” Laoise mused, considering this half-truth. “Perhaps you are lying. Perhaps you have this entire conversation. But a deal is a deal, after all.”

She made a shoving motion with both hands. Instantly, vertigo curled in Damian’s stomach, and the cell blurred even more before becoming completely dark. His eyes snapped open, and awareness of his body flooded back into him, with all the aches and bruises and stiffness from being held in one position for so long.

Across from him, Luc stirred, eyes opening and darting about the room, searching for Laoise. But aside from Reese, they appeared to be alone.

Reese flinched at the sudden movement at the corner of her eye, but when she saw Luc and Damian awake, she relaxed. “So it was just sedation?”

Luc shook his head. “No.”

“Then what…?”

“I…” he glanced around again, “I’m not sure. But suffice it to say we are very, very lucky to have you here.”

She raised her eyebrows, but before she could ask further questions, her head snapped towards the cell door. “Someone’s coming,” she hissed, “tell me later.”

If there was even going to be a later. Damian kept the bleak thought to himself. He had said he was going to be the optimistic one, after all. A moment later, he heard footsteps echoing down the hallway and shook his head. How does she do that? Is it another Draigo thing?

Not that any of them could know for certain.

Reese rose to her feet and drew her knife as the footsteps approached the door and stopped. The moment the lock clicked, she kicked the door open, shoving back the person behind it and darting out of the cell, knife raised. Unfortunately, the door slammed shut the moment after she cleared it. 

The surprised guards cried out, followed by one of them screaming in pain. Another grunted, and Reese shouted, “Nobody move! Move and I slit his throat!”

Silence.

“Drop your weapons.”

Metal clattered on stone.

“Free the other Watchers,” Reese commanded, voice cold, “or I will kill him, kill the rest of you, and do it myself.”

Even without seeing the look on her face, even without being on the receiving end of her words, Damian shuddered. He made eye contact with Luc, whose face was set in careful neutrality. “Too much like a hunter,” he muttered as the cell door opened, and one of the mercenaries who had brought them here entered, hands shaking slightly as he pulled out a key and began to unlock the chains binding Luc to the wall.

Luc fixed the mercenary with an unblinking stare until the chains fell away and rose to his feet, rubbing at his wrists. He didn’t take his eyes off the mercenary until Damian’s chains were unlocked and helped him to his feet. Damian staggered, the blood rushing to his head, but Luc didn’t give him time to steady himself before shoving him out of the cell.

The hallway outside was a mess. One of the mercenary guards lay on the ground, groaning in pain as a second pressed his hands to a wound in his abdomen, blood pooling on the floor beneath them. Rycellus slumped against the wall, Reese standing behind him with one hand twisting his arm behind his back and the other holding her knife at his throat. A thin trickle of blood dripped down his neck from where she’d nicked him at some point during the scuffle.

“Get in the cell,” Reese ordered as the mercenary who’d freed Damian and Luc tried to follow them into the hallway.

The mercenary staunching his fellow’s bleeding flinched. “But—!”

“Get. In. The. Cell.”

The mercenary exhaled slowly before grabbing the other mercenary’s shoulders and dragging him into the cell, leaving a smear of red on the floor.

“What are you doing?” Rycellus murmured, eyes fixed on a spot on the wall, “why haven’t you… oh, bullshit.”

Reese yanked him away from the wall, forcing a cry as the edge of her blade bit into his neck again. “You too.”

She shoved him inside the cell after the other three and slammed the door shut, throwing the bolt with an air of finality. “Now that’s over with…” she muttered, sheathing her knife, “we should get out of here. I sent Nari Shaye—Rycellus’ sister—ahead with the evidence I gathered and we should meet the town authorities en route.”

Luc regarded her with that same stony expression. “You gathered evidence… and sent it ahead… with his sister…” he sighed. “I remember telling you explicitly to—”

“And y’know what it all worked out,” Reese interrupted, grinning. “Now come on, let’s go.” As she moved past him towards the stairs, she swatted her arm. “And stop acting like your uncle. It doesn’t suit you.”

Damian glanced at Luc, who shook his head, not quite shedding the neutral look. “Well, you heard her,” the Watcher agreed, gesturing ahead. “But I’m not leaving until I get my weapons back.”

And who knows how long that's going to take. But Damian had to agree. He wasn't taking any more chances on the road. And the last thing he wanted was to get himself killed before he could dig more into the mysteries he discovered today.

[duckbang]

Interplanetary Delivery

Where our fishy Callisto Lilac Astrid goes to a different planet to find some cool stuff to sell back home

[yusufalioglu]

Strange Dreams by Yusuf Alioğlu Via Flickr: Strange Dreams My Interplanetary Memories Interplanetary Travel I began to have strange dreams. They are unusual and so meaningless. Maybe it seems that way to me. Sometimes I look into what my dreams mean. Every time I look at the meanings of my dreams, I think that I can find answers to the questions in my head. At least I'm looking for a sign about my future in my dreams. When I read the meanings of the dreams I had, the idea of returning to earth outweighs. However, I would like to state that I am still undecided on this issue. Yes, I know this topic is getting too long. But the fact that there was no concept of time where I was was causing me to take my decisions too late. The delay in my decision making actually affects only one of the two decisions. It just influences my decision to return to Earth. I'm already living out my other option, my plan to stay in space. The delay in making my decision lags behind the progress of time on Earth as time progresses. Although the concept of time was meaningless in space, it had a lot of meaning on Earth. And time was moving on in the world. Actually, in a way, the concept of time was also valid for me. As time progressed in the world, it continued to progress for me biologically. I was getting older. This could create a negative situation for me when I return to the world. Due to my advanced age, I would have a hard time starting a new life. Therefore, I knew that I had to make my decision as soon as possible. But even though I was conscious of it, I was taking everything too slow. I think I was terrified by the idea of returning to earth. I think I was expecting a "Come" Actually, I've had enough adventures in space. I saved thousands of memories on other planets. Maybe it's time to go back to the world and embark on new adventures. Maybe I should go back to Earth and make new memories. Maybe I should give myself another chance. Camera: Canon EOS Kiss X7i Photograph by Yusuf Alioglu Location: Outer space (space) Facebook Become a Patron! Instagram (Yusuf Alioglu Photography) Instagram (UnbornArt) Twitter Youtube iStock Blogger Vimeo UnbornArt deviantART Tumblr Check out this portfolio on Shutterstock!

[theofficialastronomy101]

New Zealand as seen from the International Space Station.

[space-ninja-fashion-show]

Numerical systems are not my forte but i have Specific Petty Beefs here anyway known as "the Orokin one doesn't look nice :(" and "why the FUCK do Corpus and Solari use base 2"

[jbfly46]

Let’s make the universe our playground. 😎

[chantireviews]

The 2024 CYGNUS Awards Finalists for Science Fiction

The Cygnus Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of Science Fiction, Steampunk, Alternative History, and Speculative Fiction. The Cygnus Awards is a genre division of Chanticleer International Book Awards and Novel Competitions (The CIBAs). Chanticleer International Book Awards is looking for the best books featuring space, time travel, life on other…

[goinggoats]

THE thing I'm most interested in about TLT and its conclusion is if it will, in fact, call out certain aspects or if they weren't intentional. The Greek/Roman references are obviously intentional. Is it intentional that Gideon and Nona bring up the beauty of the blonde women when the author made a widely-circulated extracanonical post about character appearances in which only four characters are white? and what do whiteness and race mean in the context of a society spread out over many planets with vastly different and sometimes dwindling populations