#ulfran asks

[dingoat]

🔞 Ulfran in something sexy. (might be from a tipsy Chandra)

I think maybe 'new robes' might be the sexiest you can expect from Ulfran? But I mean, I think there's something to be said for new robes, too, if he can be convinced to get out of his usual drab browns and greys.

[askshivanulegacy]

Written in the Stars

Thirteen gazed up at the stars. 

Odessen, so underdeveloped that even here, at the Alliance headquarters with nighttime lamps providing light to work by, there were so many.

So many, and so unfamiliar.

To be expected, of course. It was an unfamiliar planet.

Even so. After five years …

The stars said everything, didn’t they? Everything that Thirteen didn’t.

His gaze strayed in the direction of their … temporary home, he supposed, where he supposed Five still worked tirelessly to lead the Alliance and to discover and pick up what pieces of their lives might still remain. There was a reason Thirteen had never wanted him to come on these Star Fortress runs. He was a Watcher. 

Was. 

Used to be. 

He was supposed to remain behind. Going out was Thirteen’s job. 

Was. 

Is. 

It was something he could do about things, however much that counted, if it even did.

He’d never expected to find Ahuska here. Nor had he ever expected she would become his willing partner in destruction.

He never thought he’d … need her, to rescue his backside when it turned out the Zakuul Knights were more - far more - than he could take on his own. Never thought he’d want her to … be there. 

Not after their bond had been broken years ago … longer ago for her than for him.

That was the rub, wasn’t it?

His lips twisted, eyes falling to the black forest below.

He didn’t know how to be around anyone else anymore. 

He’d spent the time with Five, at first, before the Alliance nonsense, before they even really knew what they were doing. He didn’t really avoid Crow and Ulfran, not really, but he did. He couldn’t blame them. They’d been looking for five years, so he heard. They’d been separated from him and Five for that long, so he understood.

But he didn’t.

So when he found Ahuska here, suddenly there was someone who didn’t expect anything from him, who didn’t expect him to be someone he didn’t know how to be.

Had she noticed? Had she missed him?

He was free to run with her, to lash out and ruin, to fight back for all the things Zakuul had taken, and it was personal, it was so personal. 

He didn’t care about the galaxy anymore. 

With her, he didn’t have to.

With her, he thought maybe he could say all the things he couldn’t to anyone else.

He tried.

He danced around the topic more than once, sidestepping neatly with his words what he really wanted to say. He’s not sure she really noticed.

She didn’t notice this time, either.

His sigh sent a cascade of fine mist into the air.

There was no one else who would understand. Or maybe it was just that he didn’t know how to talk to them.

Not Five. He was … angry. All the time. About something. 

Crow was … well. And Ulfran … 

What could they know? Only Five really could, but … he was being Five.

And it was just …

Thirteen didn’t belong here.

That’s what he’s been trying to say.

Crow and Ulfran wanted closure he didn’t know how to give. They wanted to mend five years he didn’t know how to fix, because he didn’t know what that meant. 

Everything was different. 

Everyone had experienced the change of the galaxy, and Thirteen …

All he’d done was wake up one day to find it all gone.

There was a difference between asking someone what they’d done the last five years, and asking someone what they’d done for five years you missed.

Wasn’t there?

Thirteen thought there was.

And he didn’t know how to ask it. He didn’t know how to talk about everything he’d missed, how to make anyone understand what he was reaching for. How to tell them that he was alone, adrift, that he’d lost things he couldn’t explain, how to make them realize that this …

None of this … was his. And he fought for it anyway.

She could understand, once. She’d known his feelings, without him ever having to say a thing. He’d never wanted it, true, but it was there, and it had happened. And Thirteen had thought …

But all that was long gone, too. It had served a purpose that was never for him, and Ahuska had certainly moved on.

So it turned out Thirteen didn’t know how to ask her anything, either.

His thoughts startled free when he felt the massive, furry head of a giant wolf drop over his shoulder. It whuffed, softly, gusting sparkling steam into the night and warmth across his hand. The partner that wasn’t his tugged back on the partner that wasn’t hers, tucking him against the thick, fluffy ruff around her neck.

“Yeah,” he said, quietly. “The nights are getting cold, aren’t they?” Almost, he could hear the creaking of their shuttle in the bay below, as its re-entry heat dissipated. He let her nudge him toward the base.

They’d finally had their first good Fortress run. That was worth something, wasn’t it?

Maybe he didn’t care.

Maybe he’d try to ask her again, next time.

Maybe.

It was late.

[horns-n-jams]

Hi there. Thank you for the art you provide. I have liked your art for a long time and that you have a story for all your couples. I assumed that it was just for fun, as you call this "ship hell", but the reason I'm here is to ask if you were also interested in empathizing with the villains when you started this?

Oo thank you on the question and I’m really clad you like my work too!!

And yeah the ”Ship hell” is more on the fact I have alot of storyes and ships and storyes including the ships and not everyone is really interested in them

But honestly the thing is, I am so much more interested in them, all the possible reasons what got them to this point, and whats on their background if they would have like a family. I just like to imagine all possible stories

Like on Grimmel; what if he was not looked or seen because his smaller skinnyer build. And not really believed on and he wanted to make a mark. And he met someone who really believed in him, and helped him to become what he was and show to other that he can accoblish big this too.

And that was kinda base on Grimmel and Mireli, just two peoples trusting and supporting eatchothers and slowly falling in love while rising up in glory

Viggo and Ulfran I have meny ideas I like on working on, one is where they meet eatch others while they both are still young and one is where they met little older just to team up. Its just all mostly what ifs on their background, and on their jobs as hunters

Drago and Rae is just mostly I want the big man thats gotten hurt enought to feel loved

And like how chaotic Jace and Krogan just are

Literally, Short answer is just I like them much more than the main characters

I would love to tell more stories behind all of them and lil more but I sadly know the intrest is really really small so I just keep them to myself, maybe someday if someone asks or never

[southsuns]

2, 10, 28? (for the oc headcanon thing!)

WHEREHRFJJFJ I LOVE YOU!!!

2. Has non stop puns

harvey and navarchus! harvey’s a joking man and navarchus is.... a dad.

10. Looks like they will murder you but is a sweetheart

ulfran marinson! he’s a skyrim oc, very involved in criminal organizations, secret softie supreme

28. Gets lost easily

branwen! they never really figured out map-reading, so they never travel alone

[hornsda]

Young..er Ulfran Manukit cs bae needet pic of you her so I drew it and lined it with my new fine liners... But yeh Ilf about on age 17-20 when she just became her tribes leader Eyy Jen yo accually are telling some backstory of your characters.. Good child // anyway if ya wanna know more about her just ask I can tell lol #httydoc #doodles

[dingoat]

OC asks 8 and 12 from Appearance, 14 from Community, and 9 from hobbies for Ulfran?

8: Does your character have a physical trait that they’re known for?

Oooh! Once was, it would have been his eyes. Originally deep, soft brown, at some point during his career of living undercover as a Sith they changed, but not in the typical way. He had to do some fairly sketchy things and use the Force in cruel and damaging ways to maintain his cover more than once, but because he always managed to keep his purpose and intentions pure, the Force left its mark on him a little differently. Rather than winding up with yellowed Sith eyes, his became an odd, reflective silver-white; he always passed it off as a side effect of one of the more dangerous arcane artifacts he'd been investigating.

12: Has your character gone through major stylistic or physical changes?

Well this goes very nicely hand-in-hand with the first question hahaha! Ulfran has wound up having a reasonably significant role in both of Ahuska's canons, and his path has diverged enough in each to become physically distinct. In the original, he wound up finally abandoning his undercover post, and though he couldn't find it in himself to rejoin the Jedi Order proper, he has made a conscious effort to atone for the compromises he had to make in his decades posing as a Sith and reconnect with everything he was raised to believe. He's become a mentor to Nela (Crow and Ahuska's kid), and in the process discovered a new lightsaber crystal for himself (silver-white), started dressing in more humble robes, and most significantly, some of his original colour returning to his eyes.

In werewolf au, meanwhile, heeee's sort of fallen off the deep end, abandoned the Order in full and become a fully fledged Sith Lord. He's never exactly been a man of fashion but he definitely leans into the aesthetic a little more and the way he carries himself is completely different; fierce and arrogant. His eyes took on the yellow Sith glow when he slayed his Sith 'master' in a fit of passion, and recently has become even more visibly marked by the dark. He thought he could own his choices completely and never look back, but recent events have him struggling and he pretty desperately needs some help. (Unfortunately Ahuska would much rather just bite his face off at the moment.)

14: Who would your character say knows them best?

Ooof, for original mode Ulfran this would probably go to Lyrisal (written by @koboldgirl) - aka, his best friend from his youth to early adulthood, who he's finally reunited with after abandoning his post. They still almost certainly have a lot to catch up on, but he trusts her above anyone else and would confide in her with ease. For Evil Ulfran though, this is a tough one. ( @askshivanulegacy 's) Cipher Thirteen has probably been around for more of Ulfran's pivotal moments than anyone else in recent years, but between Ulfran's 'I don't have to explain myself to you' attitude, and Thirteen's combination of Sith-worship and refusal to so much as think about anything to do with the Force, there's a lot between them that gets missed. Ulfran's original Jedi Master, Antinea Zau, who's just shown up to get her arm bitten off by a werewolf make things complicated and a little extra angsty, might still be the one who knows him better than any other.

9: What is a topic your character would be excited to talk about?

Aaaahhhahaa, actually, genuinely excited? Tombs. Tombs containing ancient, mysterious, forbidden things. Shared stories about tomb-raiding and underground exploits and ghosts. Appeasing and outsmarting spirits. Unlocking old puzzles, deciphering ancient texts, piecing together maps, rediscovery. From a very early age this was his passion, it became his life's work, even if the Order trained him and carefully positioned him to be able to root out and contain/destroy the absolute worst items before the Empire could get their hands on them. He still adores this stuff, but has a flat total of zero people he can share it with these days, and it would probably do him a great big giant world of good if he had even a single someone.

[dingoat]

Does your character prefer music or silence? For Ulfran, because I didn't mean to leave him out.

Awww, some attention for my poor old man.

Oof, though. I think he goes for silence more often, though I'm not sure that it's actually his real personal preference. Ulfran is always struggling with the line he walks between Jedi and Sith, greater good and personal gain, and taking time to dwell in his own thoughts in perfect silence is both a necessity, and also a sort of self inflicted punishment when he's feeling especially torn and like he doesn't deserve any sort of pleasant downtime or soothing background noise to help sort through his mind.

[dingoat]

5 to ~somebody~: “You could have died.” 8)

[Let me just dig this ancient ask up out of the box, since the scene finally struck me and, naturally, when I have a tonne to get done I find myself in the mood to write. Five has been disgustingly fluffy of late, at least by his standards. I hope Thirteen appreciates it.]

The days had been leisurely and indulgent, but with time came room for doubts and misgivings to creep in, giving a sour edge to the otherwise thoroughly pleasant experience of exploring the late Darth Vesstriss’ private estate. And so Watcher Five found himself, one lazy afternoon, reclined on the back porch beneath the warm glow of a solar lamp, Thirteen’s sleek, tanned body sprawled luxuriously beside him, not with desire but with countless unwanted questions resting on his tongue.

The porch was a jewel amongst the otherwise bleak and brooding Kaas outdoors; set up to resemble a pocket of tropical paradise with a carefully arranged canopy of lush foliage, vines boasting blooms in a myriad of heady scents, and vivid, luminescent petals. It had been no surprise that Thirteen had been drawn to it, that he had swiftly racked up hours basking in the glow of the lamp that, with one’s eyes closed, could easily be mistaken for the heat of a core world sun.

Not for the first time, Five marvelled at Thirteen’s beauty.

Not for the first time, he felt that gentle simmering rage bubble up like acid in his throat, as he reached to brush some hair back from Thirteen’s peaceful face, hair that never quite sat properly over the headpiece he was forced to wear. The band was stylish enough, certainly matching Thirteen’s aesthetic. But the covers over his ears, delivering a steady, soothing kolto infusion to speed up the healing of his ruptured eardrums, was a constant reminder of the damage caused by the late Sith Lord. Vesstriss. Ulfran’s former master.

Five’s lip curled, unable to stomach the thought of kneeling for that mouse of a man, still quite unwilling to accept that he had somehow clawed his way up to the title of Darth. He shook silently for a moment, hissed out a breath through clenched teeth, and reached out to rouse Thirteen with a touch to the Cipher’s jaw.

Thirteen’s face turned toward Five’s hand, murmuring contentedly into his palm for a few moments before allowing his eyelids to flutter and gracing his Watcher, his fiancee, with his dazzling emerald gaze. “Mm?” A few seconds soaking in Five’s dark expression had Thirteen’s lips twitch, a single eyebrow lifting. “Oh, no. Have I slept through dinner again?”

Thirteen’s hearing might have been compromised, but his lip reading had always been first rate. Even so, Five had taken care to pronounce his words with clear precision since the injury, and the current frustration rolling through him only increased his painfully proper enunciation as he ignored Thirteen’s statement with a scowl. “Thirteen. How do you feel about your association with Ulfran?”

Thirteen’s eyes widened, his lazy smile broadening to a toothy smirk. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me.” He ignored Thirteen’s snigger and didn’t correct his choice of expression. “Are you comfortable being at his beck and call?”

Not to be swayed by Five’s mood, Thirteen waggled his eyebrows playfully. “Wouldn’t you like to know? Is that the sweet scent of jealousy on the breeze…?”

Thirteen was met with Five’s elbow jutting into his arm. “Hells, man, just once in your life could you humour me with a serious answer?”

“Oh, I plan on doing that once,” Thirteen lifted his left hand in a graceful, well practised move that had his pair of neatly entwined engagement rings sparkling under the lamplight. “But that’s all you get. In your life. Ever.”

Thirteen was infuriating, and Five adored him for it, collapsing back against the silk cushions with a long suffering sigh even as he slid his fingers down Thirteen’s arm. Reaching Thirteen’s hand, he clasped it firmly, possessively, and let his thumb travel back and forth over the rings. A fond smirk crossed his lips. “Emperor forbid you ever do something you don’t wish to do.”

“If I ever did something I didn’t wish to do,” Thirteen murmured, propped up on an elbow to better watch Five’s lips. “I wouldn’t be the man that you’re marrying.”

Five rolled his eyes, but the smirk remained, with just a hint of a frustrated twitch tugging at the corner of his mouth. “Do you understand what I’m asking you? I’ll be meeting with him before long, and I need to know what you-”

“Yes,” Thirteen cut in. “I understand what you’re asking, and the subject bores me. We didn’t take this time off duty to talk shop…”

“You’re taking this time off duty because you’re injured.”

“A trivial detail.”

“You could have died.”

This gave Thirteen a moment of pause. Five’s tone might have been lost to his deaf ears, but the sudden earnest fury in his eyes said more than enough. For a breath, they simply stared at one another, Five suddenly flushed hot with the moment of vulnerability he had dared to express, Thirteen struck dumb by it. Abruptly, the lanky Cipher reached across and seized the Watcher by the shoulder, tugging him roughly onto his side so they could face one another in full, barely a hand span apart.

“Five,” he began, his voice a little scratchy, not quite as soft as he thought he was.

“On account of him.” The venom in Five’s tone shone through in his scowl.

“Five,” Thirteen repeated. “Not now. Not here.”

“You think I wouldn’t fight for you, if you wanted out of whatever little contract he thinks he binds you with? I’ve struck the man once, and that wasn’t even for your sake. If you think I wouldn’t-”

“Watcher,” Thirteen growled, as he tipped his chin forward and grabbed fiercely at the back of Five’s head, locking him into a kiss that left both of them gasping. The Cipher’s breath was rough, as warring mental images battled it out in his mind’s eye; Ulfran, pulling his former master apart with nothing more than his thoughts, and Five, so brilliantly arrogant as to square up against a Sith Lord with nothing more than his fists. Five was so damned full of himself, and Thirteen adored him for it. He buried his misgivings beneath a roguish grin. “I’ve told you that I never do anything that I do not want to do. And dying just happens to be right there on top of the list of things that I do not want to do.” “Cipher,” Five said, not sure if he was trying to form a plea or an argument.

“Highbridge,” Thirteen cut him off. “I’m not going anywhere.”

Five sighed again, but it was softer this time, as he wondered at what point he’d grown so weak that hearing Thirteen’s lips utter his real name could so readily make him unravel. He told himself that it was only because he wanted it that he allowed Thirteen to kiss him into silence. He told himself that it would only be a temporary thing, allowing his anger to evaporate under the warmth of the solar lamp, because whether Thirteen wished it or not he would be meeting with Ulfran before long and they would be discussing his callous disregard for Intelligence staff. He felt Thirteen’s teeth graze his skin, and tried to ignore the fact that Thirteen’s promise to stay meant everything to him.

[dingoat]

ANYWAY SO HAVE SOME KISS ASKS: 4. where it hurts (Crow/13), 17. to distract (5/13), 36. to give up control (Ulfran/13), 21. on a place of insecurity (Ahuska/Blakk). 41. because the world is saved (Ahuska/13) 8)

HERE YOU GO. FIVE WHOLE different flavours of kisses, all set at various points in various futures (mostly KOTFE era, but I'd like to hope Ahuska/Blakk get to their point somewhat sooner and the final piece is way way off in who-knows-when land) which means their canon status is open for re-interpretations if the times ever come. >.> Crow/13 is riddled with angst but kind of sweet about it, 5/13 gets really grim so proceed with caution if you'd rather not read even implied thoughts of life taking, Ulfran/13 is angsty but just a teeny bit saucy about it maybe, Ahuska/Blakk is soft soft soft fluffy angst, and Ahuska/13 get to actually enjoy themselves a bit, I think. I have not done a lick of proof-reading so apologies if anything is clunky. NO RAGRETS

4. where it hurts (Crow/13)

They looked at him differently now, he knew it. Almost, Crow wished for the intuition that seemed to come so easily to Ulfran, that seemed like breathing for Ahuska, to help clue him in to how they felt. Five was near impossible to read, and Crow couldn’t help but wonder if it had something to do with the void that still burned inside him, that had spent five long years in carbonite taking advantage of the fact that Five could not truly live; could not react, could not see or touch or taste or feel. Sometimes, Crow thought he could glimpse it as cracks working their way across the entire surface of Five’s body, flashes of unnatural violet spilling through and threatening to claim more of the galaxy with emptiness. “You’re worried about him.” Crow didn’t startle when Thirteen spoke; he’d sensed the man’s approach, and his heart ached to know the pain he was in. Perhaps it was because he was better with physical things; with ships and blasters and speed and light and parts; but pain was much easier for him to sense than other emotion. “So are you,” Crow replied, shuffling over where he sat watching Five in yet another long suffering discussion with Lana. Always, they wanted something from him. If not Lana, then Koth, then Senya, and now even Theron-kriffing-Shan was here, as though the mess he’d made on Ziost had never happened. “Do you think he appreciates how much they’re asking of him?” “I think he plays the role well,” Thirteen murmured, squinting out at the man who had once been called Watcher, who still was the Watcher in their hearts. “But it’s just a role?” Thirteen didn’t respond, as he continued to stare, and Crow felt the pain surging through him like a vibration, a mirror of sensation that he could sense the shape of without feeling for himself. “Thirteen,” he said quietly, reaching to take his chin, to turn his head and claim his focus.

He saw the way Thirteen sighed, the way his body softened and gave in to his touch. The look in his eyes that seemed to shimmer between awed, lost, angry and deeply troubled. Crow wished he knew where each expression stemmed from, wished he knew what to say to ease the pain, to coax Thirteen to open up and share some of his burden.

But five long years of turmoil and despair, of discovering parts of himself he’d tried so hard to ignore, had not taught Crow anything about how to dismantle the protective wall Thirteen built around himself specifically to keep his own personal despair contained. All he knew was what time had never needed to teach him, what he’d never needed Ulfran’s instruction in, what no knowledge of the Force had enhanced.

He knew how to give, and what he gave Thirteen was all his attention, his whole heart, his whole self. He felt the pain that shuddered through Thirteen, and placed a hand across his heart, where that pain twisted and tore. He slid his other hand to Thirteen’s cheek, pulling him in closer, feeling the throbbing ache of a tormented mind. And that’s where he started, pressing his lips to Thirteen’s temple, kissing him softly where he knew it hurt. “Five years was like a lifetime without you,” he murmured, kissing him again, pouring himself into it, flushing some life and colour into the gnawing sea of grey. “Please, let me be here now.”

---

17. to distract (5/13)

“Five?” There was a guarded sort of caution in Thirteen’s tone as he approached where his Watcher sat, ashen-faced, a blaster pistol held loosely in his hands across the table. “What are you doing…?”

Five blinked, listening to Thirteen’s footsteps, and drew his lips tight. He hadn’t expected to be found, not like this, but he’d lost track of time as he’d wrestled with the ghost in his head. “Nothing,” he said softly. The weapon wasn’t even his; it felt awkward and foreign in his hands, not that it mattered. His hands wouldn’t obey him.

“Five?” Thirteen pressed, a breath away from using his Watcher’s real name to snare his attention. Such power, was held in one’s name.

Five blinked again, and then angled his head to look up at Thirteen, to watch him slowly pull up a chair beside him. Five felt numb, helpless in a way he’d never quite known. How could he tell Thirteen what was rolling through his mind?

How could he not?

“It’s alright,” the Watcher murmured. “I can’t do anything you wouldn’t like. He won’t let me.”

Five knew Thirteen tried to keep the alarm from showing on his face. But Five was very good at reading faces, and he knew Thirteen’s intimately. “What do you mean?” Thirteen asked again, with that same measured caution. “Who?”

“Valkorion,” Five said simply, and he suspected Thirteen had already known the answer.

“Why would you even…” Thirteen swallowed, feeling his mouth go dry. “What are you talking about. What are you doing here.”

“It’s you he’s interested in. It’s you he wants.”

Thirteen narrowed his eyes and pursed his lips in that way he did when he thought Five was talking absolute nonsense.

Five stared at him, and then his gaze slowly defocused. “It’s true. You, my dear, are the extraordinary one. You are everything, the hero the world wants, the body he craves to possess, and I’m simply-”

“Don’t be idiotic. You stop this, right now.”

“-leverage. The only reason he holds on to me is to keep you in check.”

“Shut up,” Thirteen snapped, letting his voice grow harsh because it was better than showing his fear. He, too, heard the laughter in the back of his head, and in that moment he didn’t know exactly who he was attempting to silence.

“He fears that if I were gone-”

“Stop it. Glen. Stop it right now.”

Five faltered, his eyes sharpening again, his expression pained. He simply watched as Thirteen took the blaster and hurled it across the room, he didn’t flinch as Thirteen reached across and took his face in his hands. He closed his eyes as he felt Thirteen brush his dishevelled hair from his brow and kiss him there. It was almost enough to coax his mind to another place.

“If I were gone,” Five whispered, “you might be able to free yourself from him.”

Thirteen silenced him with a desperate kiss on the lips. “Stop it,” he hissed, with savagery in his tone that wasn’t quite directed at Five. “No more of this. No more of those thoughts, they’re not going to do you or me any good.” And he kissed him again, with no intention of stopping until he’d succeeded in turning Five’s thoughts back to the virtues of staying alive.

---

36. to give up control (Ulfran/13)

“Please. Help me sleep again. Even just one peaceful night…”

Thirteen hadn’t even needed to ask it. Ulfran had known why he’d sought him out, was already prepared to take the Cipher into his arms once more, to smother the nightmares that plagued him.

“Come,” Ulfran beckoned, knowing well the tone that Thirteen responded to.

And Thirteen came to him, head bowed. “My Lord.”

Ulfran had never wished to rise through the ranks of the Sith, power for power’s sake had never been his goal. And so he found the trust that Thirteen placed in him; glib, arrogant Cipher Thirteen; to be extraordinarily humbling. He would do all he could for him.

The Sith placed a hand on the Cipher’s cheek, exerting just enough gentle pressure to encourage him to meet his eyes. “Do you wish me to take anything from your mind?” He’d made the offer more than once in the past, to rid Thirteen of particularly unwelcome memories. While not a preference, he wanted Thirteen to know the option was still there. “Or shall we bury the old with something new?”

“Just… cover it all up,” Thirteen whispered, not wanting to risk Ulfran seeing the things that would wake him in a cold sweat. Ziost. Zakuul. Asylum. All haunted him without cease. “Put something nice at the front of my thoughts.”

“Very well,” Ulfran answered readily. He ran his thumb across Thirteen’s chin, and felt the man shiver. His voice dropped low and his eyes burned. “Then kiss me. Kiss me as you would if you were fresh on the job. As if I had information you needed. As if you required the keycard in my pocket. Kiss me as you would when all the galaxy was new, and exciting, and at your disposal.”

Ulfran didn’t need to use the Force to compel Thirteen.

Thirteen was all too willing to give himself up to Ulfran’s sweet words and rough lips and do as he asked. He remembered not his first jobs as an Agent, but as a Cipher, as one of Intelligence’s most wondrous and terrible secrets. His eyes swirled with silver and a rakish smile fluttered across his features, as he remembered the fresh and giddy excitement with which he’d faced his new life. His hands slipped under Ulfran’s robes to hold his waist and tug him close as he claimed his lips, opening the memories up for Ulfran’s control.

The new skills, the new strength, the joy of flight, the absolute, marvellous thrill of walking through a crowd unseen, knowing just how ignorant everyone was of what truly walked among them. New senses, new tastes, an intoxicating new infatuation… Ulfran picked at the pieces and pulled up what sparked the brightest, allowing it to become real again for Thirteen, for just one, blissful, peaceful night.

---

21. on a place of insecurity (Ahuska/Blakk)

She saw the way his legs trembled. She heard the staccato beat of his heart.

Maybe it was too soon.

Maybe they needed more time together, human and bothan, each with their hands and their voices, more time to talk, to whisper and laugh and be soft and shy with one another, before they could face this.

She watched his hands carefully, and she knew the fur along her spine bristled. It was reflex, it was ancient memory, it meant nothing now, and yet her hackles still lifted to see his hands, just like his hands still shook to see her teeth. 

Monster. I’m a monster. The thoughts had rung through her head endlessly. She hadn’t wanted to hurt him, she hadn’t meant to hurt him, but he had nearly died in her jaws and she’d seen the way she hunted him through his dreams, through his nightmares.

She pressed her muzzle between his paws, and he clasped his hands behind his back.

She loved the wolf, she loved being the wolf, she loved her speed and power and grace, she loved the way she felt at home among the trees, on the rocky slopes, under the dazzling night sky, but to feel his eyes on her now threw her back into that terrible, insecure place. Monster.

But he’d said he owed it to her. He’d said it wasn’t fair, that she should feel the need to hide something she loved so much. He’d said he wanted her to know that he trusted her, and so she stayed where she was, curled gently into the grass, as he approached. She let him take her terrible jaws in his terrible hands, and lift her huge lupine head. They both shook.

“You’re good,” he said softly, and it made her weak, it made her want to fall apart. She could barely still her trembling as he hushed the low whine that rose in her throat with a soft kiss to the side of her muzzle. “And you’re beautiful.” Her monstrous body still trembled, but it was not with fear that she shook. His traitorous hands quivered as he dared to gently stroke across the top of her great head, but now it was with emotions he hadn’t dared to let himself know before.

They were going to let things get better.

41. because the world is saved (Ahuska/13)

Come on, come on, come on…!! She blasted her thoughts to him with urgency, as her wings beat the air, keeping her aloft and coasting back and forth to keep the station in view. It was so distant, the connection between them thrummed with tension, stretched to its limit, and she had no idea how she was still holding on, only that she must.

Another second, just one more… Thirteen’s voice came dimly, but clear enough, and even shared between their minds she could feel the strain.

Hurry, please!

Okay okay okayyy... now!!

Ahuska gave him everything she had, and in the next moment the monstrous hawkbat erupted into the sky above her with a shriek of triumph as the distant station bloomed with fire and light. It was done, and for a moment she shared his triumph, thrilled that she had been able to weave enough power between them that even without his own guidance from the Force, he was able to return to her. From the doomed station to her side in less than a heartbeat, but…

It took its toll. Never had Thirteen’s body been put through such extreme pressure; folded across impossible distances, shifted back and forth in succession, and after a half dozen wingbeats his strength failed him completely.

The hawkbat plummeted, and the winged wolf dove after him.

Shift! Shift, you have to go smaller, please…! Ahuska pressed her thoughts at him with urgency, but she felt his panic, his helpless floundering to trigger the change. He was too weak. And in this shape, his huge and powerful form, she wasn’t sure she’d be able to catch him.

She felt him try, she felt the manic part of him that very nearly didn’t care because it was done, it was done, he’d achieved the impossible and surely now he could just sleep–

No, no! They pierced a bank of clouds, the colour of the sky changing around them. Don’t you dare! And she flooded into him, ignoring her own body momentarily in order to press her mind through his and prompt the shift, wincing at the way his body screamed with the effort. I’m here, I’ve got you. She gave him strength. She fed life into him, as feather and scale and heavy gold and purple hide gave way to a lanky human physique.

And Thirteen laughed as he tumbled through the sky, as he felt the fresh life flood through him.

He laughed as the wolf’s shadow fell over him, and gave a whoop of delight as she caught him, her huge forepaws clasping around his body. She tucked her wings and twisted into a tight roll, then spread them wide and caught the sudden shock of hot air as the first physical wave from the destroyed station reached them. She coasted, then tilted her wings for a gradual descent, dropping Thirteen into the lush grassy plain before hitting the ground herself and crumpling with sheer, exhausted relief, skidding, then rolling, then collapsing completely into a mess of feather and fur.

And he was upon her, still laughing, squeezing her tight. She felt his need for physical contact, she felt it and she needed it too, and before she knew it she’d melted down into her bothan body with her arms around him and he took her face and they were kissing, they were kissing to share the sheer and perfect joy of being alive, of having survived.

“We did it,” she said, gasping for air, her ears so hot that even her cheeks were tinged pink. “We really did it.”

“Are they really all gone? It worked?”

“They’re gone,” Ahuska confirmed, sliding her face against his neck, pressing her muzzle against him in a warm and wolflike gesture. She’d felt them all blink out, she knew it was finally over.

“And…” Thirteen was almost afraid to ask, but he had to know. Spread across the galaxy, they’d all had their parts to play, and even if none had been as dangerous as theirs, going where none but the man who was a hawkbat and the bothan who was a wolf could go, that didn’t mean each of them hadn’t walked a path fraught with danger. The risk had been exceptional, but each and every one of them had agreed before setting out- worth it. “The others?”

Ahuska took a moment, closing her eyes and resting her head against Thirteen’s chest as she focused her senses and listened. One by one, she singled out the golden threads of those who mattered more to her than any others in the galaxy. One by one, she felt their heartbeats, strong and sure. She sighed softly and nuzzled against Thirteen with a little wriggle of pleasure. “They’re all okay. We all made it.”

Pure, infectious delight flooded through Thirteen and spilled into Ahuska, and they held one another, drunk on relief. They’d saved the gods damned galaxy, but more importantly still they’d preserved their world, their own little corner, their home. What they wouldn’t have given to share this moment with their loved ones, but that time would come, and right now Thirteen and Ahuska had one another, their hearts racing together and all the joy of the universe woven between them.

They seized one another, they held on tight, and they kissed. Hungrily, breathlessly, exultantly, they kissed as the sky blazed above them.

[askshivanulegacy]

SHIPPING MEME!! 2, 3, 4, 5 (>.>), 14, 15, 26!

THANK

2. Talk about three of the most important ships throughout your life.

HMMMM. I'm going to include platonic ships in this, and they're all ships I've RP'd. Also, there are definitely more than 3 super important ships, so these are definitely NOT all of them.

(Platonic) Zack/Angeal/Genesis/Sephiroth from Final Fantasy 7. My first-ever set of online RPs. Really how I got into RP and art and writing! Still love them. I want to pick up the new games at some point, and I still have old fics on my to-do list.

Blakk and Saare-ha. An unplanned ship, but so good. the RP here is how I got into SWTOR. Still my canon storyline and I hope to finish some day!

Blakk and Ahuska. One of my current major ships and responsible for a few other most excellent ships, as well as some most excellent projects. >3

All of these ships and ones I haven't mentioned are of course responsible for hooking me up with my most bestest online friendships. What could be better than stories and fandoms and friends? ♥♥♥

3. What’s your current OTP?

I have several ships with Blakk that I love: Blakk/Ahuska, Blakk/Der, Blakk/Zim, Blakk/Zim/Der/Ahuska. Ofc, as my main OC, I love all my ships with him, even if they aren't listed. ♥

ALSO, I love Watcher Five/Cipher Thirteen/Crow aaaaand whoever else may or may not get wrapped up into that. 8) Cipher 13 is my newest trash child and he's amazing. >3

4. What’s your current NOTP?

Ahahahaha ... Shuri and Namor (Wakanda Forever). There's SO many things about this ship that I find extremely disagreeable.

Namor's entire arc starts with a gaslighting trip ("it's your fault I'm attacking you because you won't join me in worldwide genocide"), followed by the lovely murder of Shuri's mother. Despite his supposed agreement to stand down from his warmongering ways, he ends the movie with a renewed commitment to beat Wakanda the moment he can find a way to do it. Not once does he express remorse or any genuine desire to co-exist with Wakanda. As long as they refuse to be his tool to take over the world and/or commit mass genocide, they are his enemy. Shuri certainly (and rightfully) showed no interest in him in the whole movie. She's honestly got better things on her mind, not the least of which is her mother's murder. It's a sign of her own character growth that she even let him live after his murder spree. But at the end of the movie, Namor had no character growth: he's the same as he was at the beginning, except beaten.

I look at this ship and all I can ask is WHY. Maybe there's room in a future movie for him to develop as a character (after all, this was Shuri's story, and not his), but right now it's a ship I just can't stomach lol. It's such a weird ship. It doesn't recognize anything that happened in the movie. I appreciate a good bad guy ship, but there's nothing compelling in Namor even as a character to achieve that the way he was portrayed. And the funny thing is that it's not even presented as the random OOC ship it is, or even a solid hate-ship, it's presented like there's a basis for Shuri and Namor to actually have a loving relationship ... and there isn't. She's a child. He's a centuries-old child throwing a temper tantrum that nobody else in his entire underwater kingdom probably understands. He murdered her mother and said it was their own fault. Just nope.

People can ofc ship whoever they want, but this is the first ship I've seen that I've been so opposed to even seeing the art on my dash. These tender, loving glances between Shuri and Namor?? Wot??? Like, did we watch the same movie?? Doesn't seem like it, lol.

5. Do you have any poly ships?

I DO IN FACT. 8)

(SWTOR OCs) Watcher 5/Cipher 13/Crow +/- Ulfran is a CURRENT FAVE. Ahuska floats around on the fringes. 8)

Derrick/Blakk/Zim/Ahuska is another fun one, and I've had a couple others over the years. >3

14. How do you feel about will they/won’t they?

An excellent trope, especially in slow burn action. >3

15. Have you ever “shipped at first sight”?

Not that I recall, actually. The characters have to reveal themselves first, along with their motivations and how they tie into the story. I don't ship just anyone, and I don't do it just based on the appearance of characters. I'm also not a super frequent shipper either. I default to canon relationships all the time with zero desire to change it and zero desire to delve into fanfiction. I have to really connect to the characters and want to see more of them before I think about shipping.

26. Have you noticed a pattern in your shipping? Is there a romantic dynamic you’re more drawn to?

Now that I think about it I GUESS THERE IS.

I seem to lean strongly into angsty bad boy + heart of gold, or angsty bad boy + power figure. Honestly, as long as there's a stabby, desperate, angst bucket, my shipping radar boots up. XDD

[dingoat]

For Ahuska - 24. What are your character's special skills? 31. Your character has been invited to a masquerade ball. What mask do they wear? For Ulfran - 14. Are they a simple person to please or difficult? 25. What are some things they find difficult to do? Or say?

Ahhh, thankyou for asking!!

24. Ahuska's special skills? Well, aside from when she gets to run around being a magic werewolf, hahaha, most of her 'skills' are things she's just worked hard at all her life (ie art, animal handling) that she wouldn't regard as 'special' by any means. Force Sensitivity might qualify, though in and of itself she doesn't really stand out for having it, and her ability to wield it thus far is pretty poor. If/when she ever really develops her skills though, I think where she'll stand out will actually tie in a lot with the natural world and the cycles of life and death, an innate understanding of her own body that she'll be able to extend to any being that she connects with closely enough, which will then translate to some fairly spectacular healing ability of both physical and spiritual forms. She's nowhere near there yet in any universe, but I like to imagine this might be in store for her, somewhere, at some point.

31. Masquerade!! Oh, Ahuska would have a grand old time designing and making herself a mask, and give her enough time and opportunity and she'd make dozens. Animal and nature designs would always make their way into them and she'd probably have a lot of fun making them intricate and elegant.

14. Is Ulfran simple or difficult to please? Oh, no. On one level, he is very easy to please. He doesn't ask for much and is very gracious. He has always very much taken to heart the notion of living very minimally, unburdened by possessions and sentiment, and never letting the opinions of others sway him or impact him too deeply. Any small kindness done for him is genuinely appreciated. However, he is also a man who is deeply unhappy with himself, long years of being completely distanced from anyone he shares his philosophy with, of having to play the part of a grumpy, bitter old man and making harsh sacrifices to maintain his cover, finally having taken their toll. So in some ways, he is also impossible to please, committed as he is to keeping people at arm's length and never accepting true happiness into his life.

25. What does he find difficult to say/do? Reach out, accept help, make himself emotionally available to anybody. He can not allow himself to admit out loud that he cares about anyone.

[dingoat]

For Ulfran - 9. What is one thing that would break your muse? 17. Does your muse consider themselves a good person? Why or why not?  

9. Ahhh, poor Ulfran. He's definitely been through a lot in his life and there have been moments that have 'broken' him in one regard or another (learning that the love of his youth had deserted the Republic being one, reuniting with her after decades in deep cover being another, having his connection to the Force severed even later down the track being yet another), but he is profoundly stubborn and made the decision to put literally everything else in the galaxy before himself long, long ago, and so despite it all he just... keeps going. I could imagine a 'straw that breaks the camel's back' situation where maybe one tiny thing makes the weight of all the rest finally come crashing down? He's had to make a lot of terrible sacrifices for the greater good that definitely wear him down, but he's pretty stoic about compartmentalising it all- I think what just might really do him in, though, would be losing someone (whether to death or to the Dark) that he was actively, genuinely giving his all to save.

17. Nope. Ulfran doesn't see himself as a good person at all. He believes in his cause, he believes everything he does is for the right reason and the greater good (he has to, it's the only way he can keep going!) but he has both caused and allowed enough terrible things to happen to undeserving people at a personal, individual level to truly believe that he, himself, could be considered good. Posing as a Sith for the better part of his life does not make for an otherwise good-hearted person feel content with themselves.

[dingoat]

OC Meme - Ulfran

Tagged by @kaosstar​ ...thankyou! :D I’ve got a few tags here and there for things I’ve already done with Ahuska, so hopefully I can find them all again and give Ulfran a lil more thought and attention. Dude also needs some more drawings, dangit.

Ulfran

GENERAL

name : Kane Ulfran Maulkinsson gender :  Male age : somewhere around or slightly above the ‘middle-aged’ mark place of birth : Dromund Kaas spoken languages : Basic, Huttese, Minnisiat, Ancient Sith (and possibly a few other dead languages). Passable Bothese and Rodian. Entry level Mando’a and what Ryl can be managed verbally. sexual orientation : Bisexual occupation : Sorta, kinda, technically an archaeologist. Destroyer of Evil Things. Undercover agent. And more recently, a very tired teacher. On a good day he might admit to being a Jedi Knight, forever appended with ‘not sure he deserves the title any more’.

APPEARANCE

eye colour : Naturally, dark brown. For much of his life, silver-white. More recently, some brown leaking back, leading to a sort of bright honey-hazel. hair colour : It used to be black, once upon a time, haha. height : Tall-ish scars : Probably quite a few. Definitely some nasty burns on his torso/lower body. No doubt some gnarly stuff still visible from where his cybernetic fingers are attached (THANKS CROW). He’s been through a lot of rubbish and doesn’t shy from physical harm, so I’m sure he’s accumulated a fair bit over the years! burns : Oh okay they ask about burns specifically now haha. There was a period of time when he was certain everyone he met just wanted to set him on fire. overweight : Nope underweight : He definitely slips under when he stops paying attention and taking care of himself

FAVOURITE

colour : Deep blue music genre : Classical (particularly whatever the star wars equivalent of the Romantic period would be... probably something from Alderaan...) movie genre : Westerns show : I think the only time he browses holo-TV is for the news, but he wouldn’t say he enjoys it. food : Nuts and dried fruit for snacking, incredibly flavoursome spicy dish as a guilty pleasure. drink : Dark caf, sweet tea. book : Almost too many to name, but his worn and faded copy of ‘The Little Prince’ is clearly very beloved and has traveled with him through many years.

HAVE THEY

passed university : With honours had sex : Mmm hmm had sex in public : Never been confirmed but wouldn’t surprise me gotten pregnant : Definitely not, and he’d take great care to make sure no accidents happen. kissed a boy : Probably (.... @kaosstar​ ?? >.>) kissed a girl : Many gotten tattoos : One, the Old Republic symbol on his forearm. had a broken heart : Hooooo boy yes been in love : Yes stayed up for longer than 24 hours : Hahahaha all the damn time

ARE THEY

a virgin : Not by a long shot a cuddler : Definitely doesn’t come naturally to him, someone else would have to instigate it and give him time to relax into it. a kisser :  Yep scared easily : Nope jealous easily : Nope trustworthy : Doesn’t often look it from the outside, but absolutely dominant : Very much so submissive : He can act it well, but it’s not his nature to be in love : He would say no. He might be lying. single : Yes

RANDOM QUESTIONS

have they harmed themselves : Probably. For ritual purposes almost certainly, and he’d definitely be the sort of person who’d ‘plunge hand through deadly torture beam to retrieve mystical artifact’, if that counts. thought of suicide :  In an abstract way, without any intention of following through, more than likely. attempted suicide :  No wanted to kill someone :  Yep rode a horse : Probably have / had a job : Yes have any fears : Fear of failure is a big one. On a smaller scale, of letting individuals down. Not admitted to himself, fear of having nobody with him when his life finally comes to an end.

FAMILY

sibling(s) : Never gone into it, but I imagine he might have a brother or sister. parents :  Very old, ordinary citizens, in retirement on Dromund Kaas. children :  Nope. This one pesky student is more than enough of that level of personal responsibility to deal with. pets : He’s getting very tired of all these gizka on his ship. The wolf deifnitely doesn’t count as a pet, and if it did, he’d deny any responsibility for it.

[dingoat]

Character Stats

tagged by @greencrusader13​ and @kaosstar​ so I guess I’ll do two of the kids!

Name: Ahuska Crow Face Claim: I think about Audrey Hepburn, Nala, and also goats Age: Somewhere around 30 but neither she nor I can make up our mind Height: ~165cm, average by human standards, tall for a Bothan Species: Bothan Gender: Female Birthday: She doesn’t know, and I wish SW had better calendar systems Residence: Wherever Home is parked Marital status/Love interest: Married to and head over heels for Mar’an Crow Alignment: Had trouble determining this, so I took a quiz that placed her as ‘Neutral Good’. Amongst other quotes in the results; ‘These characters value life and freedom above all else, and despise those who would deprive others of them.’ -yeah, that works. Drink: Caf, strawberry milkshakes. Food/snacks: Sweets. Berries. Womp rat chomps. And still dreaming of the day she can get her hands on a fresh hot donut. Day or Night: Both. Both is good. Pet: Pexu the nexu and Boy the varactyl are her most best long-term animal companions. She’s working on getting her two otta and arkanian dragon onto the FPA colonised planet, and owns twelve more varactyls, but while they’re her responsibility she’s working on training invididual handlers for each of them. Colour: She’s definitely drawn to autumn hues, but loves colour in general. Flower: She loves the sorts of little wildflowers that will colour a whole meadow. Sexuality: Past preference shows a solid leaning toward human men but she’s never consciously ruled anything out. Body Type: Strong arms big hips Eye Colour: Sky blue Hair Colour: Warm off-white

Name: Kane Ulfran Maulkinsson Face Claim: Kevin McKidd, a little more creased and worn and grey Age: Never put a figure to it, hah. Somewhere nice and mature. Height: Tall but not too tall. Not quite 1.8m, maybe? Species: Human Gender: Male Birthday: If he knows it he doesn’t celebrate it. Residence: He knows there’s a place for him on Eden, and even on Tython, but he doesn’t feel like he belongs anywhere. Marital status/Love interest: Doomed to Pine Forever. Doesn’t consciously acknowledge romance, but has adored Lyrisal since they were teens. Between a good many angry flings while undercover with the Empire there may be one or two he still thinks about, if in a very in-denial kind of way. Alignment: Took the quiz again and got a reasonably unsurprising ‘Lawful Good’. ‘These characters have a strong moral character. Truth, honor, and the welfare of others is all-important.’ Drink: Strong dark caf, hard spirits, or water. Food/snacks: Nuts or boiled sweets for snacking. Otherwise food is just food, whatever’s on offer. He probably thinks he doesn’t deserve the simple pleasure of eating for enjoyment. Day or Night: Definitely prone to staying up all hours of the night. Pet: He finds himself responsible for a certain someone’s renegade gizka more often than he signed up for. Colour: He’d say grey, but he doesn’t even realise how much the colours of the Tython ranges stir his heart. Flower: He’ll stop and stare at roses, and make himself feel sad. Sexuality: Very bi. Body Type: Lean and narrow. Pretty toned once upon a time, now just tired. Eye Colour: Naturally, dark brown. Unnaturally, reflective silver-white until very recently; the colour has started to come back but they’re a lot lighter than they have the potential to return to. Hair Colour: Used to be black, now it’s grey through and through. 

[dingoat]

❤️ - Their personality/them at present for Ulfran

Oh man, Ulfran at present is not exactly in the happiest of places. Thankyou for asking after my poor old guy! <3

[dingoat]

Negative Personality Traits

Rules: bold traits that apply always. italicize occasional or situational traits.

Tagged by @lizard-and-miqos ! I already did this one for Ahuska a long while back, so I’m going to indulge in a study of contrasts today and see how Ulfran and Watcher Five measure up against one another. I think we all know how this is going to go ahaha

Tagging @askshivanulegacy @kaosstar @starrealis @outcastcommander @abbienormal @greencrusader13 to do if the mood takes you!

Kane Ulfran Maulkinsson; a Jedi Knight, loyal to the code, finally free from his deep cover assignment amongst the Sith enclave on Dromund Kaas.

aggressive | arrogant | authoritarian | bitter | brutal | callous | cannibal | careless | cold/cold-hearted | compulsive | controlling | corrects others constantly | cowardly | critical | cruel | delusional | demanding | disillusioned | domineering | envious | emotionally stunted | greedy | grim | guarded | hard | harsh | hypocritical | impatient | impolite | intimidating | irritable | kidnapper | lazy | liar | lustful | manipulative | materialistic | mean | merciless | messianic | mistrusting | murderer | narrow-minded | obsessive | opinionated | over-bearing | over-critical | over-emotional | over-thinking | patronizing | proud | remote | repressed | rigid | rules with an iron fist | ruthless | sarcastic | self-righteous | self-indulgent | serial killer | taciturn | torturer | touchy | traitorous | unsympathetic | unpredictable | uptight | vain | vengeful

Watcher Five; Devoted Imperial agent, ambitious and cruel, hates almost everybody and them himself several orders of magnitude more.

aggressive | arrogant | authoritarian | bitter | brutal | callous | cannibal | careless | cold/cold-hearted | compulsive | controlling | corrects others constantly | cowardly | critical | cruel | delusional | demanding | disillusioned | domineering | envious | emotionally stunted | greedy | grim | guarded | hard | harsh | hypocritical | impatient | impolite | intimidating | irritable | kidnapper | lazy | liar | lustful | manipulative | materialistic | mean | merciless | messianic | mistrusting | murderer | narrow-minded | obsessive | opinionated | over-bearing | over-critical | over-emotional | over-thinking | patronizing | proud | remote | repressed | rigid | rules with an iron fist | ruthless | sarcastic | self-righteous | self-indulgent | serial killer | taciturn | torturer | touchy | traitorous | unsympathetic | unpredictable | uptight | vain | vengeful

I’d say Five should consider toning it down a notch but that’s most definitely not what he’s here for. I’m not even sure this meme covers all his bad qualities.