We Love Our Space Hamster

“So,” Alex’s eyes flick from one blonde to the other. She doesn’t even have it left in her to be surprised. “She’s from another Earth?”

“And the future,” both Karas say at the same time. Kara, this Earth’s Kara, looks a little bit awed at the almost identical version of herself standing beside her.

There are differences, of course. This other Kara is older, though it’s hard to tell by how much thanks to Kryptonian physiology.

There are a series of lines in the corners of her eyes, and more freckles on her cheeks. Her hair is blonder than Kara’s, almost silver at the front on one side.

Despite wearing sweatpants and a threadbare MIT sweatshirt, she looks poised in a way Kara hasn’t quite mastered yet, almost regal.

Alex sighs.

“Must be Tuesday.”

-

Kara gives herself a tour of the tower. Apparently on Older Kara’s earth they work out of an abandoned castle somewhere. She won’t reveal too much, says it can be dangerous to talk too much about it, in case some things overlap.

They get along well, sharing matching grins as Kara leads them from room to room. A box of Brainy’s donuts are discovered in the kitchen and soon both Kara’s have full bellies and icing on their fingers. It’s kind of nice, actually.

Older Kara tell her that she thinks a fifth dimensional imp has something to do with her ending up here, and Kara nods along, knowing all about it.

“Lena can help,” Kara says casually as they enter the lab, where Lena sits among a series of spell books and equipment. She’s leaning heavily on one elbow, face down turned to the page she’s reading in a kind of concentration that makes her miss their entrance.

Her hair is pulled up into a quick bun, a few pieces slipping out around her face, and she has a pair of thick rimmed glasses perched on her nose that Kara knows she’s started needing to read the tiny print in her mother’s spell book.

She looks comfortable in the bubble of her lab, and as beautiful as she has ever been.

Older Kara pauses beside her, the easy posture she had adopted during their tour transforming into stony stillness.

“Lena,” she breathes. When Kara turns to look she sees her own jaw flexed tight, eyes wide and shining with what looks like shock but might also be tears.

It’s enough to get Lena’s attention and she turns to acknowledge them, looking from one Kara to the other with a raised eyebrow.

“Alternate dimension?” she asks easily, slipping her glasses up into her forehead to see them properly. Kara nods, eyes still trained on the older version of herself who is in turn still staring at Lena.

Lena nods.

“Cool. Hi,” Lena offers to the other Kara with a kind smile, dimples flashing, brain clearly already spinning with questions and curiosities.

Older Kara swallows thickly, and Kara’s brow crinkles. She looks from her to Lena who just shrugs.

“Hi,” Older Kara manages after too long, but then she’s clearing her throat, blinking something away as her posture loosens a little bit. “Sorry, uh. Hi. Hi, Lena.”

Her name sounds different on this Kara’s tongue, and Kara wonders why.

An awkward moment passes and then Lena stands from her stool. Green eyes zero in on Older Kara’s sweatshirt for just a moment, a flicker of something crossing her face just long enough for Kara to catch it.

Then Lena is looking between the two Karas before her and smiling again.

“Okay, then. Science or magic?”

-

They use both.

It’s simple enough once Lena has the details. She alters the transmat-portal watch to create fifth dimensional wormholes, muttering a few words over the now well used technology.

Older Kara never looks away from her. Kara never looks away from Older Kara looking at her. It’s a lot of staring.

At one point Alex comes to check on them, a cup of coffee steaming in one hand, looks between the three of them and shakes her head.

“Nope. No energy for whatever this is today,” and she turns right back around and walks out.

Lena solves the problem in an hour and when she holds up the watch with a bit of a smirk both Karas cheeks turn the slightest shade of pink.

-

The Karas are talking in hushed whispers on the balcony landing. Lena watches them with interest from the seat at her desk, unable to hear what they’re saying with her human ears.

Older Kara continues to look a little too serious. Kara — her Kara — looks confused and then bashful and then quietly devastated.

Lena’s halfway to standing, ready to go make sure she’s okay, when Alex pipes up beside her.

“Let’s just give them a minute.”

Lena nods, and sinks back to her stool, fingers tapping an irregular rhythm against the tabletop while they wait. After a few more minutes of whispering together and a long hug in which four arms flex and squeeze with all the strength they have, the Karas come to stand before her.

“She’s ready,” Kara says, and her voice scratches in her throat like she might cry. Now she’s the one who can’t look away from Lena.

It makes Lena want to reach out and smooth a thumb against the line between her eyebrows, but she controls herself. Instead she presses her thumb against the button on the side of the watch.

A vortex of blue appears in the center of the room.

“Thanks for stopping by,” Alex waves off the older version of her sister.

“Bye, Kara,” Lena says easily, hoping to ease whatever fear has recently settled on Kara’s face, and both Karas hands flex at the same time, curling into self soothing fists.

“Bye, Lena,” Older Kara blinks quickly a few times, and after a long moment tears her eyes away from Lena to look at Kara.

“Don’t miss your chance,” Older Kara says seriously and two sets of matching blue eyes share a look that goes over Lena’s head.

Older Kara nods once, casts one last long look at Lena, and then disappears through the portal in a swirl of blue energy.

“What was that about?” Lena says, trying to keep her tone light amidst the weird lingering tension. She can’t imagine what would have Kara looking so grave.

Kara has her hands on her hips, brow furrowed. She stares after the older version of herself until all that remains are wisps of blue magic.

Lena looks at her expectantly, raising both eyebrows.

“Kara?”

Kara turns to her then, blue eyes shining with an unguarded intensity that burns like stars.

“I’m in love with you.”

Lena blinks back at her, lips parting slightly. From beside her Alex let’s out a low whistle.

Alex’s coffee cup hits the table and she pushes out her stool, heading for the elevator without giving either of them a second glance and muttering to herself.

“Oh, yep. Definitely not enough energy for this today.”

I’m a total sucker for fics where Harry is dark and gets sorted into Slytherin, but I’m also really disappointed with how Ron and Hermione are treated in them

So: dark au where the trio is sorted into Slytherin

Hermione, who wants to use knowledge to change the world

Ron, who wants to finally be free of his family’s shadow

Harry, who wants to be great, to be admired, to be free

The teachers adore quick, clever Granger, but Severus worries when he sees the way she eyes the restricted section, how her mind is filled with deadly recipes and the ways to use them

The purebloods learn not to badmouth the halfbloods, not to bully the muggleborns, because Hermione knows forbidden magic, Hermione knows the untraceable poisons and the painful curses-and Hermione knows how to avoid being caught

No one outside of Slytherin pays attention to Ronald Weasley, so quiet compared to his brothers, and that’s a mistake

Ron casts his first dark spell and the power takes his breath away, Ron sinks into the comfort of blood rituals and makes outlawed sacrifices to forgotten gods

Ron wonders how his family could abandon this happiness in favor of a flickering light

Harry, the chosen one, the special one, the abandoned one

Harry looks at the light, looks at the people that did nothing for him, and dives into the dark

Lockhart dies drinking poison, Snape finds the trio huddled around Peter’s body, the aurors that find Umbridge’s remains vomit, and the Wizarding World doesn’t notice

Voldemort rises and does not face an old man and a group of do gooders

Voldemort rises and faces a witch with a brilliant mind and no taste for mercy, a wizard that delights in bloodshed and manipulates people like he moves chess pieces, and the broken, bloody boy that’s won their loyalty

Voldemort falls

The forest around them is silent when the call is given. A sharp whistle of bird song that should be impossible for anyone with human vocal cords and the sudden whine of blaster fire as a dozen figures rise from the shadows and open fire.

None of them acknowledge the flash of red hair, darkened with dirt and muck, that dives past them. Darting through the last few trees before he leaps rolling as he lands metal already crunching beside him as his hand rises and even now after months of fighting Neild can’t compare it to anything. Not the way he moves or the way he fights, everything so very fluid and wrong besides the small figures he fights beside. All still growing into their bodies compared to the quick controlled dance the other always manages. 

A body falls with a blaster bolt perfectly centered on it’s forehead and the figure is already off again. Flashing steps, the shadows themselves seeming to rise around him and Neild is reminded of the old stories of their greatest warriors. Unstoppable hunters, fearless warriors. A blaster on his back in favor for the staff he’s taken too, a bloody dance that defends as many of them as he can while decimating those who threaten the young while Neild can only watch.

Metal creaks, shatters and the doors swing open with out a touch. Nothing but the sweeping pull of a hand and the groan of twisted metal as those of them that aren’t keeping watch dart forward to pull the children from the back of the truck Obi-wan has practically torn to pieces.

Obi-wan himself stands apart, a vibroblade clutched in one hand, staff and blaster hanging across his back and the air around him still and silent. If Neild looked closely he knows what he’d see. Eyes like the void of space, maybe even an extra pair and fangs sharper than anything he’s seen in the wild of his home.

Neild doesn’t look. None of them ever do.

The young know when something is just a little off, but they also know that it means nothing when everything they’ve ever known is wrong to begin with. They’ve heard what the elders had to say about the Jedi, and they know what happened to the first. Even if Obi seemed certain she’d live through it.

Whatever he is, whatever he may become Obi-wan is one of the young now.

Early Dark Rey concepts by Adam Brockbank

Secret Clones AU

Short version: Secret Clones AU is the clones going into hiding in plain sight across the galaxy to force a fair wage and also to keep the babies safe from Kaminoans

The clones figure out the plan to take advantage of them, brain chips, etc. several years before the war hits. IDK how, maybe Jango decided to take a closer look with Mij and went Oh Shit. Doesn't matter. Point is, they caught on and decided that they needed to uhhhhh get Out.

There are millions of clones, yes, but there are tens of thousands of planets.

Once the chips are out and someone's jabbed them with anti-aging serum... they're not that different from standard humans.

And it's not exactly hard to tie up the Kaminoans long enough to get off planet.

So what happens is that a while, let's say a year and a half, before the war kicks off, you have a mass exodus from Kamino, and a wide dispersal of clones. They are generally staying together in groups of about half a dozen, claiming to be brothers, so that there's a 16-18-ish looking clone to take lead, with progressively younger cadets to look after. Each one has a commander they can 'report' to in case of emergency, and if something goes real bad, they can call in an Alpha (and Alphas can call in Jango in a worst case scenario).

It's still sort of a military structure, but... it's a phone tree.

And you have one of these groups of half a dozen clones in every major city. There are thousands of planets, and most of those planets have more than one city. Denon and Coruscant are nothing but city, so they can get counted as dozens of cities on their own. It's easy to disappear in places like that.

It's so easy for the clones, before anyone knows them, to just... disappear. Go into hiding in plain sight.

It's not like more than a handful of people know what to look for.

(It's not like they have a centralized record of who went where.)

(It's just the phone tree.)

They still get real excited-happy-eager when they run into a Jedi.

They want to work with Jedi. They're the good guys! And they're cool!

But your army did a mass desertion before the war started and finding/recruiting all of them is going to take a stupid amount of money. You cannot hire a bounty hunter for each and every clone.

And as @bytebun put it:

Somebody two years later: you look …familiar. Have we met? Clone: haha I get that a lot just one of those faces

AND THEY CAN GET AWAY WITH IT BECAUSE THE GALAXY IS HECKING MASSIVE

I think the Republic has to like… negotiate with Jango and the Alphas and set up paid contracts if they want these Ultra Skilled Warriors to fight for them.

The clones can fight. Some of them even want to fight. They are good at this and they recognize that many of the things that are occurring under Separatist invasion are Mega Bad.

But like. Pay them and treat them as citizens, first.

The Jedi are even more confused about this identical army that really loves them than they are in canon Where the heck did you guys come from Who trained you Why do you like us What the heck is going on

"Someone wanted us to be a trap for you but we took the trap out. Here we have a sample if you want. Anyway. We like you guys and want to fight with you because honestly civilian life is way understimulating. Let me punch a droid."

I think a few of the clones do 'scouting' where they voluntarily help a Jedi in the field to gather information on their validity as Friends. Cody keeps a number of spreadsheets that are just Various Jedi Encounters.

Rex does a scouting mission with Kenobi&Skywalker and just goes to Cody like "Listen. I know he's insane. But. I want that one."

Rex just "I call dibs" "Cody. Cody did you hear me. Dibs, I call dibs."

@catboydogma: stats for pong krell are all zeroes

Absolute shit tier Jedi They play rock paper scissors to decide who has to deal with him

A solid half of the clones don't get recruited because the lack of advanced aging (past a certain point) means they're physically still minors and My Dad (Alphas and CCs) Said No. They stay behind on their various planets to look after The Real Babies.

"Let me ask my dad" "Wait--" "He said no."

Just want these boys to have Civilian Lives they can return to or at least experience before war gets them all fucked up.

I think some of them try to Make Connections with influential people (whether politicians or like... Space Influencers) so they have people vouching for them once the war kicks off. And there can be at least some public pushback on functionally enslaving them.

"I can't believe you manipulated people into liking you! That's so mean!" "Well you see. I wanted to survive past the age of eleven. So."

Reblof if you’re in love with Katie McGrath.

Trying to prove a point to the world.

Just want to remind everyone of this

Royal Blood AU:

Where the Jedi don't really know anything about Anakin's step-family so Luke goes to Padme's family while Leia goes to the Organa's.

He is raised as Luke Naberrie, spending his first few years of life under the care of his grandparents ( You know - the people who raised Padme Like That).

Now, the Naboo, particularly the political elite of Naboo, are very good at the shell game of deception. When he is finally revealed, the family claims he is a year younger than the truth, and there is, around him, all the hushed silence of a well-supressed scandal. The nature of it is... nebulous.

Luke grows up in a small cloister of other fair eyed, blonde haired boys - Aunty Eirite's son, and his cousin, and the boy from a family that has long been loyal to House Naberrie.

He is, as a child, like any other boy of his House. Perhaps his instincts are a little better, perhaps he learns a little faster, perhaps he picks up skills more aptly.

Perhaps he is another genius, like his Aunt Padme. His family pours all their love and learning into him, and - and their loss, though perhaps they do not mean to.

He is a Nabberrie, after all, and he follows in the family profession and is elected a Prince of Theed at the age of 13 (14, really).

He chooses a political pseudonym from one of Naboo's more modern heroes.

He takes on the title Prince Skywalker.

At the age of 16, he goes on to be elected the Junior Senator of Naboo, now Senator Skywalker.

He butts heads with Princess Organa his first day in the Senate, and somehow they quickly become inseparable rivals.

Darth Vader has an indescribable grudge against this blonde child - children, since he has several decoys/ assistants. Leia Organa has impeccable timing for interrupting when Luke finds himself cornered for intimidation.

Darth Vader grows to find them both incessantly aggravating.

He can't quite bring himself to crush them. He's not certain why.

Bail Organa and Senator Nabberrie ( Luke's grandfather) have so many gray hairs. They are both, however, incredibly proud of their budding, unstoppable baby rebels.

( Yes Luke has R2D2 and Leia has C3PO, yes the droids regularly thwart Darth Vader too. Luke is an ace pilot just like his childhood hero, Leia is a sharpshooter just like both her mothers).

Part 4/7 - Previous / Next / First

Track: ‘Unstoppable’ - Sia

Bly had never really argued with his general like this, but he supposed that came with falling in love with them. The second Rex had lit those lightsabers he had wheeled on Aayla and asked for her saber, which she had not exactly taken well.

“You’ll die!” She shouted as she watched Rex fly towards the Sith and surely a quick demise.

“General please! He's my little brother, I have to try!”

“I-” the twi'lek paused, her anger dissipating. Tears sprung to her eyes as the fighting lulled for a moment and time seemed to slow. “Bly, please, don’t leave me like this.”

Bly shook his head and quickly slid up close to her; always by her side. “I would never.”

Aayla took a deep breath. She watched as now Cody went flying towards his brother regardless of the danger, as Obi-wan no doubt had taught him. She could even just make out Plo Koon through the fighting, saber off and being offered to his commander.

The force was singing a battle cry, but it wasn’t meant for her. 

Bly let out a grunt as the saber hilt was basically punched against his chest. He went to take it and felt Aalya's other hand fall over his on the saber, it now being cradled between them on the precipice of something important.

A beat passed as their eyes met. Even with the helmet Bly knew Aayla could always truly see him. “I love you,” he told her, raw and quiet.

She gave him a small smile in return. “I know."

And as Bly took off towards Ahsoka's unofficial launch pad, watching Wolffe go howling through the air, he knew she loved him too.

Okay, okay so I’m thinking of an au mashup in which Obi Wan gets de-aged in the middle of the clone wars, except Obi Wan is now at the age when his prophetic visions and slightly offputting nature were at they’re height.

I tend to follow the belief, in Seer!Obi wan fics, that Yoda took one look at the 8 year old Obi Wan who keeps telling him increasingly creepy little snippets of his future and the looked at Sifo-Dyas rocking back and forth in the corner doodling the same face over and over, with slight variations, muttering insanities as Dooku tries to lure him out with a trail of biscuits and tea, and just went. No. Absolutely not. Not doing this again. And the council at the time just sort of agreed to put a mental block in place to stop Obi Wan from growing up into Sifo-Dyas Junior.

This is was all fine and dandy, until Obi Wan is suddenly 7 again without this block in place and planets away from anyone capable of rebuilding it again. Force forbid they allow Skywalker a go at it.

Now there’s an unsettling redheaded child making very worrying, very creepy comments.

Anakin: awww, aren’t you a cute!!!

Baby!Obi-Wan: Your hands drip with the blood of trillions, Your arrogance veils the sins you wish not to confront, Your decrepit body shall live on long past your own death, in a cage of its own making.

Anakin: : - 0

Baby!Obi-Wan: but thank you : - )

Ahsoka and Rex are very reluctant to be near the baby after he tells them how everyone they love will die and they shall continue on, surrounded but alone all the same.

Cody and the 212th choose to endure the comments on how they will die enslaved, put down by the masters that created them, deprived of personhood and kindness because creepy baby or not, that’s they’re general right there, they can figure all the freakiness out after the they’ve comforted the child. (They are immensely worried over this, though)

It’s not like Obi wan is enjoying this either. He doesn’t want to predict all this, it won’t stop!

Dooku, on the other hand is thrilled. He kind of regrets not keeping his lover Sifo-Dyas around as his own personal fortune cookie machine / Magic 8 ball. Not cause he misses him or anything. Not at all. He just thinks the tactical advantage would be wonderful! (This is slightly ignorant of how unstable and harmful Sifo’s visions were) To have his Grandpadawan back in this impressionable, powerful state would also be wonderful!

He changes his mind after about 10 minutes with said grandpadawan.

He wants the adult one back please. The 7 year old is dissecting his soul and telling him how pointless his life decisions have been :-(

Shit really hits the fan when baby!Obi-Wan accidentally bumps into Sheev.

Obi wan returns to adult form in a galaxy that sort of resembles this

He can’t do much complaining though considering it was him that caused this.