Stuff I Love: Top Ten Edition - Challenge 2 (series)
Feb. 8th, 2026 02:26 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
smallhobbitContinuing with the challenge dreamersdare made, here are more top 10 series. This time I've gone for crime fiction books, and again in no particular order:
1. Malabar House series by Vaseem Khan
Set mostly in Bombay just after Independence, these are stories about Persis Wadia, the first female Indian detective, who's shunted off to Malabar House to keep her out of the way. Nevertheless she gets involved in a number of high profile cases and becomes better known. Vaseem Khan is a British writer, who spent 10 years in Mumbai. The series is ongoing and I'm currently reading the latest The Edge of Darkness which is set in the Naga Hills in north-east India. There's lots of details about the time, and gripping stories. I've also enjoyed the Baby Ganesh series, which sees an ex-detective inspector in Mumbai who is sent a baby elephant by an uncle, and the crimes he solves.
2. Maigret by Georges Simenon
There are about 75 Maigret novels. I started listening to them as audiobooks, bought a few hard copies, and am currently working my way through all the books available in our county library. The series starts in 1931 and while Maigret is based in Paris, he's fairly often in different parts of France, or visiting countries nearby. I enjoy the atmosphere and the strong sense of time and place, as well as the variety of crimes Maigret is faced with.
3. Bradecote & Catchpoll series by Sarah Hawkswood
Set in the 1140s and based in Worcester and the surrounding area, so a similar time period to Cadfael, Hugh Bradecote is the Under-sheriff and therefore a representative of the authorities in solving crimes, and he works with the vastly experience Catchpoll who is the Sheriff's Sergeant and Walkelin, the serjeanting apprentice. I like the main characters, who are very human and seek to do their best for those around them, in what can be very difficult times. The next book Act of Betrayal is out in September.
4. Jackman & Evans series by Joy Ellis
I listen to these on audiobooks. DI Rowan Jackman is a modern day detective in the Fenland of Lincolnshire (Joy Ellis' home territory) and is assisted by his sergeant, Sally Evans. There's a team of recurring characters and some interesting crimes, darker than some of what I read. Black Notice is the latest, which came at towards the end of last year.
5. Inspector MacDonald series by E C R Lorac
I've only read the books which have been republished in British Library Crime Classics, but have enjoyed those. The series begins in the early 1930s and runs through to the 1950s. I like MacDonald, who is competent and thoughtful. Most of the books are set in England, with a number in the Lake District. Once more the description of place is excellent - I'm not inclined to read through long descriptions, but these are written so that the reader feels themselves there, rather than simply admiring the view from a distance. They also give an incidental view of life as lived by most people at the time.
6. The Su Yin series by Ovidia Yu
Originally called the Crown Colony series, but with the passing of time this has become inappropriate. The first story is set in Singapore in 1936, when Singapore was under British rule, and the series moves through the Japanese occupation, and has now reached the late 1940s, with the strong demands for independence from the returning British. Su Yin isn't in the police force, but frequently (other than during the war years) works with Inspector Le Froy. The next book The Tembusu Tree Mystery is out in June.
7. The Dinner Lady Detectives by Hannah Hendy
Two late middle-aged school dinner ladies become unexpected amateur detectives in a series of cozy-ish mysteries. Lighter fare than most of the above, but I have a soft spot for the two, who are married to each other. Entertaining with plots relevant to the small town they live in. Implausible, but it all makes sense. A Curiously Convenient Device is out next month.
8. Follet Valley Mysteries by Ian Moore
These stories are not to be taken seriously, but are great fun. The murders happen in bizarre ways, and the main protagonist and foil is Richard Ainsworth, an English proprietor of a French guest house, who has pet hens who he has named after classic film stars. The latest in this series of books set in rural France is Death and Boules.
And lastly, two classics:
9. Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle
The original stories. Some are better than others, but the characters of Holmes and Watson are enduring.
10. Miss Marple by Agatha Christie
An overlooked older lady with a very sharp mind and a real knowledge of how people think and behave.
Finally, an honourable mention to Discworld by Terry Pratchett. Here, I shall simply quote the Librarian, "Ook!"
dreamersdare made, here are more top 10 series. This time I've gone for crime fiction books, and again in no particular order:1. Malabar House series by Vaseem Khan
Set mostly in Bombay just after Independence, these are stories about Persis Wadia, the first female Indian detective, who's shunted off to Malabar House to keep her out of the way. Nevertheless she gets involved in a number of high profile cases and becomes better known. Vaseem Khan is a British writer, who spent 10 years in Mumbai. The series is ongoing and I'm currently reading the latest The Edge of Darkness which is set in the Naga Hills in north-east India. There's lots of details about the time, and gripping stories. I've also enjoyed the Baby Ganesh series, which sees an ex-detective inspector in Mumbai who is sent a baby elephant by an uncle, and the crimes he solves.
2. Maigret by Georges Simenon
There are about 75 Maigret novels. I started listening to them as audiobooks, bought a few hard copies, and am currently working my way through all the books available in our county library. The series starts in 1931 and while Maigret is based in Paris, he's fairly often in different parts of France, or visiting countries nearby. I enjoy the atmosphere and the strong sense of time and place, as well as the variety of crimes Maigret is faced with.
3. Bradecote & Catchpoll series by Sarah Hawkswood
Set in the 1140s and based in Worcester and the surrounding area, so a similar time period to Cadfael, Hugh Bradecote is the Under-sheriff and therefore a representative of the authorities in solving crimes, and he works with the vastly experience Catchpoll who is the Sheriff's Sergeant and Walkelin, the serjeanting apprentice. I like the main characters, who are very human and seek to do their best for those around them, in what can be very difficult times. The next book Act of Betrayal is out in September.
4. Jackman & Evans series by Joy Ellis
I listen to these on audiobooks. DI Rowan Jackman is a modern day detective in the Fenland of Lincolnshire (Joy Ellis' home territory) and is assisted by his sergeant, Sally Evans. There's a team of recurring characters and some interesting crimes, darker than some of what I read. Black Notice is the latest, which came at towards the end of last year.
5. Inspector MacDonald series by E C R Lorac
I've only read the books which have been republished in British Library Crime Classics, but have enjoyed those. The series begins in the early 1930s and runs through to the 1950s. I like MacDonald, who is competent and thoughtful. Most of the books are set in England, with a number in the Lake District. Once more the description of place is excellent - I'm not inclined to read through long descriptions, but these are written so that the reader feels themselves there, rather than simply admiring the view from a distance. They also give an incidental view of life as lived by most people at the time.
6. The Su Yin series by Ovidia Yu
Originally called the Crown Colony series, but with the passing of time this has become inappropriate. The first story is set in Singapore in 1936, when Singapore was under British rule, and the series moves through the Japanese occupation, and has now reached the late 1940s, with the strong demands for independence from the returning British. Su Yin isn't in the police force, but frequently (other than during the war years) works with Inspector Le Froy. The next book The Tembusu Tree Mystery is out in June.
7. The Dinner Lady Detectives by Hannah Hendy
Two late middle-aged school dinner ladies become unexpected amateur detectives in a series of cozy-ish mysteries. Lighter fare than most of the above, but I have a soft spot for the two, who are married to each other. Entertaining with plots relevant to the small town they live in. Implausible, but it all makes sense. A Curiously Convenient Device is out next month.
8. Follet Valley Mysteries by Ian Moore
These stories are not to be taken seriously, but are great fun. The murders happen in bizarre ways, and the main protagonist and foil is Richard Ainsworth, an English proprietor of a French guest house, who has pet hens who he has named after classic film stars. The latest in this series of books set in rural France is Death and Boules.
And lastly, two classics:
9. Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle
The original stories. Some are better than others, but the characters of Holmes and Watson are enduring.
10. Miss Marple by Agatha Christie
An overlooked older lady with a very sharp mind and a real knowledge of how people think and behave.
Finally, an honourable mention to Discworld by Terry Pratchett. Here, I shall simply quote the Librarian, "Ook!"
thanks, brain
Feb. 8th, 2026 08:08 ammarcicatThe weird thing my brain is stressing about this week is our heat, which is working fine. But I keep waking up and thinking 'that's a weird sound, it could be bad, maybe the heat is broken.'
(We've got those forced hot water baseboard heaters, which make a ton of weird sounds. That's their whole thing, pretty much: weird sounds. So it's not ideal that my brain has decided 'weird sounds' = 'must worry now.')
ANYWAY, that's what's happening here!
(I'm relatively sure it's my brain trying to signal me that I'm Experiencing Stress, which it thinks is helpful. I'm less sure that it actually IS helpful, since my awareness of said stress was not really in question. But I appreciate that it's trying!)
(We've got those forced hot water baseboard heaters, which make a ton of weird sounds. That's their whole thing, pretty much: weird sounds. So it's not ideal that my brain has decided 'weird sounds' = 'must worry now.')
ANYWAY, that's what's happening here!
(I'm relatively sure it's my brain trying to signal me that I'm Experiencing Stress, which it thinks is helpful. I'm less sure that it actually IS helpful, since my awareness of said stress was not really in question. But I appreciate that it's trying!)
Plot Bunny: The Key to Eternal Happiness and Peace
Feb. 8th, 2026 12:00 pmbluegreenwhirlywindyThe Bunny: Not That Old Yet – A Teeny-Tiny Bunny – Mostly White And Fuzzy. Just a tiny, snuggly bunny, I don’t know what else to say about it.
Fandom: Wind Breaker
Characters/Ships: Kaji & Sako & Inugami, EndoChika
Important Themes/Tags: post-Noroshi Arc, Crack Treated Seriously
Description: Kaji is woken up on a weekend day by a call from Sako. He grumbles about it until he heard that something led to Inugami crying in distress, after which he’s on high alert (because Inugami does not and should not cry). Sako then explains that Inugami’s cat is pregnant and his family cannot keep the kittens, so he is looking for a home where they can stay (preferably all together). Kaji agrees to help out. They manage to recruit Umemiya’s help, who finds the perfect place for the kittens: A few weeks later, he shows Kaji and Sako and Inugami a video he had been messaged, depicting Takiishi lying on the floor with four kittens on top of him, telling Endo (who takes the video) that he is happier than ever in his life.
A/N: I honestly don’t know how exactly that bunny came about – the initial inspiration was to show Inugami as the “baby” of not only his group (Shishitoren) but everyone who meets and gets to know him, a sunshine whose smile everyone wants to protect at all cost. I didn’t know how to resolve the kitten situation though… and then suddenly, EndoChika appeared on the stage? But really, it’s perfectly obvious to me that if Takiishi had a cat or several in canon, he would’ve probably been more chill and content. So it makes perfect sense overall.
Challenge 903 - House hunt
Feb. 8th, 2026 05:09 pmm_findlowTitle: House hunt
Character: Gwen, Rhys
Author: m_findlow
Rating: PG
Length: 100 words
Length: 100 words
Content notes: None
Author notes: Written for Challenge 903 - Rash at ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
torchwood100
torchwood100Challenge 903 - Hotwired
Feb. 8th, 2026 05:08 pmm_findlowTitle: Hotwired
Character: Ianto, Jack
Author: m_findlow
Rating: PG
Length: 200 words
Length: 200 words
Content notes: None
Author notes: Written for Challenge 903 - Rash at torchwood100
torchwood100Challenge 903 - Tempers fraying
Feb. 8th, 2026 05:06 pmm_findlowTitle: Tempers fraying
Character: Ianto
Author: m_findlow
Rating: PG
Length: 200 words
Length: 200 words
Content notes: None
Author notes: Written for Challenge 903 - Rash at torchwood100
torchwood100Challenge 903 - Itching to get going
Feb. 8th, 2026 05:01 pmm_findlowTitle: Itching to get going
Character: Ianto, Jack, Owen
Author: m_findlow
Rating: PG
Length: 200 words
Length: 200 words
Content notes: None
Author notes: Written for Challenge 903 - Rash at torchwood100
torchwood100The Women's Olympic Hockey Drinking Game
Feb. 7th, 2026 10:24 pmcmk418Here's a little drinking game to play while watching women's hockey.
Take a drink if:
-Someone mentions this is Hilary Knight's last Olympics
-Someone mentions Hilary Knight now has the goal scoring record for the USA. (At this point, she's tied, but does have sufficient time to break it.)
-Someone mentions the USA-Canada rivalry
-Someone mentions Carla McLeod's (Czechia head coach) battle with breast cancer
-Someone mentions Nagano
-Someone mentions that Switzerland missed the opening ceremony
-Japan scores a goal
-Italy scores a goal
-France scores a goal
-Canada takes a penalty
-Canada or the US does not score on a power play
-A commentator goes on about their personal Olympic experience
-The Miracle on Ice is mentioned
-A goal is reviewed
-The discrepancy between shots for the teams is 20 or more (you don't have to drink every time the gap widens)
-A team the US or Canada is playing achieves double-digits for shots on goal
-A commentator makes a connection to an NHL player
-A commentator mentions that body checking is not allowed
-A commentator randomly mentions an NHL player with no connection to the action on the ice at all
Take a drink if:
-Someone mentions this is Hilary Knight's last Olympics
-Someone mentions Hilary Knight now has the goal scoring record for the USA. (At this point, she's tied, but does have sufficient time to break it.)
-Someone mentions the USA-Canada rivalry
-Someone mentions Carla McLeod's (Czechia head coach) battle with breast cancer
-Someone mentions Nagano
-Someone mentions that Switzerland missed the opening ceremony
-Japan scores a goal
-Italy scores a goal
-France scores a goal
-Canada takes a penalty
-Canada or the US does not score on a power play
-A commentator goes on about their personal Olympic experience
-The Miracle on Ice is mentioned
-A goal is reviewed
-The discrepancy between shots for the teams is 20 or more (you don't have to drink every time the gap widens)
-A team the US or Canada is playing achieves double-digits for shots on goal
-A commentator makes a connection to an NHL player
-A commentator mentions that body checking is not allowed
-A commentator randomly mentions an NHL player with no connection to the action on the ice at all
Fic: Soaking Wet (Masters of the Air, Croz/Rosie)
Feb. 7th, 2026 05:30 pmimpala_chickTitle: Soaking Wet
Fandom: Masters of the Air (TV)
Pairing: Harry "Croz" Crosby/Robert "Rosie" Rosenthal
Rated: Explicit
Word Count: 2,083
Summary: Rosie and Harry are enjoying a night out in London when a storm rolls in.
Tags: Drunken shenanigans, Drunk Sex, Hotel Sex, Getting together.
A/N: I started this WIP a year ago and finally finished it. Written for the Dark Academia Bingo square A Storm Rolling In.
Fic on AO3
( Fic under here )
Fandom: Masters of the Air (TV)
Pairing: Harry "Croz" Crosby/Robert "Rosie" Rosenthal
Rated: Explicit
Word Count: 2,083
Summary: Rosie and Harry are enjoying a night out in London when a storm rolls in.
Tags: Drunken shenanigans, Drunk Sex, Hotel Sex, Getting together.
A/N: I started this WIP a year ago and finally finished it. Written for the Dark Academia Bingo square A Storm Rolling In.
Fic on AO3
( Fic under here )
Looking for Sample Icons
Feb. 7th, 2026 06:55 pmnondenomifanI'm getting ready to post the next challenge in fandom10in30, but I need sample icons for the theme. The theme is "Hearts N Flowers." If you have icons you think fit the theme or can steer me toward some, please comment with image and unformatted link on this post.
Remember: The above-mentioned community does not consider stock alone fandom. Sorry, but that rule was created before I agreed to help moderate.
Anyone who helps will get thanked in the community post, and the icon makers will get proper credit (of course!).
Thank you in advance for any help.
fandom10in30, but I need sample icons for the theme. The theme is "Hearts N Flowers." If you have icons you think fit the theme or can steer me toward some, please comment with image and unformatted link on this post. Remember: The above-mentioned community does not consider stock alone fandom. Sorry, but that rule was created before I agreed to help moderate.
Anyone who helps will get thanked in the community post, and the icon makers will get proper credit (of course!).
Thank you in advance for any help.
Really just an AMV rec post for The Summer Hikaru Died
Feb. 8th, 2026 02:08 pmcaramarieI’m following The Summer Hikaru Died as the manga is released in English, and I’d heard good things about the anime but I hadn’t intended to watch it because I generally feel that anime adaptations won’t give me anything I don’t get out of the manga. I only changed my mind after I watched the AMV IMPOSTEЯ (by Bauzi) courtesy of katranat’s 2025 reclist. Which I guess was visually striking enough to convince me otherwise!
So I watched the anime over my summer break and I enjoyed it a lot! I like the manga but the anime definitely made me feel more obsessive – although that could be in part the more compressed experience and I should try rereading the manga straight through. Hikaru is an endearing cosmic horror, but Yoshiki is my fave. I just want that boy to be happy!! So much angst but in a very understandable way.
There were four AMVs for it in Festivids this year. I particularly enjoyedwinterevanesce’s MONSTER! and pi’s TMI ♥
katranat’s 2025 reclist. Which I guess was visually striking enough to convince me otherwise!So I watched the anime over my summer break and I enjoyed it a lot! I like the manga but the anime definitely made me feel more obsessive – although that could be in part the more compressed experience and I should try rereading the manga straight through. Hikaru is an endearing cosmic horror, but Yoshiki is my fave. I just want that boy to be happy!! So much angst but in a very understandable way.
There were four AMVs for it in Festivids this year. I particularly enjoyed
winterevanesce’s MONSTER! and pi’s TMI ♥
Fic: Subdivisions (Discworld/Chronicles of St Marys)
Feb. 7th, 2026 09:05 pmthisbluespiritI was planning to type up some older ficlets I'd found in my notebook, including one for no_true_pair, and when I opened the doc, found an all but complete one already typed up! So here's one I had mostly prepared much earlier but apparently gave up on for some reason.
For the Sept 2024 round of No True Pair, and also for51pluscrossoverfandoms, 100fandoms & allbingo Crime Classics.
Subdivisions (1073 words) by thisbluespirit
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Discworld - Terry Pratchett, The Chronicles of St Mary's - Jodi Taylor
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Death (Discworld) & Madeleine "Lucy" Maxwell
Characters: Death (Discworld), Madeleine "Lucy" Maxwell, Leon Farrell
Additional Tags: Crossover, Alcohol, Drunkenness, Community: no_true_pair, Community: 51pluscrossoverfandoms, Community: 100fandoms, Community: allbingo, Max would like it to be known that none of this would happen if Peterson could drive straight, Death just wants to talk
Summary: Max continues trying to cheat Death, even when Death just wants to buy her a pint.
no_true_pair, and when I opened the doc, found an all but complete one already typed up! So here's one I had mostly prepared much earlier but apparently gave up on for some reason.For the Sept 2024 round of No True Pair, and also for
51pluscrossoverfandoms, 100fandoms & allbingo Crime Classics.Subdivisions (1073 words) by thisbluespirit
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Discworld - Terry Pratchett, The Chronicles of St Mary's - Jodi Taylor
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Death (Discworld) & Madeleine "Lucy" Maxwell
Characters: Death (Discworld), Madeleine "Lucy" Maxwell, Leon Farrell
Additional Tags: Crossover, Alcohol, Drunkenness, Community: no_true_pair, Community: 51pluscrossoverfandoms, Community: 100fandoms, Community: allbingo, Max would like it to be known that none of this would happen if Peterson could drive straight, Death just wants to talk
Summary: Max continues trying to cheat Death, even when Death just wants to buy her a pint.
hockey boys update (book 5)
Feb. 7th, 2026 11:25 ammarcicatI'm finally listening to book 5 of the Game Changers series (it has an animal on the cover, which I am ABSOLUTELY counting for winter library bingo), and I did not realize how much the timeline overlaps with book 6!
Since I am happily spoiled re: the events of book 6 by reading tons of fanfic, I am WELL AWARE of what's going on in the background that Troy and Harris are 100% noticing but not really paying attention to. (They're busy!) IT'S GREAT I LOVE IT!
Very Important Notes:
*I think everyone would agree this story could benefit from even more dogs.
*Or cats! Big fan of cats, personally.
Since I am happily spoiled re: the events of book 6 by reading tons of fanfic, I am WELL AWARE of what's going on in the background that Troy and Harris are 100% noticing but not really paying attention to. (They're busy!) IT'S GREAT I LOVE IT!
Very Important Notes:
*I think everyone would agree this story could benefit from even more dogs.
*Or cats! Big fan of cats, personally.
GenPrompt Bingo: A Moment of Clarity/Understanding
Feb. 7th, 2026 09:29 amsenmutAO3 Link | Hunting Gone Wrong (1144 words) by Merfilly
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Star Wars: The Clone Wars [2008] - All Media Types, Star Wars Original Trilogy
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Suicide/Suicidal Ideation
Characters: CC-1119 | Appo, Original Female Character(s)
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Suicidal Thoughts, Child Murder
Summary:
They were being hunted, picked off one by one on this death world. Appo wasn't certain what he'd done to anger his Lord, but being sent to hunt a Force User had seemed easy enough on the data pad.
The reality was proving brutally different, and he was down to just two members of the original six that had followed him here to capture the rogue Force User for Lord Vader. Nor could he just comm for back up; the Exactor was pursuing the rag tag Rebels that had been in the system when they dropped.
Appo pulled up a map of the world, narrowing in on the fissure-laden landscape of this island. The Force User had taken out the other drop ship while they were in atmo before ditching from the ship and letting it crash. A small part of him decided it was rather fitting that they were all marooned, and Appo's chances of a pick up were a lot better than the Force User's.
TK-1138 let the world kill him, spooking at a noise and falling into one of the hissing fissures. Appo looked at the last surviving man of his squadron and ground his teeth inside his helmet. They might only be fleshborn, but he'd spent time fine-tuning the training that CC-2224 sent them out with.
They had to be the best to be 501st, after all. That had never stopped being true, from the before-times to now.
"Stay here, get the communication unit pieced together. Fleet should be back any time now."
"Yes sir."
Was the trooper relieved? Hoping Appo was the next victim? It didn't matter. Appo had to catch this karking —
The pain in his head came back, as that slip into his first language usually sparked it.
It was bad enough he held tight to his name.
He'd forgotten what it was like to hunt by himself. Even in his plastoid, it was easier to move and hide and track than when he was half-focused on keeping a squad alive.
He thought he was closing in on the Force User. He was fairly certain they were even injured. All he had to do was clear this climb, and he'd be close enough to be sure. Just a little more to climb —
— and a noise drew his eyes up, to see a face with white marks on bronze skin, blue and white marks on the horns and headtails alike, but eyes like his own staring holes into his soul.
The Jedi were traitors, manipulating the whole war, killing his brothers to cling to their power. The Chancellor said so, and he was their Supreme Commander. The General believed it. Appo followed orders, led the men up the stairs, and they started quartering the Temple, clearing out the traitors of all shapes and sizes.
It didn't matter that this one looked like the Commander. She'd been a traitor too. He brought his blaster up for a clean shot, waiting until she deflected two others to take his own.
He ignored the voice screaming in the back of his head that she had been just a kid.
Appo blinked at the bright light all around him, his concealing helmet (bucket, a piece of him remembered) gone, and him trussed him up as firmly as he'd meant to do to her once he caught the Force User.
She was tossing an EMP grenade in a hand, pacing in front of him.
Just as suddenly as she'd overcome him on the climb, she was there, kneeling in front of him.
"It would be more merciful to kill you," she said. "To you and to my father."
Clone dark eyes staring out of a face like hers.
"I don't feel like being merciful today." She clicked the detonator, and Appo's world disappeared for the second time in less than an hour, this time consumed by searing pain in his skull, the kind that came when he remembered the before times.
Vader's Fist.
Torrent Company.
Memories, like those of two different men, warred within him.
Torrent won.
He found himself retching up the nutripaste he'd been rationing himself since landfall. She at least tilted him with the Force so he didn't get it on himself.
Appo looked at her again, recognizing the hard jawline and set of the eyes as The Captain's trademark resolve. The lines of her marks might scream of the Commander, but he didn't think this one was going to try and make it all better like Commander Vod'ika had tried time and again, after the bad campaigns.
"So, when I take your binders off, I'm not going to stop you if you choose the easy way out," she said in a hard voice. "Didn't even know that kriffing monster still had any of you. Was supposed to be him I was facing down here."
"You… tried… to bait VADER?!" he asked, but of course a child of those two would be that brazen.
She didn't answer, just staring at him with unblinking anger at him for not being the right prey.
The easy way — he knew just what she meant, and as her features blurred with the earlier, rounder face of that child in the Temple, he thought he just might.
"You said your father," he managed to get out instead. "The Captain lives?"
"Somewhere out there. It's not like he and I could work together once I was old enough to go out on my own."
The binders fell away from him, and his gear was right there. A tiny piece of him suggested he go for his blaster, not to take the easy road, but to try and take her down, like he'd been told to.
Just like he'd been told to murder children. And atrocities that made that pale in comparison, ever since the day he followed his General into haran.
"What's the hard way?" he asked, and that got a blink, then a flex of the too-small lekku.
"I take you to a rehab specialist, away from the fighting, and you figure out if you can make peace with the man that chip made of you."
"Will he come there? Or her — kriff." The face and lekku had gone hard all over again on the pronoun. "She's gone?"
"It's why I joined up. He lived, when she didn't come back to us. And I'm not going to stop until he goes down."
"Small part of getting off this rock?"
"Got that covered." She turned to start walking down the easy side of the rise.
A few minutes later, he was following, with just the weapons and rations, hard as it was to leave the armor's protection behind.
She didn't say a word, and he kept following. Maybe, in her, in what she offered as the hard way, he'd find a way to his honor again.
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Star Wars: The Clone Wars [2008] - All Media Types, Star Wars Original Trilogy
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Suicide/Suicidal Ideation
Characters: CC-1119 | Appo, Original Female Character(s)
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Suicidal Thoughts, Child Murder
Summary:
Appo is on a death world, hunting, but maybe he was the prey... and the wrong one at that.
Hunting Gone Wrong
They were being hunted, picked off one by one on this death world. Appo wasn't certain what he'd done to anger his Lord, but being sent to hunt a Force User had seemed easy enough on the data pad.
The reality was proving brutally different, and he was down to just two members of the original six that had followed him here to capture the rogue Force User for Lord Vader. Nor could he just comm for back up; the Exactor was pursuing the rag tag Rebels that had been in the system when they dropped.
Appo pulled up a map of the world, narrowing in on the fissure-laden landscape of this island. The Force User had taken out the other drop ship while they were in atmo before ditching from the ship and letting it crash. A small part of him decided it was rather fitting that they were all marooned, and Appo's chances of a pick up were a lot better than the Force User's.
TK-1138 let the world kill him, spooking at a noise and falling into one of the hissing fissures. Appo looked at the last surviving man of his squadron and ground his teeth inside his helmet. They might only be fleshborn, but he'd spent time fine-tuning the training that CC-2224 sent them out with.
They had to be the best to be 501st, after all. That had never stopped being true, from the before-times to now.
"Stay here, get the communication unit pieced together. Fleet should be back any time now."
"Yes sir."
Was the trooper relieved? Hoping Appo was the next victim? It didn't matter. Appo had to catch this karking —
The pain in his head came back, as that slip into his first language usually sparked it.
It was bad enough he held tight to his name.
He'd forgotten what it was like to hunt by himself. Even in his plastoid, it was easier to move and hide and track than when he was half-focused on keeping a squad alive.
He thought he was closing in on the Force User. He was fairly certain they were even injured. All he had to do was clear this climb, and he'd be close enough to be sure. Just a little more to climb —
— and a noise drew his eyes up, to see a face with white marks on bronze skin, blue and white marks on the horns and headtails alike, but eyes like his own staring holes into his soul.
The Jedi were traitors, manipulating the whole war, killing his brothers to cling to their power. The Chancellor said so, and he was their Supreme Commander. The General believed it. Appo followed orders, led the men up the stairs, and they started quartering the Temple, clearing out the traitors of all shapes and sizes.
It didn't matter that this one looked like the Commander. She'd been a traitor too. He brought his blaster up for a clean shot, waiting until she deflected two others to take his own.
He ignored the voice screaming in the back of his head that she had been just a kid.
Appo blinked at the bright light all around him, his concealing helmet (bucket, a piece of him remembered) gone, and him trussed him up as firmly as he'd meant to do to her once he caught the Force User.
She was tossing an EMP grenade in a hand, pacing in front of him.
Just as suddenly as she'd overcome him on the climb, she was there, kneeling in front of him.
"It would be more merciful to kill you," she said. "To you and to my father."
Clone dark eyes staring out of a face like hers.
"I don't feel like being merciful today." She clicked the detonator, and Appo's world disappeared for the second time in less than an hour, this time consumed by searing pain in his skull, the kind that came when he remembered the before times.
Vader's Fist.
Torrent Company.
Memories, like those of two different men, warred within him.
Torrent won.
He found himself retching up the nutripaste he'd been rationing himself since landfall. She at least tilted him with the Force so he didn't get it on himself.
Appo looked at her again, recognizing the hard jawline and set of the eyes as The Captain's trademark resolve. The lines of her marks might scream of the Commander, but he didn't think this one was going to try and make it all better like Commander Vod'ika had tried time and again, after the bad campaigns.
"So, when I take your binders off, I'm not going to stop you if you choose the easy way out," she said in a hard voice. "Didn't even know that kriffing monster still had any of you. Was supposed to be him I was facing down here."
"You… tried… to bait VADER?!" he asked, but of course a child of those two would be that brazen.
She didn't answer, just staring at him with unblinking anger at him for not being the right prey.
The easy way — he knew just what she meant, and as her features blurred with the earlier, rounder face of that child in the Temple, he thought he just might.
"You said your father," he managed to get out instead. "The Captain lives?"
"Somewhere out there. It's not like he and I could work together once I was old enough to go out on my own."
The binders fell away from him, and his gear was right there. A tiny piece of him suggested he go for his blaster, not to take the easy road, but to try and take her down, like he'd been told to.
Just like he'd been told to murder children. And atrocities that made that pale in comparison, ever since the day he followed his General into haran.
"What's the hard way?" he asked, and that got a blink, then a flex of the too-small lekku.
"I take you to a rehab specialist, away from the fighting, and you figure out if you can make peace with the man that chip made of you."
"Will he come there? Or her — kriff." The face and lekku had gone hard all over again on the pronoun. "She's gone?"
"It's why I joined up. He lived, when she didn't come back to us. And I'm not going to stop until he goes down."
"Small part of getting off this rock?"
"Got that covered." She turned to start walking down the easy side of the rise.
A few minutes later, he was following, with just the weapons and rations, hard as it was to leave the armor's protection behind.
She didn't say a word, and he kept following. Maybe, in her, in what she offered as the hard way, he'd find a way to his honor again.
Romance prompts
Feb. 7th, 2026 08:09 ammelaganromancingmcshep is looking for prompts. If you've got a little time and an John/Rodney prompt you'd like to share, the link is here:Prompts!
And don't forget to check out the chocolate box entries. More coming daily. ❤️
2026 Photo #3
Feb. 7th, 2026 12:57 pmsmallhobbit
Finally got around to framing my black cat cross stitch. The photo does show the tiny beads sewn on some of the diamonds (not shown the rude words used when attaching beads!). I was very pleased with the result.