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#ok do they count as OCs if they are pen-name-personas you have constructed
its-not-a-pen · 3 years
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~The Peregrine~
Zabrak legend, circa 25 000 BBY.
Translated by Fisher Whitebone
Illustrated by Polaris Fang
This work is part of the “Anthology of Galactic Myths” a non-profit organisation dedicated to making intergalactic stories accessible.
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——-
A note from the translator:
Throughout my travels, it has occurred to me that Zabrak stories tend to be rather grim. And full of lessons.
Aside from the obvious one: don’t kill your brother. It is a cautionary tale about obsession–and the importance of environmental sustainability.
Ancient Zabraks were nomadic, living at the mercy of nature. A powerful force-wielding hunter would have been both a boon and a threat. Such power over the food supply would inevitably lead to abuse. The ancient people put great stock in achieving balance, and to temper strength with humility.
Another common theme is duality. “Good” and “evil” exist within a single person. The Peregrine is both destroyer and saviour. A self-made monster. Horrifying yet pitiful. His crime is great, but his punishment seems disproportionately cruel.
His redemption is uncertain: catching your own shadow or using your tears to fill the ocean both seem like impossible tasks. Yet one is selfish, the other altruistic. So perhaps the choice is more important than outcome. The Peregrine is trapped in a hell of his own design. To escape, he must grow as a person.
I always found this particularly poignant. People are not static beings, they are subject to change and improvement. If there is a way to fall, there will be a way to rise again.
So, I invite you to be introspective. For us, the Peregrine represents an “everyman” character. Aside from the glowing “star-like” eyes, which denote him as a powerful force-wielder, his description is kept deliberately vague. In the unabridged version, his back bore “many stripes”, either tattoos or scars, with skin like the “setting sun”, to be interpreted as a range of colours. (To preserve the ambiguity, Polaris opted to draw in black-and-white, instead of the more traditional red.)
The Peregrine is a mirror. Only through recognising evil within ourselves, can we hope to exorcise it.
I hope you enjoyed our story.
Your friend, 
 -Fisher
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