#silly... noseless aliens...

(Little TW, I mention sickness and vomit once.)

This came to me when I was having a particularly tragic evening regarding my nose, I was sneezing every other minute while making myself dinner (thanks, winter). But while picking out which predator movie I wanted to watch while eating, I realized.... Yautja... don't exactly have noses...?

Although I do believe they can smell way more efficiently and potently in comparison to a humans sense of smell, nonetheless, they don't have your typical nose structure.

There isn't anything above their mouths, in fact. No holes, not even a bump! Similar to how they have holes in their heads where their ears should be, but there's no cartilage like humans have.

This got me thinking... how would a yautja react to their human mate sneezing...? Like, imagine...

You've come down with a ferocious disease, horrific, feared by all humans. The immune system quivers and shakes at the mere mention of it! Stuffy and / or runny nose, fatigue, general nasal congestion, a sore throat, coughing, and even vomit! Diagnosis? Common cold.

Awful, isn't it!? And poor poor you. It seems even on another PLANET you're still subjected to human diseases. Alas, now your mate, your yautja mate, has to care for you in your weakened and vulnerable state.

Said yautja, sits beside you on your shared bed, although, nest would probably be a more appropriate word for what it looked like. They sat posted up as you coughed into your hand, finishing your explanation on what this sickness is and what it entails when the alien nods in understanding.

Although your mates pondering ceases quite quickly and quite horrifically when they hear a sudden, loud, pointed, "A-KCHOO!!!" ...their head turns abruptly, having never heard such a sound before, immediately staring directly at its creator, you.

You lean back, reeling from the severity of it before one more "A-KCHOO!" Leaves you system. You heave out a breath as you settle back down, your mates mandibles clicking in confusion, horror, and curiosity. Said yautja is posted up now, completely on edge at this newfound behavior.

You lifted an eyebrow at its stare and looked around for its potential catalyst. "What was that...?" The translator rang out, the alien in front of you questioning you promptly. "...hm?" Your eyes met theirs, with a quirk of your head.

They needed no translation, as they knew that was a cue of question among your species. "That... jolt, that noise you made just now." They pointed a finger at you, as if anyone else could have done that. "Oh, sneezing?" Your eyebrows furrowed in confusion, but your mate just blinked at you. They gave you the same look they gave when humans invented new slang terms that weren't translatable through their high-tech devices.

It took a moment for the neurons in your sick head to make the connection that... yautja didn't have noses. So they most likely didn't sneeze. You laughed aloud when you came to said conclusion, head lolling back as you put your hand over your chest, sore and scratchy throat aching with strain, although you couldn't be bothered at the moment.

"Sneezing!" Your voice rang out in repetition, knowing you'd have to explain yourself anyway. Your mate balled their hands in slight frustration. Not at you, but at the fact they were being laughed at for not knowing something. Hence, it was most likely something only YOUR species had or did. Whether it be biologically or socially.

"I told you about how this ailment causes a stuffy nose, right?" You settled down from your laughing fit, coughing into your hand as you did. "The reason there's mucus in the nose to begin with is to catch debris so you don't inhale it." You stated matter-of-factly, and your mate nodded.

"When you're sick with something like this, your nose can be very sensitive, and when the inside of your nose is triggered by something, like dust, or even just air, it triggers a... knee-jerk sort of reaction."

You explained as best you could, although it was clear the yautja still needed an explanation for just how loud and forceful this "knee-jerk" was. "It causes an instinctual deep breath, and then a sudden, forceful, exhalation through the nose. Its purpose is to get any potential foreign matter out of your nose before it gets inhaled into your lungs. It often triggers an auditory sound that many people refer to as "achoo." It's so forceful that it's actually difficult to replicate when the urge isn't present."

"Not to mention, it's also very, VERY hard to hold back the urge." You explained in full, as best as you could, at least. Although the yautja before you looked puzzled still, they nodded. It seemed they were learning lots of new stuff about your species today. What an odd bunch of apes.