#Crew of the Heart of Celine

[wizzard890]

okay so picture this.

You're a man named Jim Steinman. You are one of the most prolific songwriters of the 80s. In your spirit, output and essence, you are eternally popping a wheelie on a motorcycle while a hot half-naked woman clings to you and bats wheel in the sky above.

You wrote a song in which Meatloaf plays a hideously disfigured hunk who steals a nubile lady back to his crumbling manor and introduces her to the pleasures of magic lesbian group sex.

You wrote a song in which Celine Dion sings as Heathcliff from Wuthering Heights, dancing with Cathy's corpse on a beach in the moonlight; a scene which you, Jim Steinman, believe should have been in the book. (The moors of Wuthering Heights are landlocked, but you, Jim Steinman, are too fucking real to care about that.)

You wrote the song for the opening scene of the movie Streets of Fire, in which evil leatherdaddy Willem Dafoe leads his malefic motorcycle crew into a concert to abduct Diane Lane while she's wearing a skintight satin jumpsuit.

You wrote a song in which Bonnie Tyler wanders a haunted boarding school as literal demon twinks gyrate at her out of the fog.

There is no peak of goth camp that you, Jim Steinman, have not summited, no horny energy you have not tapped. They say that Alexander the Great wept when he saw there were no more worlds to conquer. But you, Jim Steinman, are not Alexander the Great. You, Jim Steinman, are better. You, Jim Steinman, have vision.

You take your most successful song, the song everyone knows, the most big-haired, white dress, gothic arches, doves flying, possessed choir boys chanting, bombastic song you have, and think: what if this, but with vampires.

And so you change the lyrics to be about death and infinity and a powerful bloodsucking lord seducing a girl who is ALL ABOUT IT, and then toss off a whole musical for this song to be the centerpiece to, and the musical is bad but it's also a weird hit that's been staged in fourteen countries and revived seven times, because nothing has ever whipped as campily, as ridiculously, as perfectly as this:

It never takes off in America. A prophet is without honor in his own land. But that doesn't matter. How could it matter? You are perhaps the most creatively self-actualized man who has ever lived. Look at that vampire. He's coming in hot and a hundred Venetian nuns gave their lives to make his ludicrously capacious lace sleeves. Look at that girl. She was born in a fog machine. She wore her best red velvet cape. She's down bad. She's singing Total Eclipse of the Heart the whole time.

You are Jim Steinman, and you have reached apotheosis.

[galladrabbles]

Hello!! I finally have my turn for @galladrabbles prompt!! Woot! Ok, so I'm going with a song that I loved as a pre-teen. I'm an 80's and a 90's kid, AND I'm Canadian. So this is no shocker. "Where Does My Heart Beat Now?" by Celine Dion. It was her first North American English album, and it still is as powerful as it was back then; in my opinion. Use the title,lyrics,the decade, or whatever you want! Have a good week! I look forward to the drabbles!

🌈💗🌈💗

Thank you, Liz, for our prompt #no111!!!

Time to get your headphones out again, dear Galladrabble Crew - it's a song prompt!

Let's enjoy the power of her voice and the might of your writing skills!

Where does my Heart beat now? - Celine Dion

Happy Drabbling Everyone!

[vawifey]

welcome to my master list

Alternate universes

theories

Reverie audios

Old flame 🔥🖤

Gael lover 🖤

Flowers 🌻 Casey

Casey and Honey🌻🍯

Cyril and Dove 🥼🕊️

Law and sweets🍬🩺

Jacob and dearest😈❤️‍🩹

Kane/dion/vasserva/bunny❤️‍🩹😈

Roman and Pip🕰️

Neo and darling 🐺🦊

Marlowe and detective 🕵️‍♂️

Nathan and sidekick⚗️🧑‍🔬

Des and love💗

Ellis and gem📖💎

Duncan and coworker🐺

Gage and bug🍭

 Axel and sunshine💗🩸

High school ex’s become best friends🍬🖤

Reverie audios

Castle audios

Library trio 📖🎙️🧙🪄

Fake relationship🍬💗

Evie and Knight 🐺🩸

Beth and beautiful🐺👀

Celine and Lydia🩸👑

Miss Liza and sugar🥧🩸

Unforgettable best friend 🩸

Claire and ranger🐺

Valera🍾🩸

Chloe and dewdrop 💧

Glenwood🐺🩸💧🔥

Redacted audios

Gabe 🐺🥺

Porter and treasurer🩸 💎

Hux and Damien🍃🔥

D.A.M.N Crew 🌊😈🍃🔥



Gavin and freelancer💗🖤

Caelum🧸

Sam and tank

Elliott and sunshine☀️⭐️

Brachium🖤

Sweetheart and milo🍬💗

David and angel 😇🐺

Lasko and dear 🌊

Avior and starlight ⭐️

Aaron and smart ass💻

Vincent and lovely🩸⚡️

Asher and babe 🎮🐺

Redacted audios

Gba

Mahatma and Atilla

Hip switch and partner

Albus bvsz / Albus bw😈

Bastards vs 🧟

Faithful

Devlin

Bastard warrior

Yuuri voice

Starboy and brightest⭐️

Alphonse and Seth 🗡️🍬

Alphonse/ Seth sugar/boo🍰🗡️🍬

Casper

Yuuri voice

The hurt era😭

The hurt begins

Anyone else scared

Broken clay heartS

Spoilers 🚩



[thehyperrequiem]

NSR The Creatures of Vinyl City

Just going to show you a recap of my first No Straight Roads AU from my old account. It is called The Creatures of Vinyl City. It is an au where everything is the same, but the scenery changes to a Cryptidcore aesthetic and shout out to @sundove88 for helping out with this one, soooo enjoy!

AU Synposis: “In Vinyl City, Humans and Cryptids used to live together in harmony...until the greedy Tatiana started capturing them for her own gain. Can Mayday and Zuke restore this ancient bond before the fate of Vinyl City changes forever?”

And now, the Characters!

🧡 MayDay 🎸- Human

💚 Zuke 🥁 - Human

🩵 Ellie 🐊 - Mutated Crocodile (They keep her as a pet)

🌌 DJ Subatomic Supernova 🎧- Ursa Major (Constellation Bear)

💕 Sayu 🧜‍♀️- Mermaid (Obvious)

🎵✏️ The Sayu Crew (Tila, Remi, Dodo, Sofa)🏃🎞 - Kappas (Turtle Yokais)

💛 Yinu 🎹- Cervitaur (Deer Centaur) (She has Shapeshifting powers like her Mom)

♥️ Yinu’s Mom 🌹- Manaha (Cannibalistic Deer Monster)

💛 Yinu’s Dad 🎶 - Centaur (He used to be a Regular Centaur, but now he is a Centaur Spirit)

🤍❤️🩵 1010 (Rin, Zimelu, Purl-Hew, Haym, Eloni) 💛💚 - Techno Organic Moth Monsters (They can shapeshift to humans, mini versions of themselves and Beasts)

📺 Neon J. 🎖- Mothman

🤍🩷Eve 🖼- Succubus (A Kind Hearted One)

🔥 Tatianna 🤍- Manticore (It makes more sense)

👓 Kliff 🧡- Satyr (Goat Hybrid)

💚 DK West 🪘- Magic User (he may looked human, but the Tattoos of his are magical!)

🎧 DJ Zam 📻 - Jersey Devil (Biped Goat Monster with fork tail and leathery wings)

⚓️ Captain Torpedo ⛴ - Kraken (A Giant squid Monster)

🦄 Amal - Unitaur (Like a Centaur but a Unicorn)

🍳Aunty - Futakuchi Onna (Woman with a head at the back of her mouth)

👮‍♂️Azma - Minotaur (Half man Half Bull)

📔Barbara 🕶 - Magic User

💜Celine - Harpy

👩‍🍳Chef Sunshine - Phoenix

🩵Daphne and Jan 💞 - Banshee (Daphne) and Aqrabuamelu (Jan)

🪟Dash - Water Elemental

💜Gigi 🕶 - Loch Ness Monster

💖Joey 🎼 - Cyclops

💗Kayane - Fairy

💘Mia 🤍 - Gorgon

🕵️‍♂️Mystery Man 🕶 - Xexeu

👴Retdex - Yeti

🤖 Robot - Robot (Obviously)

👨‍🔧Timmy - Bunnyip

❤️Yiruk - Imp

🎧Zed - Bigfoot

That is all for now! Tune in next time for more Content of The Creatures of Vinyl City

[aradiyatoys]

🎉 [NEW PATTERN RELEASE] 🎉

In the heart of the Christmas Forest, Elf Girl, Gnome, and Reindeer gathered around a Mini Christmas Tree 🎄 With joyous giggles 🤭 they adorned a tiny sleigh 🛷 with twinkling lights and gifts! 🎁 Baby Polar Bear 🐻‍❄️ snug in a winter hat, joined their festive circle.

Led by Reindeer, they glided through snow-kissed paths, spreading Christmas warmth to friendly creatures along the way. In a cozy village the magical crew shared gifts and laughter, creating a symphony of joy under the starry sky! 🌌

As dawn approached, they returned to their Mini Christmas Tree, hearts aglow. The Baby Polar Bear, dreaming in its winter hat, awaited more enchanting adventures next Christmas Eve! 🥰 And so, in the quiet of the Christmas Forest, the magical tale of friendship and festive wonders continued! ☺️

Christmas Minis set 3 – the third pattern from the “AradiyaToys Minis” collection dedicated to the Christmas holiday. These toys are perfect as Christmas decorations. The pattern describes how to create the six toys: Christmas Elf Girl, Christmas Gnome, Christmas Reindeer, Mini Christmas Tree, Baby Polar Bear and Sleigh filled with Christmas decorations!

The pattern is already available in English, German, Spanish, Italian and Dutch here -> https://etsy.me/4a4HzCK 🤗

This is by far the biggest pattern I have ever created, I won’t ever get tired to thank incredibly talented and amazing girls who help me to proofread, test and translate my patterns: Celine, Isa, MJ, Sabrina, Roberta, Sarah and Liubov! Thank you very much, dear friends! You did an incredible job on this pattern! 💛💙

[zedecksiew]

Whirling Mummy One-shot

(Art by Sam Mameli)

Have been deathly ill for most of this month, with barely the focus to do anything. So I've been in the dumps.

Last Wednesday I ran a one-shot for my regular TTRPG group, just to feel like I could do something---anything. I didn't have much of a voice. Just a low rasp. So all my characters that night were kinda husky, sultry folks, the kind you might find in a bar.

Apopros to the game, I suppose. I ran the Whirling Mummy, a dance-hall adventure I created for Prismatic Wastelands' ENNIE-winning bar-crawl campaign setting, Barkeep On The Borderlands:

THE WHIRLING MUMMY Madam Smiling is the never-seen proprietress of The Whirling Mummy, an undead-themed dance hall, named after Madam Smiling's ancient, still-animate consort. + Before the Keep, before goblins lived in caves – a goddess cursed a king to dance. He danced all night, he danced all season. He danced and he died. They buried him dancing. He danced in his tomb of jade mosaic. A quake split the Iron Fens, and cracked his tomb, and spat him out dancing. Tonight, in the mummy's honour: a dance-off! Various crews compete to win their hearts' desire. There has never been a wish Madam Smiling could not grant.

+++

Got my players to make characters using Barkeep's evocative background packages. The party:

Frederick the Foppish Dandy, with a big hat, dueling pistol, and a wealthy fiance called Giorgio ("Georgie!");

Alejandra the Ebullient Dancer, with a tambourine, vial of poison, and her patron the noble chanteuse Lady Gaga;

Melan the Troubled Musician, with a flute, a cymbal-playing pet monkey, and a broken heart.

Serendipitously appropriate, for an adventure featuring a dance contest!

Melan decides they have history with Kril Mouser, leader of the club's musicians.

Ironically, Alejandra spends her whole night off the podium, gassing up the crowd to win over their support.

Frederick ("Freddie!") plays out a rivalry with one of competing dance crews: a trio of voguing toffs.

Freddie ends up being the night's star dancer. "This is the kind of music Frederick plays in his room," his player says:

+++

I rolled a new event for every turn / round of the dance-off, for maximum shenanigans:

A skeleton flapper loses her head on the dance floor. The Dancer turns that skull into a ball the cheering crowd can bounce around. Poor skelly!

A gang of electric-lute-wielding bards storm Kril Mouser's band stage in an attempt to take it over. Melan spends the round fighting them off, earning the musicians' favour. (Alejandra throws her skeleton skull, knocking a bard out.)

A paladin raid on the club for illegal necromancy. This coincides with the last round of the dance-off; Freddie is too drunk to continue, so Melan takes the stage, and duels Master Mocking Of A Million Eyes, the peacock demon and final boss.

Melan's player describes their dance as "Lizzo with a flute, but while performing a Celine-Dion-like ballad".

This means they beat an eldritch horror with a combination of this:

and this:

Nice.

+++

So the party won the dance-off. They are entitled to wishes from Madam Smiling.

Frederick asks to be the richest person in the world;

Alejandra wants to retroactively swap places with her patron Lady Gaga;

Melan selflessly asks for land back for the indigenous lizardfolk. (The industrial district in which the Whirling Mummy sits used to belong to the lizard-people; there were lizard nuns handing out pins outside the club.)

I was very pleased with this game. I think it was my first successful, self-contained one-shot? We played for about three hours, and I felt buoyed by endorphins after.

I love my players. Thank you Am, Ai and Vesha for playing with me; you have kept my love for this game stuff alive.

I lost my voice again, the next day.

+++

Final scene, one year later:

Melan is the opening act for a concert by Lady Alejandra, in a city ruled by Prince Frederick the First.

All of this happens a continent away; the city in which Barkeep is set has been totally erased. A trade agreement has been signed with the lizardfolk queendoms, however---and ambassadors report an incongruous-looking dance hall, in the middle of the marsh.

Inside, it is said, a mummy in jade shoes endlessly dances. Inside, it is said, a dance contest is held, and its prize is whatever your heart desires.

[prozac-shaped-urn]

Rules: list your top 5 albums from 5 different artists on a poll so your followers can vote which album they think captures your vibe best.

I was tagged by my friend @droughtofapathy who wisely suggested this trend because it is, in fact, very much up my alley.

Alright SO! Here's the breakdown and I'll give like the ~vibes~ of these too, for those of you who have no idea who these artists are (meaning you DOA).

Rumours is very much spiteful witch classic rock goddess vibes thanks to the multiple breakups and affairs going on with that group in 1976. I don't think anything else can compare to it, to be honest. Every single song is still played on the radio to this day, and 8 of the 10 tracks are singles. It was pretty fucking traumatic for them to make but the music has held up nicely. Christine and Stevie writing songs about their ex-partners while also having affairs with band members and sound crew was........... something. Check out You Make Loving Fun and Dreams for more evidence. (This is kinda cheating but there's another song called Silver Springs that Stevie wrote about Lindsey which was a B-side to his spiteful anthem You Can Go Your Own Way which was written about her. Anyway, Silver Springs really gives him the finger. "I'll follow you down 'till the sound of my voice will haunt you/You'll never get away from the sound of the woman that loved you" is a curse if I have ever heard one. Like FUCK Stevie....... jesus christ woman)

River of Dreams is classic rock, heavy on the piano and bass. Billy's chops are on full display and his writing is clean and clear. It has some underrated bangers like Two Thousand Years and Famous Last Words. The album is overall more symbolic than most of his work. Think literal dreamscape (which is then-wife Christie Brinkley designed the cover art in reference to).

WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO? is indie pop at its finest. Billie and her brother/producer Finneas created something utterly fucking whack and unmistakably brilliant, and it's one of my favorites because Billie's main design when crafting music is using a minor key and 4/4 time, which is like my go-to when finding new music. I love her other works too, but ilomilo sits inside my psyche so well that I forget where I am and let it guide me into a writing flow. I also love bury a friend mainly because the high-pitched whizzing sound bite is a literal dentist drill. Finneas recorded a literal dentist drill to create that sound.

Let's Talk About Love is your typical contemporary love song album with lots of slow and steady major key songs, but Treat Her Like a Lady is my favorite track on the whole thing. I love its reggae rhythm and upbeat anthem sound. A close second is the much slower and moodier Where Is The Love. Also, Celine doesn't write her own music, whereas everyone else on this list does. But I love her sound and her technique is a masterclass.

Dreamboat Annie oh my god... Dreamboat Fucking Annie. What a hell of an album. You've got Magic Man which is a funky, swamp witch type of song, and then you have the frenzied Crazy On You with its wide swinging tomtom hits and strong bass line, and then the sisters on Sing Child is like the female version of The Guess Who's No Time with the beautiful harmonies and HOLY *SHIT* Nancy Wilson can play a guitar. Like oh my GOD can she play a guitar.

I'll tag @jennamacaroni @thestarlightforge @die-schwanenkoenigin and @tinathedragon if y'all haven't done this yet

[blueheartedmayor]

LORE UPDATE: The Captain of the First Invincible

Ah, Damien Truman. An unassuming person. A kind-hearted mayor who doesn't seem particularly remarkable, yet somehow keeps attracting the attention of a variety of individuals who aren't fully human.

He's a timeline anomaly, but it's not quite that simple.

It's been brought up many times before - Damien is a near replica of a Mayor from a century earlier. But for those who have been paying attention, their personalities and looks are quite different, even if they are slightly alike. (This post has an old sketch that tries to show this)

However, have you considered the idea that an anomaly can be the result of either the past or the future? What about the possibility that the past impacted the future so much, it altered it while it was in the middle of happening?

A complicated question (which is a rule when it comes to things I write), but that's because there's a piece of the puzzle you're missing - and that is knowing what exactly I mean by "the future". Isn't Damien Truman considered the future?

Yes, and no. To be more accurate, he's the in-between of the past colliding with the future. And for that to make sense, I need to show you a new piece to the puzzle… And it might be nice to let him introduce himself:

Before you continue, bear in mind that he means the first Invincible, not the second.

(The main warning is that Noah’s backstory has brief mention of a ship crashing. I have marked it with asterisks and a reminder of said warning)

-

Here’s something you need to know about the Invincible (the first and the second). The crew looking familiar is not intentional, but it’s not a coincidence either.

-> Celci looks remarkably like Celine. Not only that, she is associated with having a cold front but a heated temper, takes no nonsense, and is dedicated to finding the best way to do the right thing. Unlike the previous inspiration, she’s honest and upfront. She wants to do things properly, by the book, with everyone in agreement until she ultimately realises in her corrupted timeline that no one is listening to her.

-> Gunther takes the loyalty and weapon skills of Abe and turns it up a few notches. He takes his job of protection seriously, making sure that everything is accounted for to the best of his knowledge. And when there’s a chance that those commandeering the project might have cruel intentions? He’ll stand up for the sake of justice. He’s here to keep the colonists safe, even if it’s from the Captain.

-> Burt does not look like William, but the mannerisms are there, to an extent. The aloofness is there. The eccentricity is there. Even the moustache is there. However, instead of fighting for control, he opts to rely on the computer to destroy the ship.

->The Head Engineer… Was not Mark. I’ll get back to where he is later. Instead, the Head Engineer is considered to be quite handsome and/or beautiful. They’ve worked alongside the Captain since they were training in the Academy together as teenagers.

Finally… Our Captain.

Captain, our Captain. Everyone, I'd like you to meet Captain Noah Venture, who oversaw the running of the first Invincible. For reference, I’ve taken the above photo and put a drawing of Mayor Truman beside it.

(btw, there's an outfit reference waaay at the bottom!)

It’s hard to tell because I’m in a room where the lighting isn’t fantastic, but a lot of the main features are the same. The more square jawline is identical, as well as the choice in facial hair. When Damien lets his hair down on a day off, it falls in the exact same way as the two long strands on the left. Finally, most importantly, they both have hazel eyes, something which the WKM never had (along with WKM!Damien having a rounder, cleanly shaven face).

Hope you’re ready for a backstory!

-

ABOUT AND BIO

Icon Choice TBD (seriously, I’ve done so much today I’m not doing that as well)

Name:

Noah (Hebrew: Rest. Associated with the biblical figure who navigated an ark to save the animals from an unprecedented flood.)

Doran (Irish: Stranger or Exile.)

Venture (Noun: an undertaking involving chance, risk, or danger.)

(How do these connect into a pun? Say 'Noah D. Venture' out loud)

Birthday: April 19, 20XX (The long-distant anniversary of the launch of the first space station)

Age: 31

Gender: Male

Sexuality: Pansexual

Alignment: Lawful Good

-

Positives - Charming, Polite, Honest, Loyal, Dedicated

Negatives - Self-Sacrificing, Stubborn, Wary, Emotionally distant from those he doesn’t know

-

Noah was, for lack of a better term, a prodigy in the world of space travel. He was the son of both a respected archivist and a leading astrophysicist, and had inherited the family’s love of space. It was his dream to explore the stars for himself, and he was blessed to live in a time where it was more accessible to do so. He knuckled down and worked hard in school, achieving top grades to the point where several third-level institutes were vying for him to enrol there. The military could see he had great education prowess. Several top-level universities tried to bribe him with scholarships with the intention of holding onto him so he could lecture there. Some people even suggested he should go into politics. But nothing could sway him from enlisting in the Space Academy.

Originally, his focus was going to be on space suit engineering to help crews work in better-equipped outfits, but the first year of the programme was a more holistic approach that allowed students to try all areas before formally choosing a path. This was how he first met his most trusted friend, who was adamant they wanted to focus on the development of space-travel technology.

Then, in the spring, each of the classes were tasked with taking part in flight training simulators. Arranged into smaller teams, the students were given roles to help solve a problem before something bad happened. Noah was supposed to be first-mate, but the student who was assigned captain was overcome with motion sickness and couldn’t concentrate. He jumped into action, checking in with each member of his team and asking for their advice on the matter. Then, to make sure he wouldn’t get in trouble, he asked the captain if it was okay to follow this particular idea. The captain, barely able to lift her head, murmured that Noah should do whatever he thinks.

The team passed with flying colours. The student who was supposed to be captain was brought to the nurse (once the simulation started, there was no way to stop it until it finished), and Noah was praised for his handling of the situation. The instructors pulled him aside and asked if he had ever genuinely considered looking into being part of the space transport and exploration department. He was showing great potential, and his family history meant he had an advantage that others would not have.

After much deliberation at the end of the year, Noah decided to specialise in this area. The rest, as they say, was history.

Noah was phenomenal, and that was not an understatement. He had a very strong, innate sense of leadership. This, paired with his naturally calm mannerisms, ensured that anyone assigned to work with him wouldn’t feel as panicked as they might otherwise have. He also had plenty of opportunities to work with his friend in the Engineering department, and the pair got on like a house on fire. Not only that, he continued his interest in space suit technology on the side, learning how to make little adjustments to his own uniform to help with better mobility.

It was little surprise to anyone that Noah received the highest level of degree he could and, once he undertook further training in the management of teams and a course in diplomatic matters, was soon assigned to lead one of the shuttle ships that would routinely travel back and forth to the International Space Station.

For many, that would be enough. It was a steady, secure job with few hiccups. For Noah, this would have been plenty.. However, since this was Noah, things weren’t going to finish that simply. 

**(warning for space ship accident)**

One routine shuttle back to Earth had one of the most unexpected things happen - the ship was hit by undetected space debris. One of the wings was badly damaged and disintegrated entirely as they re-entered the atmosphere. Each crew that worked with this service was instructed to land in a certain area with no exceptions, but Noah could tell by the readings on the screens dotted around the Bridge that if they followed that to the letter, they would likely die. An order was put across the intercom: adjust the landing position by redirecting the ship to the ocean fifty miles east of the base. After that, everyone was instructed to put on the necessary life jackets, sit down and ensure they were fully strapped in for a very rough landing.

Then, he sent a distress call to the base along with rough coordinates of where they were going, and strapped himself to his own chair.

**(warning for accident ceases here)**

When he came to, he was being checked by a medical team to make sure there weren’t any major injuries. Then, he was sent to the administration office where he was chewed out for disobeying orders.

In the middle of the director’s long-winded lecture that would inevitably include Noah’s dismissal from the company, a report on the status of the shuttle came through, revealing the extent of the damage on the ship. Noah broke protocol, but it saved everyone on board. He was a national hero.

He didn’t stay in that job much longer after that. Captain Venture was soon approached by one of the major space development organisations to help with working on the development of the lunar colony. Here, he was reunited with his closest friend from the Academy and they set to work. This, too, came with its own challenges, but they were never insurmountable. He was often tasked with duties beyond his role, not limited to: navigator, bodyguard, delegate, and babysitter. Whatever he was asked to do, Noah found a way to do it.

Six years into this post, Noah and his friend were approached by the Colony Development Programme. This was a government-funded project to start looking into a long-term solution to finding a new planet for humans to live on. This project was intended to go above and beyond the lunar colony, with plans to search the great unknown. If the miracle of coincidences to create the living conditions on Earth happened once, it must have happened a second time somewhere. The CDP needed the elite in every field to help this project succeed. The pair did their research to ensure it was legitimate, and they both accepted the offer - provided both were hired. Noah made it clear that he would not go without his friend, and they insisted the same. If they were to work on a job that would literally change their lives, they wanted their closest friend there.

–

Back on Earth, both were introduced to the Supervisor. This was a man named Reimar - a dramatic, well-meaning man who seemed far older than he looked. He kept a lot of details to himself, but Noah did discover that Reimar had been a terrible person in his youth, and was trying to atone for his mistakes now. It wasn’t something Noah could understand, but he did notice the way Reimar would flash a look that was tinged with either sympathy or regret if he thought Noah couldn’t see him. Whatever was burdening him, Noah wouldn’t protest if Reimar thought this was the best thing he could do.

I shall interrupt and show you what Reimar looks like, since he does not exist in canon:

It should be obvious, but this is where Mark is. An Actor who had been playing the part of a somewhat sadistic storyteller like a beloved mask, he had spent the previous two decades coming to terms with the atrocities he committed, including setting the events of the Manor right and ultimately reclaiming his broken body. He still has access to the story-telling powers, but he doesn’t use them anymore (aside from giving himself enough funds to cover this project, of course).

Reimar worked closely with Noah and the newly instated Head Engineer to ensure the Invincible was nothing less than perfect. A lot of the ship had already been constructed, but a lot of extra details were added. Reimar and the Head Engineer created a long list of audio-based protocols that could be activated by those with the right titles. Noah insisted that there needed to be a strong sense of security and protection to cover any and all eventualities. He didn’t want another accident as long as he lived.

Then, one day, there was a sighting of an artefact crashing to the planet. Noah did not want to get involved in how dubious everything was, but the CDP obtained it and discovered it was a space relic of untold power. With the right source, they could create a warp point and cut the journey between galaxies into ribbons.

Noah couldn’t shake the feeling that this wasn’t a good idea, but he was outvoted.

With each new core section, a new member of the team was added. Celci, then Burt, then Gunther. Each time, Reimar’s initial reaction was the same as when he first met Noah - surprise - but he never explained it.

An important note here. In the middle of all this, Noah adopted a puppy. It was a fluffy, black and tan corgi that he intends to keep as a companion while travelling. Knowing it will likely be the only living connection to home (aside from his aunt Dorene who had somehow made the shortlist for colonists), he named the puppy Barnum after his home town.

But then, at last, the big day arrived, and the launching of the Invincible went off without a success! Everything functioned as it should, and no unprecedented hiccups hindered the first leg of the journey. It was fantastic.

Well, aside from the warp core needing to be activated one day later than scheduled because there was turbulence on the ship that resulted in Noah crashing to the ground with fragile items that resulted in him receiving nasty gashes across his face. But don’t worry about him, he’s fine! One project that was a result of his tinkering was a modified (spare) space helmet that he programmed to help accelerate healing. It was the perfect time to test it!

Once Noah insisted the crew didn’t need to panic about his face, the protocols were set up for creating a wormhole, and the crew went into an induced slumber.

-

However, I must briefly pause here, for the story of Noah splits in two depending on a choice centuries earlier in the timeline. Here, I have a little diagram to help explain it:

If the events of WKM happen: the warping fails. However, everything ‘reverts’, not ‘resets’. The crew and colonists wake up in their beds on Earth, and it’s the day after the warp core was attached to the ship. Reimar arrives, and suddenly realises that Noah no longer exists. There’s no record of him ever existing. Not even his dog is present. Without a Captain, it wouldn’t take long for everyone else to realise something went horribly wrong (if they regained their memories of ever leaving in the first place). Reluctantly, he shifts reality a half-inch to the left and assigns the Head Engineer to the Captain’s post, gives himself the role of ‘Mark’, the Head Engineer, and renames the ship to Invincible II. He also blocks all memories of him knowing the truth, and hopes that everything goes okay. (It doesn’t.)

(Alternatively, the failed first attempt leads to the development of someone else’s Invincible II, simply with no memory of the original crew. Reimar would be too ashamed and would try to keep his distance.)

If the events of WKM never happen: an altered version of ISWM begins. A lot of the problems he faces are similar to canon. As a man who was known for trying to take time to wait and find the best option, he really struggled with the intense, fact-paced chaos of trying to fix whatever went wrong while also dealing with the still-raw injuries on his face (and yes, despite other injuries he received healing and scarring upon death, the facial ones were slower to heal because they were inflicted before the looping began). But he was stubborn, and he was full of hope. He held firm to the idea that life was not something set out in stone. It could change, and if he tried different things with each loop, he would find the solution to help. This wasn’t his fault, he was being falsely accused. 

Everything was constant. When he died, he was immediately sent elsewhere. He didn’t sleep once during the entire fiasco (not including the initial run that let him have a peaceful life on a new planet), but he died hundreds of times in his quest to find the Head Engineer. If they could just stick together, they could fix this, side by side. He was sure of it.

He built up all this anger and hate, but directed it inward. He should have been able to save them sooner. He should have been able to fix this and find a better solution. He was trained to deal with strenuous situations. He was a renowned problem solver, yet making all the ‘correct’ choices would have him killed, time and time again.

And then, finally, he was reunited with the Head Engineer alongside the Warp Core. He gains yet another scar for his growing collection when he is hit so hard with a fire extinguisher that it smashes the heavy-duty glass on the helmet, embedding pieces of the glass into his skull. But when he regained consciousness after a minute, he held firm and refused to let go, finally bringing the chaos to an end.

-

VERSES.

So where would this leave interactions? I do have some verse ideas that can be used as starting points:

The Invincible: This can have characters in a ‘first setting’ before things go horribly wrong. This may-or-may-not also include the events of his version of ISWM, but I’ll have a think about it.

Extra Guidance: In the mess of the events of the proper ISWM, the Captain (or any other crew member) of the Invincible II crash-lands into the Invincible I. Without the immediate threat of the universe collapsing in on itself, it’s a moment of peace, and a chance to get advice from another Captain on what might be done. 

Wrong Ship: Noah is thrown out of his own timeline and dumped onto the Invincible II. He has to adjust to a ship where he recognises so many people, but no one knows him. Not only that, he has to find a new role without stepping on the toes of the Captain. He can’t let what happened to his ship happen again.

Modern Setting: Well… That’s just the default setting for Modern!Damien, isn’t it? :P

–

HEADCANONS AND HELPFUL INFO

Finally, some points that might answer some questions, since I’m sure this is all SUPER confusing

Noah is Damien Truman (modern boyo), but he is not the Damien of WKM. The easiest way to determine if it’s a Noah is to see if there is a corgi.

Damien Truman has no memories of being Noah. In his verse where he becomes Colony Development Lead, it doesn’t bring back anything.

Noah has no cane! However, he does indeed have the mantra of ‘Life Is Ours to Choose’.

Dorene is his aunt - his mother’s sister. He always found her a little eccentric, but was wholly endeared by her and was delighted she was selected to come along. There was something very nice about having someone from the family. Noah had no idea why she was awake during the chaos, but there wasn’t a way to help her beyond trying to get Celci to check what happened. Fortunately, he did not mess up enough to be confronted by her.

Speaking of Celci, she isn’t related to Noah, but everyone agreed they act like siblings sometimes.

UPDATE: Outfit

I had written a whole section about this but apparently none of it saved anywhere?? Sigh. Outfit write up take 2.

The outfit is inspired by what Jordan wore on set! Instead of a military uniform, he actually wore a leather jacket with sleeves put over them. I took this and combined them into the one outfit. The turtleneck is long-sleeved and the fingerless gloves tuck into it. The material of the trousers are heavy duty, but comfortable, and the boots are a lucky pair he's had since he worked on the lunar colony.

His identifier code "N5433" is on his right arm, and the only pin he wears is a little homage to Barnum. His data pad is also on his right arm, despite him being right-handed, as he is generally multi-tasking when typing. The crystal is still embedded into the left hand. Currently unsure of the after-effects of this.

The facial scars are still a WIP, but they will be present under the helmet (and yes, the hat is stuck onto the helmet). There's a button on the side that can retract the glass so he can be seen if necessary, but he doesn't want to panic his crew too much. He does feel very silly wearing it, don't worry, and it will sometimes vanish in the midst of the chaos.

[tales-from-the-markcu]

Hello! I was wondering what you're top MCU characters are and why?*coughgactormarkcough* Do you have a favorite series? I hope you're doing well! :DD

First off, thank you for the well wishes. I'm doing pretty good, I hope you are as well :3. Second, these are great questions and I'm very happy to answer them.

In terms of my top characters and why, here’s my top 5 (in no specific order)

Actor Mark - Bastard (complimentary). He’s so fun to analyze and think about and make headcanons for. I love how he toes the line between sympathetic and absolutely fucking insane. Like I can totally understand how he ended up spiraling in the wake of... well, everything, and also that the entity of the manor definitely took advantage of his state, but it’s also very fun that he is also a petty bitch who leaves a trail of destruction in his wake. He’s very special to Me

Yancy - I feel like this is kind of obvious, judging on how eager I’ve been to answer all of the Yancy asks, but I love this funky lil prison boy so goddamn much. He’s so fucking dramatic and I adore it. I mean, like, he killed his dad for questioning his fake accent, and there’s an ending where he dance-battles Y/N to death. Man is iconic. Also I’m very gay for him and I want to give him a kiss

Wilford Warfstache - Again, kind of obvious given my blog theme right now, but GOD I love Wilford so much. I just wanna grab him by the neck and dangle him around like a wet noodle. I have so many thoughts about this feral man dear fucking god. His lore is cool as hell too, which is a bonus, and he’s cute!!! My bi boyfriend. My silly rabbit. And my love for Wilford isn’t even an “I can fix him” type of thing. I could make him worse <3

Celine - This list is mainly of characters who came from WKM?/were established there, but I can’t get over Celine. She’s probably one of the most powerful characters in the entire MarkCU, hence why the Entity wanted to yoink her body, but she is also so pretty and cool!! She also isn’t absolutely insane for the most part and seems to be one of few rational people involved in WKM?. Bonus points for that

Head Engineer Mark - Listen. There is so much I can say about this Mark variant. He’s the perfect blend of sweet himbo and cocky bastard, and, though he causes problems, he does not cause them on purpose like Actor does. He has a genuine love and passion for space and his crew, and most notably the Captain, and all of his decisions are made with good intentions; the road to hell is paved with those, after all. The scene of him in the warp core near the end of ISWM2 still has a hold on me almost a year after I first saw it. He may be misguided, but he’s doing his absolute best and I love him so much.

Ironically, when it comes to series, my favorite isn’t WKM? - it’s ISWM. Not only is it incredibly made, every actor’s performance is incredible, especially Mark’s with his many roles. The emotional range of Head Engineer Mark’s character in particular is so amazing to me, and I think about all of the skill and passion that went into that artwork regularly. Plus, it ended up pushing the MarkCU back into special interest territory for me!  This isn’t to say that the others are bad or less than, but I adore ISWM with all my heart. It deserved that Emmy smh.

Once again, thank you for the question, and I’m sorry it took so long to get out a response. I love just about every MarkCU character in a variety of ways, but these five are all so special to me.

[stylesurrender]

Check out this listing I just added to my Poshmark closet: NWT MILLY | Degrade Striped Black and White Bodycon Midi Dress.

[doodlesandbooks]

Tell me about your favourite 3H characters and their interactions with your favourite Engage characters!

I am not quite sure if this is the answer you had in mind, but I enjoyed answering so:

My favourite 3 houses characters are as follows:

Byleth (I personally play as male, but have little preference between m and f), Dimitri, Claude, Sylvain, Dedue and Catherine. Perhaps this list will change after I have done other routes, but for now, this will do.

My favourite of the engage cast is quite a long list, so for now, what I will do is just spill ideas on the page about the 3H characters and the various engage ones they would hang with.

I think Alfred and Dimitri, purely because of the similarity of appearance (at least until time skip) would get into conversation. Whilst they are very different, I think that after Alfred wares Dimitri down with his unending positivity, they would be good friends.

whilst I do think that Claude would get on well with Fogado because of how similar they are, I can't help but wonder if he would get on better with Celine. They are both calculating and kind, and I think they would find each-other's company at the least entertaining.

Catherine would get on well with Saphir for obvious reasons. I also think that she would enjoy spending time with Jade... and for a reason that I can't quite explain, Jean and Amber.

Dedue would click with Boucheron I think, I also think that he would enjoy Kigetsu's company, and would probably be Zelkov's favourite person.

Sylvain would not enjoy Celine's company, I just think that she would rip him a new one and that he would try to avoid her. (she does have the sharpest tongue in the army after all) However, I think he would get on well with Yunaka and probably also Alfred.

The Byleths, in whatever world that the engage and 3H crew end up together in, probably are also both there. I think that they are like inseparable twins and would get along really well.

They and Alear also get along really well. I like to imagine that they would have fun karaoke nights out together with Shez, and have the craziest DnD group with Corrin and Robin.

These four protagonists would be inseparable friends I think. Edit. This has in fact changed. Manuella has my heart and lindhart is a bop actually. Lindhart and Jean would be besties. Manuella would get on well with everyone, but I have the sneaking suspicion that she would get on best with Zelestia and Zelkov. Don’t ask me why, i don’t know

[spacenutspod]

32 Min Read The Marshall Star for December 20, 2023 Crew-6 Connects with Marshall Team Members During Visit By Celine Smith One week after the 25th anniversary of the International Space Station, NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 visited the agency’s Marshall Space Flight Center to share their experience during Expedition 69. The event was held Dec. 14 in Building 4316. Expedition 69 began March 2 with Crew-6 flying on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. While aboard the space station, the crew studied the behavior of flames in microgravity, grew cardiac tissue using 3-D culturing, and researched the impact of weightlessness on astronauts’ health. Expedition 69 Crew-6 astronauts smile and hold a banner for a photo with team members from the Human Exploration Development & Operations Office at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. From left, the astronauts are Sultan Alneyadi, Steven Bowen, Warren “Woody” Hoburg, and Frank Rubio. NASA/Charles Beason NASA astronauts Frank Rubio (flight engineer), Stephen Bowen (flight engineer), Warren “Woody” Hoburg (flight engineer), and UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut Sultan Alneyadi (flight engineer) answered questions from Marshall team members after viewing a short film summarizing the research done on Expedition 69. Acting Center Director Joseph Pelfrey welcomed Marshall team members, thanking them and Crew-6 for all the effort that goes into making a mission successful. “As we wrap up 2023, I just want to say how proud I am of our team and all the accomplishments that you have helped us achieve this year,” Pelfrey said. “Crew-6 is going to talk about their amazing experience. Marshall is a part of that experience and mission with the work we do here between Payload Operations, the Environmental Control and Life Support System and payload facilities and our Commercial Crew Program support. This is a great time to hear from our guests and celebrate our successes together.” During the Q&A portion of the event, the audience learned about the strides in research being made on the station. Hoburg discussed the growing of human tissue while on the expedition. “One day Sultan worked on heart muscle cells up there and we actually got to see the cells beating under the microscope,” Hoburg said. “We’re doing work in Low Earth orbit to help people back on Earth with potential heart disease. We also did work with the BioFabrication facility where we 3D-printed biological material. We printed the first-ever section of human meniscus.” The microgravity environment of the station provides crew members with the ability to do more intricate work that cannot be done as well on Earth, Hoburg explained. Expedition 69 is particularly important because it marks the longest time an American astronaut has been in space. The end of the mission concluded Rubio’s 371-day stay in space, which began with Expedition 68. “I was excited to implement lessons learned right away,” Rubio said. “With your first mission, you’re learning. You typically don’t get to implement your better self until years later. I got that opportunity much sooner.” From left, Alneyadi, Hoburg, Bowen, and Rubio answer questions during the Marshall team member Q&A portion of their visit. NASA/Charles Beason Rubio also used his experience to detail the effects of prolonged time in space on the body. “You miss microgravity, in the sense that it’s a lot of fun to just fly around,” he said. “It takes 72 hours to 5 days to fully acclimate to microgravity. After two weeks, you’re completely used to it. When you come back to Earth, there’s a lot of aches and pains because the reality is offloading everything off your joints, especially your spine, feels good – specifically for those who are older. Like, for me, it feels like I’ve run a 5k every time I get up because my feet did nothing for a year, but your body does readjust.” Expedition 69 also marks the first time a UAE astronaut has been to the station. Alneyadi spoke about his unique experience when asked about his participation in a culturally based event. “I was presenting to the whole region, speaking Arabic, discussing the International Space Station, and showcasing the importance of its science,” Alneyadi said. “It was very impactful, and I felt honored to be a part of it as well. I see the impact on the students. They ask a lot of questions and have a lot of excitement.” The event concluded with the opportunity for attendees to get their picture taken with the Crew-6 astronauts. “People are the same everywhere, that’s the basics of humanity,” Bowen said when asked what’s the most exciting thing he’s learned from the international aspect of his work. From our perspective, we can’t see borders — it’s one Earth. At the very intimate singular level, people are people. We’re people, and we’re absolutely capable of doing amazing things.” Learn more about Crew-6. Smith, a Media Fusion employee, supports the Marshall Office of Communications. › Back to Top Take 5 with Jason Adam By Wayne Smith For Jason Adam, joining NASA wasn’t a career choice. It was a calling. “A calling to push the boundaries of human knowledge, to turn the dreams of a starry-eyed child gazing up at the sky into a reality, and to be a part of humanity’s greatest adventure – the exploration of the universe,” said Adam, who is the manager for the CFM (Cryogenic Fluid Management) Portfolio Project at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. Jason Adam, manager for the CFM Portfolio Project at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, holds a full-size resin model of a Thermodynamic Vent System Injector while standing in front of an Exploration Systems Test Facility within the CFM Laboratory in Building 4205.NASA/Danielle Burleson The project develops key CFM technologies used to acquire, transfer, and store cryogenic fluids in orbit. The project is within STMD (Space Technology Mission Directorate) and develops crucial technologies for STMD and other mission directorates. Adam’s role extends across 12 states and six NASA centers, managing significant contracts and a multitude of complex activities nationwide. Growing up in North Dakota, Adam said he always was captivated by the mysteries of the universe as he studied the night sky. “(I was fascinated) by the endless expanse above, with its twinkling stars and wandering planets, and boundless possibilities,” he said. “This childhood wonder laid the foundation for my journey to NASA. It was here that my dream to explore the cosmos took flight.” Working with projects like CFM enables Adam to live his dream, and he hopes to inspire others as well toward NASA’s mission of exploring the universe for the benefit of all. “Remember your journey at NASA is not just about personal achievements, but also about contributing to the greater goal of exploring and understanding our universe,” he said. “Embrace this opportunity with enthusiasm and a commitment to excellence.” Question: What excites you most about the future of human space exploration and your team’s role it? Adam: Cryogenic fluid management is a critical and exciting area of technology, particularly in relation to the exploration of Mars for several reasons. One of the primary uses of cryogenic fluids in space exploration is as rocket fuel, specifically liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen. These cryogenically stored fuels are highly efficient but must be kept at extremely low temperatures. Effective cryogenic fluid management is crucial for months or years-long missions to Mars, as it ensures that the spacecraft has enough fuel for the journey there, operations on the Martian surface, and the return trip. Mars missions are looking into using ISRU (in-situ resource utilization) to generate fuel from Martian resources. For example, water ice from Mars can be processed into liquid hydrogen and oxygen. Managing these cryogenic fluids effectively is essential for this process to be viable, enabling longer and more sustainable missions. Cryogenic fluid management is not only a cornerstone to enable Mars exploration but also a catalyst for broader innovations in space travel and various terrestrial applications. Question: What has been the proudest moment of your career and why? Adam: There have been many proud moments in my 20-plus years at Marshall that originated at Stennis Space Center. Some of those moments include helping the shuttle return to safe flight through testing SSMEs (space shuttle main engines) at Stennis, to flying the Mighty Eagle Lander with a small team in the Marshall West Test Area, to now having the privilege of leading the CFM project with a group of spectacular individuals. In each case, I have been proudest when the team was accountable, authentic, passionate, inclusive, and highly competent. Those are the teams I cherish most and the type of environment I try to create as a leader. Question: Who or what drives/motivates you? Adam: Working at Marshall, my motivation is deeply rooted in the pioneering spirit of technological innovation and the quest for knowledge beyond Earth. Marshall, known for its groundbreaking work in developing systems that push the boundaries of space technology, serves as a constant source of inspiration for me. My drive is fueled by a profound passion for space exploration. The idea of contributing to missions that reach into the unknown, that test the limits of human ingenuity and reveal the mysteries of the cosmos, is what gets me up in the morning. I’m driven by the knowledge that the systems and technologies you’re helping to develop at Marshall will one day make space more accessible and safer for astronauts. This drive isn’t just about the technology itself, it’s about what that technology represents – the human desire to explore, to learn, and to constantly push forward. My motivation comes from wanting to contribute in a meaningful way to this grand endeavor. Each day at Marshall offers a new opportunity to be a part of something larger than yourself – to contribute to a legacy of exploration that benefits not just the present generation but also the future ones. In my role, I’m not just a witness to history in the making; I’m an active participant in shaping it. Question: What advice do you have for employees early in their NASA career or those in new leadership roles? Adam: First, follow your passion. Begin by immersing yourself in a field that truly fascinates you. NASA’s diverse missions span from the depths of the oceans to the far reaches of space, so align your work with what genuinely excites you. This passion will be your driving force and will keep you motivated through challenges. Second, build a strong foundation. Whether your focus is technical, scientific, or administrative, strive to develop a robust base of knowledge and skills. Seek opportunities to learn from different projects and teams. This diverse experience will be invaluable as you progress in your career, providing a well-rounded perspective and a toolkit of solutions. Third, nurture your team. As you advance into leadership roles, remember that your success is intricately linked to the well-being and performance of your team. Invest in understanding their strengths, aspirations, and challenges. Encourage an environment where everyone feels valued and motivated. Strive to create an environment where employees can bring their full self to work.  Question: What do you enjoy doing with your time while away from work? Adam: Outside of work, I enjoy spending time with my family. My wife and I have three children and two dogs. We like to spend time outdoors and enjoy camping around the region in our camper on some weekends. My wife and I also like to watch our alma mater, North Dakota State University, play football. Smith, a Media Fusion employee and the Marshall Star editor, supports the Marshall Office of Communications. › Back to Top Pamela Bourque Named Chief Counsel at Marshall Pamela Bourque has been named as chief counsel at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. She has served as the center’s acting chief counsel since May, leading Marshall’s Office of the General Counsel team and overseeing the legal practice areas of procurement and contract law, partnerships and agreements, personnel law, ethics, fiscal law, employment law, intellectual property, and litigation.  Marshall’s chief counsel is responsible for coordinating a full range of legal operations affecting the center and its organizations. The chief counsel also serves as a senior member of the NASA Office of the General Counsel’s enterprise leadership team. Pamela Bourque, chief counsel at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. NASA From 2022 to April 2023, Bourque was Marshall’s deputy chief counsel, assisting the chief counsel with managing the legal operations of the center. She also supported the NASA legal enterprise on various senior teams, including the Legal Leadership Board, the Ethics Best Practices Working Group, the Deputy Counsel Forum, and participated as a mentor in NASA’s attorney mentoring program. From 2005 to 2022, Bourque was the center’s assistant chief counsel for general law and litigation. She was the functional lead for litigation matters and provided Marshall management with legal advice and representation in the areas of personnel law, federal ethics standards, agreements, and other matters. Under her leadership, Marshall’s Ethics Program was recognized by the U.S. Office of Government Ethics with an Ethics Program Award.  From 1993 to 2005, Bourque was an attorney-adviser at Marshall. She has previously served as president of the North Alabama Chapter of the FBA (Federal Bar Association), as well as the chair of FBA’s Labor Law Symposium for multiple years. Bourque has been recognized with numerous NASA awards during her career, including the NASA Office of the General Counsel’s Meritorious Service Award, the NASA Exceptional Service Medal, the NASA Silver Achievement Medal, the NASA Space Flight Awareness Launch Honoree Award, the NASA Space Flight Awareness Silver Snoopy Award, the Marshall Engineering Directorate’s Service to Engineering Award, and other performance, on-the-spot, and peer awards. She has been profiled in Women at NASA.  A native of Broussard, Louisiana, Bourque is a graduate of the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command’s Leadership Investment for Tomorrow (LIFT-II) Program, the Simmons Executive Leadership for Women/NASA Fellowship at Simmons College, the Department of Defense Mediator Certification Program, and she is currently enrolled in the Leadership of Greater Huntsville’s Connect Emerging Leaders Program. Bourque earned a Juris Doctor degree from Tulane University School of Law in New Orleans, Louisiana, where she was a senior fellow. She received her honors baccalaureate degree from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. She lives in Madison with her husband, Max Patin. They have two children. › Back to Top Thomas Percy Named Systems Engineering and Integration Manager for Human Landing System Program Thomas Percy has been named as the SE&I (Systems Engineering and Integration) manager for the HLS (Human Landing System) Program at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. The SE&I office oversees the development and verification of requirements, cross-discipline insight into commercial lander providers, and cross-program integration. The HLS SE&I team is also responsible for integration with the Moon to Mars Program in the areas of mission development, general analyses, and requirements management. Thomas Percy, Systems Engineering and Integration manager for the Human Landing System Program at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. Credit: NASA/Danielle Burleson Since 2021, Percy has been the deputy SE&I manager for HLS. From 2020 to 2021, he was the integrated performance lead for HLS, managing the team within SE&I responsible for trajectory analysis, environments, performance assessment, mission development, and metric tracking. From 2016 to 2020, Percy was a space systems analyst prior to his role as chief architect of the Advanced Concepts Office at Marshall, where he supported the formulation of the HLS Program as well as transportation architecture studies for human Mars missions and the development of various robotic spacecraft concepts. Prior to joining NASA in 2016, Percy spent 13 years working in private industry at SAIC as a section manager and support contractor to Marshall and Johnson Space Center. He also was a part-time instructor in the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department at the University of Alabama in Huntsville off and on from 2006-2021. His honors include a NASA Group Achievement Award: Human Landing System Source Evaluation Panel; NASA Exceptional Service medal; NASA Silver Achievement Medal Group: Human Landing System Source Evaluation Panel; and a NASA Group Achievement Award: Mars Basis of Comparison Reference Team.    A native of Easton, Massachusetts, Percy received a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, New York, a master’s in aerospace engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia, and a doctorate in aerospace systems engineering from the University of Alabama in Huntsville. He and his wife, Erin, live in Madison. They have three children. › Back to Top Mission Success is in Our Hands: Chelsi Cassilly Mission Success is in Our Hands is a safety initiative collaboration between NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center and Jacobs. As part of the initiative, eight Marshall team members are featured in new testimonial banners placed around the center. This is the second in a Marshall Star series profiling team members featured in the testimonial banners. Chelsi Cassilly is a planetary protection microbiologist working for Jacobs at Marshall, where she’s been for almost three years. A native of Tennessee, she previously worked at Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts, as a postdoctoral fellow prior to joining Jacobs. She’s a graduate of Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in molecular biology, and of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, where she earned a doctoral degree in microbiology. Chelsi Cassilly is a planetary protection microbiologist working at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. NASA/Charles Beason “It’s an honor and privilege to work for Jacobs and NASA,” Cassilly said. “I look forward to work every single day and consider myself exceptionally blessed with this opportunity I’ve been afforded.” Question: What are some of your key responsibilities? Cassilly: I support many different projects at Marshall. Primarily I help projects implement planetary protection. This includes the Mars Ascent Vehicle, which is part of the Mars Sample Retrieval Lander; a mission concept for a Europa Lander; and the lunar Human Landing System. I also manage the Planetary Protection Lab at Marshall, which is a fully functional biosafety level 2 lab. Funded by multiple sources, including NASA ROSES (Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Science), Marshall Cooperative Agreement Notices, Marshall Technical Excellence funding, and Jacobs Innovation Grants, I have both completed and continue to support multiple smaller experiments to determine microbial abundance within materials as well as sterilization methods. Question: How does your work support the safety and success of NASA and Marshall missions? Cassilly: NASA missions must meet the requirements laid out by headquarters. One subset of requirements on some missions is planetary protection, that is, preventing forward and backward microbial contamination. Marshall is involved with several missions where there are planetary protection requirements to meet. I help the center interpret and implement techniques to meet the requirements. I am currently the only point of contact for this discipline at Marshall, so I take seriously the responsibility of helping engineers understand unfamiliar terminology while also ensuring we are compliant with requirements, therefore helping achieve the goals of our missions. Question: What does the Mission Success is in Our Hands initiative mean to you? Cassilly: It means that success is personal. It means every single one of us can contribute in large ways to mission success simply by being ethical and maintaining our integrity as workers and as individuals. Question: How can we work together better to achieve mission success? Cassilly: We can support one another by encouraging safety, ethics, a culture of learning, ownership, and integrity within our teams. We can foster an environment where ownership is lauded and correction is not seen as negative, but rather as learning opportunities and areas of improvement. Benchmarking such progress of both individuals and teams, using mistakes and problems to propel us forward, will serve to strengthen teams, develop a sense of pride in our collective mission, and provide clear trajectory for our long-term efforts and goals. › Back to Top I am Artemis: Bruce Askins Growing up, Bruce Askins was passionate about space and oceanography. His desire to explore other worlds always made him want to be an astronaut. Though he did not become an astronaut, Askins has built a 42-year career at NASA, and, as the infrastructure management lead for NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) Program at the agency’s Marshall Space Flight Center, Askins is an integral part for the next generation of explorers. Askins and his team are the gatekeepers and protectors of data and responsible for both cyber- security and physical security for the SLS Program. Under Askins’ leadership, his team ensures all data is stored properly, that information about the rocket shared outside NASA is done with proper data markings, and access is given to those that need it. Bruce Askins is the infrastructure management lead for NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) Program at the agency’s Marshall Space Flight Center.NASA/Sam Lott Askins wasn’t always familiar with the world of infrastructure and cyber security. As a mechanical engineering graduate from the University of Alabama in Huntsville, Askins began his career as part of NASA’s internship program. He considered himself imaginative, or “creatively driven,” which is why Askins originally pursued a career at NASA. “I always loved the design aspect of my early position in special test equipment,” Askins says. “Back then I drew everything by hand with a pencil before eventually transitioning to computers.” His creativity and interest in underwater worlds, along with his scuba diver certification, led him to have a hand in designing early test elements for NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope. At the Neutral Buoyancy Simulator, a former underwater training facility at Marshall, Askins interacted with a crew of astronauts supporting Hubble and designed the flight simulation hardware used for crew training on the Canadarm2 robotic arm that is still a part of the International Space Station today. Askins has been a part of the NASA family for almost half a century and is thrilled to be a part of the next era of space exploration to the Moon under Artemis. “To explore is one of the greatest things that we can all do, and with the Artemis Generation the sky’s the limit,” Askins said. SLS is part of NASA’s backbone for deep space exploration, along with the Orion spacecraft, advanced spacesuits and rovers, the Gateway in orbit around the Moon, and commercial human landing systems. SLS is the only rocket that can send Orion, astronauts, and supplies to the Moon in a single launch. › Back to Top NASA’s Tech Demo Streams First Video from Deep Space via Laser NASA’s Deep Space Optical Communications experiment beamed an ultra-high definition streaming video on Dec. 11 from a record-setting 19 million miles away (or about 80 times the Earth-Moon distance). The milestone is part of a NASA technology demonstration aimed at streaming very high-bandwidth video and other data from deep space – enabling future human missions beyond Earth orbit. “This accomplishment underscores our commitment to advancing optical communications as a key element to meeting our future data transmission needs,” said NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy. “Increasing our bandwidth is essential to achieving our future exploration and science goals, and we look forward to the continued advancement of this technology and the transformation of how we communicate during future interplanetary missions.” Members of the DSOC (Deep Space Optical Communications) team react to the first high-definition streaming video to be sent via laser from deep space Dec. 11 at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Sent by the DSOC transceiver aboard the Psyche spacecraft nearly 19 million miles from Earth, the video features a cat named Taters.NASA/JPL-Caltech The demo transmitted the 15-second test video via a cutting-edge instrument called a flight laser transceiver. The video signal took 101 seconds to reach Earth, sent at the system’s maximum bit rate of 267 Mbps (megabits per second). Capable of sending and receiving near-infrared signals, the instrument beamed an encoded near-infrared laser to the Hale Telescope at Caltech’s Palomar Observatory in San Diego County, California, where it was downloaded. Each frame from the looping video was then sent “live” to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, where the video was played in real time. Deep Space Optical Communications, or DSOC, a NASA technology demonstration riding aboard the Psyche space craft, is using advanced laser communication technology to transmit large amounts of data back to earth. DSOC is the latest in a series of optical communication demonstrations funded by the agency’s TDM (Technology Demonstration Missions) program office at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. “We just demonstrated a highly advanced data transmission capability that will play an instrumental role in NASA’s boldest missions to deep space, and it shows that DSOC is functioning successfully in a relevant environment,” said Tawnya Laughinghouse, manager of the TDM program office at Marshall. “Streaming an ultra-high definition video from millions of miles away in deep space is no small feat.” The laser communications demo, which launched with NASA’s Psyche mission Oct. 13, is designed to transmit data from deep space at rates 10 to 100 times greater than the state-of-the-art radio frequency systems used by deep space missions today. As Psyche travels to the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, the technology demonstration will send high-data-rate signals as far out as the Red Planet’s greatest distance from Earth. In doing so, it paves the way for higher-data-rate communications capable of sending complex scientific information, high-definition imagery, and video in support of humanity’s next giant leap: sending humans to Mars. “One of the goals is to demonstrate the ability to transmit broadband video across millions of miles. Nothing on Psyche generates video data, so we usually send packets of randomly generated test data,” said Bill Klipstein, the tech demo’s project manager at JPL. “But to make this significant event more memorable, we decided to work with designers at JPL to create a fun video, which captures the essence of the demo as part of the Psyche mission.” Uploaded before launch, the short ultra-high definition video features an orange tabby cat named Taters, the pet of a JPL employee, chasing a laser pointer, with overlayed graphics. The graphics illustrate several features from the tech demo, such as Psyche’s orbital path, Palomar’s telescope dome, and technical information about the laser and its data bit rate. Tater’s heart rate, color, and breed are also on display. This 15-second clip shows the first ultra-high-definition video sent via laser from deep space, featuring a cat named Taters chasing a laser with test graphics overlayed. (NASA/JPL-Caltech) “Despite transmitting from millions of miles away, it was able to send the video faster than most broadband internet connections,” said Ryan Rogalin, the project’s receiver electronics lead at JPL. “In fact, after receiving the video at Palomar, it was sent to JPL over the internet, and that connection was slower than the signal coming from deep space. JPL’s DesignLab did an amazing job helping us showcase this technology – everyone loves Taters.” There’s also a historical link: Beginning in 1928, a small statue of the popular cartoon character Felix the Cat was featured in television test broadcast transmissions. Today, cat videos and memes are some of the most popular content online. This latest milestone comes after “first light” was achieved on Nov. 14. Since then, the system has demonstrated faster data downlink speeds and increased pointing accuracy during its weekly checkouts. On the night of Dec. 4, the project demonstrated downlink bit rates of 62.5 Mbps, 100 Mbps, and 267 Mbps, which is comparable to broadband internet download speeds. The team was able to download a total of 1.3 terabits of data during that time. As a comparison, NASA’s Magellan mission to Venus downlinked 1.2 terabits during its entire mission from 1990 to 1994. “When we achieved first light, we were excited, but also cautious. This is a new technology, and we are experimenting with how it works,” said Ken Andrews, project flight operations lead at JPL. “But now, with the help of our Psyche colleagues, we are getting used to working with the system and can lock onto the spacecraft and ground terminals for longer than we could previously. We are learning something new during each checkout.” The Deep Space Optical Communications demonstration is the latest in a series of optical communication demonstrations funded by the TDM program under NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate and supported by NASA’s SCaN (Space Communications and Navigation) program within the agency’s Space Operations Mission Directorate. The Psyche mission is led by Arizona State University. JPL is responsible for the mission’s overall management, system engineering, integration and test, and mission operations. Psyche is the 14th mission selected as part of NASA’s Discovery Program under the Science Mission Directorate, managed by the agency’s Marshall Space Flight Center. NASA’s Launch Services Program, based at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center, managed the launch service. Maxar Technologies in Palo Alto, California, provided the high-power solar electric propulsion spacecraft chassis. › Back to Top NASA Geologist Paves Way for Building on the Moon By Jessica Barnett For many at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, a love – be it for space, science, or something else – drew them to the career they’re in today. For geologist Jennifer Edmunson, there were multiple reasons. Her love for geology dates back to her childhood in Arizona, playing in the mud, fascinated by the green river rocks she would find and how they fit together. As she grew older, her love for astronomy led her to study the regolith and geology of the Moon and Mars in graduate school. Jennifer Edmunson, geologist and MMPACT project manager at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center.NASA That, in turn, led her to Marshall for her post-doctorate, where she studied how shock processes from meteorite impacts potentially affect scientists’ work to determine the age of rocks using different radioisotope systems. On her first day, she needed help from the center’s IT department, which is how she met Joel Miller, the man she now calls her husband. “I met him on April Fools’ Day, and he asked me out on Friday the 13th,” Edmunson recalled. “I knew I needed to get a stable job, so I got a job as the junior geologist on the simulant team here at Marshall. That was back in 2009.” Fourteen years later, they still work at Marshall. He’s now the center’s acting spectrum manager, and she manages the MMPACT (Moon-to-Mars Planetary Autonomous Construction Technology) project. Through MMPACT, Marshall is working with commercial partners and academia to develop and test robotic technology that will one day use lunar soil and 3-D printing technology to build structures on the Moon. “It’s phenomenal to see the development of the different materials we’ve been working on,” Edmunson said. “We started with this whole array of materials, and now we’re like, ‘OK, what’s the best one for our proof of concept?’” NASA aims for a proof-of-concept mission to validate the technology and capability by the end of this decade. This mission would involve traveling to the Moon to create a representative element of a landing pad. MMPACT aims to build lunar infrastructure using the materials readily available on the Moon. This process, known as in-situ resource utilization, allows NASA engineers to use lunar regolith, fine-grained silicate minerals thought to be available in a layer between 10 to 70 feet deep on the lunar surface, to build different structures and infrastructure elements. Marshall geologist and MMPACT project manager Jennifer Edmunson, fourth from right, joined several other scientists for a trip to Stillwater, Montana, earlier this year. Stillwater is known to have rocks like those found on the Moon.NASA However, regolith can’t be used like cement here on Earth, as it wouldn’t solidify in the low-pressure environment. So, Edmunson and her team are now looking at microwaves and laser technology to heat the regolith to create solid building materials. After successfully building a full-scale landing pad on the Moon, MMPACT will likely focus on a vertical structure, like a garage, habitat, or safe haven for astronauts. “The possibilities are endless,” she said. “There is so much potential for using different materials for different applications. There’s just a wealth of opportunity for anyone who wants to play in the field, really.” Edmunson hopes to get more lunar regolith first, as NASA is still working with samples from the Apollo missions and simulants based on those samples. She’s also looking forward to Artemis bringing back samples from different parts of the lunar surface because it will provide her team with a wider pool of regolith samples to analyze. “We want to learn more about different locations on the Moon,” she said. “We have to understand the differences and how that might affect our processes.” Knowing this will make it easier not just to build landing pads and habitats but to build roadways and the start of a lunar economy, Edmunson said. Some minerals are rare on Earth but abundant on the Moon. To study how those minerals could be used for building, scientists rely on simulants, like the synthetic anorthite pictured here.NASA “I want there to be sufficient structures there to make things safe for crew, so if we want to build a hotel on the Moon, we could,” she said. “We could have tourists going there, mining districts pulling rare Earth elements from the Moon. We could do that and get a lot of resources that way. I want science to progress, things like building a radio telescope on the far side of the Moon. I want more information on more of the different sites around the Moon, so we can get a be`tter understanding of how the Moon formed and the history of the Moon. We’ve only scratched the surface there.” There are parts of the Moon that can only be explored in detail by visiting in person, Edmunson explained, and she’s excited to be working at Marshall as that exploration is made possible. “It’s awesome to be part of this. Honestly, it’s the reason I get out of bed in the morning,” she said. “I was born in ’77, so I missed the Apollo lunar landings. I would love to see humans on the Moon in my lifetime, and on Mars would just be amazing.” Her advice is simple to anyone considering a career like hers: Just go for it. “A lot of it comes down to passion and tenacity,” she said. “If you really love what you do and you get to do it every day, you find more enjoyment in your career. I feel like I’m making a difference, and with surface construction at such an infant kind of stage right now, I feel like it’s a contribution that will last for a very long time.” Barnett, a Media Fusion employee, supports the Marshall Office of Communications. › Back to Top Sprightly Stars Illuminate ‘Christmas Tree Cluster’ A new image of NGC 2264, also known as the “Christmas Tree Cluster,” shows the shape of a cosmic tree with the glow of stellar lights. NGC 2264 is, in fact, a cluster of young stars – with ages between about one and five million years old – in our Milky Way about 2,500 light-years away from Earth. The stars in NGC 2264 are both smaller and larger than the Sun, ranging from some with less than a tenth the mass of the Sun to others containing about seven solar masses. This new image of NGC 2264, also known as the “Christmas Tree Cluster,” shows the shape of a cosmic tree with the glow of stellar lights.X-ray: NASA/CXC/SAO; Optical: T.A. Rector (NRAO/AUI/NSF and NOIRLab/NSF/AURA) and B.A. Wolpa (NOIRLab/NSF/AURA); Infrared: NASA/NSF/IPAC/CalTech/Univ. of Massachusetts; Image Processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/L. Frattare & J.Major This new composite image enhances the resemblance to a Christmas tree through choices of color and rotation. The blue and white lights (which blink in the animated version of this image) are young stars that give off X-rays detected by NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory. Optical data from the National Science Foundation’s WIYN 0.9-meter telescope on Kitt Peak shows gas in the nebula in green, corresponding to the “pine needles” of the tree, and infrared data from the Two Micron All Sky Survey shows foreground and background stars in white. This image has been rotated clockwise by about 160 degrees from the astronomer’s standard of North pointing upward, so that it appears like the top of the tree is toward the top of the image. Young stars, like those in NGC 2264, are volatile and undergo strong flares in X-rays and other types of variations seen in different types of light. The coordinated, blinking variations shown in this animation, however, are artificial, to emphasize the locations of the stars seen in X-rays and highlight the similarity of this object to a Christmas tree. In reality, the variations of the stars are not synchronized. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video This composite image shows the Christmas Tree Cluster. The blue and white lights (which blink in the animated version of this image) are young stars that give off X-rays detected by NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory. Optical data from the National Science Foundation’s WIYN 0.9-meter telescope on Kitt Peak shows gas in the nebula in green, corresponding to the “pine needles” of the tree, and infrared data from the Two Micron All Sky Survey shows foreground and background stars in white. This image has been rotated clockwise by about 160 degrees from the astronomer’s standard of North pointing upward, so that it appears like the top of the tree is toward the top of the image. The variations observed by Chandra and other telescopes are caused by several different processes. Some of these are related to activity involving magnetic fields, including flares like those undergone by the Sun – but much more powerful – and hot spots and dark regions on the surfaces of the stars that go in and out of view as the stars rotate. There can also be changes in the thickness of gas obscuring the stars, and changes in the amount of material still falling onto the stars from disks of surrounding gas. NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center manages the Chandra program. The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory’s Chandra X-ray Center controls science operations from Cambridge, Massachusetts, and flight operations from Burlington, Massachusetts. › Back to Top NASA’s 3D-printed Rotating Detonation Rocket Engine Test a Success NASA has achieved a new benchmark in developing an innovative propulsion system called the Rotating Detonation Rocket Engine (RDRE). Engineers at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center successfully tested a novel, 3D-printed RDRE for 251 seconds (or longer than four minutes), producing more than 5,800 pounds of thrust. That kind of sustained burn emulates typical requirements for a lander touchdown or a deep-space burn that could set a spacecraft on course from the Moon to Mars, said Marshall combustion devices engineer Thomas Teasley, who leads the RDRE test effort at the center. Engineers at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center conduct a successful, 251-second hot fire test of a full-scale Rotating Detonation Rocket Engine combustor in fall 2023, achieving more than 5,800 pounds of thrust.NASA RDRE’s first hot fire test was performed at Marshall in the summer of 2022 in partnership with In Space LLC and Purdue University, both of Lafayette, Indiana. That test produced more than 4,000 pounds of thrust for nearly a minute. The primary goal of the latest test, Teasley noted, is to better understand how to scale the combustor to different thrust classes, supporting engine systems of all types and maximizing the variety of missions it could serve, from landers to upper stage engines to supersonic retropropulsion, a deceleration technique that could land larger payloads – or even humans – on the surface of Mars. Test stand video captured at Marshall shows ignition of a full-scale Rotating Detonation Rocket Engine combustor, which was fired for a record 251 seconds and achieved more than 5,800 pounds of thrust. (NASA) “The RDRE enables a huge leap in design efficiency,” he said. “It demonstrates we are closer to making lightweight propulsion systems that will allow us to send more mass and payload further into deep space, a critical component to NASA’s Moon to Mars vision.” Engineers at NASA’s Glenn Research Center and Venus Aerospace of Houston, Texas, are working with Marshall to identify how to scale the technology for higher performance. RDRE is managed and funded by the Game Changing Development Program within NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate. › Back to Top

[yo-ho-egos]

What are the egos canonical heights?

Alrighty then, here we go. The area between the ** is what I’m calling “The Jims’ zone. They can end up as any height within that range.

Robbie- 4’9” (145 cm)

Bing- 4’11” (150 cm)

*The Jims- 5’ to 5’8” (152 to 173 cm)(this will make more sense once I explain how The Jims work in this AU)

Eric- 5’2” (157 cm)

King- 5’2” (157 cm)

Chase- 5’3” (160 cm)

Antonia- 5’4” (163 cm)

Ed- 5’4” (163 cm)

Dr. Iplier- 5’5” (165 cm)

Yancy- 5’5” (165 cm)

Silver- 5’6” (167 cm)

Bim- 5’7” (170 cm)

Jackie- 5’7” (170 cm)

Reynolds- 5’8” (173 cm)*

Marvin- 5’9” (175 cm)

Mark- 5’ 10” (178 cm)

Anti- 5’10” (178 cm)

JJ- 5’10” (178 cm)

Illinois- 5’11” (180 cm)

Henrik- 5’11” (180 cm)

Dark- 6’0” (183 cm) (In both Masculine and Feminine forms.)

Wilford- 6’1” (185 cm)

The Host (& The Author)- 6’2” (188 cm)

Alex- 6’4” (193 cm)(so much of this is legs. Very Tol. Very lanky.)

Oliver- 6’7” (200 cm) (knows he’s shorter than the rest by a tiny margin. Tries to tell the others their specific heights don’t mater.)

Emilson- 6’7” (200 cm) (claims to be the tallest.)

Rosin- 6’7” (200 cm) (claims to be the tallest)

Vincent- 6’7” (200 cm) (claims to be the tallest. Is actually the tallest. The margin is like .00001 cm, though.)

Magnum- 7’6” (229 cm)(and broad shoulders too. This man is MASSIVE)

[endlessthoughtsofafangirl]

I am willing to go to the front line in my father's place...

Who says that women are weaker than men, that daughters are weaker than sons?

[gatheringbones]

[“At eighty-two, I’ve decided to make a documentary based on the Bodysex Workshops. In a sense, I’m going back to the beginning, to document the heart of my work. The all-women’s masturbation circle is my sewing circle. “How do you feel about your body and your orgasm?” is a question still worth asking and the resulting conversation is one still worth having.

We are there to listen to and honor each woman’s personal story. We celebrate our independent orgasms without a partner or with one. This time around, it will be captured professionally with a film crew and better quality lighting and sound. I want to document this with the esteem it deserves, so I can leave the planet happy in the knowledge that this incredible workshop, designed by the early women who first attended, will be captured for all to see. It will be my most brilliant work of art, my Sistine Chapel.

Now I have to have the courage to be an old Crone on film. I’m willing to set an example for seniors who are giving up on sex way too soon. After all, my ageing body can still see, hear, eat, drink, laugh, talk, walk, sing, dance, shit, masturbate, fuck, create, draw, write, and have orgasms! In my heart, I believe that women and girls will not be self-motivated and self-possessed if they cannot give themselves orgasms. If they rely on someone else for sexual pleasure, they are potential victims of whatever society is pushing as “normal.” Masturbation is a meditation on self-love. It is essential.”]

betty dodson, from the porn wars, from the feminist porn book: the politics of producing pleasure, edited by tristan taormino, constance henley, and celine perreñas shimizu, 2013

[peachyloveswriting]

Tired of the games

Pairing: Dark x reader

A/n: the request was really long so I'm putting them in separate posts. Please send me more ego stuff I'm getting tired of lupin

Warning: angsty

Requested by 🌸 anon

If there was a reset button for reality you would have removed it a long time ago, and whoever gave it to you would feel your wrath. Mark would have been the first to feel your anger but there he walked towards you from his cryo pod that sloppy smile on his face. He held out his hand.

"Let's go again shall we?" He offered. You cringed. You lost count a while ago when the jumps started repeating themselves. You weren't sure why but there was this greater sense to what you had to do. One more time, you told yourself as you joyously grasped his hand. For what seemed like the millionth time, Mark led you down the warp core hallway. Again the door opened and the blue swirl blinded your eyes, you squinted momentarily lifting your arm to cover your eyes. Maybe you were crazy but your heart rate was elevated, and you were beginning to feel lightheaded.

"Do you even know who you are?" You turned your head in the direction of the faint voice. It echoed around you, almost as if it was right beside you and far away at the same time.

"Captain?" You tuned to see Marks head turned to the side. You shrugged, motioning for him to go ahead.

"You sure?" He asked.

You nodded with an unsure smile. "Yeah." He nodded.

With a blue flash he was gone and soon you were too, the air around you breezing past and the roar of the twisting and turning wormhole around you destroying reality. Your mind was in a haze, nothing seemed right. You couldn't remember which doors you had already been in.

"It's time to wake up."

The cryo-pod hissed as you stepped out of it's threshold, the crew in the main room around you bustling to do their jobs. Unlike your normal view, everything was black and white, with hints of a red and blue chroma behind everything. It was a trip, and when Mark stepped out of his pod it got worse. Suddenly a loud ringing noise overtook your hearing. Instead of flinching at the loud noise you relaxed into it.

Damien, Celine, Mark, it was all coming back to you now. You grasped at his hand on your clothes. You could no longer feel your feet on the ground.

"No, this is my game! You are my pawn and you are not aloud to wake up!" Mark shouted. His voice reverberated in your chest, you shudder. He begins to walk with you in his grasp, the room growing hotter with every second that you struggle longer. He refuses to let go.

He pulls you closer before throwing you forward against as wall, the breath leaves your lungs as your back makes contact with the metal. Suddenly the chromatic effect on the world around you has gotten worse. You feel sick, the edges of sleep urging you forward. The ringing noise, which had begun to pierce your ears abruptly stopped, followed by a low echoing voice.

"Take a deep breath. It's okay now."

You looked up to see Damien kneeling beside you. One hand rested on your back while the other was on your cheek. He looked at you fondly, a pity in his eyes. You cringed.

"You're no better." You wheezed out, still recovering from your lungs hurting.

Damien leaned closer to you to hear you better, almost as if he was mocking you. Gritting your teeth you grabbed his dapper suit and yanked him closer to you.

"You're no better than that egotistical maniac." You spat lowly.

Damien pulled away from your grasp, shocked at your reaction. He opened his mouth as if to taste the air before he spoke, closing it again due to the bitterness. You spoke again.

"You never even asked if it was okay to take my body, I never had a choice." You pushed yourself to your knees. "And then you left me there in that mirror in that god awful mansion..." Your voice trailed off before it rose once more in anger. "...To rot!"

Damien stuttered. "I'm...I'm so sorry, I-" you interrupted him.

"Mark found me before you ever did, so it makes it hard to believe you ever loved me before that night." You were seething. Your chest heaving in pain as you collected your thoughts. The warm pools filled your eyes.

"You're using me for your petty revenge. You don't care."

Damien breathed in shakily, his eyes taking in your crumbled form before him. He was gentle lifting a hand and placing it on your shoulder before pulling you towards him. He embraced you in a hug, you moved further against him even though you wanted to stay mad. You just couldn't find the energy to move away.

"I love you, I do. I love you a thousand times over from the bottom of my heart." He whined into your ear, his breath hot against your skin as he spoke. Reaching up you grasped his clothes, not letting him move away.

"I'm scared." You whispered.

His free hand came yo rest on the back of your head. "It's okay. I'm here now and I'll continue to be here from now on."