#i will finish iswm i promise

[bubblesbinxs]

here’s… the rough… not my proudest with the timing ngl it’s been a struggle figuring out how to use procreate dreams correctly lmao💀 anyways here !!!! no promises i’ll do the clean soon tho ;(

[kingofbr00klyn]

Why post finished drawings for content when you can post unfinished drawings for content :D

[coff33notforme]

Hmm for Engineer, maybe him with a captain on the new planet? Basically life after the events of ISWM. Could have some PTSD from both parties and comforting each other through it all.

A/n: EATING THIS REQUEST WHOLE, dude this was such a cute prompt! I really enjoyed writing this one

Synopsis: After the events of ISWM, Mark and the Captain are trying desperately to forget what they had experienced on the ship, but their past is catching up to them rather quickly

Warnings: Mentions of hallucinations, unhealthy coping mechanisms

After the events on the ship you and Mark had undoubtedly been traumatized, whether you had realized it or not there would be long lasting effects of what you had been subjected to.

Regardless of the things you had experienced, you desperately wanted to forget everything that had happened, but it seemed as though it wouldn’t be as easy as you initially had hoped.

You had moved on to directing the construction of the new colonies, while Mark had been there alongside you working to build a civilization from the ground up.

You had been kept busy for months, with news of the progress of the building while you had helped solve problems that colonists were having while settling in, you felt it was necessary to keep yourself busy, to keep your mind from drifting to darker corners of your mind, things you needed to forget.  

You arrived home, slamming the door with a sigh as you slumped from the doorway cracking your joints with a pleasing hum as you began to set up your work on the kitchen counter, laying out the blueprints you needed to review and approve as well as complaints you had collected from Cici.

This would undoubtedly take more than a couple hours to finish, but well you were already tired, so you made a promise that you wouldn’t stay up for too long. 

Your eyes fluttered open groggily, you groaned at the sudden light that flooded your vision. 

You rubbed your eyes trying to adjust to the overwhelming light.

“Enjoy your nap Cap’n?” you knew that teasing nickname.You lazily turned your head up to the engineer, a warm smile spread across his face. 

“Mark? What are you doing? What time is it?” you asked, your voice still heavy with sleep as you stretched your back out and pushed yourself away from the counter, covered with unfinished sheets and documents. 

“It’s about ten-thirty-seven, and way past your bedtime. What were you even doing down here?” his brows furrowed as his chocolate brown eyes scanned the papers. You frowned as you collected the unfinished sheets. 

“Oh nothing, just documents for work. Which I still need to finish.” you murmured, anxiously eyeing the stack. 

“Well you can just finish them tomorrow, you don’t have to go in that early anyways right?” you smiled looking back to Mark as you abandoned the counter. 

“Yeah, I guess you're right.” taking his calloused hand, flicking the kitchen light off as you left the room. Making your way to the master bedroom through the empty house. 

You looked into the mirror mindlessly as you counted the seconds, brushing your teeth thoroughly before you spat out the overwhelming mint flavored paste. As you rinsed your brush under the cold water Mark called to you from the bedroom as he changed. 

“So, how are you?” the question seemed drawn out, almost hesitant, as if he was leading onto something else.

“Mark, we already talked about this over lunch, did you already forget what I told you.” you teased as you opened the cabinet setting your toothbrush next to Marks as you turned the light off joining Mark in the bedroom. 

“No, no I was just…y’know curious if you maybe forgot to tell me something exciting.” 

You quirked an eyebrow out at him doubtingly. 

“Uh huh, well I feel like you're trying to get to something else, so why don’t you just go ahead and say it Mark, I hate it when you dance around stuff like this.”

A dense silence fell over the room, and you felt a familiar feeling of dread stir in your chest. 

“I want to talk about…about what happened on the ship.” you felt your body go stiff. 

“Why would you want to talk about that?” your voice wavered as you tried to swallow the lump in your throat. 

“I just, I’ve been seeing things and hearing things, things that I’ve wanted to forget, but I just can’t.” 

Again a silence fell over the room, it felt with each passing second a weight was pressing down on your chest.

You paused. 

“I know Mark, I can still hear them too.” 

Mark turned to you, his eyes glossy, as his bottom lip trembled lightly.

“Was it my fault? I know we’ve talked about this before, but I can’t help but think about what would’ve happened if I hadn’t even built the warp core.” his voice shook as he gripped his face, his eyes fixated on the floor as his body shook lightly. You frowned, walking around the bed as you squatted in front of him taking his hand in yours once again as you gave it a reassuring squeeze, his panicked eyes flickered to yours. 

“Mark, you can’t blame yourself for everything that happened, it’s not fair to you. Sure you built the machine, but nobody could’ve known what kind of power it was capable of.” Mark gave a slow nod, his eyes not leaving yours. You smiled scooting in to give him a tight hug.

“I love you, okay? Don’t forget that.” you whispered as Mark buried his face into the crook of your neck, leaving a quick peck against your warm skin. 

“What do you say we head to bed now?”

“Sounds like a plan Cap’n.”

Can't tell if I like this one, but oh well. Once again reblogs are appreciated!

[w1steriawr1tings]

|| Commission ||

For: @caffeinatedreese

ISWM!Mack x OC

Words: 2000

~~~

Rhys Josephine Williams stood in their kitchen, letting warm water run across their hands as they gently washed some dirty dishes from the last few days. They’d been meaning to do them yesterday, but they woke up with the sniffles and Mack, their beloved husband, had insisted they put off that day's chores to rest.

They chuckled fondly to themselves at how lucky they’d gotten.

A husband in the 1920’s who respected their gender and understood that the human body had its limits on some days!

Mr Williams would’ve eaten his hat if Rhys had kept him in their life, not that they wanted too.

They couldn’t say dream the whole day away, as the warm water soothed their cold achy hands. Even if it was winter and they had their sore joints, they had a job to do as a spouse to their beloved husband. They stacked the last few plates on a rack to dry and hung up the towel, making their way to the laundry room now to tend to that.

Mack had an important event the next day, so Rhys had to carefully wash theirs and his finest clothes ready for the next day. They’d chosen a lovely orange blouse and black suit pants to match Mack’d black suit and orange tie. They’d been to these events before and they had all been wonderful. Mack always adored them and the people he could introduce them to, so Rhys was more than happy to follow around his pretty face as he introduced them to well known coworkers amongst the crowd of mostly pricks.

It had come to be a good part of their months, checking each time to see what parties they would be attending with Mack, and where they’d be going. Rhys loved to plan out the outfits too, making sure to match with their husband like many other couples tended to do.

They’d finished folding up all the clothes and took them upstairs, making sure to put the right clothes in the right slots, careful to ensure they didn’t touch the walls and mould in the cold.

Rhys decided to turn on Mack’s record player for a bit, a lovely familiar tune filling the house as they trotted back downstairs to find a jug so they could water the assortment of flowers and plantation that lived around the house. If Mack hadn’t excelled in the business world, he told Rhys on late nights how his former dream had been to live far out in the country, to have animals along with crops and plants to take care of. Rhys loved the way his face had lit up as he explained, promising that the pair could work on expanding their retirement plan to compensate and achieve Mack’d dream. Unlike most couples, the pair did not plan on having children. Wanting to spend the short time that was a human life enjoying one another’s company in peace but relative wealth.

They got to strolling around the house with the large porcelain jug they’d come to use for watering. It’d rained a little earlier that day, so Rhys did not feel like walking out in their slippers to get the watering can and get dirty. That’d just add more to their growing list of chores.

Once they finished watering all the plants inside, they got to opening the upstairs windows and drizzling the dredges of water onto the outdoor plants.

“Oh Josey!” Called a warm, familiar voice from the garden. Rhys heard the familiar click of the front gate opening and looked up with a grin as their dearest husband walked along the gravel path towards the house. They put the jug to the side and leaned playfully against the window sill.

“You’re home, awfully early.” They commented. “I’ve not even started on dinner yet!”

“Well, Mr Peterson was in a good mood. That’s all I’ll say.” Chuckled Mack, standing by the front door with his briefcase and front door keys in hand as he looked up at Rhys.

“I think it’s just your good luck kicking in my dear.” Retorted Rhys, wiggling their eyebrows amused.

“You always do, lovely. Always do.” Sighed Mack, fondly as he unlocked the front door and headed inside.

Rhys quickly shut the window and jogged downstairs to go and greet Mack properly. They pulled him into a hug, wrapping their arms around his shoulders as the pair shared a long but sweet kiss. Mack snickered at them lightheartedly but leaned into the affection and reciprocated it with a gentle hand to run down their back and gently kisses on their cheek once Rhys had pulled out of the longer more intimate kissing. He’d missed them. They rarely ever left their mind during the work day.

Rhys soon got started on dinner, leaving Mack to wash up and change into some more relaxed attire for the evening. The pair planned on having a simple evening, since they’d be headed to a party that next night. It would be one they’d never forget from the sounds of the invitation!

The pair cuddled up to one another in the living room with their dinners, the record player still spinning and playing all too familiar songs as they enjoyed one another’s company after the busy day. Mack took to cleaning up the dishes once the pair had finished eating and even carried Rhys up to bed in a playful manner with a soft sigh as he set them down in bed.

“What’s on your mind, pretty?” Cooed Rhys, setting a hand on his jaw.

“Just thinking about how much I love this.” Hummed Mack, happily, lying his head on Rhys’ stomach as the pair gently began to drift off to sleep.

“I love it too.” Admitted Rhys. “I did not think I could ever achieve perfection, but I get it when I’m with you.”

The next morning was a typical one, Rhys woke in bed alone with a warm loving note from Mack on their dresser as he’d gotten up early to head to work. They got up out of bed and put on their dressing gown and slippers, heading downstairs. They dug through the cupboards to find two pouches. One of seeds and one of mealworms. They needed to restock the bird feeders and leave some treats out for the badger that lived in their garden, that Rhys had affectionately come to call Bean, often staying up late to spot him from their bedroom window on warm summer nights. He was either still hibernating or just waking up, but Rhys would be ecstatic to see him either way.

They then made their way back inside and got to making themselves breakfast, settling on some simple eggs that morning. It was then back to the usual, dishes, clothes, watering and other normal chores for the day. They occasionally took a break to read or search for a different record to play on the musical device. It helped them think of Mack and keep him about when he wasn’t around.

“Josey!”

Rhys looked up, expecting to see their husband. They instead looked up to find their beloved brother Riley Williams and his spouse Alejandro and the pair's two children, Jack and Georgie. The worried looks on the older twos faces had Rhys concerned. They threw on a coat and tracked downstairs into the front garden.

Al was gently rocking Jack and Georgie in their slings as the two babies cried. Riley stepped forward to see Rhys.

“Good heavens Riley, what is going on?!” They fussed.

He put a hand on their shoulder in a comforting manner.

“Rhys. There's been a hit and run in town..”

Everything began to slow down as Rhys ran into town, Riley on their heels calling after them. They could see the sirens already as well as the police tape. The crowd would normally overwhelm them but they pushed through in an uncharacteristically brash manor, needing to make their way through. A simple white sheet lay over a lump in the street, red painting the floor underneath. An all too familiar briefcase sat not too far from the body, marked out in white chalk.

Their knees buckled underneath them, Riley able to catch them as they began to sob loudly in front of the crowd.

“Is this necessary now?!” Hissed Riley.

“I’m sorry sir, but we must confirm.” Spoke the police officer.

Rhys stood in silence, staring at the sheet in front of them. They needed to confirm.

A second officer walked over, standing in a much formal looking attire.

“Mx Packthew, we’ll move the sheet to the side when you’re ready.” He said gently.

Rhys nodded at this, a lump in their throat. They desperately hoped that something had gone wrong and Riley had make some form of mistake. Mack could still be at work. His boss may have kept him working late. Or he was out getting them a surprise accessory for tonight’s fancy dinner. Anything but what was sat in front of them.

They took a deep breath and nodded. The sheet was gently pulled back and Rhys looked at the face in front of them.

They took a shuddery breath as they gently put a hand on the man’s face, gently wiping a spot of blood from his chin.

“Oh my Mack.” They whispered in a numb tone of voice, relishing the last look they’d get of him ever again.

The two officers seemed to nod at this, one of them scribbling down some notes. The other got to inform the other officers with a simple nod gesture and pointed to the van on the groups left. The team prepared to take Mack away. Rhys glanced over at Al, who cradled their nephews into their chest as they watched them and Riley from behind the police tape. They’d been in town when it all happened.

“You should take Al and the kids home.” They murmured to Riley.

“What- No, Rhys-“ Began Riley.

“I’ll be fine, I’ve got many officers who’ll escort me home.”

He was quiet for a few moments.

“Promise to call me?”

“I promise.”

A few minutes later Riley left with his family. Rhys would normally have watched him leave but they were focused on Mack, watching as he was wheeled away into a morgue vehicle. They’d have to get to arranging his funeral right away. They hardly believed this was happening.

The same friendlier officer dropped them home not long after, giving them his condolences before continuing his way to the station. Rhys walked holding their coat and Mack’s briefcase tightly in their hands as they slowly walked up to their home along the gravel path. They couldn’t feel anything. They felt numb as they unlocked the front door and stepped inside.

A wave of anger and hurt washed over them though as the familiar tune of Mack’s record player filled their ears. They groaned frustrated, tears brimming in their eyes as they stalked from room to room to find it.

They eventually did so, yanking it from its familiar spot on the desk and in an act of impulse threw it from the upstairs window in anguish, their knees buckling for a second time that day in pure heartbreak. They caught themselves on the window sill, as what they’d just done fully began to weigh on them.

Maybe it hadn’t been such a good idea to go home alone after all. But then again, no one was ever prepared for this sort of scenario or situation. Rhys didn’t know what to do. Everything they’d ever planned had come crashing down. Everything they’d ever thought about life came down with it too. This was the worst. This was horrid. This was cruel. They wish this was a dream!

Now instead of Rhys fondly calling their husbands name as he walked up the gravel path in the warm evening air, they were sobbing it in a pained way into the midnight sky as if they couldn’t breathe.

[waywardnajsepticeye]

I posted 10,342 times in 2022

261 posts created (3%)

10,081 posts reblogged (97%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@kamalis1

@ethwastaken

@oasisofgalaxies

@stars-have-fallen-down

@shadowtigress2

I tagged 2,117 of my posts in 2022

#fanart - 285 posts

#dream smp - 237 posts

#mcyt - 217 posts

#iswm spoilers - 179 posts

#empires smp - 107 posts

#iswm - 102 posts

#naj's shitpost - 83 posts

#project iris spoilers - 79 posts

#batfam - 71 posts

#in space with markiplier - 64 posts

Longest Tag: 139 characters

#...........................................................................................................................................

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Everyone, I have decided that Noir Mark and Illinois are twins and no one can stop me.

134 notes - Posted April 13, 2022

#4

TALES COMING IN HOT LADS

AND THE BANGER LINE UP

(From Karl's Twitter, art by @/reinzfall!)

153 notes - Posted February 10, 2022

#3

Bruce: Everyone, I'm leaving for a bit and I need someone to babysit Damien. I have elected that person to be Tim.

Tim: ME?! Why me?! Why can't Dick do it?!

Dick: Sorry....I can't. I have a date with Kori tonight.

Tim: A date? Okay- what about Jason?

Jason: I'm gonna be busy tonight, kid. I promised Cass that I would go shopping with her.

Tim: Shopping?! Cass, is this true?

Cassandra: Yes.

Tim: Seriously- Babs, what's your excuse?

Barbara: I have a project due tomorrow.

Tim: I thought you finished university?

Barbara: Who said I finished university?

Tim:

Tim: Steph, please....

Steph: Yeah, no.

Tim: You have to be fucking serious.

159 notes - Posted October 30, 2022

#2

Batfam headcanons cuz why not

-Tim can sing very well (I'd like to think that he sounds like Ricky Montgomery) and tries his best to hide it.

-Jason's favourite book is Song of Achilles and he always reads it in bed.

-Like Alfred, Damien is also British and his accent was incredibly thick when he was younger but became lighter as he grew older.

-Dick loves to draw, he's the only one who can see the beauty in the darkness of Gotham and draws beautiful art pieces.

-Cassandra is cold to the touch, nobody knows why, not even Cass.

-Duke is attempting to learn the trombone. Everything runs to the Batcave when they feel the Wayne Manor shake by off-key tooting.

-Barbara had a crush on a hacker during her Oracle days, she doesn't like to talk about it to how embarrassing it is and Dick is always teasing her about it all the time.

-Stephanie isn't naturally blonde, she was a brunette initially. She dyed her hair after she became Spoiler.

204 notes - Posted November 15, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Can we all stop to talk about the Wither Rose Alliance? The skrunklies of our time?

(From Gem's Twitter)

241 notes - Posted January 25, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[ijwrff]

Maybe a Yandere Head engineer Mark x Captain reader?

I looked in your master list and saw no engineer Mark I hope it okay if I ask for one. 

Soooo I made the ending a choice. I'm not saying I'll continue this, I'm just trying to mirror the choose-your-own adventure aspect that the original series involved. (Also I am such a fake fan but I haven't finished all of ISWM so this may be really ooc but I did my best. I had motivation to write this and I promise I will finish it soon and maybe write more ISWM fics <3)

Tw; violence mentioned but never described.

Word Count: 1,042

He was your right hand man. You trusted him. Somehow…after everything he did…you still trust him. 

Thinking back, it started about a month ago. When you told Mark you had a crush on one of the other engineers. They were friends. 

At the time…Mark seemed…happy for you. He smiled and patted your shoulder, saying “They’re a good choice! Really responsible too!” And that was that. 

Or so you thought. 

After that talk with Mark, he seemed troubled. You sat him down at the dining table on the ship, and asked him what was wrong. 

“Well…Captain there’s just a problem I’m dealing with.” He looked away from you, but back soon after, “I don’t know how to deal with it. I know one answer, but it doesn’t seem right.” 

You frowned, could he be more vague? “Mark, I know you’ll do the right thing. Whatever this problem is, there’s always a way to solve it.” 

This seemed to appease him, and you both left it at that. 

The following week, you had heard from your crush how Mark had been acting strangely. You had been spending a lot of time with your crush, and you felt bad. Mark was your friend, you put your feelings for your crush ahead of Mark.

You approached Mark once again, and he looked much happier. 

“Mark…is everything…okay…?” You didn’t know how to phrase it, but he simply smiled in reply. 

“Everything is actually going great! Well…not right now. But it will be.” That response left you confused at best. 

“That’s…good?” More of a question, but he wasn’t elaborating. “What happened to put you in such a good mood?” You were going to try and push, to make sure he knew you cared. If you dropped it, you’d think he’d hold resentment for you. 

That would never be the case…but you didn’t know that. 

He nodded and scooted closer to you. “I found the solution to my problem but…it’s difficult to do.” He turned away from you, seemingly lost in thought before turning back to you, “But I’ll do it! It needs to be done.” 

“That’s great Mark! Sometimes…the best decisions are the hardest to make.” 

God…thinking back on those words…this is all your fault isn’t it?

The next time you saw him, his eyes were glazed over, and he seemed lost. 

You approached him, and waved your hand in front of his face. “Hellooo? Earth to Mark?” You said before taking it back, “Actually. It’s probably space to Mark huh?” The joke was meant to make him laugh, but it barely made him smile. 

He took a deep breath, and said “Can we talk somewhere? Alone?” It confused you, but again…you trusted him. So you went to his room, the one he shared with your crush. 

You didn’t notice it, or at least didn’t make heavy note of it, but he seemed upset seeing his roommate’s belongings. 

“Captain…I think I solved the problem.” 

You tilted your head, “Isn’t that a good thing? Don’t you feel better?” You didn’t understand why he would be so upset if he fixed the problem. He still never told you what that problem was. 

Another heavy sigh from him, and he looked in your eyes with some unknown emotion, “It was hard to fix the problem. But I did it.” And he gave you the most genuine smile you’d seen from him in days. 

“CAPTAIN! CAPTAIN!” A voice called from the hall. 

You briefly heard Mark mumble “already?” But you didn’t register it. After all, the voice outside made it sound like it was an emergency. 

You jumped up and left the room, “Here!” And one of your companions in space was running back to you, white as a ghost. 

He called back for help, and several other crew members were approaching you…all with the guns given to them at the beginning of your journey. 

“CAPTAIN! WATCH OUT!” He called and shoved you out of the way. 

“What is the meaning of this?” You asked, on edge from all the yelling. Not to mention that sinking feeling in your gut since you heard the screaming. 

He shoved you out of the way, and pointed the gun towards Mark. 

“WOAH!” You stepped between them. “What are you doing? What did Mark do?” The sentence made your blood run cold. “What…what did Mark do?” Your tone becoming shaky. 

“He killed…” And he said your crush’s name. 

Mark…no…not little engineer Mark. He wouldn’t do that. He was your best friend on this ship. 

You turned to Mark, “Mark…tell me you didn’t do it.” It was all you could think to say at the moment. 

The man in question gave you a smile, one that chilled you to the bone. “I did do it. I told you. I solved my problem.” 

Your crush was his problem? And he had to solve it by KILLING them? No…this couldn’t be happening. 

The other crew members went into Mark’s room, and went to put cuffs around his wrists. To everyone’s surprise, he jumped up, with his own gun, and shot one, then two, then three of your crew. 

“MARK STOP!” You screamed, and he seemed to hesitate a moment, which was enough time for the crew to unarm him. 

“But Captain! I love you! We can be together now, the problem is gone!” He cried, looking like a lunatic. His smile didn’t match the blood now splattered on his clothes. 

So here you were…sitting outside of his cell on your ship. He would be turned in at the next stop, and you would never see him again. 

“Captain…don’t let them take me away, I don’t want to leave you!” He put his hands on the bars and was crying openly. “I did this for us! Please don’t let them take you!” 

You sat in silence, occasionally looking up to Mark as he sobbed. 

A gun given to you at the start of your journey was in your hands. You pointed it at Mark, and he whimpered “Captain?” 

You sighed, this was a big decision to make, a crew member came in and you pointed it at him. He stepped back, looking shocked. 

You pointed the gun between Mark and your other crew member. 

What choice will you make now?

[clanwarrior-tumbly]

Partners Reunited

ISWM Spoilers//

A/N: I finished the “Frozen Route” that involves Illinois finding us and then leaving us in the cryo pod and I’m like MAN why cant we go with him???

So I wanted to expand on the possibility of him recognizing us from Heist.

Soooo yeah! Enjoy! I miss writing this dude and I’m glad he’s back

...................

‘Maybe Celci’s right..maybe it’s meant to end this way.’

It’s ironic.

You’ve broken out of your cryo pod over and over again. God only knows how many times you’ve ended up back in it and immediately charged out to fix your mistakes or approach a problem differently.

Yet..this time you willingly crawled back into one, content with your choice.

The warp device in your palm was still frozen, utterly useless now. No matter how much you clicked, it was officially broken; the crystal lost its glow, having turned a bleak blue color.

There’s no use in trying it anymore.

After you ended up on this path, you’ve come to realize the grim reality of your situation: no matter what choice you made, who you tried to save, or what you did differently....you’re only led back to one of two things:

A light or a warp.

Even finding a planet to colonize wasn’t satisfying enough--despite that being the whole goal of this trip. 

There was always something missing, and whenever you thought you found it....something else happens and you wind up reliving familiar situations.

This was the only unfamiliar situation: Gunther turning the drones on you, Burt merging with the Computer, and Celci controlling everything cryo-related. 

She’s the one who insisted you went to sleep like the others, promising to take care of things.

That was a nice idea..just sleeping. You wouldn’t have to worry about anything anymore. No destructive wormholes, time-travel, or armored aliens to deal with.

You could finally get the rest a captain deserves.

In the back of your mind, you thought of Mark. You had no idea if he was dead or merged with some aspect of the ship in this timeline, but you were far too tired to search any further.

This was the best possible “ending” you’ll get.  A way to stop these loops permanently.

It certainly wasn’t the first time your choices ended up screwing with the universe. But you’ll be sure this was the last. Everybody was suffering, even those innocent colonists who dreamed of that planet you vowed to reach.

Your only regret is not fulfilling that promise.

That weighed heavy on your heart as you entered the pod for the final time. The moment the door closed and locked itself, frost began coating your vision, blinding you in a blanket of white.

You’re uncertain what will happen now. Will you finally rest or just be thrown back into a loop?

Somehow..you had doubts. Celci was confident in her words. You trusted her, but couldn’t trust yourself to keep your own crew safe.

Perhaps this was for the best.

Slowly you lost consciousness, letting the cold lull you into deep sleep. In a way this was quite comforting. There wasn’t any noise.

No blaring alarms or Mark’s screaming or anything chaotic.

Just silence.

Blissful silence.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

The silence was soon shattered by the sound of something hammering on the pod door. 

It startled you awake only slightly. You had no clue how much time had passed. ‘Is it a rescue team? Or aliens trying to snag our tech?’

As you brushed the frost from your vision, you saw the door open with a loud hiss. Once you could clearly see what’s in front of you, you recognized the mysterious person and became shocked.

You thought you were still dreaming.

That hat....and that adventurous attire...it was him.

“Ah, a mummy!” He exclaimed, not sounding scared at all as he gazed up at you.

Your voice strained to say something, but no sound comes out at first. ‘Shit..must have been in here for a long time if I can’t even talk.’ This was going to be quite annoying if he didn’t recognize you.

So you tried reaching a hand out to him. Though he quickly (yet politely) pushes your hand down, under the assumption you’re some undead alien creature. “Sorry, friend. I don’t have time for your ancient curses.” He remarks, cool as the ice coating the entire ship. “Doesn’t matter how handsome and-or beautiful you used to be.”

Of course, he was flirty as ever. He hasn’t changed a bit.

But when he moves to close the pod, you start to panic and find the strength to lean your full weight against the door.

You changed your mind.

You wanted to live your life, not be stuck in some icy tomb forever.

There were no resets this time around, so...you had a chance to change. To put all of this behind you and start fresh.

He wasn’t Mark, but he was someone you considered a friend. And a friend is all you needed right now.

Illinois was surprised, staring at you with great confusion...and slight irritation at your stubbornness. “Hey now, I know I look like a fresh piece of meat. But I’d rather not get chased by zombies again-"

“I-Illy..”

He blinked. ‘Since when did zombies talk? And how did they know my name?’

Nobody ever called him that, except for...

“Wait..partner? I-Is that you?”

Nodding, you tore off your goggles and mask--both of which were almost stuck to your skin and made you wince slightly afterwards. You dropped them and looked at him, allowing him to see you weren’t some rotting corpse.

“I-In the living flesh.” You rasped with a weak smile.

He almost couldn’t believe it. His own smile grew as he laughed and helped you out of the pod. “Wow..I’ve been terribly mistaken. Y’know I was thinking about you after our adventure. I wondered where you went..and lo and behold, I find you in this abandoned spaceship exploring the final frontier.”

His words made your face grow warm, making the freezing air a little more bearable.

“I’m glad to see you again...but..aren’t you cold?” You tilted your head as you hugged yourself, still feeling chilly.

Looking down at himself, then all around him, and finally back to you..he only  shrugged. “Nah. I’ve dealt with worse. I’d ask how you’ve been lately but..that seems redundant.”

“Don’t ask, don’t tell. I’ve made some...bad decisions and this is what happened.” You gestured to everything around you.

“Now, now I’m sure you didn’t mean it. You made some smart choices on our last adventure.” He reassured you. “I’m willing to bet you made the best ones possible given the circumstances...whatever those might’ve been here. I don’t know the full story.”

“I’d rather not say.”

“Fair enough. Well..seems like space travel’s not all it’s cracked up to be." Putting his hands on his hips, he smiled warmly. "Let’s get you outta this frozen wasteland and catch up. Maybe go on a calmer adventure. Whatdya say, partner?”

You couldn’t say no to that invitation.

So you smiled and brushed the snow from your gloves, ready to restart your life. Maybe this was the universe’s way of saying you had a shot at redemption.

No do-overs. Just a second chance.

“Yeah, I’d like that. And you’re right. Space travel’s overrated anyways.”