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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

Story Mav's Muse... Maybe? - UDC IX - Multi-fandom (Martian, West Wing, ST:Discovery/Picard, Magicians)

Discussion in 'Non Star Wars Fan Fiction' started by mavjade , Apr 24, 2020.

  1. mavjade

    mavjade Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 10, 2005
    Title: Mav's Muse... Maybe?https://boards.theforce.net/threads...very-picard-magicians.50053697/#post-56709308
    Fandom: Multiple- see below
    Notes: This is for the Ultimate Drabble Challenge IX. My plan is to change up fandoms each week to hopefully keep the muse going, though there probably will be repeat fandoms. The title is because my muse has been fickle for a bit, so maybe this will help stimulate it?!

    Fandoms I'm currently thinking about/hoping to use:
    The Martian, The West Wing, Star Trek: Discovery, Star Trek: Picard, The Magicians, The Expanse



    Current Fandoms:

    The Martian
    The Expanse: Set One | Set Two
    The Magicians
    Star Trek: Discovery
     
    Last edited: Jun 18, 2020
  2. mavjade

    mavjade Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 10, 2005
    Week 1 - The Martian

    Book or movie, either works. If you’ve not seen or read it, I think you’ll be okay, all you need to know is Mark Watney is an astronaut who got left alone on Mars after his team thought he was dead.

    1. Adamant
    “I know what I’m doing!” Mark yelled at the screen in the rover. He’d been managing on his own for over 90 sols so having NASA try to dictate every little thing he did was insanely frustrating. He was grateful for their help and more than grateful to be talking to anyone, even if it was just text, but sometimes he just had to ignore what they had to say. They were adamant he listen to them, but what were they going to do if he didn't, leave him on Mars? Too late.


    2. Abide
    Mark had gotten so used to fending for himself it was hard to relax, to let go and allow others to help. Beck knew what was best for him, Mark knew this intellectually. He trusted Beck, probably more than any other doctor, but what his brain knew and what his body would allow seemed to be two different things. Mark did what Beck had told him; he looked around and listed things that were different on the Hermes from the Hab. He took slow deep breaths. He was safe. He wasn't alone. They had plenty of food. He was going home.


    3. Afield
    Mark's parents had been so proud when he'd been chosen for Ares III, but they were also terrified. The idea that their child would be so far away with very little help if something were to go wrong, it was a nightmare they didn't want to think about. And when their nightmare came true, it was worse than they'd ever thought. They couldn't stop thinking about how he'd died all alone and would never return home. They'd dream he'd somehow come home to them.




    When their dreams came true, it was better than they could have ever imagined.




    4. Aghast
    When Venkat realized what Mindy Park was showing him, he felt as though his heart had stopped. He almost didn't want to believe it despite the evidence, the idea that they left a man alone on Mars was unthinkable. He looked around for a moment trying to decide who he could defer to, but he was the director of Mars missions and this was his responsibility. Mark was his responsibility. He shoved down his feelings, took a deep breath, and started to tell others what they needed to do. He'd get his man back if it was the last thing he did at NASA.


    5. Aforetime
    When Mark was feeling particularly lonely he thought about when he was young and he helped his mom in the garden. He'd known nothing about plants and had accidentally pulled up her Jacob's Ladder (Polemonium caeruleum) thinking it was a weed. But she just laughed and taught him what was what. He'd look up the 'real' names on the internet and delighted in correcting his mother on what they were called. He now sat with his budding potato plants and imagined he was back there in their small garden, his mother's hands plucking tomatoes off the vines, and for just a moment, he was home.
     
    Last edited: Apr 24, 2020
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  3. WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Aug 31, 2004
    Wonderful beginning as we see a range of emotions and Mark's determination and him and his parents dreaming of being reunited. You just know the reunion was better than expected. :)
     
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  4. divapilot

    divapilot Force Ghost star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 30, 2005
    Great work here, Mav! the thing I liked best about The Martian is what you've captured here: the fact that they are all so human. From Mark's accidental pulling of his mom's plant, which triggered his interest in botany, to Mark's struggle to accept Beck's advice, the common thread here is the fragility of human nature and existence.

    Fun fact: I taught this book to a group of twelfth-grade struggling readers. They LOVED it and for many it was the only book they actually enjoyed reading their entire high school career.
     
  5. Briannakin

    Briannakin Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    Feb 25, 2010
    Yay! I'm so happy you are doing these! And of course I love me some Martian!

    Hahaha! This whole drabble was so Mark, I didn't know what line to quote.

    I can so imagine these feelings of pure relief post rescue, but also having to remember he could feel these feelings.
    I love this glimpses into Mark's parents and I think you nailed the feelings. Mark's parents always intrigued me since the few mentions of them are really the only mentions we get of Mark's personal life.
    I like this view into Venkat's mind. I haven't read much from his POV but I just got that feeling of "Oh gods," from this and I think you captured that wonderfully.
    [face_love] I just love this sooooo much (and can totally see young Mark just being a turd like that!).
     
  6. brodiew

    brodiew Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Oct 11, 2005
    Excellent opening set, mav! =D=

    Adamant and Aforetime were my favorites. I enjoyed Mark's inner battle over NASA trying to tell him how to manage a situation he has been managing just fine on his own. :p
    I also enjoyed the back story on Mark's brilliant botanical beginnings. :D
     
  7. earlybird-obi-wan

    earlybird-obi-wan Chosen One star 6

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    Aug 21, 2006
    Love you showing Mark's emotions
     
  8. amidalachick

    amidalachick FFoF Hostess Extraordinaire star 5 VIP - Game Host

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    Aug 3, 2003
    This is a great first set!

    Aww! This line in particular was so touching.

    Loved them all though! Wonderful job on these! =D=
     
    Last edited: Apr 26, 2020
  9. Mira_Jade

    Mira_Jade The (FavoriteTM) Fanfic Mod With the Cape star 5 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Jun 29, 2004
    Yay!! I am so happy to see that the UDC is inspiring you, and with an awesome first set as this! :D [face_dancing]


    Adamant: Ha! The last line was just so Mark. I loved this!

    Abide: I can only imagine how difficult it would be to allow himself to relax - to accept someone else helping him and feeling comfort and safety as much as he intellectually knows that he's safe and everything is going to be okay now. A great character moment!

    Afield: Oh! This was just beautiful. [face_love]

    Aghast: =(( Everyone needs a hug after this one! Another awesome character moment.

    Aforetime: This was my favorite of the set! First, I can totally see Mark being a young snot like that, but it's also where his interest in botany began! This moment really hit, and hit hard. I loved every word. [face_love]


    Fantastic job with this first set! I can't wait to see where your muse takes you next! :D =D= [:D]
     
  10. mavjade

    mavjade Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 10, 2005
    Thank you everyone for reading and commenting! I really appreciate it!

    Thank you!! Yeah, I imagine that reunion would be something else. To think your child was dead and then to have them not only survive, but something so dangerous and crazy, it would be amazing!

    - - -

    Yeah, I loved that about The Martian as well. Here are all of these brilliant people but they still felt relatable. I always wondered how a guy like Mark became a botanist and thought it would be fun to explore that idea.
    I LOVE this!! It's a great book for that! I read something one time that said people don't hate reading, they just haven't found the right book yet. I understand the need for kids to read classics, but I sometimes think our insistence on forcing so many of them in a year turns a lot of kids off from reading. Or in my case when I was that age, made me feel like I wasn't smart for hating/having difficulty the Bronte sisters. (Wuthering Heights really did turn me off from reading for awhile.)
    Thank you for reading and commenting!

    - - -

    Hopefully since they are so short, I'll be able to last! I'm sure these won't be the last of The Martian ones!

    That was something that always made me laugh, after Mark figured out how to make plants grow, then people trying to tell him what to do about it. I imagine that would be really frustrating, especially for Mark!

    I kinda took this from soldiers returning from deployments, it can take awhile to relax and realize you don't have to always be on and ready. I figure something similar would happen in this type of situation. Your brain just can't switch off like that a lot of times.

    Same! I'm really curious about them and want to know more. I want more Mark backstory! (To be fair, I always want more backstory!)

    I haven't read much from his POV either, but he was who I immediately thought of for this. I can't imagine how awful that feeling would be.

    Right?! He would totally be a hellion of a kid! Too smart for his own good. :p
    I'm so glad you enjoyed these!

    - - -

    Thank you!! Yeah, I don't think Mark takes being told what to do when he was already doing it very well.
    I love backstory so I always want to add it if we don't have it!

    - - -

    Thank you! I enjoy that aspect of story telling!

    - - -

    Thank you!! I think the loneliness of being in space by yourself would be one of the most difficult things to deal with because there's not a part you can fix or a way you can engineer the situation. Having things that are a comfort, even if they are small would be important and I wanted to show that.

    - - -

    Thank you!! Mark is so easy to get into the head of. I think he's a complicated character, but easily understandable.

    Yeah, trying to stop after being on for so long is very difficult, you brain doesn't want to give it up. I hope to do more with that in the future!

    I just can't help but keep imagining how awful it would be for his parents, but how wonderful the reunion would be!

    I agree on the hugs! I just can't imagine how it would feel when you are the one in charge. Even if you didn't do anything wrong, you are still responsible and that's a terrible feeling.

    Thank you!! I think this was my favorite as well! Little snotty Mark really intrigues me!
     
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  11. mavjade

    mavjade Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 10, 2005
    Week 2- The Expanse

    I’m very new to this show/book series. I just binged the show and I'm about half way though book one, so this is mostly TV based but a bit of the book. I don’t think there is anything that is considered a spoiler for either. (If you have read the books, please no spoilers!)

    I think you’ll be fine having never watched. The show takes place around 2350, humans have expanded out into the solar system. A few terms you might want to know for the sake of these drabbles are in the spoiler cut

    MCRN - Martian Congressional Republic Navy - What it sounds like, the Navy for Mars

    OPA - Outer Planets Alliance - A loose group of people who are fighting for the Belters, though some (a lot) comes in the form of terrorism. They don’t really speak with one voice.

    Belters - The people who are from the asteroid belts or moons of outer planets (so not born on Earth or Mars)


    6. Raid

    They were finally safe, at least as safe as one could be in a stolen… legitimate salvage MCRN warship. Holden found himself hungry and decided to raid the galley to see what he could find to eat. He walked into a decent size room with a large table in the center and cabinets to his left where he figured the food would be stored. He started looking in them when he saw the most beautiful thing he’d seen in a long time sitting right there on the counter.

    A coffee machine.

    A real coffee machine for real coffee.

    It was beautiful.



    7. Pirate

    Amos kinda thought of himself as security for the Rocinante. Sure, he was an engineer but he was the best equipped for the job. When he was inspecting the ship to see what she had to offer he decided he wasn’t worried about being attacked by military ships, Alex was a great pilot and the Roci was armored to the teeth. Pirates, on the other hand, would blow your airlock and board you without warning the military would usually give. With only the four of them, he didn’t know that they’d make it, but he’d sure wouldn’t let her go without a fight.



    8. Smuggle

    The Roci was perfect for smuggling, she was a former warship with a lot of armaments, could be run by a small crew, and had a lot of space, but Holden didn’t know if that was the answer. He certainly couldn’t go back to his normal life after becoming the de facto face of the Belters. Fred Johnson might be OPA but he had given them a port in the storm that was their lives, shown them more compassion than most, so if smuggling for a bit was what it took to keep his crew alive, Holden could live with that.


    9. Maraud

    Alex hadn’t been in the Martian Navy for years, hadn’t even been on Mars in a long time, but he still felt pain when they decided to board the dead MCRN ship for supplies. He knew they needed them and would soon be dead without them, but these sailors still felt like his brothers and sisters even though he didn’t know them.

    When they found survivors he was relieved, they’d have died if they’d not stopped at that ship. It allowed him to put the feeling of looting bodies behind him and turn it into a rescue. It was just too bad those they rescued weren’t so thankful.



    10. Steal

    There were things Naomi had done with the OPA she wasn’t proud of. She’d been young and itching for a change and the OPA offered a way for her to help get that for her people. Of course, she knew they did things that weren’t laudable, but she’d hoped to do good even if it meant being a little bad. When she’d finally opened her eyes to what she was doing, she was horrified; she ran as far as she could out into space. But those experiences brought her to this crew, this family, and she couldn't help but be a little thankful for that.
     
    Last edited: May 7, 2020
  12. WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Aug 31, 2004
    Raid -- [face_laugh] as a fan of Keurig coffee machines [face_mischief] I can relate to Holden's elation.

    Maraud - how wonderful that it became a rescue. In RL, I know that after a natural disaster, the first responders rejoice over every person they can retrieve in time. [face_relieved]

    Steal -- I like this glimpse of Naomi in a moment of self-realization. [face_thinking]

    =D=
     
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  13. divapilot

    divapilot Force Ghost star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 30, 2005
    I watched a little of The Expanse so I have a general idea of these characters. Even without that, though, they still ring true and clear. I liked Raid best - as someone who lives on coffee, I can appreciate the sentimental excitement of finding a real coffeemaker!
     
  14. earlybird-obi-wan

    earlybird-obi-wan Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Aug 21, 2006
    No access for the show here but I like your drabbles and the characters
     
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  15. brodiew

    brodiew Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Oct 11, 2005
    Hello mav! I've watched all but the current season and enjoyed revisiting the crew of the Rocinante. Raid and Maraud were my favorites. I can see Holden signing in pleasure at the sight of the coffee maker. I think you also really captured Alex were in feelings about looting the Martian ship and that last line was a twist as I recall. Great work.
     
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  16. amidalachick

    amidalachick FFoF Hostess Extraordinaire star 5 VIP - Game Host

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    Aug 3, 2003
    I haven't seen the show but these are intriguing characters and a great set of drabbles!

    I love Holden admiring the coffee maker, because yep, coffee is always a beautiful sight! :D And I enjoyed all of them but "Steal" was my favorite. I really liked Naomi's reflecting on her past and how it brought her to where she is now. Great work on these! =D=
     
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  17. Mira_Jade

    Mira_Jade The (FavoriteTM) Fanfic Mod With the Cape star 5 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Jun 29, 2004
    Oooh, I haven't seen the Expanse - I'm so behind on all of my TV viewing :oops:, just like so many other things, it seems! - but the concept sounds awesome, and I really enjoyed the glimpse you gave us of these characters! I need to bump this one to the top of my watch list! :D

    Ha! Line one drew me in just like that! [face_laugh]

    [face_laugh]! As another coffee lover, I could emphasize with this line so, so much! What a glorious discovery! [face_love] [face_sigh]

    Aw! I enjoyed all of the character sketches and introspection, but Naomi's really hit me the most here. Found family trope, for the win! This was just beautiful. [face_love] =D=


    Thanks for sharing another awesome set! I can't wait to see where your muse takes you next. :D [face_dancing] [:D]
     
    Last edited: May 13, 2020
  18. Sith-I-5

    Sith-I-5 Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    Aug 14, 2002
    I look forward to reading some Star Trek: Discovery.
     
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  19. mavjade

    mavjade Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 10, 2005
    Since everyone seemed to really enjoy the coffee aspect, I give you how Holden reacted on the show to seeing the coffee machine:
    [​IMG]

    That's the aspect that drew me to Holden in the first place, in both the books and the show, they make sure you know he is a coffee addict. And as one myself, I can relate!
    It's always great to find people alive, especially when you don't expect it! (It was a little more complicated in the show, but the sentiment still stands.)

    Naomi is really a three denominational character and her background (what I know of it) is complicated. That self realization is a big thing to her, I think.

    - - -

    Thank you! Anytime I start writing a new fandom, I get really nervous about characterization. I'm glad they ring true.
    Yeah, having been stuck with really bad instant coffee for awhile when I was in a disaster zone, finding real coffee afterwords was the best feeling. Holden and his coffee obsession is me in spirit.

    - - -

    Boo that you don't have access, but thank you so much for reading and commenting! I know it can be difficult when you don't have knowledge of the source.

    - - -
    I really enjoyed season 4, it was a bit different than the previous seasons but still fantastic!!
    Holden and coffee is a bit of a low-key 'ship for me. Lol. I felt bad for Alex in that moment, the conflicting feelings are difficult to deal with. And yes, you are correct it wasn't all happy.
    Thank you!

    I agree about coffee, it's always a wonderful sight! I don't yet know a ton about Naomi's past, but what little I know of it, really intrigues me.
    Thank you!!

    - - -

    YEEES! It's so, so good. It has a little bit of a slow start, but once it picks up it's really easy to want to binge the whole thing.

    This is one of those gifts that keeps on giving on the show and it makes me happy every time. When I realized I could do strike though on the stolen part, I knew I had to do it.

    I agree! This is also something that comes directly from the show and the books, Holden loves his coffee and it makes me so happy every time it comes up.

    Oh yeah, we totally get the found family in this show which is one of my favorite tropes. They do it so well, I don't even care that it's tropey. Expect that theme will come up again in the future!
    Thank you!!

    - - -
    I think it will be Week 4, but I'm not 100% sure yet.
     
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  20. mavjade

    mavjade Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    Sep 10, 2005
    AN: I'd had this week done last weekend, but one of them was really bothering me because I wasn't doing the character any justice. I ended up scrapping School and doing a completely different one. Hopefully it won't put me too far behind.

    This week: The Magicians
    Brakebills is a graduate school for magic in the United States.
    There were multiple timelines. I'm not going to say how or why because that's a huge spoiler, but I think knowing they exist is a very minor one.
    Penny is a traveler and a psychic so he can think of a place and end up there, which can be dangerous if he's off by a bit.
    Margo isn't as much of a mean girl as she seems here, but you kinda have to know her to love her.


    Week III - The Magicians

    11. Professor - Penny 23

    When Dean Fogg tricked Penny into teaching the young travelers, he thought it was a joke. He could barely manage his own life. But now he stood in front of several young students and saw bits of himself reflected back; The guy wincing at the thoughts of others were intruding on his own, the girl who looked as though she'd seen too much. He couldn't help them, no one could.

    But they could learn to help themselves.

    He'd give them the cold hard truth about traveling, that your mind could easily take you somewhere that would kill you. But if you could control it, it could literally open up worlds.


    12. School - Quentin

    “You’re late,” a guy around his age said sitting on a wall. Quentin was confused, he’d been in New York City a few moments ago and now he was… well, he didn’t know where he was but it wasn’t NYC.

    He was shuffled into an exam that kept changing the questions and then told he was accepted to Brakebills University.

    “Party at the Physical cottage,” the same guy he’d met earlier, Eliot, said as he passed by. “ See you there.”

    Quentin had no idea what exactly was going on, it had been the weirdest day he could remember. But what he did know made him ecstatic.

    Magic was real.




    13. Gifted - Alice

    Alice had heard the term her whole life, gifted. She was good at the regular subjects, but she was especially good at magic. She came from a magic family, her parents had gone to Brakebills, her brother as well, so when she didn’t get an invitation to apply she didn’t understand. She was determined to get in, to learn what had happened to her brother while he was there, and no one was going to stop her.

    When Dean Fogg allowed her to take the entrance exam, she breathed a sigh of relief, she would finally learn the truth.



    14. Karma - Eliot

    Eliot wonders if all of this is what he deserves. It’s not that good things don’t come to him, they do, but it’s more that they are always cruelly stripped away. He lived a beautiful life in another timeline, a life they both remembered, but it was over and he couldn’t get that back. He’d been too scared to give it a chance. And once finally realized that while he could never have that life back, he could have that love, it was too late. It was his biggest regret that he’d been so scared of himself that he wouldn’t, couldn’t even try. But worse, he didn’t even get to say goodbye.


    15. Gambit - Margo

    “Why the hells am I always the one that has to come up with the plans?” Margo asks with disdain.

    “We could…” Quentin starts to say.

    “Nope. Someone else?”

    “I’m just saying that if we…”

    “No one?”

    “Bambi,” Eliot admonishes.

    “Okay fine, we go with Q’s idea,” Margo says. “But when it falls apart, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

    “You don’t even know my idea,” Quentin points out. “What if it does sucks.”

    Margot snorts, “I’m sure it does, but some plan is better than no plan.”

    “What about yours?” Alice asks looking at Margo.

    “I didn’t have one, I’m just saying I’m always the one that comes up with them and it’s annoying.”
     
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  21. earlybird-obi-wan

    earlybird-obi-wan Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Aug 21, 2006
    the professor, school and what follows is great fun
     
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  22. amidalachick

    amidalachick FFoF Hostess Extraordinaire star 5 VIP - Game Host

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    Aug 3, 2003
    I'm not familiar with this fandom either but it sounds intriguing!

    Great line!

    "Karma" - ouch! I may not know Eliot, but I feel for him. Nothing hurts more than regrets and what-ifs. :(

    And "Gambit" totally made me think of the book Paper Towns, because the main characters in there are named Quentin and Margo and it even sounds a bit like them. Maybe someone involved with the show is a fan! Probably just a coincidence though. :p

    Great set! Hope to see more soon. :D
     
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  23. mavjade

    mavjade Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 10, 2005
    Thanks so much! The show is great fun, I just wish the muse would want to write for it more.

    - - -

    It's a really great show, I'd definitely recommend it. It's a great fantasy based (somewhat) in current reality type of show.

    Thank you! That's something I feel strongly that character would feel, that people have to learn to help themselves.

    That's really interesting! The show is based on a series of books, but Margo's name is Janet in the books (something they nod to in the show), so maybe!

    Thank you so much for reading!
     
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  24. mavjade

    mavjade Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    Sep 10, 2005
    Week IV - Star Trek Discovery
    Spoilers for both seasons, just because I binged it and I don't remember exactly what happens when.

    16. Misty - Stamets

    “Hugh?” Stamets called through the mycelium network. He didn’t know if he was seeing things, if his mind was conjuring what he wanted to see. As a scientist he thought it preposterous he was seeing him, but in his heart he felt like it was real. He usually wasn't one to follow his heart over his head, but he’d been trapped here for a while, at least he thought so, unable to find his way out.

    Was this the mycelium using his thoughts as a way to communicate with him? Was Hugh that way out? Would he show him the way?



    17. Lonely - Tilly & Burnum

    “Oh thank goodness, someone to finally bunk with me,” Tilly said as Michael walked into the room with her bags. “It’s not that I’ve not had bunkmates, I’ve had a few but they usually leave after a while, I guess I snore or something. Maybe I get on people’s nerves, I don’t know. Please don’t leave.” She reached her hand over toward Michael, “Hi, I’m Tilly.”

    “Hi….” Michael answered trying to take in everything Tilly had just said. She already thought Tilly would get on her nerves but she really didn't have a choice.

    Thankfully for them both, Tilly turned out to be a great friend.



    18. Fiery - Bernum

    Traveling through the wormhole was the most beautiful and terrifying thing Michael had ever seen. Balls of light ignited all around her. She watched as the streaks of white and gold and red and blue flew past her. The pressure in her chest was too much to bear and yet it wasn’t. It was as though time itself was crushing her and holding her together. Watching her past, knowing she’d always been there, watching, making sure they found what they needed, she felt a sense of purpose like she’d never had before.


    19. Golden -Seru

    Seru waited for the transporter to bring a few of the crew of the Enterprise to the DIscovery, he was a little taken aback by their colorful uniforms, particularly Captain Pike in gold. He also noticed that there were no Vulcans among the crew meaning Burnum would not be getting the reunion with her brother she was so apprehensive about. But when Pike dropped the news that he was here to take over the Discovery… they’d just been betrayed by Lorca, he didn’t feel that a new captain would be beneficial to the crew. Nevertheless, Starfleet had ordered it and it would be done.



    20. Undying - Georgiou (Mirror 'verse)

    Coming to the mirror universe had been an exercise in restraint. Everyone here loved Captain Georgiou, their Georgiou who was nothing like herself. But she found it did lead her to a lot more credibility and that she could often still get what she wanted. Having a reputation for being unable to be killed seemed to go a long way. She was used to being feared, but this was a different kind of fear, a reverence which ran so deep people would do what she asked without being threatened. She found she kind of liked being this Georgiou.

    For now.
     
  25. mavjade

    mavjade Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 10, 2005
    Week V - The Expanse
    Notes: It's really hard to write Christjen without cursing. Pilgrimage - I've not yet read Amos' backstory novella so this is pure speculation on my part based on hints of his childhood in the show.
    This may be my favorite set yet. Maybe not the best writing wise, but the most fun I had writing them.


    21. Temple - Holden, Amos, Alex

    The structure looked like a giant metal crescent moon rising out of the ground. Holden didn’t know what it was or what it was for, but their analysis said it was millions of years old.

    “Maybe it’s a temple of some kind,” Alex offered.

    Holden shook his head though Alex couldn’t see him from his place on the ship. “No, I don’t think so. I don’t know why, but it feels more.”

    “More?” Amos asked as he walked up to the structure his hand outstretched as to touch it.

    “Don’t.” Holden grabbed Amos’ shoulder and pulled him back, reaching for it himself. “I think I need to do this.”


    22. Sanctuary - Alex

    Holden once asked him if he minded being left on the ship most of the time, but Alex did not mind. In fact, he preferred it. Yes, he liked getting off at stations to relax and enjoy himself, but the pilot crash couch is where he felt the most comfortable. He knew who he was when he slid behind the controls. It was simple. Here he could care for the crew that had been his family, make sure he was ready to fly them out of a tight spot. Here he could make them a meal to care for them.

    No, he didn’t mind being left on the ship, she was home.


    23. Shrine - Holden

    It made Holden uncomfortable, his face on the wall with the words “Remember the Cant” beside it. He didn’t want to be famous, he didn’t want people to recognize him. All he’d wanted to do with that broadcast was to make sure his crew survived, but instead he’d started a movement in the belt.

    At the bottom of the wall with his face on it lay tokens of remembrance. On Earth it may have been flowers or candles, but there were no such things here on Ceres. So people put what they had to remember the crew of the Canterbury. Holden took out the XO badge he’d been given right before things went to hell and laid it down. His old crew hadn’t deserve to die and Holden would never forget that.


    24. Monastery - Christjen

    “Maybe I could send him to a silent monastery,” Christjen mumbled to herself. “That way he’d not be able to muck anything else up.”

    James Holden had been a pain in her ass since she’d first heard the name, a useful pain in the ass, but a pain nonetheless. Despite herself, she found that she actually liked him and his rag-tag crew. His idealism might be infuriating, but it also made her feel a little hopeful. That someone who’d seen what he’d seen could be that way and not be completely naive to the universe was somewhat refreshing.

    Not that she’d ever tell him that.


    25. Pilgrimage - Amos

    Earth

    He’d not been back here in… well, since he’d left and that was a long time ago. He hadn’t planned on ever coming back, but since Holden had business to attend to, they were all here. He could have stayed on the ship with Alex and Naomi, no one would have thought anything of it.

    Lydia

    She’d been the one person to see him as a child when he was growing up, not as a tool to be used or sold. She’d done her best to look after him, to help him get away.

    He wanted to know if she was okay.

    He wanted her to know, he was okay, that he had a family now.
     
    Last edited: Jun 19, 2020