002 - The Stargazing Meme

[aflockofmemegulls]

the stargazing meme

oo1. comment with your characters
make sure to put names, series, & preferences somewhere!
you can use < ! > sans the spaces to make the comment "blank"
oo2. reply to others in character
oo3. use the rng and enter 1-10
oo4. play out what happens—anything goes!
oo5. profit? oh yeah!

prompts

one → meteor shower you just saw a falling star! and another! make a wish!
two → aliens what was that? was that really? omg no way a ufo!
three → lunar eclipse you've been sitting out for hours, waiting for this. it's so cool!
four → comet does it move fast or slow? either way, it's amazing.
five → full moon the moon is so huge! just don't look too long, it's really bright too.
six → star dust anything can happen in space. make up your own plot!
seven → solar eclipse this might be happening in the middle of the day!
eight → planet sighting is that a new star? nope, just a neighbor in the solar system!
nine → constellations do you know the stories behind these odd patterns?
ten → deep space normal stargazing isn't that much fun. you got a telescope!

Comments

[unrelentingly]

Hawke had been a bit reluctant to leave the city and even moreso to leave his estate. Still reeling from everything that had happened in such rapid succession, he'd wanted to do little more than isolate himself for just a little while. Had Anders not been there, he most certainly would have. It was Anders' idea to spend an evening on the outskirts of the city, just far enough away for it to be out of sight.

Hawke found a bit of a smile crossing his face at Anders' inquiry, bringing his eyes down to look at the companion laying next to him. Hawke had remained sitting up, having not yet even taken off his daggers. He was still restless, even on an evening such as this.

"There should be something you can eat in my pack," he said, gesturing over to Anders' opposite side, where he'd set down a few supplies. "Sandwiches and a few sweets - or would you prefer I hunt down a rabbit? I'm sure I could track one down, even at this hour..."

[twosingleminded]

It was all the more reason for him to make sure Garrett got out more in his mind. Anders knew the temptation of locking yourself away with the pain and loneliness, and after Karl... he couldn't let someone he cared go through that as well.

Stretching almost cat-like on the grass he sighed contentedly before sitting up slowly, looking around for Hawke's pack and dragging it closer to rifle through it.

"No, I'm just a little peckish. I'd like for you to stay here with me a little longer before you go dashing off somewhere." He glanced over, offering the other man a teasing smile. "With your luck, you'd catch a rabbit only to stumble into a darkspawn nest and we'd never get any time to relax."

Locating one of the promised sandwiches, Anders took half of it and offered the other to Garrett. "You should eat something as well."

[unrelentingly]

Hawke brought his hand up and shook his head, declining the sandwich offer. His appetite still hadn't fully returned after his mother's passing, even with all the other excitement Kirkwall had to offer in the days following. With the Arishok's revolt, everything still seemed so surreal. Besides - if anyone needed a sandwich, it was Anders. Before her passing, Leandra had commented that that mage boy was looking thinner each time she saw him, on the rare times Anders would stop by the estate.

"Perhaps a bit later..." he said, shifting his body and looking to the sky again, gazing at the stars that sat above the horizon. "I'll perhaps have it after I dispatch any of those stray Darkspawn you're always convinced we'll meet."

six because I'm a glutton for punishment

[trulyfree]

Take for a moment to imagine a universe where Hawke and company are in fact the crew of the Normandy. Perhaps in this universe, elves are like Qurians. This one joined your crew after escaping slavery. His mother had been captured and sold while on Pilgrimage, and he had be raised to continue her service once she had passed. Much of what you already know of his past remains the same, such as the markings and the loss of his memory, but instead of lyrium, his flesh was branded by red sand to give him the biotic ability to phase through objects.

Unfortunately, Hawke, you have many enemies. While performing a simple package drop requested by a trusted diplomat on a foreign moon, a mercenary team attacked. Having assumed no trouble would occur, you only brought this one along, but thankfully, the two of you manage to outwit your attackers. Except the Mako was blown up in the process. And the mercenaries planted signal jammers everywhere. Also, that diplomat turned out to truly despise you and wishes you dead. On the bright side, the atmosphere is breathable and despite being on the dark side of the moon, the temperature is bearable as well.

The two of you are wandering now, trying to find a signal to get back in touch with Joker. It has been several hours and all your attempts to contact him have yielded no result. Frustrated and patience waning, Fenris has stopped walking and is now surveying the mountainous, red horizon with disgust.

"This is pointless. It never ends." Eyeing the dark sky above warily, he decided to interject a wry joke. "Could he not find us if we remained here and waved our arms?"

five

[byitscover]

Most evenings that Hawke and his merry band of misfits ran errands, they were a certain kind of errand that ended up with more thieves dead in Lowtown than anything else. Tonight was not that sort of night. No, tonight was actually a bit more relaxing, even if they weren't spending it at the Hanged Man. Truth be told, the Hanged Man wasn't all that relaxing, what with all the obnoxious drunks that liked to hang around on weeknights. They were actually too busy drinking to actually listen to any of the stories that Varric wanted to tell. Imagine that.

But tonight, sitting on the balcony of the Champion's estate, well, that's not anywhere Varric had expected to be. Research for a nice little scene he might try to write. Under the full moon. "Now this is why I can't be anything but a surface dwarf, Hawke."

[invigorates]

[ Exciting things keep happening, okay. She's in a strange new world and you bet your armored ass she is going to take in every sight she can while she's here. ]

Really? [ She seemed somewhat sceptical for all of half a second before she looked up again, spotting another star as it shot across the sky. This time she was quiet, focused and it was obvious that she was trying to think of a good wish to make. ]

I think I got it. Did you make a wish?

[unrelentingly]

[And Hawke is more than content to help her see some of those strange and wonderful sights. He smiles at her question and nods.]

Of course. I wish for the same thing every time.

[invigorates]

[ She furrows her brows at that, ] So it hasn't come true yet? [ Please don't tell her you've been wishing for the same thing for years. ]

Oh, the moon is high and you're so glamorous ~ ♪

[unrelentingly]

Hawke leaned against the door frame that led out onto that balcony, arms folded as he watched Varric step out into the night breeze. The view of Kirkwall was much nice here, far nicer than anything Varric would see in Lowtown, that was certain. He seemed to be enjoying himself as well - and that made it all the more worthwhile, in Hawke's eyes. Time spent with Varric was always time well spent.

"If you think the view from the balcony is nice, you should see it from the rooftop," Hawke said, unable to hide his smile. Varric had asked for the balcony though and that was where Hawke led him. "So you're envisioning something like this for another one of your novels, then? A Hightown estate at moonrise?"

[unrelentingly]

[Hawke let out a small chuckle at that, smile still across his face.]

Oh, it has. Many times over. I just like to make certain it keeps staying that way.

[invigorates]

Oh, that's good, then. [ She glances up at the sky again, leaning against the railing. ] Are you allowed to tell others what you wished for?

[unrelentingly]

You're supposed to keep it secret - but I think that's just superstition.

Did you care to tell me what you've wished for?

[kingofnightmares]

[Pitch dusts himself off before he pauses in his preening. Did he honestly think he was some super villain? It was amusing to say the least.

He picks off a stray piece of lint from his shoulder, flicking it off with his long boney fingers, looking rather casual.]

Oh, I don't know. I think I might stay here a while. [Pitch pauses, silver eyes looking at him, eyebrows high on his forehead and a small smile tugging at his lips.] Unless you feel threatened, that is.

[unrelentingly]

It had certainly been a less than favourable turn, Hawke would admit to that much. He knew he'd should have brought along a full crew but at the very least, he had Fenris at his side, something he was beyond grateful for. The Quarian ex-slave had often proven to be a great asset.

Overcoming the mercenaries had been the easy part. Harrowing as it had been, it was certainly the easy part in comparison to where they were now, wandering, trying to maintain a signal to contact Joker. Fenris' frustration was understandable at this point, wandering for hours without making any true progress. Hawke moved to stand next to the Quarian, looking to the horizon he was looking off into before turning his attention to his crewmate.

"If only it could be so simple..." Hawke gave a tired smile. "Unfortunately, you seem to be stuck with me. Things are never easy when you're under my command."

[megamind]

[ You did not just... You did! Pitch he is giving the dirtiest look ever. ]

No. Not hardly. Who wold be scared of a guy in a dress?

[kingofnightmares]

For your information it's a robe.

[Pitch gestures to his being before he eyes him up and down. He wrinkles his nose in distaste.]

Besides, you're one to talk with that ridiculous getup you have on.

[invigorates]

"Oddest rain I've ever seen," she jokes, tugging her knees to her chest, "Thank you for sitting with me, by the way. You certainly didn't have to, but it is nice to have company."

[boundbyheart]

Why should I tell you?

[squiddleling]

[There's a big grin, bright eyes flashing and her teeth showing. For all she said, she never had a problem showing her eager smile at the sweet twang people forget he has because he hides it. Hers is slightly softer, not quite British but near it. Grandpa had something between British and something drawn from Teddy Roosevelt himself.]

How can I be the best girlfriend if I forgot it! You know how weird that is for me? I'm missing the clouds, you know. I miss knowing everything and just being calm and right as rain. [However she seemed calmed if delighted as she sat down on the floor with Dave to see the goodies he brought.]

You really... oh, wow. Dave. [There's a kiss on his cheek.] All because you want me to tell about the stars. [An impish grin.]

[hellastrider]

[Yeah ... that grin can't help but make him smile. And that's a big part of why he's so in love with Harley. Of course she's a ridiculous stone-cold fox, but there's lots of hotties in the world. But there's something about the light in her eyes and the way that she smiles that just cuts straight through the coolkid exterior like a hot knife through butter. And the craziest shit of all? He didn't even mind. Shit, he didn't even care as long as she never stopped giving him that smile.]

It's all cool. We can go back to HQ and get it another time. [He nodded.] Yeah. But hey, it's all good now. We did it, we did the fucking impossible because we're just that amazing.

[He grinned and returned the favor as she opened up the basket.] All because being able to spend time with you is like winning the lottery every day. And not one of those janky little lotteries for cancer research, we're talking like the Powerball here.

Dig in, Harley. We got some hardcore stargazing ahead of us. Gotta fuel up.

[trulyfree]

"As I have noticed." A quiet chuckle accompanied the words. "You lead me to strange places, Hawke."

It was the truth. As a slave, he had been confined to service under his master Danarius and mostly remained in the safer territories that diplomats preferred. With Hawke, he had gone all over the galaxy and seen creatures on planets he could have only imagined. All of it was different and new, but he liked it. His voice softened faintly, and he smiled, enough that it was visible through the mask he normally wore. "I think I've grown to like strange."

There was a faint pause as he surveyed the sky briefly, hoping silently that Joker could just find them, but it was a pointless hope. And then his eyes were drawn to the stars that always surrounded them as they traveled from system to system, planet to planet. They were never ending and impossible to count. Turning toward Hawke, Fenris spoke up again.

"Do you ever think about how small we actually are compared to everything else? We can travel to so many places with ships and technology, yet without any of it, does it not feel like we are no one?"

[unrelentingly]

As Fenris looked up, Hawke couldn't help but follow his gaze, looking up at that sea of stars that blanketed the sky. He fell silent for a time, as though somewhat awed by the sight above him. Space exploration was nothing new, nothing phenomenal to him at this stage - it was all commonplace, nothing to write home about. Today, this planet, tomorrow another. From one galaxy to the next, across the universe and more.

But it had been years since he'd truly looked up, truly looked at the stars from a place with his feet planted firmly upon the ground. Maybe he'd grown a bit jaded over time but in this moment, he reminds himself just how vast the world truly is, just how expansive and beautiful it can be. Lifeforms like Fenris existed. Lifeforms like Varric, like Isabela and more. Humans were such a small and insignificant part of everything and yet, that feeling did not depress him.

"We are small. We aren't truly anyone of great importance - our thoughts, our feelings, nothing truly exists outside of the realm we place them in. Other explorers in this galaxy are looking down at this planet right now, not even batting their eye, caring little for what may be here..." That was a depressing thought yet Hawke still spoke with determination and passion.

"To the universe, we are small, insignificant things... In the scope of a single galaxy, we are also of little consequence. To this planet, we are just visitors, no one worth mentioning," he let out a small sigh, looking back towards his crewmate. "But upon my ship, as part of my crew, each and every member is a piece of my world. On the large scale of things, perhaps it doesn't mean much - but I've always been one to focus on the finer details as opposed to the big picture."

[trulyfree]

It was a fine and inspiring point. Fenris had never considered things like that before. While he rarely focused on what could be called the big picture, he normally just viewed the universe as what it literally was. Things like connections rarely held up in his eyes, yet here he was now, a member of Hawke's crew. Even though he had not thought about it, he was part of something that Hawke valued, and that made his existence worth something he had never considered before. He could not be no one if he was someone to someone else. The idea was foreign, but it made sense, and he wondered if his view on things had been horribly skewed by his previous life as a slave.

Nodding faintly, he turned away again, eyes finding their way to the sky. He thought a moment more on the revelation Hawke had given him before thinking of something he felt worth mentioning.

"You know, this is perhaps the first time I have actually just looked at the stars?" His shoulders shook a little from near silent laughter before he shook his head. "Danarius did not wish for us to look into space as it led to idleness, and so it was instilled in me not to look. I had not noticed until now. But now that I have seen it, perhaps what he truly feared was the ideas it might have given us to run away..." There was a faint twinge of regret in his tone as he spoke the last words. He could not help but recall the years he had wasted blindly serving someone he should have despised. Still, he was here now, and he was quite grateful, even if they were stranded without the ability to contact Joker.

[happiestberry]

I can't believe Seiji would leave without us.

[memoryguardian]

[Her eye catches that dark spot flitting across the sky. At first, she thought it was just her eyes playing tricks on her. But then she sees it again and again and again, chasing the falling stars across the horizon. What was that?

Her wings give a couple flutters before whirring fullspeed and lifting her up a few feet into the air. The only way to find out was to see for herself! She couldn't in good conscience let it go unchecked lest it be a Nightmare of Fearling planning to prowl on the poor sleeping children of the village.

Tooth suddenly rockets towards Hiccup and Toothless' side but remains a "safe" distance away from the pair in the air. Huh. Well, that didn't look like any Nightmare or Fearling she was familiar with... unless they had become dragon and human shaped.]