#Ares III Crew

[tinycoded360]

Above and Beyond Chapter 7: boiling Point

Author note: I decided to take a break today from packing and write instead. Enjoy!

[entriprises]

👤 for mark!

im gonna cheat a little here and talk about melissa lewis, who was his captain on his mission. she’s not technically an npc but nobody’s writing her so… anyways mark and melissa met when they were both selected for the expedition and they immediately had a good bond going. he wasn’t hesitant to push a little bit and make jokes with her like some of the others were, and it was still very clear that he had a tremendous amount of respect for her. the two of them found a lot of common ground to bond over due to her own background in geology and oceanography. mark studied water systems and followed closely on the work she did with deep sea restoration and preservation efforts in her early years as an officer. she’s also spear headed a lot of programs to increase access to stem learning and it’s mostly what she does now after deciding to step away from being a captain of a ship. he still has all the respect in the world to this day for her and he doesn’t blame her for recalling the shuttle and leaving him. she didn’t know he was alive and even then she would’ve risked so many other lives and she made the hard choice.

Send 👤 and I will write more about an NPC in my muse’s life

[rollaroundincompliments]

My suspension of disbelief tolerance for near-future sci-fi is so incredibly low. And not in terms of technology - technobabble at me all you want and I'll eat it right up. But if you come at me with some bullshit about NASA's procedures? Absolutely fucking not, they would not do that. What sort of agency do you think they're running over there?

[lexosaurus]

Oh my god. That's. This is perfect. This is the best thing I've seen all week omnomnomNOMNNOMNOMNOM

danny phantom x the martian (2015)

(in which i watch my fav movie on my day off and my brain just sorta ... squishes it together with my current hyperfixation. enjoy. there will likely be more)

(also pls forgive the coloring job)

[the--falling--titan]

the record for most continuous time in space is 437 days. Therefore the crew of the Ares III crew beat that record by nearly double. Also, Mark Watney spent more time on Mars than Valeri Polyakov spent in Earth orbit. God it's just so fun to think of how many world records Mark would have. And he would 100% have them all hung up on his wall.

First man to survive near death on Mars

First man to survive solo on Mars

First man to survive more than a month on Mars

First man to grow crops on Mars

First man to drive more than [x] kilometers on Mars

First man to drive more than [x] kilometers on Mars consecutively

Longest time spent in space consecutively (group)

Etc....

[rekiilysm]

Together? Together.

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。. .・。.・

IN WHICH,

The only two botanists on Ares III get left behind on a desolate planet. They have to work together to reach their goal: getting home…

The two were best friends, Y/n L/n and Mark Watney. They did everything together, always. There was never a time where they weren’t connected to the hip, especially while they worked. Especially when they left for Mars.

Of course, being the only botanists in the crew came with the perk of working together. All. The. Time. But that wasn’t an issue for the two plant-nerds.

And even when they got stranded on a deserted planet, they stayed together. Always.

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。. .・。.・

—Chapter One: The Storm

—Chapter Two: …Mark?

[crow-posting]

Things I Think About:

Awoken Edition

Do Reefborn Awoken still bio-engineer their children? I think I read somewhere that natural births superseded bioengineered ones by the time The Guardian visits the Reef, but I can't find the grimoire/lorebook for that. It'd be an interesting point of tension between Reefborn and Earthborn (especially for those trying to date!) - while the former would see it as a way of survival, the latter might see it as a form of eugenics/population control.

How do Reefborn Awoken treat their AI? It is said that Reef Frames are merely "computers with robotic appendages"; do they view their AI with similar indifference? How would they approach Failsafe? How do they feel about the humanization of Last City Frames, or even pre-Golden Age robots like Curiosity? If Medusa is real, and not just a construct of Savathûn, how would they react if she revealed herself?

Throughout Season of the Seraph, Mara called Rasputin an "it" and said the Awoken "has long been wary of such a power in the system." She claimed Ana shaped Rasputin into something better, but did she actually see him as "more than a weapon" in the end?

Are Reefborn Awoken still prejudiced against Earthborn and Risen Awoken after the events of Forsaken? They aren't openly hostile, but many still seem to believe that Earthborn and Risen are severed from their people/purpose. How do they treat Distributary-born Earthborn vs. second- or third-gen Earthborn? How do they treat humans with Awoken ancestry? Is "cousin" a formal greeting or a friendly one? Do Earthborn call Reefborn "cousin" as well?

. . .

Edit: adding additional lore entries / flavor text about Earthborn and Reefborn interactions! Thank you @chrimsone for reminding me of some of these! ("Queenslaw"; "Of Earth and the Reef"; "Tigerspite"; "III: Just A Kindness"; "Spirit of Alliance")

. . .

How many of the original Awoken (891 crew or 40,000 passengers) are left? What roles do they serve? Does the Vanguard keep track of the ones who came to Earth? Did the ones in the Reef become part of Mara's court, so she could keep them close?

Do humans with Awoken ancestry have access to Awoken magic? Can Awoken Warlocks learn to dream-walk like Techeuns do? Can Risen Awoken hear Mara telepathically if they choose to open their minds to her? Does Mara have the same effect on Risen and/or later-generation Earthborn as she does on Reefborn? For those who are fully Awoken, do the abilities they pass on get weaker or stronger (or stay consistent) with each generation?

How diverse is Reefborn culture? How much influence does Mara have over it? Aside from local dialects, which developed before the Awoken settled in the Reef, most aspects of Reefborn culture were created to keep them united under Mara's rule. Does Mara have a "soft" influence like British royalty, or does she actively set standards for what is acceptable/frowned upon/taboo? (If she does set cultural standards, I imagine they're presented like the Capybara Corner, where certain behaviors are encouraged* from a young age.)

*Encouraged or idealized? Who's to say. :)

The tragic encounters with Aphelion. The effect of asphodelia flowers on Awoken. The uses for and significance of amethyst. The fact that a lot of things that affect Awoken start with "a."

The parallels between Archiloquy and Nitrogen. The parallels between Savathûn and Mara. Mara's obsession with secrets and how she views "secrets" differently than "lies," even though a lot of her "secrets" can be considered half-truths and lying by omission. The idea that secrets - not truth - keep people safe.

OC-Specific Thoughts #1

Due to paracausal interference during his first resurrection, my Warlock retained his original memories. Would Reefborn Awoken see him as the person he was, or the person he is now?

Mara sees Crow as Uldren, even though she didn't see Savin as Chao Mu or Orin as Nasan Ar. If Reefborn Awoken now believe that Risen can "revert" to their old selves by regaining their memories (actual memories, not "second-hand" accounts like Shinobu's journal), how do they explain other differences - new personalities, the Light's alteration of DNA, etc? Would this change in outlook also change whether they respect a Risen's current identity/personhood?

OC-Specific Thoughts #2

How do Reefborn Awoken treat The Guardian? In the current story, Mara has forgiven The Guardian enough to share her power with them, and even encourages them during their battles against the Shadow Legion. She also seems to blame Savathûn for Uldren's death, though she still views Petra and The Guardian as his "executioners."

However, while Reefborn are more monolithic than Earthborn and baseline humans, they aren't a hive mind and not everyone agrees with Mara's decisions. People like Jolyon probably hold a grudge against The Guardian regardless of Mara's actions or official decrees. Would they act on that grudge? Would they make it known through disapproving expressions and terse tones? Or would they hide it as best they could, whispering just out of earshot and only glaring once The Guardian had passed?

If The Guardian (like my Hunter) has a history of not getting along with Mara, would it make the Reefborn's disapproval more obvious, or would they continue to act in ways that Mara would deem acceptable? Would it affect the way they treat people close to The Guardian, friendly towards The Guardian (Petra, Shuro Chi, etc.) or even Guardians in general? Would it change if The Guardian had helped them personally?

And would Jolyon ever reconnect with Crow, considering how close Crow and The Guardian have become?

[stiltmanday]

Everyone, say thank you to the therapist at NASA who insisted that the Ares III crew brought whole potatoes with them on their journey

[tachvintlogic]

Title: The Pitstop

Rating: General Audiences

Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply

Category: Gen

Fandoms: Danny Phantom, DCU

Characters: Danny Fenton, Bruce Wayne, Diana (Wonder Woman), J'onn J'onzz, Original Astronaut Characters, Original Characters, Tim Drake (mentioned)

Additional Tags: Astronauts, Astronaut Danny Fenton, NASA, Engineering, Engineers, The Watchtower (DCU), Originally Posted on Tumblr

Words: 1,901

Summary:

The Ares III mission had just left Earth when disaster struck! A loud rattling noise filled the entire spacecraft, making it impossible to determine where it was coming from or what was making it. Not even Danny Fenton, the team's mechanical engineer, could find its source.

They theorized it must be coming from somewhere outside the phase-proof panels meant to ensure that Danny wouldn't accidentally fall out of the ship by turning intangible.

After determining that finding the source of the noise and fixing it while en route to Mars was too risky, the captain decided the best course of action was to contact the Justice League in their satellite so they could dock and make repairs. Unfortunately, their communication attempts either went unnoticed or whatever was broken was interfering with their ability to establish communications with the satellite.

Danny volunteered to fly to the Justice League satellite himself to talk to them while the crew course corrected to either dock in the satellite's hanger or, if the League refused to let them aboard, forfeit their mission and prepare for an emergency landing.

[verbosecorsair]

JACK RACKHAM: GENSHIN VERSE.

Quartermaster of The Ranger known for being more skilled in wordplay than swordplay. There are those who do not know how a man such as Jack has managed to survive the trials and tribulations he has faced in life, yet still, even now, he claims that he simply has a role to play.

Hydro Vision | Sword User | ☆☆☆☆

Character Details.

A tall male with a propensity to style himself in a peacock-like fashion, owing to his family history in the textile and tailoring trades of Fontaine. He is the Quartermaster of The Ranger, one of the most notorious crews on Nassau, an island that sits between Fontaine and Natlan, belonging to neither nation. With a tongue as sharp as his wits he serves Captain Charles Vane, while still maintaining some contacts back in Fontaine for the sake of information. Though clever, he can often provoke the worst in others, so occasionally one may hear the ringing of an expletive in the air followed by his name. "Yes, yes, fuck me..."

Character Story I.

The boy staggers into the shop, bearing the weight of his father on his shoulders. It had been a mistake to go to the service in honour of Furina, especially when his father had spent the morning in the bottom of the bottle. Once inside a stream of expletives leave his father's throat he staggers into the back of the shop to sleep off the worst of his troubles and the boy turns to the store. Calico in every colour stretches before him, he runs his hands over the fabrics and lips curl into a smile. I'll take it on... I'll ensure that we will not fail... It is a vow John intends to make good on. To ensure Rackham's continues to be a name throughout Fontaine.

Character Story II.

The rain dampens his knees as he sits outside the shop, cheek smarting from the angry mark left on his skin. He still wears his grieving clothes, made by his own hands, tie loose around his throat as the note in his hand absorbs the water from a puddle. The Hydro Dragon must share his anguish, for the heavens have opened and show no signs of relenting. He had hoped to bring the shop to new soaring heights. Instead he has inherited a mountain of debt he will not be able to pay off and a boarded up building with no rent to speak of. Tomorrow the Marechaussee Phantom come to clamp him in irons. He can already feel their weight.

Character Story III.

"Did you hear of the Rackham trial? Can you believe the audacity of that man?" "I heard he kept the trial running for three days only to request a duel at the end? He must have thought it all a joke!" "I've never known one so young to be so eloquent!" Whispers circulate the court of Fontaine, the gossip circles talking of the teen who faced Neuvillette in the courtroom, choosing the represent himself for the debts accrued, arguing his points for several days before demanding a duel as opposed to facing the Oratrice that would ultimately sentence him to a life within Meropide. The boy rises after his duel, blood spatter across his shirt, eyes narrowed in determination as he looks to Lady Furina and gives a bow. This stage is one to leave, he now has a greater endeavour to pursue.

Character Story IV.

"Keep your bloody hands where I can see them." The harsh tone snaps across the table where Jack sits, fingers slipping across his cards as the pot in the middle of the table grows. This employ is odious, the man opposite him a foul captain determined to belittle and bully his way through the crew, and his own patience is ready to snap at the next incident. Yet here, at the card table, is not the opportune moment, and so he folds, pressing both hands to the table and leaving the dingy bar for the deluge outside. "The head beckons gentlemen, must be all this rain..."

Character Story V.

"You're too fucking clever for your own good, Jack." The captain's words bring a grin to the quartermaster's lips as he raises his flagon in the direction of the other man. His skills in wordplay have managed to run rings around other sailors on this lawless nation that sits somewhere between the seas of Fontaine and Natlan. Nassau is not a place suited to most, but Jack Rackham has taken to it like a duck to water. Here he can allow his full capacity for scheming to be unleashed, attached to the crew of The Ranger. "There’s a whole world out there that every so often rewards ambition. Mark my words. Today the crumbs, tomorrow the loaf. Perhaps someday the whole damn boulangerie."

Rackham's Razor.

It is an ornate thing, the scrimshawed razor etched with a compass and pirate ship on the handle. The whetstone runs along the blade carefully, a great level of care taken in refining the sharpness, in ensuring that it is ready to use in an instant. At first glance, one might assume it is only a tool for shaving, yet this tool carries a far bloodier history than nicks upon the chin. It is the greatest weapon in his arsenal, and one he keeps ready for any instance, for most people do not even think to consider it as a weapon of choice. "To be underestimated, It's an incredible gift."

Vision.

The deluge soaks him through within seconds of stepping outside of that horrible bar, avoiding those doing their business in the river and instead studying the cards he has in his hand. Two Jacks. Impossible in a game such as this, yet here nonetheless unknown to all. He weighs up the need to play them versus allowing himself to be seen a failure when a shout rages out into the night. Feet rapidly take him to the cellar of the bar where a woman lies prone on the floor, her husband, the owner of the establishment - James Bonny - stands over her hand outstretched and spewing a tirade of insults. Two steps into the room is all it takes, two steps and a wide slash the man barely releasing a what before the blood begins to dribble down his neck. The man is left to die as he helps her from the floor, words already falling from his lips to explain away the details, to help her escape this hideous life. When he stands, there is a weight in his pocket, a softly glowing deep blue orb encased in a regional frame. "Well would you look at that..." he breathes, lips curling into a smile as he returns inside the bar. "Celestial endorsement."

[tinycoded360]

Above and Beyond Chapter 1

Author Note: Giving some love to the other fandom I love. I'm posting the first chapter here; if you like, you can read the rest on ao3 😍

Danny Fenton's alarm clock blared, jolting him out of his dream. Danny rubbed his eyes and groaned, staring at the ceiling plastered with glow-in-the-dark stars and constellations. The room around him was a shrine to his passion for space: posters of astronauts and far-off galaxies adorned every wall, and stacks of NASA magazines sat dog-eared on his desk—a recent poster of the Ares III. Watching the launch on TV had been a fun time. His only regret was he was too busy to fly out and watch it in person.

"Five more minutes," he mumbled, reaching for the snooze button, but accidentally phased his hand through the clock instead. He sighed.

"Rise and shine, Danny boy!" his dad called from downstairs.

"Coming!" Danny yelled back, attempting to sound more cheerful than he felt. As he swung his legs out of bed, he couldn't help but glance at the newspaper article he had pinned to his corkboard: A detailed interview with the Ares III crew, all about the launch and their mission. One day, he dreamed of going to space, just like them.

Balancing high school and teenage life was already a challenge for Danny, but ever since he gained ghost powers from an accident in his parents' lab, his whole world had been turned upside down.

He could barely keep his eyes open in class. Not that math was ever intriguing.

It wasn't easy being a teenager with ghost powers, especially when there were organizations like the GIW who would do anything to get their hands on him. Things had gotten harder with the GIW; they had been cracking down on ghost activity and trying to capture his ghost half. It didn’t help that the GIW had labeled all ghosts as a threat that needed to be neutralized, and since they were labeled as dead, in the GIW's eyes and the government's eyes, they were doing nothing wrong. It was all fine since the dead could not be hurt.

Tucker had discovered that the GIW had also been blocking any social media posts and news from Amity regarding ghosts. So, to the outside world, they were just a backwater town with a fun tourist trap attraction. It didn’t help that Vlad was backing the GIW and encouraging them to censor Amity Park.

"Earth to Danny!" his sister Jazz teased as she poked her head into his room. "Seriously, what's with you lately?"

"Nothing," he lied, forcing a smile. "Just tired."

"Alright," she replied skeptically. "Just remember, I'm here if you need to talk."

"Thanks, Jazz." He appreciated her concern.

Danny reluctantly got ready for the day; he looked at his bed with longing. He barely got any sleep last night. Skulker was giving him problems most of the night.

With a sigh, Danny leaves for school. He hopes that Dash will take it easy on him. If he gets shoved into one more locker today, he might just snap.

******

Danny's eyes snapped open as a bright light flooded the small room. He squinted against the harsh glare, trying to determine where he was. The last thing he remembered was flying home from school when everything went black. Now he found himself strapped to a cold metal table, his arms and legs bound by thick leather anit-ghost straps.

Danny struggled against the glowing green restraints binding him to the cold metal table, but it was no use. The anti-ghost cuffs sapped his strength, leaving him weak and helpless.

"Subject is regaining consciousness," a voice droned from somewhere in the shadows.

Danny's heart pounded in his chest. The Guys in White had captured him. He struggled against the restraints, but he was still too groggy from whatever drug they had used to knock him out.

A man in a pristine white suit loomed over Danny, peering down at him through dark sunglasses. "Let's see what makes this ghost boy tick," he sneered.

Danny screamed in agony as the ecto-shocker sent searing pain through his body. The green electricity crackled over his skin, burning into his flesh. He could smell the sickly stench of his own ectoplasm as it bubbled from the wounds.

"Please, stop!" Danny begged, thrashing against the restraints that held him to the cold metal table. But the white-clad GIW agent standing over him just laughed cruelly and turned up the dial, increasing the voltage.

"Subject is displaying enhanced strength," one of the expressionless agents in white hazmat suits muttered into a recorder. "Increasing power output."

Pain erupted through Danny's body as the restraints glowed brighter, crackling with electricity. He cried out, thrashing against them.

"Please, stop!" Danny begged.

Danny's screams turned to whimpers as the agent finally powered down the ecto-shocker. His small body trembled uncontrollably, his jumpsuit charred and smoking.

He had no idea how long he had been imprisoned here. The agents kept him drugged and disoriented. Time blurred between sessions on the table as they poked, prodded, cut, and shocked him. They were obsessed with learning his secrets, tearing him apart molecule by molecule.

Just as the agent prepared to make another incision, a glowing green vortex suddenly erupted in the room. It swirled violently, like a miniature tornado, and its eerie light cast flickering shadows across the walls.

The agent stumbled back in surprise, the scalpel falling from his hand. Danny watched with wide eyes as the portal stabilized into an oval shape, its center shimmering with supernatural energy. The portal crackled with unstable energy, starting to swirl and pulling things from the room into it, including the table Danny was strapped to.

The moment he passed through its threshold, gravity disappeared. Danny floated weightlessly in a haze of green, the light searing his eyes. This portal was more violent than the one he was used to. It tossed him around, tearing him from his restraints.

Exhaustion crept over him. The torture, the portal - it was too much. Danny's eyes fluttered closed as he lost consciousness, tumbling through the green void. He was unaware as the portal spit him back out.

When he came to, the first thing he noticed was the quiet. Gone were the harsh lights and sounds of the lab. He lay sprawled on rough, red soil, a faint breeze stirring his white hair. This didn’t feel like earth, it was too cold, and he felt how hard it was to breath here, he was better off not breathing and letting his core do the work. Even though his core burned with pain from the torture he undertook. He rolled onto his back and stared up at the unfamiliar night sky.

Danny’s core sang with happiness. He could feel the difference in gravity. *Am I on Mars? * He thought to himself.

Groaning, Danny pushed himself up on his hands and knees, wincing as pain lanced through him. His hazmat suit was tattered and burnt, green-red ectoplasm staining the fabric. The GWI had done a number on him.

Shielding his eyes from the harsh sunlight, Danny scanned his new surroundings. The dusty Martian landscape stretched as far as he could see. In the distance, a cluster of habitats and rovers marked what had to be the Ares III site.

Danny had avidly followed the mission back on Earth. He knew the crew: Commander Lewis, Pilot Martinez, Dr. Beck, Johanssen, Vogel, and the botanist Mark Watney.  

Danny shivered; they were his only chance of survival, stranded and injured as he was.

Holding his side, Danny began stumbling toward the habitats, his jumpsuit boots leaving prints in the rust-colored soil. He had to make it there before his strength gave out completely. Just a little farther...

Suddenly, his legs buckled, sending him sprawling face-first onto the hard ground. The last of his energy spent, Danny's glowing green eyes slid closed. He lay motionless as his blood pooled beneath him, staining the Martian soil a vivid emerald.

*This is it. At least I got to go to another planet...*

Chapter 2

[entriprises]

tag dump # 4 !

[skapediem]

2, 4, 7, 9 (this can include you know what 😏), 12, 15 B))

TY JEROME!! <3

2. favourite episode(s)? HI BOB!!! one of my favourite episodes of any show ever its such a comfort watch < absolutely SHOULD NOT be a comfort watch but it is im just such a sucker for bottle episodes.... also sands of ares for that same reason!! + bring it down for danny those are probably my top 3 but id also say prime crew and leningrad :)

4. favourite use of the alternate history timeline? kind of a basic answer cause its like. the conceit of the whole show but i really just love how far the fam universe has gone with space exploration and cold war tension like im suuuuch a massive nerd about that period of time as it is but its just so sick seeing how much progress can be fuelled by such petty competition like theres something just so human about it if that makes any sense at all. its just cool getting to draw the connections between things that happen in the show to what happened in reality just finding those parallels or places where things diverged its just a fun little layer of worldbuilding.

7. favourite earth moment? THERES SOOO MANY oh no how do i choose... god i feel like i should pick something to do with the space program but margo and aleidas one interaction in the grey.... everyone has worked so hard you cant say its over like its nothing who is this why is she speaking to me she apologises no i dont yes you do i like this one.... scene i obviously feel super normal and regular about. also molly chewing out ed and gordo like theyre kids whove been sent to the principal that was super fun :)

9. favourite non-canon ship? Oh You Know.... but an answer for the viewers at home who dont know Yet iii also quite like margomolly with wayne being fully aware and supportive i just think its a fun little dynamic. + i dont think they should be together EVER theyre so so so terrible for eachother but gorded does have a sneaky little nook in my brain just to contemplate

12. best bit of tech in the alternate timeline? THE SOLAR SAIL!!! i mean i know its a real thing but on the scale that they had on sojourner i just love it sooo much i love you operation jolly roger... also d-mailing i know its not like. a Bit of tech its just terminology but its funny to meee i laugh every time

15. wild mass guessing for season five? jimmy gets out of prison and starts an investigation into danny's neglect by helios command < very wishful thinking ummmmm genuine answer tensions with canada and their space program i feel like they haven't been mentioned much since the news reel.... australia comes into the mix somehow even though we still dont have much of a program in this universe by the looks of things (there is AN australian working for helios we can hear her accent when theyre all yelling at eachother but still. can we actually do something pretty please) and maybe javi and graciana get to do. idk. somthing. i feel like they need to establish the legacy/family characters more if theres gonna be 3 more seasons

[polaraaace]

I think the Ares III crew and the Hephaestus crew should hang out

[wardenapproaches]

My second work for the @badthingshappenbingo! This is for the Personal Effects Reveal square, and the fandom is The Martian.

AO3 link is here, or click the readmore here for the fic. Word count is 737.

In the end, it doesn’t really matter how long his food lasts. The vitamins that NASA sent down with them can only last so long, and he can’t grow more of them. It’s in the creak of his wrists and hips. He’s not making it.

~

“Commander.” The confused edge in Rick’s voice brings the crew of Ares V to a halt. Commander Montoya swings down off the ladder with a puff of Mars-red dirt, and immediately goes to Rick’s side. 

“What is it?” Montoya asks, eyes scanning where Rick is looking. She spots it after a moment. There’s a rather… tricked-out rover sitting not far from their landing site. It’s covered and half buried under dust, but it’s definitely a rover with additions that aren’t NASA sanctioned. Jutting up through the sand is the broad front window, frosted over from the years of sand hitting it.

ARES III is scrawled just above it.

“Martinez, will you be alright to continue?” Montoya asks, stepping between her pilot and the rover. Breaking his line of sight seems to jolt him out of the stupor he fell into, and he shakes himself, before nodding. 

“Yes,” Rick’s voice cracks, and he clears his throat. “Yes. We need to know why it’s here.” Montoya eyes Rick, and nods.

~

After everyone else disembarks from their shuttle, and the Commander updates them on what they’ve found so far, Rick gets the green light to approach. The others follow, helping dig the rover out of the dust and the sand and making the process much easier. They dig the rover out in record time, and Martinez approaches the main door, but pauses. 

There’s a… pouch? A Large pouch made of duct tape, attached to the rover near the handle of the door. TO ARES IV is written in shaky script on the tape, slightly faded from the sun and the sand. Rick’s hands clench. 

“What’s wrong?” Gallagher, their flight surgeon, breaks the silence.

“That’s… that’s Mark’s handwriting.” Rick responds. He can hear everyone behind him gasp or shift backwards in shock, but he ignores them as he reaches up and slowly peels the edge of the tape away. A small stack of paper, ripped from a notebook, flutters into his hands, and he’s hit with a fresh wave of grief when he spots more of Mark’s chicken scratch. It takes him a few minutes to gather all the papers together, and sort them into the correct order (of course Mark numbered his notes. Why wouldn’t he?). 

“To the crew of Ares IV,” Rick begins, shoulders slumping under the weight of what he knows is coming. God, he died alone. “Let me start by saying that I’m not sorry about the state of my rover. I science’d her so well, she kept me alive for hundreds of sols. She belongs in a museum.” A few of the older crew members laugh at that. “And then let me actually be sorry for what you’re gonna find inside. If, by some miracle, I’m not on Earth, then my body is inside the rover. Turns out, there’s only so much Martian-grown potatoes can do to keep you healthy. As I’m writing this-” Rick’s voice breaks again. “-As I’m writing this, I haven’t been able to move very far beyond the rover in weeks. My eyesight is fading, and my hair is almost gone. I fucked up my leg getting here, and let me tell you, the feeling of bone grinding against bone is nothing short of nauseating.” 

A hand on his elbow reminds Rick to relax his vice-grip on the paper before he rips it. 

“I’m skin and bone. I realized I wasn’t going to make it about 2 months ago, and decided to make my final resting place closer to where I could be found. So here I am. Attached you’ll find individual notes addressed to a bunch of different people, and I would really appreciate it if you guys made sure they all get to where they’re supposed to go. Inside the rover, you’ll find all the data I could manage to store onto the computers I brought with me. If the original HAB is still standing, you can get the rest of the data.”

Rick’s face is streaked with tears, now. 

“And just know that, even though I died cold, hungry, and alone- I died doing something I loved. And that’s made it all worth it.”

[random-movie-ideas]

Wonder Woman Cinematic Universe Pitch

And now, to present my pitch for a Wonder Woman series, mostly set within the Cinematic Universe already set up with Superman and Batman, that works in most of the Wonder Woman villains and allies that I've covered in the last month or so. Here we go:

We will start with a Wonder Woman trilogy, starring Diana, beginning with an entry in Phase One (unlike her two counterparts), to get an early start on establishing magic and gods in this world. The trilogy will include:

WONDER WOMAN I: Instead of being set in World War II, we'll take a different tack and set it in a more modern day war setting, with Steve Trevor, and others such as Etta Candy and Barbara Minerva, working for the U.S. military, tracking down a terrorist operative named Paula von Gunther, who has been searching the Mediterranean for powerful ancient relics, armed with chemical weapons from her minion Dr. Poison. This search would lead both parties to the island of Themyscira, thus roping in Diana, but differentiating things from her original movie. Hippolyta, Donna, Nubia, and others would all be featured here too, and the history of their war with Ares.

WONDER WOMAN II: After the defeat of Gunther and Poison, and helping the Justice League fend off Zod's invaders, Diana would seek to explore the world with Steve, Etta, and Barbara. Their journeys would lead them to Egypt (part of a larger Phase II segment introducing us to Hawkman and Hawkgirl, Vandal Savage, and Shazam), with Diana discovering Bana-Mighdall, clashing with Artemis throughout, and the White Magician acting as the true main villain. We will also delve into Barbara's feelings of inadequacy that the White Magician will prey upon, leading her toward . . .

WONDER WOMAN III: Barbara will leave the crew, seeking a power and strength of her own. She will encounter what seems to be an African God who grants her wish for power, transforming her into the Cheetah, only for him to turn out to be Ares, leading into later stuff, but with Cheetah acting as the main final villain.

We will also have a Wonder Girl trilogy, falling in between these three films in the same vein.

WONDER GIRL I: A school archaeology expedition in the Aegean Sea will get caught in a storm and end up marooned on Circe's Island, all the students taken captive (these students will include Cassie Sandsmark and Vanessa Kapatelis). Without Diana around, Donna will set out to try to save them, making friends with Cassie and working together against Circe. Medusa will also crop up summoned to fight them by the witch.

WONDER GIRL II: Donna will start school in the mortal world with Cassie and Vanessa, encountering a giant woman who seems confused, only to learn that she is a gorilla named Giganta, forcefully evolved by a man named Doctor Psycho, with both acting as villains, but Giganta being reformed in the end.

WONDER GIRL III: Similar to Cheetah's arc, Vanessa will similarly have her insecurities played upon, this time by Circe and Doctor Psycho, having her be transformed into the Silver Swan.

In between all of these, Justice League and Teen Titans movies will feature both Donna and Diana. Queen Clea will feature early on in one of these movies, with Diana and Aquaman stumbling upon each other as both try to fight her. We, of course, will also have:

50s WONDER WOMAN ANIMATED COMEDY: Same as the Superman and Batman movies, but this one will feature Eviless and Hypnota and delve into the whole Saturn slave ring plot.

As we've been building up, we will then have a War of the Gods two-parters:

WAR OF THE GODS, PART I: The first will deal with Ares' escape from the Underworld, facilitated by Circe forming Villainy Inc. through Cheetah, Silver Swan, Giganta, Doctor Poison, Queen Clea, Blue Snowman, and Zara, all of whom Diana and Donna will discover have been held on Themyscira to be forcibly rehabilitated by the Amazons. Nubia will also play a major role, as Doom's Doorway will be a major part of the story, and Paula von Gunther will choose to turn down Circe's offer and help the Amazons instead. In the end, though, they will succeed in opening the doorway to let Ares out, only for someone else to break free instead.

WAR OF THE GODS, PART II: Setting Ares free will also set loose a being known only as "The First-Born," revealed to be the first-born son of Zeus, cast out due to fear that he would kill Zeus as Zeus killed his father. The First-Born was found by Cronus in Tartarus, and raised to be the perfect god-killer, storming Olympus and killing many of them. Ares will also get a heroic death in the end, as will Hippolyta most likely. Many of Villainy Inc. will also die, but Cheetah, Giganta, and Silver Swan will likely reform. Also, Artemis should also return to life through the same doors to help fight.

And that's pretty much it. What do you think?