#orbit ever after short film

[the-fiction-witch]

Visiting

Media - Orbit Ever After Character - Nigel Couple - Nigel X Reader Reader - Alena / Lani Rating - 18 + nudity / stripping / undressing / eating out Word Count - 1887

Nigel sat inside his new hovel, his first time off on his own away from his family. Already he felt a little strange in the silence, perhaps even a little lonely. He perked up a little as he heard the sound of the airlock, for a moment his blood ran cold, and he was confused as to why the airlock was going off while he floated in deep space. He got up and headed over to the door, taking precautions in case something unexpected came from the airlock.

Suddenly the airlock opened to a very common sight, Alena. Nigel's girlfriend. Long distance of course and the two had only ever video chatted and texted. She stood in her boots, and her skintight black jumpsuit with her hair in a intricate braid.

She blew a bubble with her gum popping it with her teeth before she spoke, “Hey Nigel,”

Nigel stood there for a few moments taking in the unexpected sight of her before finally speaking, "A-Alena..what... What are you doing here?"

"I got bored. Technically I'm meant to start my home leave company doesn't like anyone staying off the planet for more than six months at a time. But I didn't really wanna hang out in boring old earth so... I figured I'd come to visit with my favourite boy" she cooed stepping closer and playfully tickling under his chin

"I'm your favourite boy? I don't know if I should be happy or mildly insulted" A shiver went down Nigel's spine

"you be whatever you wanna be, so can you point me in the direction of the accommodation on this cute little hovel of yours?"

a slight smirk formed on his face, "Of course I can. Should I show you the way?"

"lead the way" she smiled tossing her backpack over her shoulder

Nigel's smile faded for a second and transformed into something more mischievous. He walked past her, making sure to brush his hand against her leg and walked down the hall

Alena followed him down the hall often blowing bubbles with her gum till they reached a small room, she tossed her bag down on the small bed built into the wall and began digging around for stuff

Nigel found it hard to focus as she was literally standing in front of him bent over in the skintight jumpsuit... That jumpsuit was his mortal enemy and he has done... Unspeakable things on call to get it off her, his mind often flicking to the memories of what he knew was under it. Nigel found himself just staring at her. His eyes drifted down the length of her body. That damned jumpsuit. He tried to look away, to do anything that didn't involve the thoughts of tearing that jumpsuit off her and pinning her against the wall..but it was hard when she was right there, bent over like that almost as if she was beckoning him to

"So..how long are you planning on staying for?" he asked. The question came out a bit strained

"a week or two until they say I can go back to the station" She shrugged as she unpacked "Why? Want me of your big boy hovel that badly?"

"Of course not. It's just..interesting to get an unexpected surprise like this" he took another few steps forward. Stopping right behind her. He had to control himself. If he didn't, he was going to give in to the urges, "I can think of…quite a few things you could do to pass the time"

"I'm sure I could help you out with things, plenty to do." She chucked "but I admit I'm surprised"

"You're surprised?" Nigel closed the distance between them, standing so close behind her.

"mhm I'm surprised you didn't want me bunking with you?"

a low chuckle escaped his lips at that. He leaned in even closer, his lips just barely touching her ear as he spoke "Oh I'm sure you know by now that I would love you bunking with me.” Nigel's hands gripped her hips, his breath warm on her ear as he pulled her body closer to his. Pressing a kiss just behind her ear,

she chuckled "Well that didn't take long" she smiled purposely rubbing her hips on his "I can't say I'm surprised you gave in so quickly"

He let out a soft growl at the feeling of her hip rubbing against him. That was a move that definitely wasn't playing fair and he knew it. His arms wrapped around her waist as he began to press light kisses down her neck "Like you didn't want me to..'give in'" he replied, biting down on her ear lightly

"Maybe I did. Just thought you might have at least lasted long enough for me to unpack before you started begging for my jumpsuit off"

"Who says I'm begging?" he teased. A smirk on his lips "I can think of a few ways I could take it off you without asking"

"we both know you always beg" she smirked playing with his hair and rubbing harder

he let out another low growl, his hands gripping her hips tightly. Feeling her body rub against him was driving him crazy. But the words she said only made the feeling worse and he bit down on her neck "You're playing a dangerous game, Lani" he said huskily against her skin

"am I?" She smirked "Like you haven't been begging for me to show up randomly so you could actually get your hands on me."

Nigel let out a huff of breath, his face still pressed into her neck. "You're being a tease" he murmured, nipping at the side of her neck

she giggled a little and held his hands moving them up to let him hold her breasts "you believe me now that these aren't a filter?"

His hands instantly squeezed at her breasts. His lips immediately moving to kiss the side of her neck in response. "Oh I know those aren't a filter" he said against her skin, his hands still gripping and squeezing her chest "..but they're so much worse than I imagined. In the best way possible"

she chuckled a little moving to rub a little harder "oohh you really have even Egar to see me haven't you?" She stroked his hair as she felt him clearly getting hard behind her

Nigel let out a low growl, his hips shifting against her to try and find some friction. His face was still nuzzling her neck, the feeling of her hips rubbing against him driving him crazy "You have no idea..." he whispered against her, one of his hands shifting to grip her hip, forcing her against him even harder, His lips found her jawline, his lips moving slowly up to her ear, where he bit down on the shell. He pulled her hips back against him, hard, his other hand still groping her chest, feeling the flesh through the material of her jumpsuit and trying to hold himself together as best he could. "Damn it Lani..it's not fair you showing up like this.. wearing that..and just..teasing me..." He shifted his hips against her again. Trying to get any friction that he could to relieve the feeling of his trousers growing uncomfortably tight. His hand on her hip shifted, tugging at the ziper of her jumpsuit. Trying to unzip it as his tongue traced lightly along the outside of her ear

she laughed "If you wanted me out of my jumpsuit that badly you only had to ask"

He pulled his face from her neck at that, hands still gripping at her hips and turning her around so she was facing him in one fluid movement. He looked at her for a few seconds, his blue eyes darkened with a mix of lust and need "I don't just want you out of that jumpsuit. I need you out of it. Now"

she smirked and pulled her gum from her mouth and tossing it out before she grabbed his neck and swiftly pulled him Into a deep passionate kiss that of course tasted of cherry given her gum

The taste of cherry instantly hit his mind when her lips met his. His hands grabbing her hips instantly. Pressing her against him so he was flush against her and deepened the kiss immediately. His tongue slipping into her mouth, tasting the sweetness of the gum as it tangled with hers. He'd missed this. He'd missed her. His hands began to tug at the zip of her jumpsuit again. The need to feel her skin, to feel her body completely against his own was strong and he was losing his self control "I need this off" he insisted, breaking the kiss for a moment to speak "now"

she smirked and nodded "you wanna do it? Or should I do it?"

"I'll do it" he said at last. A smirk on his face, He moved closer to her again, his hands moving to grip the zipper. He slowly began unzipping the suit, his eyes roaming as more and more flesh began to be revealed to him. Even just seeing the suit unzipped enough for her collarbone was driving him slightly insane. As soon as the zipper was down low enough for him to move it past her shoulders, he began Pushing the upper part of the jumpsuit over her shoulders and letting it drop to the floor. His hands and eyes instantly going to her chest, cupping and squeezing the soft flesh through the thin material of her bra

she giggled slightly at his eagerness

He was very distracted. He hadn't realised how much he'd missed the feel of her skin, the feel of her body under his hands. His hands began to wander. His fingertips tracing over the lace of her bra, while the other moved behind her and started to undoing the clasp of her bra His eyes were locked on the flesh under his hands. The black lace falling away from it and revealing her skin to him. He made a low noise in the back of his throat at the sight, his own body feeling like it was on fire. The urge to touch and taste her was overwhelming. He pushed her back against the wall behind her. His hands gripping her hips hard as he pressed himself against her. Her body flush against his own. He was already losing himself to the feeling of her against him again. Pressing hot and open mouthed kisses against the exposed skin of her chest, his tongue lapping at her flesh as he moved lower and lower down her body He dropped to his knees in front of her. His hands moving to the lower half of her body. The lower half of the jumpsuit was pushed past her hips and down to the floor, leaving her in nothing apart from her lace panties and boots. The only clothes that separated that last touch of her skin from his hands The hands on her hips were gripping her flesh hard. His mouth kissing and biting at her stomach as he moved lower. Trailing a path of kisses and bites down her hips and brushing his lips against her panties,

she squealed softly throwing her head back as she plaid with his hair "now your just tormenting me"

He let out a deep laugh, the sound vibrating off her skin as he got lower, nipping at the sensitive skin of her inner thigh "No Lani, I'm only just getting started"

[island-in-the-shadows]

Thank you for the very detailed reply! You’ve given me a lot to think about from a legal perspective. Follow up questions (feel free to ignore if I’m pestering you) in the hypothetical scenario that Felix simply tires of Oliver the way he did with Eddie, does Oliver still react the same way? If their friendship had ended on more amicable, gradual, mundane terms, is Oliver still pushed over the edge to the point that murder is on the table? I think his first instinct would be to crank up the lies, but if Felix doesn’t bite? He’d still be heartbroken, but would he be as angry as he was at “you make my blood run cold”?

Had Felix lived, do you think he would’ve eventually grown into a stiff upper lipped snob? After all, Elspeth was also a party girl who fraternised with rock stars and then look at the version we meet.

This is an unpopular opinion I guess but to me the heartbeat of the movie was Felix. I know Oliver is more popular, especially on Tumblr, but I was completely smitten with Jacob Elordi. What are your headcanons about him? Mine is that the reason he was found so quickly is because Venetia raised the alarm. I think she was very very attached to him (maybe to an unhealthy amount the way a lot of people seem to be) and no matter how busy things got she always had one eye on her brother, making sure he was okay.

My pleasure to answer, Anon! 1. In the hypothetical scenario that Felix got bored, Oliver would continue to try to find ways to hook Felix back in. The only way he would then act with more murderous intent would be if there were no going back whatsoever. No way out but this. Oliver, in the moment where he decides to give Felix the bottle, is a hurt animal backed into a corner. So he reacts impulsively and emotionally. Outside of that context, he will continue to do anything that he has to do to continue to be interesting to Felix and to keep himself in Felix's orbit while not harming Felix as long as he does not believe that there is no other way. I do not think there would be a reason for Oliver to let it go. He would keep at it and never let go. And it's evident that he would continue to get at it since, in film canon, it has been 15 years and he continues to view Felix as his God, worthy of his love and idolatry, despite being dead. If I may quote NBC Hannibal for a moment, Dr. DuMaurier tells Will Graham (now having accepted the dark parts of his nature and desirous to act chaotically in order to free his would be lover): "You found religion. Nothing more dangerous than that." Though I won't get into the dissection we could make of that line in the context of its source, I can express that, to Oliver, Felix is, essentially, his religion. And Oliver is nothing short of devout. Yes, even sacrificing Felix falls into a sense of idolatry because he has forever frozen Felix at the height of his perfection through Oliver's eyes. The way Felix is framed in the opening and closing montages of the film, through Oliver's eyes, tells us as such. Felix is forever perfect. Given that this is how Oliver sees Felix and feels about Felix regardless of all the foibles that Felix certainly has, he would NEVER let Felix go. Ever. He would keep trying to hook Felix or he would die trying.

2. I do speculate a bit about this more in my fic than I have in proper meta, but...Felix would have an immense amount of pressure on him to confirm to fit a specific mould. Despite that Venetia is older, context clues in the film (such as Felix having the conversation with Farleigh in regards to money for Frederica) indicate that it would have been Felix to inherit the estate and the title that goes along with it, certainly. This means that while some deviation from the "standard" picture of stiff upper lip aristocracy might've been tolerated, it would not have been permissible and allowed in its entirety. @leiflitter covers bits of this in their wonderful You're Almost Home series which, if you've not read, I strongly recommend. In their story, an adult Felix still retains bits and pieces of the vibrant personality that makes him him, but parts of it have been dampened by the circumstance of him having a quickie marriage to a woman he barely knew because she got pregnant, becoming a parent (especially becoming a parent very young), and eventually becoming the Master of the Estate and, if I'm not mistaken, a baronet. Per the rules of the aristocracy, there was no way that Felix could simply not marry a girl he got pregnant. He had to marry her to cover the scandal and the baby serves as an heir which would be expected of him. Even if we go outside of this wonderful fic, and go back into canon meta, Felix has expectations on him: marrying a woman, having heirs, inheriting and managing Saltburn. It doesn't seem like a lot and it does come with gargantuan wealth but, you said it yourself, Elspeth used to run around with musicians and was probably wild back in the day, but she became a house cat, so to speak, when she became the Lady of Saltburn. And Elspeth would arguably have had less expectation on her. She needed to marry rich and birth heirs and be the picture of quiet civility. She is likely, as we know her, a dampened version of who she was before marriage. Felix has just the bit more of not only perpetuating the system to which he belongs but managing it. It's a lot of responsibility to put on one person. And, I think, he's already keenly aware of the responsibility that will fall onto his lap even before his father dies. It's why he buries his emotions in alcohol, drugs, and (terrible) sex with girls he couldn't give a flying fig about. So, while I do think some who 20yo Felix is survives an adulthood in the aristocracy, we're looking at an adult Felix being kinda like his mum in some aspects and kind of like his dad in others (dampened, stiff upper lip versions of who they probably really are).

3. I don't know that it's an unpopular opinion, actually. In my opinion, the film itself tells you it's about Felix. It's often misinterpreted (specifically by shit critics and YouTubers) as being a bad "Eat the Rich" movie with Oliver being the wild bisexual who just wanted the Cattons' riches. However, the first line is about Oliver "not" being in love with Felix. And, we know from Emerald, that is a lie. That Oliver was in love with Felix. It's evident from how the camera frames Felix. It's evident with the fact that the light goes from rich and golden while Felix is alive, to stark and white in a post-Felix world. Felix is Oliver's religion, and he is the story. He is, as you said, the heartbeat. What happens is that Oliver is a lot more fun to dissect than Felix is. I say this as someone who continuously dissects Felix and have put a lot of the dissection of his character into fic. But, Oliver would not be Oliver without Felix. He didn't really exist before him and we wouldn't have the film or any of the events without Felix being this Apollo coded figure. Also, yes, Jacob Elordi's subtle performance as Felix often goes unnoticed, but it was absolutely wonderful.

4. Ok so one of my head-canons would be this (another long post because it's how I do when I really get into it). Venetia is his older sister, so I agree that she is very protective of him (Again, something I explore more in my fic than I have in meta but I could do a whole post on the sibling dynamics). I have other small ones like Felix repeatedly took his shoes off and threw them when he was very little, that his guitar playing is subpar but he knows how to play Oasis' Wonderwall and probably played it for Ollie, that he could not pick out India or Annabel out in a police lineup (I just don't think he really views them as people), that he has a MASSIVE sweet tooth and prefers "girly" cocktails to more "manly" drinks but doesn't order them because he doesn't want people to judge, that he has comfort clothes and wears them until they're beyond repair (like the blue sweater at the beginning of the film having holes for example), etc. Felix is lovely and we know so little about him and I do adore him. I get why Oliver lost his mind over this big himbo.

[slut-for-a-good-latte]

"i can't wait to read us"

you said.

so, this.

it is thursday. three days before my birthday. i am sitting at an outdoor brewery, the one i keep telling you about, and i am pretending to work. i am not really working; i am, as i do so often recently, thinking of you. writing about you. remembering you. remembering your hands and your mouth and watching you cook in the dim light of your kitchen and you bringing us more wine as we watch supernatural.

it's a very silly feeling. i think at this juncture i may be in love with you. which i will not say to you. i know we promised open communication. but there are, i think, rules to be followed.

i am not distressed by this revelation. it feels as though i am a fish realizing, suddenly, that i am surrounded by water. it is simply where i am. where i thrive. my natural environment, you might say.

i have some suspicions that this might be it. for awhile at least. can't tell the future, of course.

you make me feel smart and like i am worth listening to. you also are so, so, incredibly, beautifully fucking smart. i could listen to you talk about anything. i want to listen to you talk about anything.

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it is friday and you have slept late. i woke up to messages from you about how much you miss me, how you talked about me, how i should be there to warm your chest with my head and watch dumb movies with you. you are the first thing that comes to mind when i wake up now. i am inordinately disappointed i won't be seeing you today.

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evelyn.

i've had that name picked out for a long time. i mentioned it the other night. you seemed to short circuit.

is it odd i am thinking about doing the whole baby thing with you?

while i was in berlin, in the little airbnb we were staying in, i had a few moments alone. i'd walked to the grocery store and hauled a bag of white wine, bread, cheese, and almonds back to an empty apartment. and in my head, i pictured you on the couch with someone small. i pictured music playing softly in the background as you bounced a girl on your knee and kissed her soft blonde head. i pictured setting my bags on the table and asking, how are my loves? did you miss me? and you answering, laughing, of course we did, didn't we, darling? maybe it would be a date night. we'd have a show to catch, or dinner reservations to make. a sitter would be on the way. we'd spend the first part of the evening enjoying the wine and the bread and marveling at this small wonder of a person that is both of us and more than us.

evangeline. cassiopeia. calliope. cassandra. emmeline. lina. olivia.

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it is two days after my birthday and i am exhausted. all i can think about is you. it's a little silly how much i find myself missing you after spending the whole of the weekend wrapped around you.

things i do not want to fade from memory:

dancing at cheers. glancing back to see you filming me. smiling like i am the brightest thing you have ever seen.

cheshire-cat grin as you explain how some guy talked to you at length about fucking me before hurrying away when you told him, "she's coming home with me tonight."

dancing, again, but with you this time. spinning. orbiting. your hands.

kissing me triumphantly at midnight. you beat paetyn.

of course, really, really good sex after we stumbled home.

later, when we met with paisley - you bought me an ice cream in the shape of batman. it turned my tongue blue. it didn't have dairy in it. i could have cried.

listening to you chat with the bartender. i am finding i adore particularly listening to you talk to people with such earnest open interest.

you returning from leaving the table and grazing my back with your hand.

you talked with me about my writing so readily. so excitedly. not because you had to or because i asked or had to fish for a response. you read my work and reread it enough to form wonderful opinions about it and i love that.

teaching me how to shoot pool. "yes, baby!" when i sank a shot.

"too high, drop it lower - good girl."

the uber ride laying in your lap. staring up at you. your eyes shimmered. i was drunk enough i almost let it slip. i didn't. but i thought it, hard, hoping you'd feel what i wanted to say without me saying it. iloveyouiloveyouiloveyou

tuna melts. so incredibly wonderful. made better because you seemed so happy to be making them. and we ate them and fell asleep watching supernatural.

three times the next morning. three times. each time different and lovely and perfect. i want to live all the time with the feeling of you inside me. it is religious.

"you're such a good girl, you take it so well"

three times, not even counting all the other moments where it was just you enjoying me, all eager exploring mouth and gentle hands.

wine walk. discussing our befores. somehow, not uncomfortable.

reading on your couch. tired, tipsy, not feeling much like talking. letting the sound of your voice fill my chest with warmth.

it's a non-exhaustive list. i could, i think, write for hours about each thing you do that makes my heart swell. but for now i need to nap.

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

i came by again on a tuesday night, and my sleep schedule is definitely suffering for it. it is entirely and completely worth it.

you wrote about me. i slept next to you and you played with my hair and lips, which i didn't notice, and you wrote about me.

you have an isosceles triangle on your back. your freckles form a perfect right angle. pythagoras, i think, was talking about you when he decided that truth could be found in perfect mathematics. you are perfect. your angles are divine.

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

tinned fish in our underwear.

you held my hand while i told you all the ways i am cruel to myself. squeezed it like you understood. showed me dents in your refrigerator that explained exactly how much you understood.

you made us toast points while i spoke very plainly about things i am used to being ashamed of. and you held my hand. flinched when i mentioned how it had happened in the time since we have known each other. (maybe i imagined this part. but to me, it seemed as though you were wincing for the fact that you could not hold my hand then the way that you hold it now. or maybe not.)

i really love tinned fish. and you. you and tinned fish are my favorite combination.

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

my thighs are littered in bruises. each are the shape of your fingertips. small. delicate. real, painful little reminders of your hands on me. i am obsessed with them. they are beautiful colorful stunning pieces of evidence that i have not made you up.

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

i whispered i love you into your hair this morning while you slept on me.

when i left, i drove past you walking up the hill. i blew you a kiss. you caught it. blew one back.

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

i am drinking earl grey tea and sparkling water, eating a panini that, honestly, darling, you could have done much better.

you are everywhere all the time. beautiful days make me think fondly of how much you will love to feel the sun on your face when you leave your apartment. cold breezes and rain make me think of curling up against you and sleeping the whole morning through, reveling in the sound of uninterrupted drizzle and the way your breath feels against my neck as you doze. earl grey tea makes me wish you were here enjoying a cup of coffee with me, nudging my bare leg with your foot.

you are everywhere. i miss you every moment i am not with you. but that is alleviated some by the way that you kiss me with every breeze that brushes across my cheeks and a patch of pure wonderful sunlight is the same as being held in your arms.

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“you can’t hide these marks from me baby. i’m never going to judge you for them. i just want to kiss them.”

i thought i heard you say “i love-“ while you were kissing my chest this morning. i don’t know if you did. but i would like to think that you can’t help but think i love you when you’re inside me with your arms wrapped completely around me. i would like to think we are on the same page about this too.

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

we've said it, and i've read most of this out to you, so i suppose there's nothing stopping me from posting it.

it's been three days of existing in your space and i have adored every minute. i adore you every minute. i have never felt peace quite as all encompassing.

i love you. i don't know what else there is to say about it. but there will be more. you keep finding ways to make me need to come on here and spill my love all over a blank page.

i love you, i love you, i love you.

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i've decided to keep adding to this, because i like the idea of a long, never-ending record of all the ways i adore you.

[auromirafilms-blog]

The Domain of Creating Lives: Videos that Narrates Stories

The craze for videos is increasing daily, and the affinity that youngsters have for video production is on a trend. There's no doubt that video marketing or production is impacting many lives. Videos are a new source of nurturing the ways for stories to get a medium to get conveyed. Rather than the previous traditional methods, the new technology of video production or marketing is getting more convenient for the audience. 

Videos not only produce a great impact on audiences, but it also is a time-saving way to narrate the whole story in a short and crisp method in a short period.

The Process of Bringing Stories to Life on Screen

Imagine embarking on a fantastical adventure where ideas of concepts become vivid realities and the monotonous of daily existence disappears to reveal an endlessly fascinating world. 

The art of storytelling, which is as old as time itself, is always changing, it is at the core of this changing process. It's intimidating, but unquestionably exhilarating, like being given a blank canvas and instructed to create a masterpiece. Here in video marketing, creativity is king and imagination is unrestricted.

“The process of turning an idea into a script is an experience unlike any other, until and unless the audience sees the behind the scene hard work of editing, scripting, and all the other elements of production and pre-production, they’ll not have the grasp of hard work it took to make the whole story in a real-life event”.

 Video marketing or production is one such domain in the industry that has the ability and capability to create wonders in the form of narrating stories. 

Video marketing and production have become a new fair play game in this evolving phase. Video production agencies have become one of the most demanded domains currently, as it has more opportunities and chances for young players who want to be prominent in the video marketing sector. 

The field is completely evolving, now is the moment to bring those thoughts to life and transform them into personalities that captivate viewers everywhere and pop off the page. 

The Captivating Ideas for Screening

Having a proper strategy and planning is very crucial, no matter what the domain is without having a strategy and planning the process of completion won’t be possible, it will be a completely incomplete process that will impact the audience. 

It's the capacity to capture, to trap the imagination, and to take viewers to places they never would have imagined. The best concepts are like magnets, pulling viewers into their orbit and keeping them there. 

The most compelling concepts are emotional in nature rather than merely splendid. Their goal is to delve into the most profound facets of the human experience and discover what it means to be afraid of dreams.

It evokes strong emotions in viewers, causing them to laugh, cry, and feel something deeply long after the credits have rolled. 

As a video marketing agency, Auromira has always done best for their clients,starting from scripting it-shooting it-filming-to editing it, the pre-production and production are always done in a sequential order for getting and giving a clarifying product to the viewers.

Technology Enhances the Art of Bringing Stories to Life

Technology continues to push the limits of what is possible on screen, acting as both a fearless innovator and a steady ally in the ever-changing storytelling world. 

From the early days of films to the digital era, technical developments have elevated storytelling to unprecedented levels, enhancing stories with striking images, engrossing soundtracks, and ground-breaking special effects. 

Filmmakers today have access to an array of cutting-edge resources, such as sophisticated editing software, immersive sound systems, and state-of-the-art cameras and computer-generated images, which enable them to create worlds that astonish and engage audiences. 

However, technology also helps storytellers to get deeper into the emotional center of their stories, which enables them to deeply connect with viewers. It's not always just about eye-popping graphics and stunning effects.

Auromira: Creating & Changing Perspectives

As creating stories is not enough, presenting it well visually is also the most important one. Auromira has always been the one who has been considered best for its world class delivery of narratives through visually in front of its audience.

The story building and video making procedures are the main  factors for any agency to build their impression in front of the clients. Here we do not just help our client to build their strong image but also help them to set and raise their standard high. 

Conclusion

Through different perspectives of various clients, the domain of video production is increasing and in this changing phase, producing and promoting videos has become a new fair play game. Currently, one of the most sought-after domains is video production agencies since they offer a wealth of options and chances for young players aspiring to be major players in the video marketing space.

[spacenutspod]

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

[the-unknown-writer-of-dreams]

Faster than Light- Short Film Review

Written and directed by Adam Stern, Faster than Light is a 2017 science fiction short film that includes stars such as Ty Olsen, Karin Konoval, and Aliya O’Brian. The movie has been nominated eleven times and has won six awards and has a 6.5 review rate on IMDb.

The movie starts with dramatic music to help the audience feel excited when they a man sitting in a spacecraft which is immediately replaced by a piece of pop music telling the audience that this is a safe movie where nothing wrong can happen. The person sitting in the spacecraft is Commander Kane (played by Ty Olsen) who would be trying for the first time ever faster than light spacecraft to reach the orbit of Mars in three minutes. The movie also includes pieces where the commander is trying to lighten the mood of his colleagues specifically Sarah Johns (played by Karin Konoval). As the movie progress, we get to some great CGI effects and graphics where Commander starts the ship and gets ready to be the first man to travel faster than light. Realistic scenes have been shown in the movie where instructions and every second movement have been informed back and forth and the best part was when the audience is made to wait while the spacecraft reaches its destination with ominous music telling the worst is about to come. A moment of happiness arrives when contact between NASA and commander Kane was made after he was in high orbit on Mars. But it would not be a science fiction movie in space without malfunctions and aliens. As Commander Kane was making his way back, malfunction starts to occur and he loses control of the ship, panic surges as he increases his voice to tell the base station but by then the communication has been stopped and he is being pulled into yet another vector and being lost in space. While NASA is trying to figure out what is happening, we see the commander making his first-ever contact with an alien species as they completely eradicate him. In his final moments, we see him reminiscing his days with his wife (played by Aliya O’Brian) and his son (played by John Torrance) where he pushed the fears of his wife about the dangers including space travel, and assured them everything would be fine. His wife and son along the world saw the disappearance of Commander Kane.

Twenty-one Hours later just as NASA is giving up on the hope of a return an anomaly appears that is approximately 2.4 Clicks from ISS and when asked for visuals, we see aliens entering the orbit of Earth right where Commander’s wife and son lived, bringing him back to earth, more like microchipping him back like a hologram showing the alien’s advanced civilization. After the aliens leave life returns in the commander’s eyes as he calls out and says “It’s me”. But that is not where the movie ends, as the reunion was going on we see a glimpse of golden light flicker from the commander’s forehead, leaving the audience with suspense and wanting more.

The movie in the beginning showed the use of dramatic music and then suddenly shifted it to pop to lighten up the mood to shift it back to ominous in order to make the audience stay glued to the seat. There was no visible alien or communication done just as the mysterious moment that was made during the first contact. If we see the first contact from the alien’s Point of View, we could say that they just sent a little alien who ended up in their orbit to their rightful place

This story just leaves you with wanting more.

[zeninsama-moved]

NAOYA ANON IS HERE WHAT HAPPENED WHAT ARE YOU THINKING

I'VE BEEN THINKING ABOUT MY ANSWER TO THIS ALL DAY (AND EVER SINCE U FIRST RECOMMENDED THE FIC TO ME TBH) AND I JUST... first of all, i haven't finished it yet, i stopped at chapter 11 because i had to sleep so these are my thoughts so far. i may have missed a thing or two but this is the gist.

be warned there will be jjk manga spoilers/fic spoilers also this post is so fucking long i'm sorry

so i made note of the scenes/lines that had me screaming my head off and i will share them/discuss them under the cut <3

starting lighthearted with gojo things i found absolutely hilarious

"damn. by virtue of that, that means that technically-ish, gojo would be the semi leader of the zen'in clan. holy shit. shit's wild, son."

"maybe later he could trot over to lawson's and get himself a nice juice box, then a chocolate coolish ice cream pouch. yeah, that's the shit right there."

"behind you, he could hear your mother speaking with one of the servants in the hallway and he hopes to god she doesn't join in on the conversation. why the hell does she have to be here? fuckin' kris jenner with her bullshit, couldn't she leave her daughter to make her own decisions for herself? what's next, a sex tape to keep you in the zen'in family? shit. caught in 4k, filmed by gojo (and starring gojo)."

"should he pick you up and shot-put you into the distance so that you're like one twinkling star as you orbit? he doesn't know. if you were a dude, he'd definitely do that to you. fine. equal opportunity, it's the twenty-first century, he'll shot-put you."

"he looks nice like this, you think, in a thin white linen button-down short sleeve with cream shorts and... you do your best not to grimace. fucking assistant to the regional manager over here with the birkenstock kicks. at least he's not wearing white socks with them. you'll make sure you don't look anywhere past his kneecaps."

"'you wanna kiss me that bad?' he slaps his palm down onto the table as he chews and swallows. 'i knew it, you can touch me anytime, anywhere you want, babe–'"

GOJO IS A FUCKING MENACE IN THIS FIC! I LOVE THAT HE'S SO EMBARRASSING, IT FEELS LIKE REAL GOJO <3 his dynamic with the reader is so funny too, how she (for the most part) wants absolutely nothing to do with him. how things can be normal and sweet between them and then he says something so painfully cringe that it snaps us back to reality. what a fucking man.

"sometimes, he would dream that your thumb was a sausage and give it a bite. usually you would wake up and give him a bite back on his black, pointy ear."

NOW THIS LINE IS NOT GOJO OR NAOYA RELATED BUT IT'S ONE I ENJOYED NONETHELESS... i love kimi so much <3 the concept of him alone is so cool, being part-shikigami, part-demon or whatever, and how he can morph into different weapons for us to wield <3 also the scene where his paw emerged from the shadows to pester gojo for some salmon LMAO

okay.............. onto the main event i think...... onto naoya......

a lil tw for misogyny/death even though i know naoya anon will be the only one reading this

"a boy, he wanted a boy. he must have a boy. at least two or three. then you could have a girl, he'd gift you with one, he had told you before as you stared up at him with that dumb, fucked out expression. he'd gift you a baby girl after you had done your duty to him as his wife. a baby girl, as a treat. a reward if you're a good little wife."

WHY DID THIS HAVE ME FUCKING SCREAMING!!!

"for now, you would make do with expensive designer items as gifts until you managed to bear him a son. no little girl yet. but you'd work on that, he'd work on that – he'd make sure to work his fat dick into you as often as he possibly could to achieve that goal. he'd tell you he's such a good husband, making sure you get your own little treat."

DECEASED. I AM DECEASED.

"yeah, don't bother. this is too much for yer pretty little head. just go be pretty and dumb elsewhere, lil' baby. go on now, shoo."

"my pretty little girl. right? that's right. yer my baby girl, all mine? tell me, baby girl, who do you belong to?"

"stayed up all night waitin' for me, eh? what a good wife y'are. c'mere'n let me see yer cute face."

JUST... THE WAY NAOYA SPEAKS... THE THINGS HE SAYS TO US. it reminds me very much of touya because it's affectionate for a guy like him but still teasing and playful. these lines had me blushing so hard and kicking my feet and giggling. the use of petnames like "lil' baby" and "baby girl" and him telling you to "c'mere'n let me see yer cute face" ohhhhh my god.......

not to mention, i love his accent very much. country boyyy i love youuuuu.

"'c'mon now,' he mutters, turning his head to the side so he can press a kiss to your temple. 'why didn'tcha say somethin' earlier if it bothered you that much, you dumb baby.'"

this scene really changed everything for me... i will expand on this more later but the connection they have... their loyalty to each other... or moreso their desire to just have each other.

"a man, the man who had humiliated maki's mother many times, spoke hideous things about her children within earshot, is straining to call one of his other cousins because fuck fuck fuck why aren't you answering. his eyes soften and he's not exactly sure if it's because of the sweat in his eyes or the picture that you had just sent two minutes ago, a picture of you and the new lipstick you're trying on. you look so pretty. fuck. he's gonna cry."

I SAVED THIS ONE BEFORE THE SECOND POV CHAPTER THAT WENT MORE IN-DEPTH ON NAOYA'S FEELINGS AND THAT ONE – I WAS ALREADY DYING BUT THAT FINISHED ME OFF! this fic is so well-written that i felt grief for this fucking man. grief for naoya fucking zen'in of all people. it left a hole in my chest and i haven't felt this grief since [REDACTED REDACTED] in csm.

especially later, when reader was remembering her honeymoon in amalfi coast, when they were driving in the convertible and lost her scarf. for some reason that flashback made me so sad.

"'that girl will be your downfall,' is what his father tells him later on that day. naoya wants to believe that. maybe you'll be the one to drag him to hell. that would be nice. he'd be back home. he'll always come home. if that's where you're at, he'll always come home."

WAILING

OKAY... we are almost to the end of it <3

"'wait. oh my god, wait. wait. no way. you... you loved him? you actually loved naoya? naoya? zen'in naoya?'

your eyes sting hot, and you're not sure if it's because he's speaking ill of your very dead husband or because you're taking it personally for having loved the horrible man.

there's something about how you feel when it comes to naoya. defensive, even. you're certain that although love and family had been a difficult, complicated subject for the man, he fucked you like he loved you. like you had been a very fragile thing that he needed to care for – and he did. he always did; had always cared for you in ways that no one else would. or at least, he cared for you in ways that no one else would or could within a fifty-mile radius.

'babe, really?'

for all of his acid and harsh angles and sharp tongue, naoya was someone who took care of you and protected you. he made you feel wanted and safe and cherished and by the gods even if he didn't actually say it, he made you feel loved. that's what mattered to you. now, at least. maybe too much, even."

THIS WAS A FUCKING INSANE MOMENT TO ME reader wondering a few chapters ago whether or not she loved naoya and admitting now that she did, so very much so.

this really resonated with me in particular, not to get all wah-wah pity party but i've dealt with a lot of relationship trauma and all i've got to show for it is a crippling fear of abandonment. this type of love is therapeutic to me. when your person loves you and only you, there's nobody to compete with because they don't give half a shit about anyone else. you're the only one that sees that soft part of them, dare i say the real them.

THERE ARE A LOT OF THINGS I FORGOT TO WRITE DOWN BUT THIS FIC HAS CHANGED MY LIFE IN WAYS THAT I CANNOT COMPREHEND AND I AM NOT EVEN HALFWAY DONE.

another thing that made me very happy was seeing a lot of similarities in how the author characterizes naoya & how i've been characterizing him for the menthol prequel. fucking daddy issues central. naoya being a contradiction of himself because he's everything a zen'in should be, and yet he has these haunting moments of clarity where he realizes that's the last thing he wants to be... and yet nothing changes. he will be this way until he dies, and he was this way until he died. not that this man deserves tenderness because he's evil, but like... the care in which the author handles his character. it's everything to me.

trying my hardest but like oh my god it's going to be hard to let myself fall for gojo because the man the author wrote naoya to be. the husband he was. the deep, profound love he had that's even more special because it's all the love he has and it's all for you.

I'M EXCITED TO SEE WHAT HAPPENS WITH HIM COMING BACK AS A CURSE... I WILL KEEP READING TONIGHT BUT I FEAR I WILL SOB MY EYES OUT WHEN I FINISH IT <3

[zealousbasementangel]

Thomas Brodie Sangster in short film "Orbit ever after" ❤️

I'M NOT CRYING! YOU ARE! 😭😭😭

[the-fiction-witch]

Nigel (Orbit Ever After) Masterlist

Nsfw Arranged - flirty Not my girlfriend - sweet Clean - sweet All Alone… - smut One Hour A Week - smut spoil - smut Space Suit - sexy You Really Mean it? - smut Home - flirty NSFW 30 Earth leave - smut Tried - flirty Alien Girl - sexy Alien Girl P2- sexy Angelic Song - flirty Special Present - flirty diamond - cute What did you say? - smut Nigel… - smut I love when you're horny - smut Burn - smut I Don't think where alone - spooky Humans are weird - sweet Smitten - sweet Yes darling? - sweet Stasis - flirty The Hosts - horror Christmas Junk - sweet Privacy - sweet Pods - sweet Tamlanto four 0816 - adorable Love Bug - flirty Love Bug P2 - flirty Snuggles - flirty Creature - scary The Tank Test - smut Zero-G - cute Visiting - 18 +

[flareprince]

Orbit Ever After (2013)  ↠ directed by Jamie Magnus Stone

[coffeeshannon]

Thomas in Orbit Ever After got me emotional Nigel + Never Let Me Go

[junkyarddemento]

ORBIT EVER AFTER

Even in space, parents can put a squash on who you love. That's the premise here with this quirky yet heartwarming short where we literally have star-crossed lovers. Having been killed off in “Game of Thrones”, Thomas Brodie-Sangster (the kid from LOVE ACTUALLY) stars alongside Mackenzie Crook (the pirate who always keeps losing his eye in the Disney films). Watch if you enjoy sci-fi or romantic fantasies, as Hollywood doesn’t make these type of films anymore. 

[inkformyblood]

a soft epilogue

After Fox’s chip malfunctions and he kills Palpatine, Cody and Obi-Wan are forced to reckon with a war that ended far sooner than either of them expected and everything that neither can bring themselves to say.

Pairing: Codywan, minor Quinlan Vos/Fox

Warnings: mild injury

Day 01 Prompt: Fix-It AU

@codywanweek

Cody couldn’t say what alerted him first; whether it was the sudden sense of relief that bloomed in his chest, foreign and fragile, or the immediate starting howl of the alarm klaxons that was suddenly cut off into painful silence.

He tucked his cards — the beginnings of a winning hand — into his chest as he reached for his bracer, every movement deliberate and practiced, projecting a quiet confidence he did not feel as worry twisted through his stomach. They were on leave, had been for three days now, and there had been no communications about planned drills which could only mean…

A single message flashed on the interface, marked as the highest priority in the Command Track Chat, supposedly sent from Fox but lacking his usual typing style. ‘Ignore alarm. All fine.’

Cody felt his heart stop, reading and rereading the message as his mind worked frantically, running over the possible scenarios in an instant. Obi-Wan was meant to be in one of the meditation rooms on the fifth floor, too far away for Cody to reach easily, but if he sent a scout to collect the General—

He ignored the twist of emotion in his chest, pushed it down as he had been doing for years, pulling a deep breath in through his teeth before looking up to catch Wooley’s eye. The other clone's eyes were wide, chewing over the side of his cheek in time with the flutter of his fingers over the edges of his cards as he waited, trying to read Cody’s expression.

The barracks were silent around him, the emptiness of several men waiting for an order, waiting for something to shatter the sliver of peace they were only just beginning to enjoy.

“Wooley,” Cody began, before cutting himself off. He pushed himself to his feet, scooping up the blaster from next to him, turning to level it at the door as it slid open, seconds after the hurried heartbeat of stumbling bootsteps echoed down the corridor.

Fox’s grin as the man stumbled into the room, supported between Stone and Thire, was nothing short of triumphant, the man’s teeth blood-stained and bared. His curls were plastered to his head with sweat, the grey that gathered at his temples more pronounced next to the wild rolling of his eyes.

“What’s going on?” Cody asked, his words sharp enough to cut, and Fox tipped his head back to laugh. It was harsh and broken, like a degraded holo-film, rumbling through him as if he was in his death throes, pulling against Stone’s grip as Thire turned, glancing back down the corridor.

There was a set of footsteps drawing closer, purposeful and clear, and Cody felt the familiar fear of the battleground settle in his chest, the tension the moment before the first shot fired when the entire world stopped.

“I—“ Fox broke off, a spasm rumbling through his body, his hands curling into desperate fists before they flexed out like talons. His jaw clicked shut, a wave of helpless anger passing over his face as a muscle in his cheek jumped. “I—“

Cody felt the horror at his vode’s state settle in his stomach like a stone. What was going on?

“We didn’t know what to do, so we brought him here after Vos brought him to us.”

Cody caught Stone’s eye as the man finished speaking. They were clones trained for war and raised to be perfect soldiers, but the other clone looked haunted, the ghosts of something Cody couldn’t name settling into his bones. His gaze remained steady, boring into Cody’s, even as he shifted to re-balance Fox against his side.

Some distant part of mind whispered the similarities between their current state and that of a drunken shiny, flushed from shore leave, even as his thoughts sharpened, battleplans curling their grasping fingers in readiness.

“Vos is involved?” Cody knew the Jedi well enough through their shared connection to Obi-Wan and the mountains of paperwork his missions inevitably created, but there had never been anything like this. Quinlan had always seemed to care for his men and the other troopers, but Cody had to protect his vode.

“He didn’t— He, no,” Fox ground out, his gaze sharp and his teeth bared. He wavered, stumbling on his feet as he tried to get his limbs underneath him, sagging against their grip. There was bruise beginning to form on his temple with a matching one curved across his cheek, the edges red and muted against his olive skin. “Not him, never— No.”

“Okay, vode. Then who did this?” Cody felt the air grow sharp as every trooper behind him, their previous tasks fully abandoned, focused on Fox’s next words. Fox had paused, however, his head rolling backwards, the whites of his eyes bloodshot as he tried to stare at the door. The footsteps were echoing louder, drawing ever closer. Cody’s hand drifted to the blaster at his hip, his fingers brushing along the empty lightsaber clip and his heart twisted in his chest.

The door hissed open, and Quinlan Vos stepped through — his face bloodless except for the furious colour high in his cheeks — to a fanfare of the clicks of primed blasters. His hands raised, fingers splayed and trembling, but his gaze didn’t linger on the group in front of him, skimming over their faces before settling on Fox.

“Talk quickly, Vos.”

Quinlan took a moment, leaning forward, turning towards Fox like a plant turning towards sunlight, before he caught himself, settling back on his heels.

“I don’t have all the details.” His words ran together as he spoke, and his eyes only flickered back to Cody, watching Fox as if he couldn’t bear to look away from the other man even for a moment. “But it seems like there is dormant programming in some of you, or all of you, I can’t say.”

Fox laughed, the same grating stuttering sound, and Cody shivered, the hair on his arms and at the base of his neck prickling.

Quinlan grew paler, chewing on his lower lip as he swayed in place before continuing. “It looks like it was a Sith plan, to have you turn on the Jedi and kill us, but something went wrong, and Fox’s activated both early and twisted.”

Quinlan paused, a grin twisting over his face despite his worry clouding it. “Saved us a lot of time with investigating.”

Cody’s head span, cold dread mixing with biting horror in his gut, and he forced himself to draw a deep breath in. He couldn’t let himself falter, not without the safety of his helmet and not in front of his men. His free hand crept up to curl his fingers around the empty lightsaber clip once more and felt his heartbeat settle.

“What happened?”

Fox jerked himself out Thire and Stone’s hold, stumbling forward with a snarl, and Quinlan stepped forward, his hands settling on Fox’s hips with an ease that made Cody’s heart ache. They came together so easily, their jagged edges melding rather than crashing against each other.

Cody’s grip tightened on the clip, metal biting in his palm, and forced his thoughts away from the gulf that duty created between himself and Obi-Wan. But they both knew they had a war to fight, so settled back into their own lonely orbits, skin burning wherever the other had touched them that time.

It hurt more than he could say.

Fox leant forward — the slight movement drawing Cody out of his own bitter self-pity — pressing his forehead against Vos’ with a sigh. “The Chancellor is dead,” Fox murmured. His gaze shifted sideways to lock onto Cody’s, burning with a bright feverish intensity. “I shot him.”

Quinlan caught Fox as the clone fainted, his eyes rolling backwards in his skull, his body falling limp as if he had been shot, and Cody couldn’t breathe, could barely think, but he had to stay strong. For his men and his General.

“We’ve got work to do.” Cody turned away from Quinlan, unable to fully ignore the whisper in the back of his mind about the last time he had seen Obi-Wan.

That morning felt like several lifetimes ago. Obi-Wan had hesitated in the doorway to the small meeting room, the datapad containing the final forms to confirm their shore leave for the next few days. His blue eyes seemed clouded, a storm brewing that had only intensified with every accidental brush of their hands, or every time their knees bumped beneath the cramped table.

Cody turned to watch him, feeling the distance between them keener than ever, another knife sliding neatly between his ribs. Obi-Wan had smiled, inclining his head a fraction before moving away, his steps slower than usual as if he was pulling against a tether that was drawing him back into the room, back towards Cody.

“Get the medics. And Wooley?”

Wooley snapped to attention, his hands slamming against his thighs hard enough to draw bruises.

“Go get the General.”

⁂

Cody stopped in front of Obi-Wan’s door. The metal was as carefully blank and featureless as every other door he passed to get here, but there was a warmth about it that was absent, a lingering promise of the man who was waiting on the other side.

He should knock. He should let Obi-Wan know in a tangible way that he was here, but he couldn’t. His hand remained frozen at his side, and he found himself studying the door to try and stem the mounting wave of worry rising in his chest.

It wasn’t as blank as his first glance made it out to be. He could see the faint lighter patch at one edge where it opened that matched the press of Obi-Wan’s hand, stretched out to prolong their parting for a moment longer. His heart twisted in his chest, and for a moment, he couldn’t breathe.

Throughout the war, they had both held back from uttering the words that could destroy them both.

The closest they had gotten was one late night amongst thousands of other nights when they could barely keep their eyes open and ran from one emergency to another. Cody had startled awake, his cheek aching with the indentation of his datapad, but he had barely started to shift when he paused. Obi-Wan was resting against his shoulder, his weight warm and grounding, the same way it had been for countless nights before this one. But it was different.

Obi-Wan had stirred, pushed himself upright with his cheeks turning a pale pink that only highlighted the freckles cast across his nose like a constellation.

“When this war is over,” he began, his voice thick with sleep, but his eyes were bright, locked onto Cody’s.

“When the war is over,” Cody echoed, missing Obi-Wan the moment the man moved away.

Now it was over.

Cody shook himself free of the memory as hurried footsteps echoed from behind the door. He had kept his General— he had kept Obi-Wan waiting for too long.

The door slid open at his touch with a mechanical hiss, but Obi-Wan still jumped, turning with his reflexive smile — the one that rang false and hollow and failed to illuminate his eyes, constructed for politicians. It was wiped away in an instant for something genuine, something true, the smile made just for Cody.

Owning things was still new to him, to all of them, but that smile was something he treasured more than he could say.

“Commander— Cody.” Obi-Wan caught himself, his smile softening and ducking his head before he straightened. He wasn’t wearing his usual robes but instead a pale wrap that hung loosely from his shoulders and just past his wrists and was belted around his waist. Beneath it, Cody caught a glimpse of a form-fitting black jumpsuit before Obi-Wan stepped forward, and his gaze snapped back to his face.

Cody tugged at the edge of his own shirt, the black cotton soft and worn-in, and felt a prickle of shame in the pit of his stomach. How could he have ever thought that he would be good enough for the Jedi?

“I’m glad you’ve come to visit me. I know the past few weeks have been busy.” Obi-Wan laughed slightly, shaking his head at his own statement. Now that he was closer, Cody could see the dark circles that clung beneath his eyes like bruises and the pale cast to his skin that spoke of far too many hours spent hunched over a datapad. Cody’s fingers twitched with the urge to try and smooth the other man’s exhaustion away.

“Please, sit.” Obi-Wan gestured towards the small sofa before stepping away. He tucked his hands into his sleeves before catching himself and shifting to clasp them in front of him. “I’ll get us both some tea.”

Cody took the offered place, mindful of the weapon oil that likely still clung to his hands as he perched on the edge of his seat, an immediate ache radiating down his thighs. He let his gaze wander as Obi-Wan stepped away, keeping track of the Jedi’s movements from the gentle sound of his footsteps and the rattling of the porcelain that was quickly replaced by the hiss of the kettle.

He had been in Obi-Wan’s rooms before, but never like this, never with the knowledge that they were equals, and he could look around to his heart’s content.

To one side, a large window was set into the wall, ringed by carefully tended plants. Wooden stakes were tied to some, the twine a pale flash amongst the dark green and brilliant flowers. Amongst the earthen pots, Cody could just make out the flat curves of several stones, some of which he recognised from Obi-Wan’s quarters on the ship. He hadn’t understood why the other man took a moment to slip a stone into his pocket on every planet he could, but Cody had found himself studying the terrain closer than usual, carefully adding his own contributions to the collection on the ship.

Obi-Wan had never mentioned it, but Cody recognised a large dark blue stone that held pride of place on the shelf — its surface shot through with silver veins that gleamed like stars in hyperspace — from their mission before the leave that changed everything.

The rest of the room was as sparse as Cody had come to expect from the other man. A data pad lay on the desk that was tucked away in the opposite corner, Obi-Wan’s lightsaber carefully resting on a stand above it. The sight of the saber in its correct place and not discarded on the churned mud of a battlefield or hanging from Cody’s hip made him bite back a laugh, but he couldn’t disguise the slight hitch in his breathing.

“Your disapproval may finally be influencing me, Cody.” There was a flicker of pride across Obi-Wan’s face, hidden as the other man turned away, his hands perfectly steady on the cups.

Cody looked around the room once more, understanding settling over his shoulders like a shroud. Everything had been cleaned and organised, and re-organised, because Obi-Wan wanted it to be perfect, because Cody was stopping by as a free man, not a soldier, and they were finally equals. He could almost picture Obi-Wan moving back and forth, his steps a frantic beat to a music only he could hear as he second-guessed the placement of every object in the small room.

“Not at all, General— Obi-Wan. Just surprised to see it in the same room as you.”

Obi-Wan laughed, and Cody turned back to him, keen to study the way his eyes crinkled at the corners. He stepped closer, holding out the cup to Cody, a curl of sweet-smelling steam wafting from it.

Their fingers brushed as Cody took it, his blush mirrored on Obi-Wan’s paler cheeks, and the Jedi carefully sat on the other edge of the sofa, his inherent grace making it look effortless.

Cody focused on the cup, taking a small sip of the hot tea and feeling it burn against his tongue. There was a faint lingering bitterness beneath the tart sweetness of the berries infused with it, and Cody rocked backwards with a sigh.

“I remembered that you liked this one.” Obi-Wan wrapped his hands around his cup, but made no movement to drink it, his gaze fixed on the blank wall opposite. The early afternoon sun streamed through the window, illuminating him like he was a work of art, and Cody felt his heart twist.

“How did it go? Your surgery, I mean.” Obi-Wan’s blush deepened as he stumbled over his words, his nails tapping against the side of his cup.

Cody carefully transferred his hold on the cup to one hand — the heat pressing against his fingertips and raised his free hand to trace the faint healing incision on his temple that curved up into his hairline. His hair had been shaved to accommodate the surgery and was rough against his touch. “It went as well as Helix expected it would. They had to remove ours last due as they were implanted differently, and they needed to work out why Fox’s was activated early.”

“Yes.” Obi-Wan set his cup down by his feet and sat back with a world-weary sigh, pressing the heels of his palms into his eyes with a grimace. Cody mimicked him, and shifted closer, his knee bumping against Obi-Wan’s, and the man froze before relaxing into the whisper of contact.

“Quinlan is apparently taking good care of him. I don’t think Fox has had to raise a finger for anything in a week.” Cody bit back the rising tide of anger as he recalled the list of Fox’s injuries. The final trigger had been a slap, dismissive and cruel, but it had been enough to spark the chip that had been primed through months of the Sith lord tearing out Fox’s thoughts by the roots, pruning his mind for no other reason than he could.

“I’m glad they have found each other.” Obi-Wan glanced up at Cody, catching his gaze out of the corner of his eye, and paused.

Countless stolen moments and bitten-off confessions, everything they had been unable to say culminated in here and now.

“Given that the war is over,” Cody began, watching hope burn in Obi-Wan’s eyes like a banked flame that grew with every word. The Jedi’s hands were curled into fists on his thighs, restraining himself from reaching out, as, although Cody was free, Obi-Wan couldn’t make that first step himself.

Doubt still gnawed at the base of Cody’s skull, but it couldn’t hold its place amidst the warmth flooding through his chest.

“I would like to kiss you now,” Cody finished, leaning forward a few inches, before he stopped, waiting for Obi-Wan’s reaction.

The Jedi’s cheeks were burning, and Cody wanted to commit the colour to memory, to study the flecks of darker blue in Obi-Wan’s eyes that were nearly obscured by his pupil, dark and encompassing.

“Yes,” Obi-Wan breathed, the word catching in his throat and dissolving into a sibilant hiss against Cody’s lips as he pressed himself forwards. “I’ve waited so long for this.”

Cody laughed, the sound muffled against Obi-Wan’s desperate kiss, his beard scratching against Cody’s lips and cheeks, and broke apart just long enough to press their foreheads together. He could feel Obi-Wan trembling beneath his hands, the other man’s grip on his shoulders almost biting.

“I love you,” Cody whispered, kissing Obi-Wan once more, soft and sweet.

“I love you,” Obi-Wan replied as if it was the simplest thing in the world and pulled Cody up to kiss him again, murmuring half-broken promises against his mouth that rang true and heart-felt, everything they had been leaving carefully unsaid for years.

This was where he was meant to be, safe and loved and by Obi-Wan’s side, and Cody knew that whatever happened, they would face it together.

[maxwell-grant]

What are your thoughts on Jekyll/Hyde and his archetype of the human periodically changing into a monster ?

Jekyll & Hyde was the 2nd horror story I read following Frankenstein, I got it off the same library and it always stuck very strongly with me even before I got into horror in general. I even dressed up as Jekyll/Hyde as a kid for a school fair by shredding a lab coat on one side and asking my sister to make-up claw gashes on my exposed arm and paint half of my face, although in hindsight I think I ended up looking more like Doctor Two-Face than Jekyll/Hyde, but I was 12 and didn't have any Victorian clothing to use so I had to make do. The first film project I tried doing at film school was intended to be a modern take on Jekyll & Hyde, and I didn't get much farther than a couple of discarded scripts

Much like Frankenstein, Mr Hyde as a character and a story is something that's kind of baked into everything I do artistically. And it's not just me, as even in pop culture itself, none of us can escape Mr Hyde. I would go so far as to argue Mr Hyde may be the single most significant character created by victorian fiction, if only by the sheer impact and legacy the character's had.

(Fan-art by guilhermefranco)

Part of what makes Mr Hyde such a powerful and lasting icon of pop culture is that the very premise of the book invites a personal reading that's gonna vary from person to person. Because everyone's familiar with the basic twist of the story, that it's a conflict of duality, of the good and evil sides, but everyone has a more personal idea of what those entail. Some people make the story more about class. A lot of readings laser-focus on sex and lust as the driving force, and there's also a lot of readings of Mr Hyde that tackle it to explore a more gendered perspective, and so forth.

I don't particularly take much notice of the Jekyll & Hyde adaptations partially because the novel's premise and themes have become baked so throughly into pop culture and explored in so many different and interesting ways, that I'm not particularly starving for good Jekyll & Hyde adaptations the way I am for Dracula and Frankenstein. The Fredric March film in particular is one that orbits my head less because of the film itself (although I do recommend it), but because of one specific scene, and that's when Jekyll first transforms into Hyde on screen.

Out of all the things they could have shown him doing right that second, they instead took the time to show him enjoying the rain.

Just Hyde taking off his hat and letting it all cascade on his face with this sheer enthusiasm like he's never been to the rain before, never enjoyed it before, and now that he's free from being Jekyll, he gets to enjoy life like he never has before. It's such an oddly humanizing moment to put amidst a horror movie, in the scene where you're ostensibly introducing the monster to the audience, and it makes such a stark contrast to the rest of the film where Hyde is completely irredeemable, but I think it's that contrast that makes the film's take on Hyde work so well even with it's diverging from the source material, even if I don't particularly like in general interpretations of Hyde that are focused on a sexual aspect.

Because one, it understands that Jekyll was fundamentally a self-serving coward and not a paragon of goodness, and two, it also understands one of the things that makes Hyde scary: He wants what all of us want, to live and be happy. He's happy when he leaves the lab and dances around in the rain like a giddy child, he's happy when he goes to places Jekyll couldn't dream of showing up, he's happy as a showgirl-abusing sexual predator. Hyde is all wants, all the time, and there's not that much difference between his wants, his domineering possessiveness, and the likes exhibited by Muriel's father and Jekyll's own within the very same film, which also works to emphasize one of the other ideas of the original story, that Edward Hyde doesn't come from nowhere. That no monster is closer to humanity than Mr Hyde, because he is us. He is the thing that Jekyll refused to take responsability for until it was too late.

(Art by LorenzoMastroianni)

While many of the ideas that defined Mr Hyde had already been explored in pop culture beforehand, Hyde popularized and redefined many of them in particular by modernizing the idea. He was the werewolf, the doppelganger, The Player On The Other Side, except he came from within. He was not transformed by circumstance, he made himself that way, and the elixir merely brought out something already inside his soul. To acknowledge that he's there is to acknowledge that he is you, and to not do that is to either lose to him, or perish. Hyde was there to address both the rot settling in Victorian society as well as grappling concerns over Darwinian heritage, of the realization that man has always had the beast inside of him (it's no accident that Hyde's main method of murder is by clubbing people to death with his cane like a caveman).

I've already argued on my post about Tarzan that the Wild Man archetype, beginning with Enkidu of The Epic of Gilgamesh, is the in-between man and beast, between superhero and monster, and that Mr Hyde is an essential component of the superhero's trajectory, as the creature split in between. That stories about dual personalities, doppelgangers, the duality of the soul, the hero with a day job and an after dark career, you can pinpoint Hyde as a turning point in how all of these solidified gradually in pop culture. And I've argued otherwise that The Punisher, for all that his image and narrative points otherwise, is ultimately just as much of a superhero as the rest of them, even if no one wants to admit it, drawing a parallel between The Punisher and Mr Hyde. And he's far from the only modern character that can invite this kind of parallel.

The idea of a regular person periodically or permanently transforming into, or revealing itself to be, something extraordinary and fantastic and scary, grappling with the divide it causes in their soul, and questions whether it's a new development or merely the truest parts of themselves coming to light at last, and the effects this transformation has for good and bad alike. The idea of a potent, dangerous, unpredictable enemy who ultimately is you, or at least a facet of you and what you can do. That these are bound to destroy each other if not reconciled with or overcome.

You know what are my thoughts on the archetype of "human periodically changing into a monster" are? Look around you and you're gonna see the myriad ways The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde's themes have manifested in the century and a half since the story's release. Why it shouldn't be any surprise whatsoever that Mr Hyde has become such an integral part of pop culture, in it's heroes and monsters alike. Why we can never escape Mr Hyde, just as Jekyll never could.

It is Nixon himself who represents that dark, venal and incurably violent side of the American character that almost every country in the world has learned to fear and despise. Our Barbie-doll president, with his Barbie-doll wife and his boxful of Barbie-doll children is also America's answer to the monstrous Mr. Hyde.

He speaks for the Werewolf in us; the bully, the predatory shyster who turns into something unspeakable, full of claws and bleeding string-warts on nights when the moon comes too close… - Hunter S. Thompson

There is a scene in the movie Pulp Fiction that explains almost every terrible thing happening in the news today. And it's not the scene where Ving Rhames shoots that guy's dick off. It's the part where the hit man played by John Travolta is talking about how somebody vandalized his car, and says this:

"Boy, I wish I could've caught him doing it. I'd have given anything to catch that asshole doing it. It'd been worth him doing it, just so I could've caught him doing it."

That last sentence is something everyone should understand about mankind. After all, the statement is completely illogical -- revenge is supposed to be about righting a wrong. But he wants to be wronged, specifically so he'll have an excuse to get revenge. We all do.

Why else would we love a good revenge movie? We sit in a theater and watch Liam Neeson's daughter get kidnapped. We're not sad about it, because we know he's a badass and he finally has permission to be awesome. Not a single person in that theater was rooting for it to all be an innocent misunderstanding. We wanted Liam to be wronged, because we wanted to see him kick ass. It's why so many people walk around with vigilante fantasies in their heads.

Long, long ago, the people in charge figured out that the easiest and most reliable way to bind a society together was by controlling and channeling our hate addiction. That's the reason why seeing hurricane wreckage on the news makes us mumble "That's sad" and maybe donate a few bucks to the Red Cross hurricane fund, while 9/11 sends us into a decade-long trillion-dollar rage that leaves the Middle East in flames.

The former was caused by wind; the latter was caused by monsters. The former makes us kind of bummed out; the latter gets us high.

It's easy to blame the news media for pumping us full of stories of mass shootings and kidnapped children, but that's stopping one step short of the answer: The media just gives us what we want. And what we want is to think we're beset on all sides by monsters.

The really popular stories will always feature monsters that are as different from us as possible. Think about Star Wars -- what real shithead has ever referred to himself as being on "the dark side"? In Harry Potter and countless fantasy universes, you have wizards working in "black magic" and the "dark arts." Can you imagine a scientist developing some technology for chemical weapons or invasive advertising openly thinking of what he does as "dark science"? Can you imagine a real world leader naming his headquarters "The Death Star" or "Mount Doom"?

Of course not. But we need to believe that evil people know they're evil, or else that would open the door to the fact that we might be evil without knowing it. I mean, sure, maybe we've bought chocolate that was made using child slaves or driven cars that poisoned the air, but we didn't do it to be evil -- we were simply doing whatever we felt like and ignoring the consequences. Not like Hitler and the bankers who ruined the economy and those people who burned the kittens -- they wake up every day intentionally dreaming up new evils to create. It's not like Hitler actually thought he was saving the world.

So no matter how many times you vote to cut food stamps and then use the money to buy a boat, you could still be way worse. You could, after all, be one of those murdering / lazy / ignorant / greedy / oppressive monsters that you know the world is full of, and that only your awesome moral code prevents you from turning into at any moment. And those monsters are out there.

They have to be. Because otherwise, we're the monsters - 5 Reasons Humanity Desperately Wants Monsters To Be Real, by Jason Pargin

(Two-Face sequence comes from the end of Batman Annual #14: Eye of the Beholder)

For good or bad, Hyde has become omnipresent. He's a part of our superheroes, he's a part of our supervillains, he's in our monsters. He lives and prattles in our ears, sometimes we need him to survive, and sometimes we become Hyde even when we don't need to, because our survival instincts or base cruelties or desperation brings out the worst in us. Sometimes we can beat him, and sometimes he's not that bad. Sometimes we do need to appease him and listen to what he says, about us and the world around us. And sometimes we need to do so specifically to prove him wrong and beat him again.

But he never, ever goes away, as he so accurately declares in the musical

Do you really think That I would ever let you go...

Do you think I'd ever set you free?

If you do, I'm sad to say It simply isn't so

You will never get away FROM MEEEEEE

(Art by Akreon on Artstation)

[mariolucario493]

Disney’s Encanto Review/Analysis Time!

Warning: Here be spoilers

Long story short: it’s really good.

Here are the elements that stood out to me:

1. The songs. This is some of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s best work since Hamilton. Moana’s songs were good, but only one or two of them really felt like LMM’s signature style. In Encanto, every single time a character starts singing, you can immediately tell who wrote these songs. 

2. The themes of self-fulfilling prophecies. Most modern Disney movies has some underlying message that relates to societal and psychological pressures. For Raya and the Last Dragon, it was about trust. For Big Hero 6, it was about coping with grief. For Zootopia, it was about prejudice and the debate of nature vs. nurture. For Moana, it was about how much we allow the past to define us. And for Encanto, it seems to be self-fulfilling prophecies. We have a character who is an outcast because of his ability to see the future, but it’s implied that those futures are shaped by the family’s reactions to his visions. For example, he predicts that it’s going to rain at his sister’s wedding. Well, said sister has the ability to control the weather based on her mood. When she gets stressed, it rains. But the self-fulfilling prophecy theme is actually present throughout the whole movie. The idea of each family member having a magical gift that defines them ends up causing them stress because they are expected to live up to what the family and the town expects from a person with such a gift.

3. The climax, which is not very action-based. It’s mostly just characters talking (and singing) about how they feel. There is a scene of the house falling apart and people running for their lives, but after that, it’s mostly just quiet dialogue. This is something I was not too pleased with about Frozen 2 - that they threw in a big action-packed climax for no reason when most of that conflict could have been solved with words. I mean, if the whole point was that the dam had to come down to atone for the sins of the past, why do they need to destroy it so quickly and suddenly? Couldn’t they just take it apart piece by piece? We don’t remove statues of Robert E. Lee by nuking them from orbit! But I digress. The point is that it’s a really refreshing to see a conflict that isn’t resolved with big explosions or exciting feats of courage.

And that brings me to the best part of the whole movie:

4. The grandmother. This is probably the most sympathetic “stern traditional parental figure” character that I’ve ever seen from Disney. She’s not a straight-up villain, but she is the source of most of the film’s conflict. We’ve seen countless Disney movies about a parent or grandparent who doesn’t understand their free-spirited or oddball child. To name a few, we’ve got The Little Mermaid, Pocahontas, Mulan, Tarzan, Chicken Little, Brave, Frozen, Zootopia, Moana, and Coco. And let’s talk about Coco specifically, because that’s the one I want to focus on.

And no, I’m not singling Coco out because it just happens to be another Disney animated movie about Latin American culture. It’s because Coco’s grandmother character was always the weakest element of that otherwise flawless movie IMO. I felt that her redemption, while a very heartwarming moment, was still a little rushed. She just shed some tears of joy, and then everyone is happy again. They never bring up how she essentially abused Miguel but somehow gets forgiven instantaneously. In Encanto, the grandmother actually has quite a few scenes where she expresses how concerned she is about keeping her family together. And we see her promise to do better in the future, even though it will be difficult. I don’t think we’ve seen such a realistic redemption in a Disney movie like this before. Every other Disney parent just turns on a dime (or dies), but this is probably the first one to contemplate how hard change can be since maybe Inside Out. It’s a really great subversion of what is quickly becoming a tired Disney trope. Often times, too much focus on the main character causes side characters to be rushed. But in Encanto, every member of the Madrigal family gets time to shine. It’s not just Mirabel’s story, it’s about all of them.

So there you go. Encanto is probably not going to be in my top 10 Disney movies list, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

[letterboxd]

Third Language.

With her debut film Farewell Amor out now following a successful journey on the festival circuit, Tanzanian-American writer and director Ekwa Msangi tells Selome Hailu about the third language of music, growing up on knockoffs of the Rambo franchise, and her favorite African filmmakers.

There’s a subtle musicality central to the way Ekwa Msangi carries herself. She finds melodies in her words: “You hum the ‘m’,” she says when asked how to pronounce her last name. “Mmm-sangi.” And perhaps to a more subconscious degree, she speaks with rhythm, too: “I do think, and I know, and I can see…” she trails off, ruminating on how much hope she feels for the future of Black filmmaking. Naturally, this musical quality meanders into her work.

Farewell Amor is a quiet film, except for when it isn’t. Three Angolan immigrants revolve around each other in an awkward orbit, each trying to make sense of their dynamic now that they’ve left their home behind. Kept apart for seventeen years by the bureaucratic intricacies of war and paperwork, Walter (Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine) is finally joined by his wife Esther (Zainab Jah) and daughter Sylvia (Jayme Lawson—soon to be seen as Bella Reál in The Batman) in New York City. But they don’t know each other anymore and spend much of their time in silence, until music and dance burst forward as a chance at common ground.

Msangi’s screenplay never dwells on the technicalities of the family’s struggle against the American immigration system. Instead, it plunges into softer, more personal after-effects of dreams deferred. Walter’s walls bear a faded calendar with Barack Obama’s face on it, even though his empty apartment complicates the “hope” the president promised people like him. When his family arrives at long last, Esther wears a silver cross pendant, having made sense of these years as a married-yet-single mother by drawing closer—almost too close—to religion. Sylvia barely speaks at all, caught between a faith that isn’t hers and a home that isn’t either.

Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine and Nana Mensah in ‘Farewell Amor’. / Photo courtesy IFC Films

The film’s triptych structure emerged after Msangi spent months grappling with how to create a feature-length screenplay out of her original short film. “Having just come off of the short, I was focusing on Walter’s story. But [I] didn’t think that was the most original story I could tell,” she says. “And then, out of indecision between whether I should make it Walter’s or Sylvia’s story, I decided to just do both. Initially it was two perspectives that I was looking at. But I realized that Esther’s story was really the linchpin for both of their stories, and it wouldn’t make sense not to have hers.”

Giving Walter, Esther and Sylvia their own chapters makes Farewell Amor a stronger film than if it had followed a singular, traditional protagonist. Extreme conservatism in one chapter is revealed as a desire to avoid pain in another; one character’s cramped living room is another’s space to dance freely. Writing on Letterboxd, Tabby points out how the three-part narrative structure grants meaningful subjectivity to characters who deserve it: “It’s so easy for Westernized perspectives to steamroll over films that deal in cultural disparities and thematics, but Farewell Amor takes important steps in showing all sides of the story,” she writes. “It was refreshing to see [the characters] each given the space to exist.”

This layering of voices happens in the camerawork, too. Each section of the narrative is marked with a visual language of its own, complete with specific color palettes and cinematographic techniques. Msangi thinks fondly about the work she put in with cinematographer Bruce Francis Cole to make the chapters distinct. “For Walter’s, it’s sort of a slow cinema, where there’s a lot of still framing. It’s almost like he’s stuck, you know? Stuck in the frame between two surfaces, two hard surfaces, a window frame, a door frame. And in Sylvia’s, we wanted to have it reflect her livelihood, her restlessness. All handheld cameras, all movement. And then for Esther, she’s very observant. She’s been taking everything in, almost in an investigative style, but also a little bit romantic. She’s romanticized this setup, so a lot of close shots, a lot of soft lighting.”

Jayme Lawson as Sylvia in ‘Farewell Amor’. / Photo courtesy IFC Films

Music gives Farewell Amor a cohesion across the different storylines. “Music is, for these characters in particular, and for me, kind of a third language,” Msangi says. “It gives you a glimpse under the covers, what’s under the sheets.” The soundtrack underscores strong performances from Mwine, Jah and Lawson, lending depth to their quietude and vibrance to their movement. Msangi also notes how sound became a cornerstone of her collaboration with the actors: “As I was writing from different perspectives, in order to help me get into each character’s skin, I would listen to the music that they would be interested in.” She later shared these playlists with the actors, using the songs to communicate what words couldn’t.

Msangi has a good laugh as she tries to think about the major films that inspired her to become a filmmaker. “You know, I don’t have that. Well, I do have that, but not for the reasons that most of my film peers have,” she says. Growing up in East Africa in the ’80s and ’90s, little to none of the programming on television was local. What did kids watch instead? “We watched Rambo for probably ten years straight, and then Rambo knockoffs for another ten years after that. I decided to become a filmmaker because of horrible Rambo knockoff films.”

“I grew up surrounded by such colorful and delightful and interesting and funny people,” Msangi says. “And none of that was reflected anywhere in the media.” As she grew older, she sought out African films she couldn’t access in her youth. Now, they’re some of her highest recommendations. Ousmane Sembène is the first African director whose filmography she ever got the chance to dive into. Sembène’s 50-year career has garnered him the affectionate title of ‘Father of African film’ among many critics and scholars, who laud him for his dramas, including Black Girl and Camp de Thiaroye. Msangi, however, finds herself taken with his unique sense of humor. She has also been inspired by Safi Faye, another Senegalese director, who became the first sub-Saharan African woman to attain commercial distribution in 1975—and whose film Mossane portrays sexual intimacy with an openness Msangi hadn’t seen elsewhere.

Writer-director Ekwa Msangi. / Photo courtesy IFC Films

In Farewell Amor, Sylvia’s chapter reads like a compacted coming-of-age film. Msangi points to South African director Darrell James Roodt’s Sarafina! as an influence in that regard. “It was showing for two weeks in Nairobi, and I lined up for four hours to watch,” she says about the film, a drama about youth involvement in the 1976 Soweto uprising. “Even though it’s from a different part of the continent, I’d never seen young African teenagers on a screen before.” More recently, she has loved 2011 TIFF breakout and Oscar contender Death for Sale by Moroccan director Faouzi Bensaïdi, and Radha Blank’s The Forty-Year-Old Version is her favorite film of 2020. She’s hopeful about the future of Black American cinema: Ava DuVernay and Ryan Coogler are two of her favorite working directors.

Msangi’s selections are wide in range, but there’s still one thing holding them together: themes of vulnerability, community and celebration of identity, across different decades and genres. In fact, her approach to watching movies isn’t far off from the way she made her own—Farewell Amor maps concurrent experiences of disparate people, and Msangi’s tastes seem driven by the same balance of vastness and specificity.

“I’m a filmmaker who really abhors working on the same kind of story over and over again, the same genre, the same kinds of characters,” she says. “So I’m not going to make my career just telling stories about immigrants or about, you know, their wretched troubles,” she laughs. “I don’t want to do that.”

Msangi’s next project will be an African-American period piece; beyond that, she hopes to make films in several locations: the Caribbean, Europe and all over the African continent. “I really would like to just have a lot of fun with my career. You know? Because it’s a fun and magical industry that we work in! The work that we do in creating these stories and hopes and dreams—we create magic, so it should be fun.”

Related content

Adam Davie’s Black Life on Film list

Shachar’s 20 Films by Black Directors 2021 Challenge

Screenpaige’s list of Black Women in Film

Follow Selome on Letterboxd

‘Farewell Amor’ is out now in select theaters and on demand through IFC.