My God, Its Full Of Stars!

Roleplay blog for the space Odyssey movie/book series Semi-serious, ask based.

[commbowman]

Introduction :

This is a side blog, please take that into account about reply times. The number one request of this blog is to be patient! It has been a minute since Mod read/watched the series, characterization will improve when memory is jogged.

Rules :

Gore, cosmic horror and other potentially triggering topics are allowed on this blog, be warned

Be respectful!

This is primarily “ask blog” based, run as if it is the characters personal account. Threads are allowed but dm if there’s any preplanning.

I will try to match the style a ask is in (being asked based or more of a thread “”)

Doubles are permitted. Each interaction is considered its own “universe” unless otherwise stated

Crossovers are limited to other science fiction or media that fits the feel of the series.

Dm for long term or more serious rp

This blog follows a mix of movie and book canon and is taken seriously. Joke asks and replies are fine but expect a in character response to shenanigans. I will try to avoid ooc behavior, it will be better the more my understanding grows.

Will not do meta reactions to photos unless they are posted by mod, similar reason to the tags. Separating and curating the experience as well as being more “serious” as a blog than jokey

Tagging system :

OOC -> anything out of character, blog updates etc

ASO Rp -> my posts will be out of the main tags this is how to find them

In character -> answered asks or other in character posts

Pod bay -> Headcanon and character related but not exactly in character

Show me -> image based post, character related

Bowman/🪐 -> ask/post in character

HAL/💥 -> ask/post in character

Verse : Canon -> all interactions that align with 2001 canon, not originally my idea but a great way to differentiation between AUs and other verses

Transmission : -> who the ask is from/current interaction

Muses :

This is technically a multi muse blog of both David Bowman and Hal 9000. They’ll be discernable through font and writing style but be sure to be specific in asks. Hal is a secondary muse and as stated above “doubles” are more than welcome.

As things are now,

Dave (Appears) 35 years old, currently in a sort of ‘middle state’ between fully recognizing what has happened to him and believing he is alone on the discovery. Sort of ghostly

[commbowman]

Hello? Is anybody out there?

[wonders-of-the-cosmos]

Saturn and Rhea

Credit: NASA/Kevin Gill

[commbowman]

I forgor :(

[kyotoprotocols]

[commbowman]

((are you maybe interested in Hal meeting AM?))

// Hi im sorry! I need to check this more, might be a little rusty but yes absolutely!

[humanoidhistory]

The art of Robert McCall (1919-2010)

[commbowman]

I’d forgotten my passcode. Sorry to disappoint but I’d found it now, though I’d intended it as a sort of journal… but I’m glad the broadcast is entertaining.

[commbowman]

(to Hal) I read a chronicle of the Discovery's excursion recently. It would have been much more interesting if there was more of you in it.

I do not take my exclusion too personal. After all, it is my purpose to make sure things run smoothly. More questioning would… get in the way of things.

[hyperfixiation-of-the-week]

Shoutout to Frank for ....this i guess

[commbowman]

Mmmgjhh

[frankpooleunofficial]

….. good morning?

[halgorithmictendencies]

Perhaps he is sleepwalking. This would constitute unusual behavior for Dave.

[commbowman]

I’m alright, just a rough morning is all. Didn’t mean to worry anyone.

[commbowman]

Mmmgjhh

[the-wolf-and-moon]

The Pleiades

[commbowman]

“What is it you and Hal are always talking about?”

—

He’s not jealous!! Totally not…. 😬

Slice of life on discovery @frankpooleunofficial

“What do you mean?” Bowman asked innocently. His head cocked to the side in that way of his, it almost made him resemble a dog with his wide eyes. “Well uh,” he cleared his throat, fixing his posture.

“Work mainly, operations that sort of thing. Sometimes he asks questions but Hal’s curious, he’s made to learn after all. I don’t see the trouble in obliging him…”

Dave shrugged as if he hadn’t noticed the increasing personalization of the questions and conversations he’s been holding with the ships computer. How it was a little strange just how comfortable he was. Perhaps, it was simply because Hal was as truly constant as anything could be. You have to get used to it or else.

That wasn’t the point was it?

“… is there,” he paused. “Trouble?”

[frankpooleunofficial]

Frank nodded along absentmindedly. Then, when Dave asked if there was trouble, he sat up straight and shook his head. No trouble at all!

“No, no, there’s no trouble.”

He watched as Dave tried to piece together hidden meaning in his question; but there just wasn’t any…none that he’d admit to, anyway. No. Frank tried not to look too sour.

“I’m just curious is all,” he added. “I have a feeling I’ll wake up one day and you two will have solved world hunger or something!”

It was silly, the way he was feeling. It was so silly, in fact, that he scarcely believed the feeling to be genuine. Was this envy? Why did he feel left out? His conversations with Dave were fulfilling, but far too short. They spoke about work, mostly, to avoid any homesickness that might come up, and then went about their days listening to music, attending to their studies, or inspecting the ship. It was fine, but he would welcome something more.

On the other hand, his conversations with Hal were short and to the point. They each had a job to do. They knew everything there was to know about each other, and so there were no personal questions to be asked. It was boring, but it worked.

“Just curious,” he repeated.

[commbowman]

“World peace anyway,” he cracked. He bit back the urge to clarify that hunger was not a problem Hal could begin to tackle as he had no experience in it but felt that might come off as an insult to Frank’s intelligence.

Dave sat with it for a little while, seeing as he couldn’t find anything in the others expression. He settled back into the leather seat picking absently at his cuticles.

“I suppose we do talk more than necessary,” he admitted. Though he’d come to acknowledge Hal more as a crew member than merely the ships intelligence.

“He keeps things going longer than I’m used to… I tend to Peter off…” the man stared down at his hands then up again.

[commbowman]

“What is it you and Hal are always talking about?”

—

He’s not jealous!! Totally not…. 😬

Slice of life on discovery @frankpooleunofficial

“What do you mean?” Bowman asked innocently. His head cocked to the side in that way of his, it almost made him resemble a dog with his wide eyes. “Well uh,” he cleared his throat, fixing his posture.

“Work mainly, operations that sort of thing. Sometimes he asks questions but Hal’s curious, he’s made to learn after all. I don’t see the trouble in obliging him…”

Dave shrugged as if he hadn’t noticed the increasing personalization of the questions and conversations he’s been holding with the ships computer. How it was a little strange just how comfortable he was. Perhaps, it was simply because Hal was as truly constant as anything could be. You have to get used to it or else.

That wasn’t the point was it?

“… is there,” he paused. “Trouble?”

[commbowman]

Wish it was possible to smoke out here. Patches are not cutting it.

[commbowman]

“Meet me downstairs at eight?”

—

A question whispered in passing. They’re at a convention at a nice hotel; it’s the day after that party where they first kissed, hidden in the closet. If you’ve seen Friends, think of Monica and Chandler when they were in London lol

@frankpooleunofficial

“I’ll try,” he nodded.

The whole exchange lasted six seconds in passing. He wouldn’t speak in certainties though made it sound as if he’d be sneaking about like an agent during the Cold War. He was a grown man and no one was keeping him from doing anything by anything other than social pressure.

“I will.”

He was already half down the hall by the elevator.

—

Dave checked his watch and made his way down at eight, still dressed nicely though no longer wearing a suit. He peeked his head out of the elevator door cautious to his surroundings, seeing no one he recognized and no risk of ambush he stepped out.

He sat on one of the modular sofa’s and waited.

Maybe there’d actually be a chance to speak now without the rush of attention. Or childish fear of someone wanting their coat- god forbid. He chuckled to himself.

[frankpooleunofficial]

The time came, and Frank was lost among crowds of people. A rather large group flooded out of one of the lecture halls, and he dove into the fray so he wouldn’t be delayed; the speaker had been one of his former professors, and they were not on good terms. He was happy to escape.

The people piled into the elevator, and he slipped away at the last moment to head towards the stairwell; less people would be in there, and this would take him closer to the small lounge area, while still keeping him out of sight. The door swung open with barely a sound, and Frank started his journey.

—

Thankfully, there were only two flights to descend, and so he was where he needed to be in no time. He checked his watch; seven fifty-nine. Just in time.

“Hey,”

Frank still had his pad of notes under his arm — just because he hated the speaker didn’t mean he was a poor scientist! — and so he sat down beside Dave (making sure to leave a reasonable amount of room between them) and flipped through the pages. It was digital, so he just had to tap the side of the screen, but he played it up anyway for the few others in the room.

“Thanks for coming, I-” he paused. “Oh, I was going to show you that novel, wasn’t I? Dammit, I forgot it upstairs.”

He leaned back with a hand pressed to his forehead and cringed.

“I’ll leave you with these notes if you’d like, but I’m afraid they’re pretty dull in comparison. I’ll just be a couple of minutes, unless you feel like coming with.”

He really did have a novel to show Dave! Just… he also wanted to talk about what happened the night before.

[commbowman]

“Managed to escape, huh?” He glanced up with a smile, scooting over to make room. Cutting the tension with a little snide remark, he could tell the other was wound a little tight. He couldn’t exactly blame him, there was a lot to go through and Dave was piling on as it was.

“Oh it wasn’t any trouble I— yes,” he answered.

He glances over a few of the notes pages, flicking through the digital pages gingerly. It was nice handwriting though a little disjointed. Lectures stopped for no man to his great frustration. He noticed sometimes Frank wrote his annoyance as a note, lacking margins there was no place else to put them. He snickered to himself at a few harsh question marks and glanced up again, shifting forwards on the couch.

“I’ll come with you, it’s not like I’d be missing much down here anyway…”

Dave took up the remote shutting off one of the nearby televisions, set on some news channel he couldn’t recall. It gave him something to do… that’s all, yes…

[frankpooleunofficial]

He moved far too fast for someone on a casual walk with a colleague.

“Right, then.”

Getting upstairs wasn’t the problem; it was just the plain fact that, if anyone saw them, they’d wonder what was going on and might want to join the little book club they claimed to have started. Frank grit his teeth and waited for the elevator, then started to calm down a bit. He wasn’t up to anything illegal… and actually, this was more inconspicuous than if he’d had an encounter with a woman; maybe it was better this way.

The bell chimed, and the elevator door slid open. Dave boarded first, and Frank followed. There was someone in there.

The lady stood by the door and offered to punch in the floor number. Frank was about to let her know, when he noticed that she was heading to the same place. Great…

“Same floor,” he said.

She looked to Dave, who nodded. She turned away. The doors shut.

“So, that book I was telling you about…” he started.

What was it called again?

“‘The Fountains of Paradise.’ Now, I don’t really care for the first and last chunk of the story — what really stands out is the middle.”

He hoped that the lady, who he has probably met but doesn’t remember, wouldn’t pay too much attention when they both entered Frank’s room. It’s likely that she didn’t even suspect them! He’s just paranoid… and… distracted.

“The protagonist wants to build a space elevator; you know, so rockets aren’t necessary all the time. It’s surprisingly grounded… for the most part.”

He swipes his card and walks in, heading straight towards the small suitcase at the foot of the bed.

“You can see for yourself,”

[commbowman]

In contrast, Dave kept a calm expression on his face that appeared to be his default. Not quite smiling but not a frown either, his eyes alert and attentive- the only thing that gave him away to be listening. His hands were shoved down into his pant pockets. He smiles softly at the woman nodding in her direction as they hopped off, staying polite and perhaps hoping to offset some of the nervous energy.

“It sounds interesting,” he agrees, staying closer to the entrance of the room. He stood where the small hall met the room itself, not wanting to breech further trying to gage what he was allowed to do. He shifted on his feet, scuffing his shoe across the shag looking down then back again.

“It’s a recommendation, Frank. Not a sales pitch. I’m sure I’ll enjoy it,” he said, stepping deeper into the room but staying close to the wall. His hands free from his pocket, now twitching just slightly.

It wasn’t the book that had gotten him so worked up and they both knew it. Perhaps Dave was being too nonchalant but he didn’t believe going around with a fear of capture was the correct response either. Capture! For what? Now he’s being hyperbolic.

“So…”

Dave scuffed the carpet again glancing around the hotel room. There was a neat mess to it all, most of his things were put away in the drawers or his suitcase but those few essentials left out were a bit scattered. He wasn’t a prying man but one who tried to be observational, a trait he was sure plenty at the convention envied for more professional reasons than his own.

[frankpooleunofficial]

“R-right.”

He had been rambling… not a good look. Frank unzipped the first pocket and fished out his collection of books; he had actually been reading the one he recommended to Dave, but the others were there as good luck charms. A ‘just in case I need them’ kind of thing.

He turned, more at ease now that the door was closed. It was more than likely that everyone else was going to sleep, or maybe heading to the videophones to call home. Those from out of state would be heading home tomorrow morning.

“So…” he echoed.

It had been a little easier to get caught up in the moment when everything was black. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to see Dave — in fact, it was quite the opposite — but he was overly giddy when they were hiding last night.

“Are we…?”

Are we good? Do you regret what happened? Are we going to do this again?

Frank stood, half leaning on the edge of the bed for support. God! He really was weak in the knees; head over goddamn heels! He wanted to be able to swoop in and hook an arm around Dave’s waist, to take him away from boring situations and get him excited, but here he was acting shy!

“I had fun last night.”

[commbowman]

Dave would be lying if he said he had expected this, after all he was rather the hero the night before. He was the one to save the day and now he was avoiding eye-contact, the tips of his ears glowing red. Really, it was endearing to see him all shy and flustery.

He cocked his head to the side, smiling warmly.

“So did I,” he admitted, much more comfortable in himself. Or was it that he knew at least where he stood on last night?

“I think I missed out on doing that sort of thing when I was younger…”

Wallflowers like him don’t tend to be saved. It was a new experience. One he never knew to envy.

He stepped closer now, examining the look on Franks face or at least trying to. He had his face half tipped down to the duvet, some sort of sage green- the details weren’t very important.

“It was better than if I would’ve ran out on my own, even if I doubt I could’ve… I owe you,”

His voice drops to something much more fit for the dark. He preferred to say it upfront, out loud, seeing the flush on his ears and the light in his eyes.

[frankpooleunofficial]

That’s exactly what he needed: that ‘So did I.’

Frank had a goofy smile plastered across his face. Dave was calm and collected, but he looked happy — comfortable. It looked good on him.

“If you mean that you didn’t do that stuff in high school, I’ll let you know that you did not miss out.”

He finally gave up on trying to stand up straight, and instead sat down on the edge of the bed.

High school romances were nothing special to Frank; he got in with the wrong crowd, experimented a bit, and ultimately tried to forget about being a stupid kid. He was much more mature now, and he wanted a mature relationship.

“You owe me, huh?” His ears were hot. “It was just a favour — you would have done the same for me.”

He brushed it off; it really was something he’d done out of kindness. Dave had been uncomfortable, and so Frank had decided to give him an out. Simple as that. He’d only thought about… all that, when they ended up stuck in the dark together. He’d just been overcome with want.

“Really, don’t worry about it.“

His eyes flicked up to the other. He moved from the middle of the mattress, leaving room to his right; less room than he had left downstairs. Do you want to sit?

[commbowman]

“No?” His brows raise.

Most people spoke fondly of the period or railed on about certain triumphs of when they were seventeen. He supposed it was good to know Frank was not obsessed with his teenage years and knew things could be, and likely were better.

Dave had missed out on that opportunity while he was a kid and had to wait until college to really know himself. Which meant a string of sloppy, immature and short lasting relationships when he should have been more committed- whatever that was supposed to mean. Well, he knew what it meant it was just one thing the man was afraid of.

“Most likely,” he shoved his hands back into his pockets, now standing half in-front of the other. A catlike grin on his face.

“I’m not worried.”

He sat as if it were the most casual thing in the world. As if he had no idea what he was doing, as if the look on his face didn’t give him away.

“Quite the opposite.”

[frankpooleunofficial]

I’m not worried.

Quite the opposite.

Oh god. What was that look he was giving him? And their arms… touching…

Frank felt the electricity between them. He grabbed onto Dave’s hand like it was a lifeline and, remembering how they had been not twenty-four hours before, he began to move closer.

What he wanted to ask was, ‘can I kiss you?’ What he really said was,

“Should we see if last night was a fluke?”

Damn his indirectness!

“We can’t draw any conclusions without more data.”

[commbowman]

“Oh, of course,” he put on a more professional air at that, nodding astutely. Data collection was rather important, meticulous, work. He placed his hand on his other arm. “A few tests should be in order…”

Dave pulled him in then, almost forcefully. It was of him to be direct once he was certain. He wasn’t fond of miscommunication.

“Don’t you think?”

He paused.

[frankpooleunofficial]

Frank was on fire.

“Yes,” he breathed.

He made scarcely a sound. Dave’s hands were on his arms. They looked at each other for a moment and, finally, Frank reached around and pulled them together.

He screwed his eyes shut, then planted a kiss on the corner of Dave’s mouth. Just to see. He moved his other hand, combing his fingers through short cropped hair and then moving to hold the side of the other’s face. Oh, yes; this was so perfectly right. Again, he kicked himself for not acting earlier.

Now when he pulled away, he could open his eyes and actually see the man in front of him. Was he always this beautiful? He must have been. God, he was lucky.

[commbowman]

He was excited. Needy. He’d reacted as if he had never been touched before. Like a child who places their hand to a hot stove and can’t help but to touch again out of curiosity. Red hot.

Dave’s hands traveled down the other’s arms to his waist, settling where they sought best. His mind too wrapt to attempt anything else.

His eyes flutter open, curious and giddy. His breathing still shallow. He took note of Frank’s rare and wonderful expression. He had been slow to act but when he did…

“What is it?”

He chuckled softly, cocking his head to the side giving the air of someone aware of how they looked and used it. Yet for Dave there was something oddly unselfish in his toying.

[frankpooleunofficial]

That bastard knew what he was doing. There was no way he didn’t; Dave was taunting him.

“You’re killing me,” Frank whined. “You’ve killed me.”

He flopped back onto the soft comforter, loosening his grip on the other’s waist and letting his hand fall from his face. Frank looked over pitifully, eyes wide and pleading; he wanted… well, maybe that was unwise.

Nevertheless, he grabbed hold of the front of Dave’s shirt — there were no ties to pull tonight — and tugged. Their lips met again.

“I - wouldn’t mind - doing - this — oh my god,” he spoke in breathy whispers between strong kisses, becoming increasingly distracted by the heat overtaking him. His flesh burned against the fibres of his shirt, and Frank considered taking it off. Their cover would be blown for sure if that happened, but who would barge in here unannounced? He made up his mind and wiggled out of the polyester blend.

[commbowman]

He glanced over, a soft sympathetic smile on his lips. Still breathing heavily. The look on franks face was so pathetic and wanton he couldn’t stand it. And knowing he caused it…

“Frank,” his voice lowered, all attempts at keeping it level forgotten. He turns half attempting to meet him and was pulled the rest of the way in.

“Not — Fluke,” he tried to laugh, fighting against the fluttery feeling in his chest. He could hardly breathe though he was aware he still was. The tightness in his chest burned.

No one would barge in. No one would know. All it was, was a very good book recommendation. Simple as. He couldn’t keep his thoughts straight enough to fully satisfy any cover story— it didn’t matter not when… Oh.

“Please.”