Star-Crossed

[lullabiesinorbit]

#lullabiesinorbit - a dependent blog for @pigeonhq

kermit frosch - twenty-eight, he/him, charlie heaton fc mercury romero - forty-three, he/him, oscar isaac fc stoker alvarez - twenty-five, she/they, maria becerra fc sunshine mercer - thirty, she/her, chappell roan fc

[lullabiesinorbit]

status: open @pigeonstart

where: turntable express

the record store is dimly lit, with only the glow from the counter lamp and a few overhead lights providing illumination. mercury is sorting cassettes from a cardboard box, slow and methodical. he hums starman quietly as he works, lost in his own little world for the time being.

when he hears the telltale ring of the bell alerting him that someone has entered the store, he looks up, pushing his glasses further up on his nose. he gives a small smile at the newcomer before continuing his work. "if you're here for something specific, i can help. if you're just browsing...take your time. i'm in no rush."

[nebulouslover]

The choice to leave everything and everyone that he knew behind on Earth hadn't at all been an easy one to make, particularly not when it came to Kermit. Len had spent countless hours weighing up both the pros and cons in what had been a mentally exhausting process. Ultimately, as he had explained to Kermit, his partner at the time, Len had felt like he had a better chance at living a good - and a safe life - on Mundus Meus. He had cried more than he cared to admit upon leaving Kermit behind.

Len had been trying to live a good life aboard the starship no matter how broken his heart was, however. He expected that he would need an exorbitant amount of time to heal, but that everything would be okay in the end. The end wasn't near, but brief moments of happiness had still been awarded to Len in the waiting process. The theatre was where most of them took place; he felt so lucky to be able to hold onto his passions and his career, even while floating amongst the stars out there.

Some moments in the theatre, however, Len couldn't help but think of Kermit. He'd wonder what time it was down on Earth - were they still following the same time? - and he'd wonder if Kermit was in the wings of their old theatre alone. He couldn't stomach the thought of Kermit in the wings with someone else, but that thought crept up occasionally, too.

Len was looking particularly forlorn that day, funnily enough, thinking about Kermit. He was fiddling with an LED, readdressing it for the next show, when he looked up, and saw what he felt was as good as a ghost. He was completely speechless, standing there as still as a statue, the small screen on the back of the light blinking at him impatiently. Only when Kermit speak, was Len able to snap out of the trance.

"Kermit?" His voice was quiet, and there was a small squeak to it. A million questions flooded his mind. Len sat, right there on the spot, on top of the road case in which he had gotten the light from. He had feared that his legs were going to give out on him. Finally, one single question left his agape mouth, tears welling up in his eyes. "What are you doing here?"

[lullabiesinorbit]

seeing len again felt like a dream, even if he had been aboard the ship the whole time. part of kermit wanted to pinch himself, like he was afraid he might wake up suddenly and realize none of this was real. but no, len was here, right in front of him, in the flesh. kermit notices how his eyebrows draw together when len sees him and he can't help but give a small smile.

the plan really was that they would never see each other again. kermit had too much on earth to stay for, and len was in a position where he couldn't stay. kermit understood, he really did, but he would be lying if he said it didn't break his heart. things changed within a matter of days for kermit and he signed up last minute, now here he was. it seemed like the logical decision, to go where he knew only len could be.

staring at his partner, or ex-partner, whatever they were now, everything seemed alright with the world. it felt like this was where kermit was supposed to be, and like leaving earth was the right decision. he anguished over the choice he made every night on the ship so far, wondering if he had made a mistake. but right now, it seemed like the decision he made was the only option.

he takes a few steps towards len, lifting his hand to cup the other's cheek. "you really think i could stay away for long? you're my whole world, babe. no way i was leaving you behind." it was a partial truth, but in this moment, it was how he really felt.

[lullabiesinorbit]

status: open @pigeonstart

location: observatory

on days that kermit isn't working, he likes to spend some of his time in the observatory. he finds a sense of peace in being able to look out into the vastness of space, like somehow, he just knows everything will be okay when he looks out there. it's a silly thought, but it provides him some comfort, leaving earth wasn't an easy choice for him.

he hadn't been able to sleep much, tossing and turning in his bed, so he decided to come here. it had to be the very early hours of the morning, but then again, time didn't really matter here. he looks into the screen displaying footage of outer space, sitting cross-legged in front of it. when he hears footsteps approaching, he turns his head in their direction. "morning. or...whatever time it is here. i didn't think anyone would be up this early. you have trouble sleeping too?"

[pleiadesfm]

"How ready are you to fuck an alien?" Their grin grew mischievous. "I'm just saying: a lot could happen in the next twenty to twenty-five years before we get there! What if these Cosmo thingamajigs are genetically mutating us, slowing our physical ages to make us live longer and look like we're ten, fifteen years younger than our biological age? What if aliens also move to Mundus Meus, causing us to co-live with them? Do you think they could be homogeneous or diverse, just like humans? What if we could procreate with them? What do you think a human-alien hybrid baby would look like? Ugly-cute or cute-cute or ugly-ugly-but-in-a-cute-way?"

👽𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚜: iris clover & up to player ( @pigeonstart )

🧑‍🚀𝚕𝚘𝚌𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗: space gamers

🪐𝚜𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐: march 2043

[lullabiesinorbit]

"is that really the first thing going through people's heads?" mercury remarks, nose wrinkling at the thought. "i mean, i can't really blame anyone for wondering, but we don't even know if we're going to run into aliens. not to mention if they'll even be intelligent. then we'd have to figure out how to understand each other and...i'm getting ahead of myself."

he shakes his head, as if to dispel the tangent from his head. "you raise some interesting questions, but...i'm not sure i'm the best person to discuss them with. i was getting far too technical, don't you think?"

[lullabiesinorbit]

closed starter for len @nebulouslover

kermit had...been avoiding len, to be completely honest. the pigeon had taken off only 6 days ago, and kermit could have talked to him by then. he knew that he wouldn't be able to avoid len forever, what with both of them working in the theatre. but, he just hadn't been able to get past his nerves. what does he say? how will len react? will len even be happy to see him? these questions and more echoed in his head.

people were still settling in on the pigeon, but operations had largely started. kermit had managed to narrowly avoid running into len on his first of work by hiding in the wings and other areas of backstage. sometimes, he'd catch a glimpse of the other man, and wonder how he was doing. but, today, he decided that he was finally going to approach len.

he fidgets with his sleeve with one hand as he walks towards him, pulse pounding in his ears from nerves. this is it, it was now or never. kermit does his best to smile, but it's more forced than genuine. "um...long time no see." he begins lamely, idly swinging his arms at his sides as if to dispel his anxiety

[lullabiesinorbit]

Mercury Romero has left everything behind in order to join the voyage to Mundus Meus. They're forty-three years old, are a clerk at Turntable Express on board, and are originally from Seattle, Washington. You might recognise them from their glowing orange music note shaped Cosmo Link. Their passenger file describes them as thoughtful and reserved, and lists them as residing in the third floor residences. ⋆｡°✩ Oscar Isaac, homosexual, cisgender man, he/him.

BASICS

name: mercury romero nicknames: merc, mer birthdate: november 24th, 1999 place of birth: seattle, washington zodiac sign: saggitarius gender identity: cisgender man pronouns: he/him sexual orientation: gay occupation: clerk at turntable express

VISUALS

faceclaim: oscar isaac hair color: black with grey highlights eye color: brown distinguishable marks: tbd height: 5'9"/175.26cm

PERSONALITY

positive traits: empathetic, thoughtful, resilient, passionate, preserving negative traits: self-supressing, guilt-ridden, conlict-avoidant, perfectionistic, hesitant mbti: infp (the mediator) character parallels: mia dolan (la la land), freddie mercury, luke skywalker (star wars)

HEADCANONS

mercury's parents came from guatemala, moving to the united states when his mother was pregnant, because they wanted the best for their child. he was raised knowing the sacrifice his parents made, which drove him to pursue a career in programming and software development. he was good at it, but never really felt particularly passionate about it, so when he was about thirty-two he decided to leave programing and open a record store.

his name comes from freddie mercury, because his parents were big fans of queen. mercury also shares this love, but he loves the beatles and david bowie as well. some of his favorite songs are "let it be", "fat bottomed girls", "space oddity", and "don't stop me now". he also has a preference for physical media, hence why he owned a record store and now works at the one onboard. he brought a vintage sony walkman onto the ship with him, and can be found wandering the art galleries aboard while listening to it. for people he's close to, he likes making them mixtapes with handwritten notes.

when mercury was a child, he was told by several people that he was "too much", which he's carried with him into adulthood. if he got too passionate about something, or emotional, or excited, he has this comment ringing in the back of his mind. when mercury talks he's quick to moderate how he might sound to others and automatically tone it down, sometimes in the middle of talking. it's not uncommon for him to pause, take a breath, and continue in a calmer tone. a large part of this is a fear of driving people away due to being "too much".

he has a deep appreciation for all art, but finds that he connects with music the most. music is what makes him feel emotions he doesn't know how to describe, while also allowing him to escape to a different world for a while. he's always more than willing to give recommendations to customers in the record store, sometimes asking if they're looking for a specific vibe. mercury is well-versed on music artists and considers it a point of provide that he can recommend something for just about anyone.

why did they join the pigeon?

after falling on some hard times, the record store that mercury had worked hard to open ended up closing due to finances. it pained him, to see his passion project close its doors, just a little over a decade after opening. when he saw that a starship was looking to make a voyage to establish a small colony on a different planet, it almost looked like a golden opportunity to him. he'd still be able to work in a record store, but this time in a place where he knew it wouldn't close. on top of that, he'd be partially responsible for being a sort of archivist when it came to humankind and its music.

[lullabiesinorbit]

Sunshine Mercer has left everything behind in order to join the voyage to Mundus Meus. They’re thirty years old, are a botanist on board, and are originally from New York City, New York. You might recognise them from their glowing green leaf shaped Cosmo Link. Their passenger file describes them as assertive and opinionated, and lists them as residing in the third floor residences. ⋆｡°✩ Chappell Roan, lesbian, cisgender woman, she/her.

BASICS

name: sunshine mercer nicknames: sunny birthdate: june 1st, 2013 place of birth: brooklyn, nyc, new york zodiac sign: gemini gender identity: cisgender woman pronouns: she/her sexual orientation: lesbian species: human occupation: botanist

VISUALS

faceclaim: chappell roan hair color: reddish brown eye color: blue distinguishable marks: earlobe piercings, other piercings and scars tbd height: 5'2"/157.48 cm

PERSONALITY

positive traits: optimistic, playful, creative, supportive, assertive negative traits: blunt, hot-headed, impulsive, rebellious, confrontational mbti: esfp (the entertainer) character parallels: bert (mary poppins), ariel (the little mermaid), power (chainsaw man), percy jackson (percy jackson and the olympians)

HEADCANONS

sunshine is the daughter of two women, joan and lila, who were kids in the “flower power” era, and the time period influenced them so much that they carried it with them through the rest of their lives. they had sunshine when the were in their late 40s, using a sperm donor. her moms raised her not to be afraid to advocate for herself, about queer history, and that it’s okay to establish hard boundaries with people, even strangers. being raised with these ideals largely shaped who sunshine is today.

she’s not afraid to stand up for herself, will 100% spin around to bitchslap a man if he touches her without her consent. sunshine will also call out the behavior so everyone around them is aware of what happened. despite this, she’s a very kind and bubbly person, she will offer to touch up a girl’s makeup in the bathroom of a bar and offer comfort if needed. she’s also the kind of person who likes to make sure that people feel included, she would pull someone from the sidelines onto the dance floor if they looked lonely.

part of sunshine's "take no shit" attitude, comes from being a woman in stem. she realized before she had even finished her undergrad that there weren't a lot of women in this field, and the ones that did exist had to fight to be heard. so, she decided that she wasn't going to let herself be talked over or treated like she doesn't know as much because she's female. some scientists who've worked with her describe sunshine as "hot-headed", or "abrasive", but funny enough, she's noticed that these comments only come from male scientists.

sunshine automatically considers other queer people, especially women, to be “friends” of hers and would defend one within minutes of knowing them. she’s fiercely protective of those she’s close to, going as far to talk someone down from calling an ex. while she does have this habit, she’ll also back down when asked, because she knows that she can be a bit much at times. not everyone wants to have someone so bold advocating for them and she’s okay with that.

why did they join the pigeon?

sunshine helped engineer a system that allows plants to photosynthesize artificial sunlight on the ship, that way the pigeon can carry plants to the new colony. while other people did help make this system, she was the one who volunteered to go on the voyage, to make sure nothing went wrong and she can work out any kinks. she felt like it was her responsibility to make sure that the plants can make the voyage without any hitches.

[lullabiesinorbit]

Kermit Frosch has left everything behind in order to join the voyage to Mundus Meus. They’re twenty-eight years old, are a stagehand on board, and are originally from Chicago, Illinois. You might recognise them from their glowing green four-leaf clover shaped Cosmo Link. Their passenger file describes them as devoted and avoidant, and lists them as residing in the fourth floor residences. ⋆｡°✩ Charlie Heaton, bisexual, cisgender man, he/him.

BASIC INFORMATION

name: kermit frosch birthdate: january 29th, 2015 age: 28 years old place of birth: chicago, illinois zodiac sign: pisces gender identity: cisgender man pronouns: he/him sexual orientation: bisesxual, with male preference occupation: maintenance technician

VISUALS

faceclaim: charlie heaton hair color: brown eye color: brown distinguishable marks: tattoo of bert from sesame street on his ankle height: 6'0"/182.88cm

PERSONALITY

positive traits: observant, kind, patient, imaginative, nurturing negative traits: non-confrontational, self-sacrificing, insecure, withdrawn, overwhelmed mbti: isfp (the composer) character parallels: jonathan byers (stranger things), ekko (arcane), remy (ratatouille)

HEADCANONS

kermit was parentified from a young age, having to take care of his sibling who was 9 years younger than him when he was 11 years old. as a result, he started to take on a caretaker role in a lot of aspects of his life, which he's kind of grown to hate because he constantly feels "on". his mother left when his sibling was 2 years old and his father was a drug addict, so kermit was forced to become the caregiver for his sibling. since they've grown up, kermit has had a strained relationship with his sibling, they feel guilty for their brother having to give up his childhood for them and kermit wants to see them succeed.

he has a deep love for the muppets and jim henson, which started because he would watch the muppet show and other muppets media with his younger sibling. kermit loved how the cast seemed to have a sense of humor that wasn’t always geared towards kids, and he was fascinated with the mechanics behind the puppetry. when he was old enough, kermit began being involved with stage productions at his school, finding that he had a natural knack for the being a stagehand. by the time college applications came around, he was researching schools with good special effects programs, and after completing his degree managed to find a degree as a technician.

he has a soft spot for young children, finding that he’s always been rather patient and gentle towards them. in his late teens and early adult years, kermit would sometimes volunteer at the library to put on puppet shows for young children. after the shows, he would also stick around for a little while and let the kids “talk” to the puppets, while responding in-character. he’s always liked how his characters seem to draw out a smile in the shiest, most anxious children, and it’s part of why he’s pursued it into adulthood. 

he finds his job draining at times, so weed is his usual outlet for his stress. when not working, kermit can frequently be found smoking a joint, and he’s more than willing to share if asked. he does try to limit his usage because he doesn’t want to become dependent on it, but at the same time weed feels like the only thing that fully turns his brain “off”. when he’s high, he can just stop thinking for a while and allow himself to relax without thinking about stressors from his life.

why did they join the pigeon?

kermit had been in a relationship with len cresta(@nebulouslover) for six months before the pigeon had takeoff, and len expressed wanting to join the voyage to kermit. he wasn't sure, feeling like it was a lot leave behind everything he had ever known. the two ended their relationship on mutual terms due to the disagreement, and kermit really thought that was the end of that chapter of his life. however, not long after he got into an argument with his sibling that resulted in them wanting to be no-contact, and he felt like nothing was left for him on earth after that. so, on a whim, he signed up to join the pigeon, hoping that by some miracle he might be able to reunite with len.

[lullabiesinorbit]

Valeria 'Stoker’ Alvarez has left everything behind in order to join the voyage to Mundus Meus. They're twenty-five years old, are a maintenance technician on board, and are originally from Cape Canveral, Florida. You might recognise them from their glowing black rorschach shaped Cosmo Link. Their passenger file describes them as driven and blunt, and lists them as residing in the fifth floor residences. ⋆｡°✩ Maria Becerra, lesbian, demigirl, she/they.

BASIC INFORMATION

name: valeria alvarez nickname(s): stoker birthdate: january 1st, 2018 age: 28 years old place of birth: cape canaveral, florida zodiac sign: capricorn gender identity: demigirl pronouns: she/they sexual orientation: lesbian occupation: maintenance technician

VISUALS

faceclaim: maria becerra hair color: brown eye color: hazel distinguishable marks: tbd height: 5'2"/157.48 cm

PERSONALITY

positive traits: competent, reliable, perceptive, resilient, practical negative traits: self-critical, overbearing, blunt, workaholic, guarded mbti: istp (the mechanic) character parallels: mizu (blue eye samurai), sevika (arcane), haruka tenoh/sailor uranus (sailor moon)

HEADCANONS

stoker's parents are from argentina, but moved to the united states when they found out they were expecting, wanting to give their child the best chance possible. she is a designer baby, as her parents chose to have it predetermined when stoker was still in utero that she would have a natural inclination for understanding machines. while she did choose her career path partially because of this, she also does technician work because it makes sense to her and comes naturally.

she was involved with the pigeon from before the project was made public, as she has been working with nasa as a technician. stoker worked very hard for her competence to get to a point where she worked on actual spacecrafts, studying and practicing relentlessly to get where she is. when she found out about the starship mm-1218 project, it seemed like too good of an opportunity to pass up, even if at first it meant only being involved before takeoff.

stoker chose to join the colony because after 3 months of being away, working on prep for the takeoff, she found out that her fiancee had started dating someone else. her fiancee tried to justify it by saying she "got lonely" while stoker was away, but she wasn't having it. stoker broke off a 5 year relationship because she wasn't going to marry someone that found someone else just because they felt lonely. with her engagement broken enough, she saw no reason to not join the colony and leave earth behind.

she comes across as blunt and sometimes overbearing to coworkers, but this is because stoker understands the importance of her job. if she messes up fixing something, it could be a life or death situation for everyone aboard, no tolerance for error. however, with close friends, stoker tends to be warmer. she likes to joke around and listen to their problems, sometimes offering advice if needed. she's known as the "fixer" friend, it's not uncommon for someone to bring her a broken toy or device, stoker tinkering with it while they talk and giving it back newly repaired.

why did they join the pigeon?

stoker felt a sense of duty in joining the voyage, like she had worked so hard on making sure it could actually happened that she couldn't not go. after all, this had been a project she'd be involved with for years. what really solidified it for her was coming back of being away to find her fiancee with someone else. she had already more or less made up her mind about going, and now she didn't have any ties with anyone to hold her back from going.