#for laika

[redcomponibili]

Design Process: Apogee Cover Art

I read Apogee during a very ~space~ time of life, and was floored by the level of detail in Opal's descriptions of both life on the ISS, as well as the internal/external world of Shane and Ilya's relationship, so wanted to design a minimal cover inspired by this work, which then very quickly turned into a deep dive on all things space design and photography, so I thought I'd also share some of my finds that inspired this design.

This is my first time sharing fandom-related design so I hope you all appreciate 🪐

Also available on AO3

[beeswaxwings]

god. sorry for yapping again i just. it makes me so sad anytime laika thinks they're not like the bodys mom enough bc. thats you!!!! youre both so fucking alike and she wouldve ADORED the person you've become. you're strong like her. you have her smile and the way she danced and you're her kid. i wasnt even there to meet her and i know, you're both so much more alike than you ever knew. she loved you, dont forget that :)

[blackbearmagic]

Are you doing anything special today for Laika's Night?

I gave Laika a treat offering yesterday! I was at a friend’s house for dinner, and she has puppers, so I got a nice tasty, meaty treat and offered it to her, then let my friend’s dog have at it. 

She seemed very excited to have it, and I wound up having to “offer” it twice, because she wanted seconds, I guess? Or maybe she just liked the attention so much she wanted to experience it again! 

I’m going to leave a dish of water and some little cheapo junk-food treats out for her tonight as well! 

The junk treats are ones she actually picked out herself last year. I was standing in the Petsmart encouraging her to choose her own offering, and she was being all hesitant and shy. Then I reminded her that her last meal had been a “highly-nutritious gel food” and suddenly she had no problem telling me which one she wanted. It was a giant tub of Milk Bone Marosnacks, which I got for super-cheap because employees were getting like 70% off all purchases that day. 

They’re probably stale at this point, and I wouldn’t feed them to a living pup, but honestly? Laika doesn’t really seem to care. They still have enough cronch and taste for her, I guess!

Are you doing anything for our favorite little Starpup tonight?

[blackbearmagic]

Hi! I saw some of your posts talking about Laika and although I'd like to talk to her and honor her, I have no experience or knowledge on the methods of how to do it. Do you have any advice on making that communication?

I talked a fair bit about how I connect with our beloved little Starpup here.

“Dog” backwards might be “god”, but in my experience, Laika is just like any other pupper you’d meet on the street. Approach her accordingly. Let her sniff your hands and talk nicely to her, and she’ll probably love you. If you have tasty treats, share them. They don’t even have to be dog-safe. She’s... dead already. You can’t really hurt her. 

In my experience, she seems to really enjoy just sitting quietly with you. When she comes to visit, sometimes I’ll go stargazing and invite her to sit with me; sometimes I’ll talk to her, sometimes I’ll just sit there and enjoy her presence. Those quiet moments are when I feel she is truly, truly happy.

That, and when she’s sticking her head out the window when you’re driving. I guess that one’s just inherently a dog thing.

[blackbearmagic]

thank you for giving Laika a place to rest her paws. i'm crying right now for her.

It’s been a pleasure and an honor to open my space to her.

Pun not intended.

[blackbearmagic]

Happy Laika's Night!

If you feel so inclined, you might put out a dish of water for her as she passes by in her orbit tonight.

[blackbearmagic]

So I'm looking at the shelves in my store, and I ask Laika what special treat she wants tomorrow. And she's giving me all of these "oh no, it's fine, I don't need a treat" vibes.

Until I reminded her that for most of her life she was eating "highly-nutritious gel food" and then was like "Are you SURE there's nothing here you want?"

Baby directed my attention immediately to the junk-foodiest Milk Bone treats we have.

I'm going to get a small container and bring two or three to the ritual tomorrow, and then keep the rest to set out during her future visits. I don't mind. I get 30% off this week instead of 15%.