Do you look up into space?
The quiet serenity, soft glowing lights, cosmic beauty,
A source of quiet and peace for the weary,
Knowing we all share the same moon?Do you look up into space?
Black holes, explosive dying stars, white hot,
Light years away, unknown cataclysms echoing about,
Destruction that we'll never see?Do you look up to space?
Its constance, permanence, unyielding force,
To persist while everyone's watching,
But appear silent and mystical all the same?Aren't you made up of space?-Lucy (つ≧▽≦)つ

★Pick a Babe!★

[Sector 1: Pg 04-07]When I asked my family for possible vacation places, I expected a few ideas thrown at me. Maybe we could trip through galaxies for a few days. Maybe we could spend a few hours on a moon or two. We could move between Saturn’s rings and take in the cold winds of Neptune. Hell, we could move through light years and dance among stars.But no, no one else wanted to do that. I got a ton of excuses. We’ve already visited that galaxy. Neptune’s too cold. Venus is too hot. The aliens in the other galaxies are rude. No matter what I threw at them, they had a reason to hate it.“Zavi, I don’t want to go there.” My siblings griped, all getting into my space. I had no means of escape, so I squirmed in place while they whined in my ears. “Please, Zavi, I don’t want to go there! Don’t make me go there!”“Fine, fine!” I threw my hands…all twelve of them…into the air. The room grew quiet as eighty pairs of eyes turned to me. My siblings, my parents, my friends. Not even one of them can come to an agreement. “Where do you want to go?!” Once again, I’m greeted with silence. Their brains are working right now. They’re thinking hard but coming up blank. “All right, let's try this again. How about I show you some pictures of galaxies and we’ll pick one?”

Excerpt from "Family Vacation Decisions"
in the 2026 Martian Annual Zine

[Sector 6: Pg 67-69]Initially, it may seem like an extremist view. We are the same species even if our birthplaces are magnitudes apart. Yet some have even gone as far as to claim that New Humanity is adapted for life on Mars while Earth migrants are not. They use this as an argument to separate the two groups. The claim goes further by mentioning the supposed physical adaptations ‘New Humans’ have for our red planet: better internal thermal regulation, more efficient cellular respiration, and an increase in individuals’ abilities to temporarily photosynthesize. Public-funded scientists argue that these claims are based on small studies that are not critically peer-reviewed or widely recognized.Culturalists do note the differences in life here and on Earth. There are government-sponsored programs to assist those immigrating here, and there are communities within cities that allow migrants to hold onto their Earthen cultures even after generations. Paleo-anthropologists are now even being asked to draw any similarities in Earth and Martian cohabitation to that of homo neanderthals with homo sapiens. Most decline though seeing how it feeds to the claim of species differentiation. On the lighter side of things, conservative members of society at least feel as if the relationship between Earth and Mars should be more economic-focused than socially diplomatic.

Excerpt from "Conflicting Interests: Council to Meet on What Qualifies as Human"
in the 2026 Martian Annual Zine

[Sector 1: Pg 10]There’s a place that I long for,A home with no name.Conquered eons ago,My species fought in vain.A marvelous planet you could see from parsecs away.Three dozen neon rings made a dazzling displayThere was periwinkle plasmaAnd blue solar rays.

Excerpt from "A Home With No Name"
in the 2026 Martian Annual Zine

[Sector 6: Pg 75-80]Vast gets lost in this other world. This vision of the past. It’s very likely that these beings that it is currently looking at with so much fervor have long since passed away. What did they hope to do with the Message? Attempt to gain allies for some grand war? Or were they simply calling out into the void, hoping to find a friendly response?To Vast, that seems silly. Many species would rather stay hidden from the regard of others. Too often are planets overtaken by those much stronger than themselves. And the galaxy that the Message originated from is notoriously empty. Without it, no one would assume there was intelligent life living there.However, there is a kind of… hope that the Message instills. It says, in a language of images and sounds, “We are here, and we wanted to say hello.”

Excerpt from "House of Stars"
in the 2026 Martian Annual Zine

[Sector 4: Pg 51-54]Noelani rubbed her eyes, “You're beautiful.”“I learned this on my journey. I also understand the companionship I require for a thriving colony. Kindness. Empathy. Warmth. All the traits that represent our planet's eternal herb.”Noelani recalled the curiosity Kam had when she first seen Noelani's jars of tea. Lavender. Knowing Kam's planet was filled with flowers brought her peace. If only she could taste it…“Would you like to try it?” Kam tilted her head.“The mind-reading has to stop.” Noelani huffed.“Very well.” Kam smiled and rose to her feet. They reminded Noelani of curved thorns, mimicking feet.When Kam returned, she carried a bowl that had a smooth aroma.

Excerpt from "Lavender Sky"
in the 2026 Martian Annual Zine

I'll be sharing my zine work on the Martian Annual instagram as well as my Patreon!
Go check out the other artists~!!

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