#8illionsart

[transentiencestudios]

Playing in the snow

Here we see a young Iyam-ru pair from planet Persus playing together in the snow. Being such intelligent animals comes with both advantages and disadvantages-, as these avians often find themselves growing bored and seeking entertainment in anything they can find. In this scenario, they're simply enjoying their time together, with the male munching on a snowball he made and the female jealously pecking after him for a piece of it.

[transentiencestudios]

Windsurfing

Some avian populations that dwell in mountainous regions of Persus, particularly the Iyam-ru, use the heated air from volcanic hot springs for updrafts, allowing them to cruise effortlessly through the sky. They have adapted to the geothermal activity of their habitat by climbing nearby peaks surrounding the steaming ponds. The cliffs, shaped by centuries of volcanic activity, have become a common playground for them. Here, they tend to engage in aerial acrobatics and intricate flight patterns, showcasing their agility and glistening plumage. The steep rocky outcrops serve as launchpads, where the birds often engage in playful competitions, each vying for the best position to catch the next thermal current. This friendly rivalry adds a dynamic spirit to the cliffs, making it a vibrant and essential part of their daily life, and giving tourists visiting the hot springs one kind of a show.

[transentiencestudios]

Ember galaxy

Ember is a supergiant elliptical galaxy in the Ophiuchus Supercluster, approximately 400 million light years away from the Milky Way. With its billions of stars and old age, it is home to a diverse range of alien life forms, many of which have advanced to higher levels of intelligence. Ember's old age enables many of its lifeforms with stable solar systems that are tightly linked to one another, allowing interplanetary civilization to re-emerge rather swiftly even after its utter collapse. This enormous galaxy has witnessed a lot of history. So much so that there is essentially an infinite horizon for exploration. It's so large that many individuals believe there are hundreds of undiscovered civilizations that haven't made significant technological advances to give them away to the current superpowers.

A graphic demonstration of Embers' detectable size in comparison to the Milky Way, if we were to view it from Earth today. Note that current observatories are far from producing such high-quality photos of distant objects outside the zone of avoidance yet.

An artistically reconstructed image of the official combined XMM-Newton and GMRT image capture of the Ophiuchus Cluster. Ember aka. NeVe 1 is the bright purple spot. On the lower left is a blue cloud, which is the remnant of an eruption that happened approximately 240 billions years ago. Today, Ember is flouring with life again, despite its catastrophic past. What exactly caused this eruption remains a great mystery. Only the most advanced civilizations of this ancient marble of a galaxy may know the answer to Ember‘s long forgotten secrets.

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[transentiencestudios]

Three

Initially acting as Eight's companion shuttle and stationary caretaker before and after the grand ARC’s launch, he subsequently made the choice to expand his static vehicle shape into an organic body; following his once-human instincts; as he grew increasingly displeased with his shuttle self, and the fact that Eight walked Ember's plains in the hands of persons unknown to him, frustrated him. He now follows her wherever she goes to keep a close eye on her, whether or not she asks for it.

[transentiencestudios]

The Matrix Maker

A gatekeeper and messenger entity awaiting passing source codes in front of the Great Complexes gateway.

[transentiencestudios]

An important meeting

On the bridge of her space craft Artox Trahelis, the commander waits patiently for one of her crew members to arrive. Once through the door, the crew member is unsure what to make of his commander, as she looks him down in an awkwardly sinister manner.

„You wanted to speak with me?" the commander's voice prospered throughout the room, her serene tone just audible enough for the person who had entered. The way she sat there was ominous, not to mention the wicked sneer on her lips, which was odd given how rarely she smiled. Her face was unreadable, and the sparkling gold embellishments on her robe appeared utterly distracting in the intense light.

"Y-yes, Commander." the crew member she had patiently waited for stuttered, unsure what to make of the way she stared at him. He could barely see her face in the shadow of her hood.

"Why so pale? It was you that requested a private meeting with me. So speak. I am all ears." she insisted, her voice raising a little so he could hear her better. […]

[transentiencestudios]

Artox Trahelis (Ar-T)

The Artox-Trahelis (also known as Ar-T) is an ancient Trirax Heavy-Cargo Type ship that has long been repurposed to serve as a mobile home for Commander Eight's crew and occasional visitors, essentially a large living community backed up by funds earned through missions and discoveries. Individuals who work on board this oldtimer love their jobs since the ship provides a unique environment and challenges owing to its old mechanical and electrical parts. Some rooms and exterior sections have been modernised to improve safety and insulation. Its antiquity, however, is not the only noteworthy characteristic of this spaceship; it also houses two Pryon minds (Artox and Trahelis), who serve as the ship's voices. Pryon infestation has consumed the ship's walls and internal equipment, making it unlawful to land at any station outside the Lumian Republic and DMZ, as the Pryon are still viewed as a parasitic threat after their eradication. If news spreads that the Pryon are still roaming outside their isolated planets, there will be an orchestrated manhunt. The crew must use extreme caution when visiting various stations. To keep the crew safe, Eight frequently travels there via shuttle. Ar-T feels misunderstood, although they recognise and acknowledge current boundaries that many civilisations have as a result of past events. It is unclear if Ar-T agrees with them or not.

[transentiencestudios]

Acceptance

Despite her unusual-looking appearance, she is pleased to be herself, no matter what others think of her. Eight, who had a flawed physique in her early and later years as a normal human citizen, sustained countless surgeries and mishaps to become the person she is today - the "perfect asset" for the Architype Project, exhibiting great mental endurance and strength. She is now the commander of the Artox Trahelis and an important ally to many, an honorable position nobody can take from her.

[transentiencestudios]

Truf‘ki Igis

The Varek call Truf‘ki Igis their homeworld. Due to the planet's overpopulation, Varek constructed a gigantic ring station around it, which can be accessed by various space elevator ports on the planet's surface.

Map

[transentiencestudios]

The commander

Once human, now proud commander of the Artox Trahelis; Eight and her crew navigate through a galaxy so alien and bewildered - but brimming with adventure as vast as the cosmos itself.

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[transentiencestudios]

Traditional Delicacies of the Uru-kind

These goods are best enjoyed warm and fresh from your traditional Uru bakery.

Who are the Uru?

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[transentiencestudios]

Uru species

Uru are highly educated, peaceful, feathery beings with utopian living standards. Poverty and homelessness have been eradicated since every individual has the opportunity to receive government assistance as long as they demonstrate a desire to advance in life, whether through work or higher education. The Uru are one of the three official council species, and so have one of their own in charge of preserving the democratic interests and equality of all federation species. When rights are violated, they are never held accountable because that is exactly what they are actively trying to safeguard, and they frequently conflict with the Varek and Skaarn as a result of their irrational experiments or condemning actions - which is a good thing. Uru will always pick the path of least aggressiveness, even if it is tactically ineffective.

The Uru Esko (to the right) are the Urukind's ancestral race; they are accustomed to colder temperatures and thus prefer to live in colder arctic regions today. However, many of them eventually moved into the cities that the Tero race built (to the left), and cross-race relationships became the norm. Esko retain some separate communities on Persus, particularly in icier regions. You can imagine it being similar to modern-day tribes on Earth, yet most Esko are aware of civilization and prefer a simple traditional existence relying primarily on the consumption of fish. The Tero make up the majority of the Uru population. Long ago, they moved away from colder regions and created towns around Persus‘ equator, near volcanoes or subterranean magma rivers. They gradually lost the majority of their plumage as temperatures got more tolerable and building insulation improved significantly. Some genetic engineering was most likely used to quicken the process. This also boosted Tero's mobility over interstellar space. They never overheat on stations and would only struggle on hotter worlds and/or environments, of which there are few. Tero are basically the modern Uru. They dress in a variety of colours, and males even apply make-up powders to impress females. This is something that became common in Uru society; it did not originate with the Esko. Despite being a minority race, Esko are well-known for their calm and focused temperament. They excel at school and get along well with the most of the Uru. However, cross-racial parents and Uru society have the potential to alter this norm.

[The Triumvirate is partly run by an Uru Esko male president.]

Domesticated animals

Delicacies

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[transentiencestudios]

Iyam-ru species

Wild - Domesticated

Here we see the ecotypes of the most abundant bird species on planet Persus. The wild (larger) and domesticated (smaller) birds show distinct morphological and behavioral traits and have adapted to different environmental conditions.

These avians had existed since the Uru were still drawing in the snow as primitives; the Uru were the ones who eventually encroached on their territory by taking over the majority of hot springs on Persus, their homeworld. As the Uru Tero race took more of their natural habitat, many of these birds relocated to Uru-built cities, developing into a completely new race of city scavengers. Initially, they were nothing more than street cleaners to the Uru, and they were fully embraced as part of societal development, but they eventually evolved into a symbol of adaptability and peace. Uru constructed permanent nesting places and shelters for these animals, gradually transitioning them to domestication over many generations. As time went on, the small birds grew closer to the Uru which eventually lead to them turning into pets and livestock. It is quite common for Uru families to possess one or two avian friends as pets today.

Who are the Uru?

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[transentiencestudios]

Cold

As she gradually lifted her mask, the commander felt the icy breath of planet Persus envelop her, its chill sharp; yet invigorating. The air, so unfamiliar and pure, filled her lungs with a freshness unmatched by any atmosphere she had known.

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[transentiencestudios]

I will glaze my art from now on to protect my style from AI databases. I haven’t looked into it much prior, but this recent post made me consider it now. Would recommend that to any artist who wants to fight against these corrupted companies.

Guaranteed I cannot entirely stop companies from utilizing my creations, but at the very least I can reduce the probability for it by hiding the non-edited versions behind a trusting paywall.

Remember that AI is not the enemy, companies and people at those companies are. It’s them who ruin innovation through manufactured laziness. They want to ruin the small ones (we, creatives), they ruin neural networks which could save lives and create a potential better future for US. Choose wisely.

[transentiencestudios]

Ukkit Collective Sophont ideas

These are a few rough design ideas for non-T.F.E sophonts. In the meantime, we have already developed the canines and aquatics further as those were our faves. The canines will also play a significant role in our comic as they work closely with the Ukkit. The others appear as less developed sophonts later down the line as sidekicks or small meetings in the story.

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