#Civil Rights Birthplaces

[2-the-manor-born]

The BIRTHPLACE of MARTIN LUTHER KING JR (1929-1968).

January 15th 1929

American Civil Rights leader,and Baptist Minister.A leading figure in the civil rights movement,for balck people in America,especially during the 1950's and 60's.

Martin Luther King Jr. - Wikipedia

LIVED HERE: Birthplace.Childhood.1929 to 1941

501 Auburn Avenue,Altanta,Georgia 30312,USA

Public Museum/PRIVATE Residence/Private Commercial

Heritage Protected: YES/NO National Historic Register (USA)

Birth Home - Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)

[angry-art]

Hey so since I'm never posting this to ao3, y'all can see a snippet of an abandoned, not-canon fic

---

He misses humanity. Or, more accurately, he misses the little of them he remembers. The species he once was, so fragile and short-lived. The species that tried so hard, yelled out into the cosmos, making their mark upon Him. The species which razed Earth and salted its/Her/Their corpse and survived for centuries after. He misses the blurs of red he remembers he called his… sister? Mother? He misses his made-twin, his… clone. The one who was supposed to be him. 

He’s happy he remembers to miss them, even if he remembers who they are only in abstract, in flashes of colours and sounds and emotions. He’s much more Space than not, now. Every breath he takes, every time his awareness flickers for a moment, he forgets to grieve them just that much more. Eventually, he’ll forget the colour/sound/emotion that make up those he lost, and he won’t care enough to grieve.

Is this how Time felt? No, for Time is not constrained to one time, is not constrained to one timeline. Time is only ever able to be in one place at a time, unable to greet the space between spaces whilst tending to the stars. At that moment, he envies Time, for what good are the stars when he mourns those he can’t even remember? What good is star-song when he knows humans used to create imperfect perfections called music? What good is witnessing history being made when he is not present enough to care about anything other than the pulsing beat of the universe, of the star-song in distant galaxies? What does one civilization matter when there are tens more across a galaxy alone? If not for it having been his birthplace, his home, it would have risen and fallen without him learning so much as a name for it. 

But it was his birthplace. It was his home. It was where he lived and died and lived again. Where he brought immortality upon himself, where he was destined to. After eons he’s learned that freewill is a lie, and he deluded himself in his youth that he defied death, that he didn’t fight because he needed to act as a protector, as a guardian, but that he needed to right a wrong. No, freewill never existed and every action was predestined. Perhaps this was not the only possible result that could have occurred, but in this timeline, this universe which he resides in and is him, it is.

---

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Lil Kalish at HuffPost:

The first-ever mobilization of trans voters around a presidential candidate took place on Zoom on Tuesday, as around 1,000 transgender people, including lawmakers, advocates, health care workers and celebrities, logged on to show support for Vice President Kamala Harris’ bid for the presidency. Trans Folks For Harris was one of numerous identity-based webinars to support Harris after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race last month. Over the last few weeks, many LGBTQ+ advocates have embraced Harris, touting her decadeslong record of supporting LGBTQ+ rights, and her decision to make Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who transformed the state into a “trans refuge,” her running mate. This came just after Advocates for Trans Equality released a report showing that 75% of eligible trans voters turned up to the polls in the 2020 presidential election, compared to 67% of the general U.S. population — and that trans voters make up a crucial part of the electorate.

“We know our rights and our progress are on the line, but so is our very sense of belonging,” said Delaware state Sen. Sarah McBride, who was elected as the first openly transgender state senator in the country. If McBride wins her bid for Delaware’s open House seat, she would become the first transgender member of Congress. “We have the opportunity, but more importantly, the responsibility in this election to show a trans young person who fears that the heart of this country is not big enough to love them too, that no matter what extremists say or do, our next president and vice president continue to have their backs,” McBride continued. The Harris-Walz campaign has yet to release any concrete policy plans on civil rights ahead of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago next week, but advocates say Harris and Walz have demonstrated their commitment to supporting LGBTQ+ rights, access to abortion and the rights to bodily autonomy overall. A draft of the Democrats’ platform, which was released in July, outlines their fight to restore reproductive rights, address racial inequalities, and protect democracy.

“It’s a step forward to ensure that trans people, especially Black and Brown trans women, have the representation and the resources they need to live with dignity and pride,” Zahara Bassett, CEO of Chicago trans advocacy organization Life Is Work, said on the call. “We need to make sure that our future is one of equity, justice and liberation for us all.” Harris was one of the first elected officials to publicly back marriage equality in 2004, and she refused to defend Proposition 8, California’s same-sex marriage ban, in 2008. As a prosecutor, she also led the charge to end the so-called gay and transgender “panic defense,” a legal strategy often used to seek a lesser offense for perpetrators of anti-LGBTQ+ violence or murder by claiming that the victim made same-sex sexual advances. In June 2023, Harris became the first sitting vice president to visit the Stonewall Inn, the birthplace of the modern gay rights movement, and the site of the historic 1969 uprising of LGBTQ+ people fighting back against police raids in the New York City bar. And earlier this week, Harris released a video on X outlining how former President Donald Trump vastly restricted LGBTQ+ rights while in office — and how he would do so again if elected. Trump has already promised to roll back several policies, including blocking access to gender-affirming care for minors and rescinding the Biden administration’s Title IX rules that expand protections for transgender students. Trump’s running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, introduced a bill in the upper chamber to criminalize gender-affirming care for trans youth.

[...] Today’s embrace of Harris is in stark contrast to how some LGBTQ+ voters remembered her last bid for president in 2019. Back then, some advocates took issue with Harris’ tenure as a prosecutor for how she pushed for criminal penalties for parents of truant children and which led to the arrest of many Black and brown people. Many also noted how as attorney general, Harris’ office denied an incarcerated trans woman’s request for gender-affirming care. Harris has since apologized and said she takes “full responsibility” for her office’s actions. But still, not all LGBTQ+ voters are convinced. Harris’ support for the Biden administration’s policies towards Israel’s war in Gaza has alienated some of these voters. In the Democratic primaries this year, hundreds of thousands of voters cast “uncommitted” ballots as a form of protest to push for a cease-fire and end U.S. weapons transfers to Israel.

For the first time in American Presidential history, an organized mobilization effort for trans Americans to support Kamala Harris’s Presidency bid has cropped up, featuring a Trans Folks For Harris Zoom call. 🏳️‍⚧️

[alatismeni-theitsa]

The kind of mythology flex it is to be able to say "Hey! I'm a Real Alive Person and I was born and raised in mountain Πήλιο (Pelion), the actual mythical home of the Centaurs (and birthplace? If I'm not mistaken?)"

Because hey. I exist :)

And xenoi still think they're the rightful inheritors of Ancient Greek culture. Maddening to consider.

No bc back when I was reading Percy Jackson as a kid, I was so hurt to read the line where it said that the Greek Gods follow the path of "Πρόοδος" to the West and have "relocated to the US" or whatever. As a lil kid, my immediate reaction was

"WHY?! We're still here aren't we? Is Greece empty now? Is Olympos vacant? Why would Our Gods abandon us? What about the demigods born in Greece?"

It's a special kind of rage pain when you take into account ALL OF THE FUCKING STOLEN ANCIENT ARTIFACTS. That our culture often depicts them as being abducted. I've cried in frustration about this.

Haha, is that why everything's burning down? Because the Nyphes were (stolen?? again????) "relocated" and are no longer roaming the Greek forests? Is that why everything's flooding, because Poseidon is no longer here to regulate the Seas and Waters? Are we really Dying Off?

It's like plucking a beautiful flower from it's birthplace and trying to get it to get used to an environment it was not made to grow in. It's this level of absurdity. What the fuck.

That's why I'm a Greek Person studying Archaeology. We need more of us. Desperately.

My hands are shaking as I'm writing this and I'm slowly losing my mind about it :DDD

But to leave on a positive note. Hehe, mythology flex. I could have been born a Centaur if I really wanted to. Happily galloping away in the fields in the comfort of my own ignorance of our culture being ripped apart, dismembered and depicted as the gnarly bloody soulless mess the xenoi have made it be in mainstream media.

Ah, there's always next life. ^-^

I feel you, anon, and I've often felt the same as you. Our cultural heritage is rich and we are still here, a long line of people passing the Greek culture down. No matter what xenoi say, they will be eventually humbled by the truth if enough of us let the world know.

The PJO series did a big damage to us, matter how innocent it seems to the Westerners. If you check my #pjo and #rick riordan tags you'll see discussions about the books and of course the bigoted line "the gods abandoned Greece for the modern pillar of Western civilization, aka the US".

Hold on και καλή δύναμη!!!

=========================

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[madseance]

“Tried to scare you”: Producer “almost killed” picketing writers with SUV

Today in Atlanta, producer Ian Woolf (BMF) allegedly tried to run over protesting writers with his SUV, as reported on Twitter by striking writer Brian Egeston (The Game, On a Wing and a Prayer), one of those nearly hit by the vehicle.

The full text of Brian Egeston's open letter to Woolf:

AN OPEN LETTER TO THE MAN WHO ALMOST KILLED ME ON THE WGA PICKET LINE TODAY. A thread… Dear Mr. Ian Woolf, Welcome to Atlanta. Years ago, forward thinkers and Civil Rights icons labeled our fair town, ‘the city too busy to hate’. What you did today on Hank Aaron Drive and blocks from the birthplace of Martin Luther King, Jr….was hateful. When you pointed your SUV at me as though it were a weapon and slammed the breaks within six feet of writers, I felt the hate and aggression of scenarios similar to Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd and others who have been harmed at the hands of hate-filled oppressors. As I marched with the WGA in a peaceful protest, similar to the giants who have walked the very streets where you almost committed manslaughter, you chose to—in your own words— “Tried to scare you.” Mr. Woolf, this scare and intimidation tactic reeks of German Shepards, water hoses, bricks and burning flesh. It reeks of the worst kind of hate. A hate that continually divides us as a people. I would implore you, in hindsight, to consider the ramifications of killing an African-American man in the streets of the city too busy to hate, while being the producer of an African-American TV show, created by an African American man, run by an African-American Man. Mr. Woolf, your actions purveyed a deep generational hate for us. And that, sir, is a travesty for which you must be held accountable. If not by your superiors and peers, then by the people of Atlanta because the South will have something to say about what you did today. Should you choose to remain in our city, where I will remind you that you are a guest, I beg of you to lead with love and refrain from being a drum major for hate and potential manslaughter. I pray God’s grace and mercy over your life. Brian Egeston Writer

[jjmcquade-misc]

Trump just absolutely owned a reporter in Michigan who asked him why he came to a town "linked to white supremacy.” We all know by now that the Democratic Party was founded with the aim of preserving the rights of slaveholders, the birthplace of the KKK and that Robert Byrd was hailed by Joe Biden, as a friend, a mentor a guide, Robert Byrd is Democrats senator and a KKK leader that has voted against civil right act and against confirmation of Thurgood Marshall, the first African American appointed to the US Supreme Court. It would only be enough to see the origins and direction of this party founded on lies, to understand that it has never been on the side of the black community, instigators of various murders against many.

[bfpnola]

Fifty years ago, 15-year-old Sonia Yaco ran for the school board in Ann Arbor, Michigan, one of the youngest people in the country ever to run for a seat on the Board of Education. A member of a group called Youth Liberation, whose platform was founded in 1970, she believed schools would be best run by the people required to be inside them for about seven hours a day, 180 days a year.

Youth Liberation developed a 15-point platform that was far-reaching in its vision. In addition to calling for an end to sexism, sexual discrimination, class antagonism, racism, colonialism, and what they called “adult chauvinism,” the group wanted to form communities outside the structure of the nuclear family, live in harmony with nature, abolish juvenile detention centers and mental institutions, establish global solidarity with youth all over the world, be free of economic dependence on adults, and have the right to their own “new culture,” which included everything “from music and marijuana to free clinics and food cooperatives.”

The 20 or so young people in the group, ranging in age from 12 to 16, wanted “a nationwide movement for youth civil rights, akin to the Black Liberation movement and the growing women's movement,” one of the founders, Keith Hefner, later wrote.

Backed by the radical socialist Human Rights Party, Yaco tells Teen Vogue she delivered stump speeches in a hand-sewn, black ruffled skirt and a black leather jacket. At the time, Ann Arbor, birthplace of the Students for a Democratic Society, was a political hotbed. Youth-led organizations had helped rally support for the 26th Amendment, which was ratified in 1971, lowering the voting age from 21 to 18. With popular books like Children’s Liberation (1973), Escape from Childhood (1974), and The Children’s Rights Movement: Overcoming the Oppression of Young People (1977), the idea of youth liberation was gaining force. Youth Liberation of Ann Arbor distributed their message through an underground newspaper, which was a collection of news items, how-tos, and stories from youth all over the country. Yaco informed her parents that, given her political commitments, having a curfew wasn’t going to work, though she did still do the dishes. She talked to PTA forums and rock concerts of thousands, all with the message of youth empowerment. Each time she arrived to speak, she remembers, there was the question of whether or not she would be allowed on stage. She tells Teen Vogue that a school board member once told her to “shut [her] fat lip.” At another event, she says she encountered labor and civil rights activist Cesar Chavez, who told her, “I’ve been hearing about you.” The resistance against her candidacy was so great that the Board of Education prohibited Yaco from running, instigating a Supreme Court case which she ultimately lost. Still, with 1,363 votes, Yaco says she got the highest number of write-in votes ever received.

When we think of ageism, it commonly refers to older adults, not the other way around. Though many don’t tend to think of young people as oppressed, a recent study published in the Children and Youth Services Review argues that young people are, in many ways, similarly vulnerable to exploitation. Though young people under 18 can be tried in adult court, they are generally not allowed to vote or hold federal office. They are surveilled and policed in schools, medicated and institutionalized without consent, and paid less for their work. In some states, they cannot get vaccinated without parental permission. Many of these issues are particularly acute for youth of color — some as young as preschoolers — whom research has shown are viewed as older and not as “innocent” as their white counterparts. “You're actively teaching children how to deal with an active shooter, but you can't let them have a say in budgeting, you can't let them discuss curriculum,” says Yaco. While rhetoric about the need to “save the children” is rampant, much public policy in the United States — from the struggling childcare system to gun violence in schools — reveals otherwise. The U.S. is the only country in the United Nations that hasn't ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child, a historic human rights treaty.

The same justifications historically used to deny other groups their basic freedoms are still applied to youth, explains scholar Mich Ciurria. “The popular narrative about children — as spoiled, ungrateful, and mentally ill — mirrors the popular narratives about 1960s housewives, Black working mothers, and disabled people,” she wrote in a recent essay. To be “childish,” after all, is a derogatory term. As psychologist Robert Epstein argues in an article for Scientific American, what is commonly chalked up to an innate “irresponsibility” or “laziness” — the idea of the unformed teen brain — may simply be a response to living under the repressions of modern society. A 1991 study reviewing research on young people in 186 preindustrial societies — more than half of which had no word for “adolescence” — revealed little evidence of the kind of antisocial teen behavior found in the West, according to Epstein’s summary. In his research for the piece, Epstein found that, based on surveys he conducted, “teens in the U.S. are subjected to more than 10 times as many restrictions as are mainstream adults, twice as many restrictions as active-duty U.S. Marines, and even twice as many restrictions as incarcerated felons.” Young people have long been at the forefront of liberation struggles. Youth played a big part in the Civil Rights movement, which would inspire other movements that followed. In 1955, nine months before Rosa Parks became famous for refusing to give up her seat on a Montgomery, Alabama bus, a 15-year-old named Claudette Colvin was arrested for the same action. Galvanized by the Civil Rights movement, the National Indian Youth Council, formed by a group of young people in 1961, organized “fish-ins'' in support of land-use rights. The 1963 Birmingham Children’s Crusade saw more than a thousand young people, some as young as seven, attacked and jailed after taking to the streets in peaceful protest. In 1972, the Gay International Youth Society of George Washington High School, a group of students of color in the Manhattan neighborhood of Washington Heights, formed one of the first gay-straight alliances on the basis of student civil rights.

By 1979, Youth Liberation of Ann Arbor had disbanded, and the idea of youth liberation gradually faded from popular consciousness, but activists today are still organizing around age as one form of discrimination in a larger system of interlocking oppressions. For Margin Zheng, the former president of the National Youth Rights Association (NYRA), a group founded in 1998, youth liberation is deeply intersectional. “Young people are BIPOC, young people are queer, young people are of various genders and of no gender, young people are disabled, young people are poor, young people are immigrants and migrants — just like older people,” they write as part of their principles of anti-ageism. Zheng, the child of conservative Chinese immigrants, felt constrained both by their family life and their experience in school. “I secretly longed to be homeschooled and have the freedom to do my own thing, but my parents did not believe in nontraditional education,” they tell Teen Vogue. They attended their first school board meeting in ninth grade and soon began to question why students didn’t have more of a voice. “People think that they can make sweeping generalizations about people of a certain age, but you can’t generalize about youth just as you can’t generalize about people of a certain race, gender, etc.,” they say. Ashawn Dabney-Small, who ran for Boston City Council as an 18-year-old and former vice president of NYRA, became involved in youth activism to address the issues that affected him. “It's not about advocating, it's about speaking from your experiences,” says Dabney-Small, who has experience with the foster care system and the effects of poverty. “That's why I got involved in certain issues, policies that revolve around my life because it's literally my life.” As an activist, Dabney-Small worked on campaigns against gun violence. Recently, he advocated for Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley’s bill to lower the federal voting age to 16 — a move that could revolutionize American politics. “Schools and families are the places where we (young people) begin to feel that we have to struggle for our freedom,” Youth Liberation Acnn Arbor wrote in 1972. (One of the indirect results of Yaco’s campaign was the founding of the alternative Community High School that same year.)

Indeed, many activists today — in movements from unschooling to family abolition — see the institutions of school and family as structures that should be radically reimagined. From Indian Boarding Schools to the school-to-prison pipeline, unpaid domestic labor to assaults on queer chosen families, critics say schools and certain family structures have long been used as tools of oppression for women, queer people, and people of color. In a utopian world, Zheng says, people wouldn’t be judged and set apart by age. Instead, they envision more intergenerational spaces where younger and older people — of all races, genders, sexualities, and abilities — can learn and grow together. “Just as young people would be empowered to cultivate and apply their strengths to work they find meaningful, older people would be embraced in their own personal growth, knowing that learning and unlearning are processes that happen all throughout the lifespan,” they say. Each person would be recognized for their own unique potential. The vision is not unlike the original platform outlined by Youth Liberation more than 50 years ago. As Zheng says, “There would be no prisons, no police, and no schools, only communities of lifelong learning, caring, and joy.”

[sir-phineas-lost]

MAWS S2 finale

The good:

The final fight

Showing Clark's dedication to non-violence. That sequence of him very calmly assessing the situation and doing really cool super-feats just to pull Kara into a hug is fantastic.

Staying true to keeping Lois and Jimmy involved

Finally bringing in the Sun-powered thing

Leaning into Clark and Kara bonding as kryptonians. This show is very good at developing releationships and showing why different character work together. Even if they never do the reconnecting with his heritage-bit having someone in his life that he can be fully himself with, including not worrying about breaking them because he didn't keep himself in perfect check, is interesting.

Speaking of different characters working together, I really do like how Clark and Lois resolve all their relationship issues. I love how pragmatic Clark is about the fact that he can fly to Gotham in a microsecond to be with Lois if need be and Lois still turns down Vicki Vale not only to stay with her friends and boyfriend but for her own reasons.

The Bad:

Brainiac just, doesn't work for me. At all. His design is really boring (when he isn't possessing Clark) and his personality is all over the place in a way that just doesn't make any sense. He is a complete drama-queen which doesn't mesh at all with his "I am following my prime directive of restoring the Kryptonian empire" schtick and his few bits of nuance (like his supposed fatherly feelings for Kara) go nowhere.

I really hate the revelation that he blew up Krypton. For a myriad of reasons, including several plot-holes.

It's unnecessary. There is already plenty of reason to fight Brainiac and it robs whatever this other civilization is of the responsibility for destroying Krypton. I know the general position on Krypton being destroyed has been "meh" so far but facing off against the people who annihilated their birthplace would at least be a somewhat interesting development for Clark and Kara in the future. Facing off against the people who fought a war but were about to announce a ceasefire, not so much.

If Krypton blew up because of Brainiac, why did Jor-El say it was because the empire finally picked a fight it couldn't win? Brainiac explicitly states that Jor-El knew what he was about to do so why would he program his holo-self to share false information?

If Krypton was on the verge of a ceasefire then why the fuck were those warrior-guys on Zero Day all geared up to fight and conquer Earth? It couldn't be Brainiac because he wouldn't have interupted his own invasion by blowing up the planet.

They somehow made Livewire's armor even more bulky and ugly. That is such an impressive feat I almost want to put it in the "good" list.

Speaking of which, all the villains from last season showing up to help should feel like a really cool and rewarding moment, except it isn't. Since there is absolutely no work done to develop them as characters it means nothing. Especially when they try to have playful banter about being friends now.

I know I keep harping on this, but all of the supervillains have really boring and ugly costumes and it is really noticeable when they are all in a shot together. Why are they all beige? Don't any of them have enough individual personality to at least accessorize?

Oh, and it turns out another downside to giving everyone the same "Kryptonian tech" explanation for their powers is that they all get the same weakness. Because why would we want our characters to be different from one another?

Sam Lane coming back to help goes nowhere. Him leaving again was a big deal for Lois but she doesn't interact with him at all. This wouldn't bother me so much (it could make for a good subplot in S3) if he wasn't right there at the celebratory BBQ chatting it up like he isn't a compulsive hardass and loner.

I sound more negative than I really am though. The good parts of MAWS are really good and they carry the show just fine. I just wish it was better than "just fine".

[itgetsbetterproject]

Generation vs Generation! ⚡️ For LGBTQ+ History Month, we asked our It Gets Better Youth Voices and Outwords Archive storytellers the same questions, so we could see how their answers change (or remain the same) as our LGBTQ+ history evolves!

We matched up Youth Voice Eli, a trans activist, artist, and student filmmaker, with Jude, a trans activist, therapist, and sex educator who made headlines as one of the first trans men to receive gender-affirming surgery in 1972!

🟣 Do you have a favorite LGBTQ+ film? What is it and why?

Eli: "Oh I have so many! But the first two that come to mind are Portrait Of A Lady On Fire by Celine Sciamma and Milk by Gus Van Sant."

Jude: "I could not choose just one! My favorite LGBTQ+ films are Some Like it Hot; Victor, Victoria; Tootsie; Mrs. Doubtfire; The Naked Civil Servant; and Yentl."

🟣 What LGBTQ+ landmark would you most like to visit and why?

Eli: "I would like to visit the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village, New York. It’s such an important landmark and sort of the birthplace of the more modern LGBTQ+ rights movement."

Jude: "The Stonewall Inn. I am very happy that it was made a National Landmark. It represents a pivotal time in our LGBTQ+ history. I am very aware that Stonewall was NOT the first such event important to our history. I hope that eventually other such sites will be recognized/honored."

🟣 Which of the Pride flags do you feel best represents you and why?

Eli: "I like the progress pride flag, because it has both the trans flag and the rainbow pride flag. And it's a reminder that as a community we are always moving forward and changing."

Jude: "I like the transgender pink/white/light blue flag because it best represents me as a trans man. But I also like the newer, most inclusive of Pride Flags because I consider myself as part of the larger LGBTQ+ community."

🟣 What’s one fact about the LGBTQ+ community that you think everyone should know?

Eli: "There are so many different kinds of people and identities within the community. We all deserve to be treated with respect and to live a happy life identifying however we choose."

Jude: "We are here, all around you. We have existed since the beginning of time, in every culture. We are every bit as valuable and as worthy of respect, equal human rights, and pursuit of happiness. I do not want your 'acceptance. I do not want your 'tolerance'. I want you to join me in celebrating me and other LGBTQ+ folks as we truly are!"

We'll have more matches for ya throughout Oct!

[klimkovsky]

Rho Ophiuchi

Rho Ophiuchus is an inconspicuous star near the border with the constellation Scorpio. It appears in our latitudes just as low and briefly as Antares, but with its magnitude (about 5m) within the city limits it is practically invisible to the eye — only through optics.

But with the optics that the fun begins

This star became famous due to the beautiful nebula surrounding its birthplace. Astronomers call this the “Rho Ophiuchus cloud complex,” which is layered on top of another cloud complex, the “Antares Nebula.” But Rho Ophiuchi (and the nebula surrounding it) is one and a half times closer to us than Antares, and is very different from it.

This is a pair of young blue and very hot giants, 360 light years away from us — a good object for amateur telescopes of average power, because the components are separated by only 3 seconds of arc — a rather close and beautiful stellar pair. How far these stars are from each other in real geometry can only be guessed at, but minimum estimates range from 3 hundred astronomical units — 10 times farther than Neptune from the Sun. It’s a bit far, but not too far. And even our backward space technologies could deliver a package from one star to another.

But there are many more stars in this system

In the area of ​​the sky around Rho Ophiuchi (with a diameter of about 3 arc minutes), astronomers have identified several stars that, although weaker than Rho Ophiuchi, are located at the same distance from us, and also inside this gas-dust nebulous complex, from which they were apparently born . Among them there are also close pairs, but at least 6 stars are gravitationally connected with each other and actually form a small open star cluster.

The foggy area of ​​the sky near the stars Antares and Rho Ophiuchi was recently photographed very effectively by Steeve Body, a French astronomy amateur now living in Australia (the astroclimate there is much better). Interestingly, Steve’s main profession is a composer. But I haven’t listened to his music yet. I voiced the video created based on his astrophotography with music of mine.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITm6M3388PE

But where is Rho Ophiuchi in this picture — among the incredible scatterings of stars?

It is worth saying right away that the image is inverted — relative to what is visible with the eye, through binoculars, a telescope, or on a star chart. Telescopes flip the image (although not all and not always), but for astro cameras there is no such thing at all — there the orientation of the image depends entirely on the whim of the photographer. But Steve Badie wanted it that way — he lives in Australia after all. And the star located in the northern part of this region ended up at the very bottom of the frame.

Rho Ophiuchus in an astrophotograph by French astrophotographer Steve Body

It will be more clear if we say that the star Rho Ophiuchi is located exactly 3 degrees north of Antares (and the famous globular star cluster M4, which is nearby, and, by the way, another globular cluster — M80 — is located 2 degrees west of Rho Ophiuchi — this area of ​​the sky is very interesting!).

Rho Ophiuchus (Rho) in a screenshot of the Stellarium program

If you look at this star through binoculars (or a spotting scope), it may seem that this star is triple (or even quadruple!). But this is an illusory neighborhood. The fainter stars visible near Rho Ophiuchi are located 100 light years further away. For an advanced galactic civilization, 100 light years is not so much, but gravitational forces cannot bind these stars into a single system.

The stars behind Rho Ophiuchi are quite close to each other on the scale of interstellar distances. Whether they themselves are related is a matter for separate research. But both of them are binary systems, and one of them is also very good for close examination in a small telescope.

This is approximately how the star Rho Ophiuchi is visible through a spotting scope or telescope with minimal magnification

This stellar company looks beautiful, but to get to the gravitationally bound components, you need to apply a higher magnification — 80–100x. Binoculars will not be enough. But the most inexpensive telescope with a lens diameter of 80 mm will already show you Rho Ophiuchi separately.

Rho Ophiuchus and its surroundings — view through a telescope with medium magnification

In the picture, Rho Ophiuchi is the two stars that almost merged together, but a small telescope shows them that way. A larger one will show the duality of Rho Ophiuchus more clearly. But in reality, in this system the stars are separated by a distance of 50 billion kilometers and make one revolution around the common center of mass every two and a half thousand years. The more distant members of this system, which are not visible in amateur telescopes, have been spending tens or even hundreds of thousands of years completing one revolution around these two luminaries. This is not much for the stars, but of course we can’t wait.

This is a fairly young star system — it is only a few million years old. The mass of each of the two main stars is about 10 times greater than the mass of the Sun. This means that in another few million years something similar to double Antares will shine here, but only brighter, because Rho Ophiuchus is closer. And it is approaching us — at a speed of 11 km per second. If the velocity vector were directed exactly towards us, then just at the moment of supernova explosion (and such stars only end their lives in this way) — after 10 million years, Rho Ophiuchi would be in the immediate vicinity of the Solar system, and our distant descendants would be in danger. Fortunately, Rho Ophiuchi has a significant lateral velocity of more than 20 milliseconds per year. This corresponds to a spatial velocity of the order of 9 km/sec to the side. They will end up missing far from us .

Video of the flight to the star Rho Ophiuchi, based on astrophotography by Steeve Body

But in any case, during its lifetime, this system of 6 stars will move far from the places where it was born by an extended gas and dust nebula. Now we see this nebula around Rho Ophiuchi, but only that part of it that is illuminated by the star, and the full size of the nebula is huge, as is its mass, which is estimated at a minimum of 3000 solar masses. And from these shining interstellar clouds many more bright stars will emerge.

An enlarged fragment of an astrophotography by Steeve Body with the star Rho Ophiuchi in the center of the frame

[spann-stann]

Setting Blurb: The Solar System (Reworked)

• Sol Invictus: The physical “center” of human civilization in the 3600′s. Most settlement of the Unconquerable Sun (renamed after the Human-Crystalline War) centered around the development of solar energy platforms by all members of the Big Three. Specially made habitats built to withstand the Sun’s heat also orbit it, housed by those that wish to hide from the rest of the Universe in the light of the Sun (Ex-Serviles, disgraced WCOF Party members, and market failures).

• Mercury: Mercury was not subject to colonization like the rest of the bodies in the Solar System. Rather, it was made into a giant strip mine to feed the Corporate Empire’s growing infrastructure. To supply the needed manpower, large numbers of Serviles (violent criminals sent to be worked to death) and industrial Serfbots were shipped to serve in removing any/all valuable materials the tiny planet could offer. Some enterprising Imperials have pitched the idea to convert the mined-out portions of Mercury into layered habitats. A moderately sized population of monks has been growing as well.

• Venus: The terraforming of Venus was a massive project initiated around the end of the Second Dynasty. The Human-Crystalline war put a temporary pause on that project. The once-Amber Planet is now entering the end of its second Ice Age, the descendants of those that staked claims centuries ago were more than eager to live their ancestors’ dreams. To celebrate the triumph of Venus’ terraforming, the settlers of Venus have all employed passive cooling into their housing, no more living in air-conditioned cylinders for them! The majority of the planet (and orbit) is CorpEmp, with the palatial estates of the Kechua-go, Silavfirika, and the Eurekan Ulus dot their three Terrae (major continents). The Neuhansa of the United Markets also enjoy perusing their open-aired markets, located on prime beachfront and alpine real estate dotting the planet. Even the World Congress of Freedom’s prestiged Party members have a few dachas in secluded locales.

• Earth: The former crown jewel of Human civilization, slowly healing from the near-endless use of nuclear weapons used during the Human-Crystalline War 800 years ago. With the Earth’s decreasing radiation, more and more call for the re-colonization of the homeworld. A few important sites remained inhabited, mostly areas that attract tourists and pilgrims. The many battlefields that dot the surface are treasure troves of old technology and resources (human and alien). While a majority of Earth’s human inhabitants evacuated, some decided to wait out the apocalypse. Many survivalist and bunker-building cultures thought that the rest of humanity would be “purged” by the invading aliens and retreated into their underground shelters. Slowly but surely these cultures have emerged and regained contact with the outside world. The Big Three’s plans to individually retake Terran territory may result in inevitable conflict with these “successors” to the Earth. The environmental fanatics of the Green Consensus have maintained holdings on the Earth as well, and they have made it known that those responsible for the nuclear bombardment will not have an inch of the Earth without paying some sort of price...

Earth Orbit: The myriad peoples who live in Earth's orbit pride themselves on being the "guardians of the motherworld". Being directly above the birthplace of humanity, Earth Orbit is the most culturally diverse and has the largest population in the Solar System. While many Terrans bemoan not living on Earth proper, many more recognize the profit in living right above the universe’s largest wilderness preserve and pilgrimage site. Each of the Big Three have claimed a chunk of Earth orbit for themselves: The Terran Viceroyalties, CorpEmp’s mighty satrapies in their cylindrical habitats control all Geocentric Orbit above 35,000km (everything below geosynchronous has been a no-go zone post Crystalline War). The Viceregal habitats are built as counter-rotational pairs, one habitat houses the population in a patchwork of rural communities (its interior recreating the landmass of an empire in the corresponding Viceroyalty), and the second a nature preserve (both based on the environment of the habitat’s founders). Their ultimate goal is constructing a series of linked habitats known as “rungworlds” surrounding the Earth. Earth-Moon Lagrange point 5 is under United Markets control. The leadership of the many Megacorps that survived WW3 and the rise of CorpEmp laid claim to this Lagrange point during the divvying up of the Solar System after what was called “Worlds War One”. Their slowly losing ground to the Covenanters of the Belt is of no concern to those that dwell in Terran orbit. UM habitats are a mishmash of architectural styles, designed to attract different kinds of immigrants and tourists. Some habitats don’t house any permanent population at all and are meant to offer some sort of service (casinos, colossal hunting preserves, etc). Their latest operation is offering discount prices for prospecting equipment for those eager to do some “private Terran reclamation” on the Earth’s surface. Lagrange point 4 is fully controlled by the World Congress of Freedom. Although the Party headquarters has been relocated to Titan, E-M L4 is still a large population center for the WCOF. Habitats constructed for habitation in this polity tend towards the minimalist. Inside the habitats, most if not all space provides some function to serve the revolution. Needs are met but wants may cost the average Party member that doesn’t have the right connections. WCOF space in Terran orbit is heavily fortified, with Clonscript garrisons on every habitat providing security for the resident Party Members.

• Luna: The first celestial body to be colonized by Humanity, the many domed habitats on the Moon’s surface now served as humanity’s oldest settlements still surviving the destruction of the Human-Crystalline War. The Big Three’s settlements on the near side of Luna are a patchwork, as colonial claims were established on a “first come, first serve” basis. This resulted in frequent border skirmishes between the colonies. This bad blood has yet to really subside even in the 3600s. As a result, the Moon was never fully terraformed. Large, pressurized domes serve as the barriers to the many colonies, and lava tubes beneath the lunar surface were made habitable as well. The Big Three colonies are concentrated in the Lunar Maria, with Reserves preferring their own little domes on the far side. Lots of millenarians flock to the dark side, in a manner of speaking.

•  Mars: As greenhouse emissions are used to help terraform the Red Planet, Mars is only second to the Asteroid Belt in terms of industrial output. Mars was divided evenly into thirds, following a series of border conflicts erupting into Humanity’s first interplanetary war. Each of the Big Three received three Terrae each on the Red Planet. CorpEmp received Tempe, Xanthe, and Sirenum Terrae. The United Markets received Arabia, Sabaea, and Noachis Terrae. Finally, the WCOF took Cimmeria, Promethei, and Tyrrhena Terrae. Aonia Terra, was set aside to serve as a wilderness preserve for retro-engineered megafauna. Argyre Planitia was designated for extensive Reserve settlement. Mars was the site of the second worst terrestrial battles in the Human-Crystalline War, leading to lots of expended munitions that can be dug out of the ground. This resulted in munition excavation and recycling being the largest industry on the Red Planet and plenty of minor conflicts have broken out over rights to spent shells along the Big Three’s colonial borders.  Phobos became exclusive CorpEmp territory. The entire moon serves the Imperial Space Force; and is dotted with training, construction, and housing facilities. Deimos was divided by the UM and WCOF, with plenty of Reserve settlements acting as a buffer between the two.

• Asteroid Belt: While CorpEmp and the WCOF control “gateways” through the Outer Solar System, the major centers of the Asteroid Belt, Ceres, Pallas, and Vesta, are exclusively under United Markets control. Unlike the Inner Solar System, which is mostly the domain of the UMs founding megacorporations, the Asteroid Belt is home of the UM’s Covenanter culture. Small, insular, and very militant mining communities, Covenanters have slowly grown to become the dominant culture within the UM. So much so, that many Megacorp personnel defected to the Covenanter memetic when they evacuated to the Belt during the Human-Crystalline War. The Covenanters have not rested on their laurels and launched multiple colonial expeditions within and beyond Sol in recent centuries. The pirate mothership Libertatia, flying under the banner of the UM, also prowls the Belt to prey upon statist spacecraft.

• Jupiter: Following the conclusion of the Worlds War One, and the consolidation of colonial territories in the Inner Solar System, the Big Three came together to divide the Outer Solar System. Rather than sharing the outer planets, the Big Three split the gas giants between them. CorpEmp received Jupiter the King of the Planets. Slowly but surely, concentric band of settlements formed orbiting closer and closer to Jupiter itself as CorpEmp tech could counter the planet’s strong magnetic field. To prevent Jupiter’s growing colonial project being a projection of the Terran Viceroyalties’ influence, the earliest colonies were constructed with a quota system, with a certain amount of kingroups from each Viceroyalty to move into the colonies. This policy was subsequently dropped as the Human-Crystaline War entered its terrestrial warfare phase, and refugees fleeing the Inner Solar System needed housing. Similar to the Terran Viceroyalties, each of the Galilean moons’ orbits serves as an autonomous entity, their precedence ranked in order of settlement. Except for Io (which is mined for its resources), the moons themselves are mined for ice and water, and are home to aquatic life (mostly Terran stock, with a few indigenous lifeforms). Seafood is a staple of Jovian diet. Minor moons and the Trojans are dotted with small CorpEmp settlements and independent squatters. The Hildan asteroids were (begrudgingly) ceded to the United Markets. Jova Prota (Callisto’s orbit) is home to CorpEmp’s fifth ruling dynasty. Jova Terta (Europa) is the sulking ground of House Rotthey of Europa (a cadet branch of the first dynasty).

• Saturn: Saturn, after Worlds War One, was awarded to the World Congress of Freedom. Immediately, the Party Leadership drew up plans to develop the ringed planet as the “revolutionary core” of human space. Titan, due to its cold temperatures, was slated for a special sort of settlement. The Party Leadership sought to recreate the old cybersyn system of economic management, and the vast computer complexes required for such an undertaking would use Titan as a planetary cooling system. The others 145 moons of Saturn would be mined until they were hollowed out and made to spin so they provided Earth-like gravity. Initially, there wasn’t a large rush to populate the new territories. Non-Party citizens moved to Saturnian orbit, as Party membership was offered to those that would help bring the Party’s vision of Saturn to life. The population of Party members would dramatically increase in the 2800’s during the Human-Crystalline War, as the fighting on Mars, Earth, and Venus forced many civilians to flee into the Outer Solar System. The decisive space battle in Saturn’s orbit, that ended major combat operations of the war. Most of Saturn’s minor moons have been made habitable in the 3600’s, with Titan’s governing cybersyndicate having loftier ambitions as the major moons are continued to be hollowed out themselves. The ring of Saturn would be harvested, and replaced with an orbital ring, allowing for even more housing for a larger population.

• Uranus: The third of the Outer Solar Systemto be granted after Worlds War One, Uranus was given to the United Markets. Although the Asteroid Belt already served as their industrial core, the United Markets primarily mined the planetary system for volatiles and ice. Increase in Uranian gases has increased, as it is the easiest of the giants to extract Helium-3. For a time, Uranus was sparsely populated. The Megacorps preferred the thriving markets of the Inner Solar System, and the growing Hoppean Covenant was content to mine the Asteroid Belt to their heart’s content. Uranian colonization was undertaken by only small expeditions, UM and Reserve in affiliation, and primarily staffed by robotic mining equipment. It was only after the Human-Crystalline War, and the devastation of the Inner Solar System did the movers and shakers turn their eyes to the ice giant. Primarily, this was due to the Megacorps’ leadership thinking they could seek shelter in the Belt. The already established Hoppeans, not that receptive to the Megacorps they moved to the Belt to get away from arriving on their turf. So they made it simple: comply with how the Hoppeans run the Belt, or skedaddle. The Megacorps took the latter and began to build their headquarters in Uranian orbit. The planetary system was made a freeport for scientists looking for ways to bring Humanity’s collective population back to pre-war levels (that could afford the rent to orbit Uranus anyway). The “From Scratch Society”, advocates for artificial human genetics, have made Uranus their homeworld (or at least the moon Oberon).

• Neptune: While Jupiter was the primary location for CorpEmp refugees during the Human-Crystalline War, some groups thought it necessary to go further and established themselves on Triton. Gears started turning in the minds of CorpEmp leadership and allowed the settlement of Neptune to continue during the War. Once the War came to an end, the other polities of the Big Three couldn’t really contest the annexation, and as a concession Neptune’s Trojans were ceded to the UM, and Pluto to the WCOF. As Jupiter was CorpEmp’s mining powerhouse, Neptune served as a home for Crystalline War veterans (primarily the Knights of the Starry Temple) and some eccentrics. A few families of engineers, utilizing mass-streaming technology, sought to construct a planetary shell around Jupiter. As Neptune was smaller (and had a weaker magnetosphere) than Jupiter, these engineers then moved into Neptune’s orbit and use that planet as a proof-of-concept to show their plans for Jupiter are feasible.

• Pluto and The Kuiper Belt: Pluto and its four moons were given over to the WCOF after a diplomatic snafu over CorpEmp refugees squatting in Neptunian orbit. Like the Saturnian moons, the end state of each body in Pluto’s orbit is going to be hollowed out and spun up to better allow human habitation. Whatever minerals found inside will be repurposed to further along the construction. While the Inner System houses most of the Party’s membership, and Saturn the Party’s leadership, Pluto would house the more eccentric and problematic members of the Party. Inspired by the Covenanters in the rival UM, the self-styled “Plutonian Congress” seeks to further advance the revolution. The Kuiper Belt and Oort Cloud are considered “free space”. Too damn big to effectively govern, and no real way of fighting over it all. So, it’s free space. The largest of the Trans-Plutonian objects serves as stations for motherships making their way to and from the Extrasolar Territories. The Kuiper Belt and Oort Cloud are mostly home to lonely mining habitats, Reserves that really want to be left alone, the occasional Space Force patrol, and the mythical location of the “Catgirl prison complex” (believed to have been built during the Transhuman Wars). Many have tried to find this El Dorado of the stars, but none have succeeded.

[actuallygodzilla]

I think often about how the post around Christmas time that said if Jesus had been born today he’d be buried under the rubble. And religion aside that area is very much the birthplace of civilization as we know it? Like I cannot comprehend poisoning and burning the land with SO much of our history as humanity. It’s not just some far away place to sing about in church it’s on earth it’s right here and we are killing the people and their land. I think that’s why it matters so much to me I suppose and I don’t wanna sound like some sort of “we are all Palestinian” hippie like we are NOT fighting this genocide equally in the slightest but it feels to me that we are destroying this very thing that should connect so many of us.

[bluegekk0]

In Terms of Memory-Loss, what's with the Rumor, that you lose your Memory, when you leave Hallownest? Quirrel lost his memories when he left and had to re-explore the place. Same with Ghost

Yeah that's one of the things I didn't include in my AU. I have a feeling it's something that might get slightly retconned with Silksong, since it's a completely new kingdom that, at least from what we've seen, shows that there are still other places that are or were at some point thriving, outside of Hallownest's influence. And because travel is such a big part of my AU, I decided that I wanted to maintain my vision without complicating it too much, so the complete memory loss that's suggested in the game isn't a thing here.

That being said, Hallownest is still surrounded by wilderness that is notoriously difficult to survive in. Straying from the road is a bad idea, the cold is unforgiving, and many beasts adapted to the environment and are just waiting for a careless traveler to walk right into their trap. If you want to survive, you must adapt, and perhaps that comes with forgetting what civilization is like. So in a way, the concept in the game is still somewhat there, just a lot less literal. Your memories don't get erased, but you can slowly forget yourself if you're forced to face the endless dangers and pain you'll experience in the wilderness. Cold wastes surround the mountains that create the Hallownest borders, with many frozen corpses of unfortunate beasts and travelers, but as you get further and further away, the region becomes more forgiving.

So perhaps the rumor has started as advice, to not travel outside of the borders as it's far too dangerous. Of course, as more travelers risked it, the main road became safer, and the beasts moved back into the wilderness out of fear of the light and large groups of travelers (such as merchant groups and the Troupe, who traveled the road frequently as Grimm was visiting FPK in the White Palace).

As for Quirrel... He was given temporary immortality by Monomon so that he could protect her mask (how exactly she did that, I have no idea, let's just pretend it was FPK's soul spell or something like that), perhaps the memory loss was connected to it. Similarly to how the immortality given by Grimm can result in memory issues after leaving the Troupe, maybe Quirrel also suffered from memory problems due to the unstable nature of his condition. He stopped aging, yes, but perhaps it wasn't a perfect solution and his memories would become too confusing to keep track of. Just another sign that immortality, while tempting, can have its own drawbacks if given to a mortal.

Not necessarily connected to immortality but still a similar idea, this also reminds me of FPK and his over-reliance on soul to avoid eating. Gods can use their powers to skip on those basic biological needs, but he was never one. Sure, he naturally didn't age, but he still needed to eat, he was a creature of bones and blood, not some otherworldly being. Soul, as it turned out, was only a temporary solution, and it eventually became clear that someone like him couldn't rely on it forever and if he didn't eat, he would ultimately starve and die. I like that little theme, that little reminder that not everyone can handle such state or powers, and that the gods are gods for a reason. You can try to imitate them, but you can't change reality.

When it comes to Ghost, I imagine they simply just left Hallownest as soon as they climbed out of the Abyss. So they didn't experience memory loss, instead they simply didn't know anything and had to learn it after they were called back by their sibling. I like to think they spent all those years in distant towns and cities, either hiding away or helping out the folk in small tasks. Would be a nice explanation for why they're eager to do it despite their no-nonsense personality, and maybe why they ended up forgetting things about their birthplace. It's been years since they left, and if they had a job to focus on, it makes sense that they wouldn't think much about it.

So yeah, the concept does still have some connection to the AU, but it's much more vague that straight up erased memories.

[blackjackkent]

Follow-on from my tag novel on this post speculating on the feasibility of Rion being Jaheira's bio kid, and her bio kid with Rasaad specifically (it's a rarepair but it's MY rarepair dammit):

#ETA: zenjestrr just pointed out to me that as a monk Rasaad would have Timeless Body feature which simplifies things physiologically XD#yay DND#it's more complicated than just that of course and now i'm resisting writing a whole essay about jaheira's thought processes#XD

@astreamofstars as always spoils me with prompting. XD Self-indulgent meta pondering ahead:

Fundamentally Jaheira is clearly STRONGLY torn between attachment to her kids/the city of Baldur's Gate and her natural wanderlust and attachment to nature rather than civilization. She clearly cares for Rion and the other kids in the same way that she cares for anything important to her: very strongly under the surface, but undemonstratively, and her emotions are nuanced and complicated by her own inner conflict and the amount that she has lost in the past.

Taking all this into consideration, I find it sort of hard to believe that Jaheira initially set out to have kids deliberately - with Khalid, with Rasaad (in my headcanon), or with anyone. Reasons being a) it would mean tying her down, b) she is acutely aware of the way a city (her birthplace) or a person (Khalid) can be taken away extremely abruptly and too many attachments can be dangerous, c) she has plenty of enemies, and d) in the case of any lover with a less-than-half-elven lifespan, there's a non-zero chance she would be taking care of the kid alone eventually.

This is particularly the case in the scenario of Rasaad. As I mentioned in the aforementioned tag novel, he COULD physically have kids with her pretty much right up until the end due to the Timeless Body monk feature, but that doesn't mean Jaheira would consider it a good idea. The feature specifically states that it doesn't stop you from dying of old age, just means you go out still in your prime. Hard to picture her deliberately choosing to have a kid with someone who (however virile he was) likely wouldn't see the kid's tenth birthday, given the series timeline and Rion's relative youth in BG3.

HOWEVER - there are three converse possibilities in this scenario:

1. Jaheira extended Rasaad's lifespan by making use of some low-level version of the Rite of the Timeless Body that we find in Elerrathin's Home. (subject of my previous post)

It's actually only now that I'm writing this post that I'm realizing that not only are they similar concepts but the Rite and the monk feature both literally use the SAME WORDS. However, Jaheira describes the Rite as being something that goes beyond what's described in the monk feature - "If they be learned and powerful enough, the practitioner of this ritual might slow their aging, extend their life well beyond its natural reach." So the Rite is something that not only maintain's the recipient's virility into old age but actively extends their lifespan.

The fact that both the Rite and the feature have the same name, though, only adds to my impression (in this headcanon/worldstate) that it would have been something she initially tried to leverage FOR Rasaad, to supplement his own body's natural abilities and give her more time with him (she says it's an esoteric druid thing but that doesn't mean it's true). Her dialogue suggests she never figured out how to use it to the full extent of its power for altruistic purposes, but that doesn't preclude the possibility that she could have had some success with the concepts at a lower level and closer to home.

Being able to draw Rasaad's lifespan at least closer to hers, if not equivalent, makes it somewhat more likely to me that she would see raising a family as a viable deliberate choice.

2. Emotion trumped practicality.

There is a line in the book Dune wherein Jessica considers why she allowed herself to conceive Alia with Leto when she knew Leto was a dead man walking.

And she permitted herself to face fully the significance of this other child growing within her, to see her own motives in permitting the conception. She knew what it was – she had succumbed to that profound drive shared by all creatures who are faced with death – the drive to seek immortality through progeny. The fertility drive of the species had overpowered them.

Like many things in Dune this is a rather, uh, clinical description of human behavior, but the emotional concept here is relevant, I think.

Jaheira is not (overtly) a sentimental person. But she feels things very deeply, nevertheless. I could see a scenario where the desire to see Rasaad and herself live on through children (as Khalid could not) became for a time stronger than her reservations about tying herself down.

Of the three possibilities this is the one that seems least likely/interesting to me for her character when taken by itself, but still quite possible.

3. Rion was an accident.

While a less overtly positive possibility than #1, this option becomes even more likely when Rasaad's aforementioned monk feature is taken into consideration. And actually as I've started thinking about it, I find it the most interesting likelihood, because it allows for options #1 and #2 to also resonate, and gives some context to her strained relationship with her daughter.

Scenario, then: In the late years of her relationship with Rasaad (or, more generally, any non-elven lover she might have taken post-BG2), Rion is conceived by accident. Jaheira starts pulling info on the Rite of the Timeless Body in the hopes of keeping him around longer; she's somewhat successful but not to the full capability of the rite. However, she finds herself too emotionally tied to him and to their child not to go through with continuing to raise her alone after Rasaad's death. End result is a scenario where she feels trapped by Rion but also loves her deeply, leading to the simultaneous strained relationship and deep connection evinced in BG3.

At this point, having one child and being already tied down to the city, it ends up being a slippery slope to taking in others who also need help, and she finds herself never able to quite extricate herself from the cycle or fully commit to it. She rejoins the Harpers in an attempt to re-ground herself in her adventuring life, which gives her a modicum of inner peace but also leaves Rion holding the sack when she is repeatedly called away to so-called "greater duties". End result: a fractured relationship both with her daughter and with herself, neither need able to quite take the upper hand.

Small wonder she was willing to throw herself into the battle against the Absolute, where for the first time perhaps since Irenicus, the completely necessary course was unmistakable.

TLDR: At least in my worldstate headcanon, Rion is Jaheira and Rasaad's biological daughter, conceived accidentally very late in Rasaad's life; the whole situation tore Jaheira in half emotionally and she has never quite figured out the right way to handle it.

[hyper-cryptic]

⟢ Heart of Chaos AU: The Masterpost!

❛❛ Oh, great Master Emerald, please, I wish for a brave hero who is the balance between Chaos and Peace. One who never backs down in the face of danger, who doesn't stop fighting for their friends and what is right! Might a brave equidna warrior be their fiercely loyal friend, let them fight alongside as if they were kin. Seal this evil away, amending the horrors done by my tribe...❜❜ — Tikal The Equidna.

Welcome to the HoC masterpost! Here I'll give the bullet points on each arc and get down the basics of this AU!

Originally posted: 15/11/24 | Last edited: 15/11/24

◊—› So, what's Heart of Chaos about? . . .

In a nutshell, what if Sonic was The Master Emerald? We get Dark Sonic back and also, I am obsessed with werehog, so we get a redo of that as well as every single arc rewritten, for the most part (there's some I don't have enough knowledge about some of the spin off games heheo). There's a lot of themes of generational trauma, self-worth, losing the sense of yourself and finding it again, etc.

↳ Basic navigation . . . Heart of Chaos Tag | Heart of Chaos Bsky tag | Toyhouse folder ↳ Cast's tags . . . Patch The Painted Dog | Maple The Sable | Oakley The Opposum And yes the canon cast don't have tags because I thought it would be redundant since its all I draw...just search their canon names in my blog!

Below are the arc bullet points.

Soon to be added: Illustrated timeline, trivia, and more!

"Origins" segment

Spikes Toodlerhood arc.

- Basically spikes being raised by Tikal and creatures of Angel Island. Tikal seals herself and Chaos in a pond next in Spikes' birthplace.

Ecoterrorism arc.

- Basically the events of Origins. Spikes gets civilized by Miles and Ames. Spikes meets Knux and then Ignis.

House arrest arc.

- SA 1 happens and Spikes feels forced to stay in Angel Island after being revealed to him that Dark Spikes is a thing. He spends the time there training his ass off with Knux. Predictably so, Spikes doesnt like staying in one place, so he and Miles sneak off to mainland, which is where he meets the babylon rogues for the first time.

- SA2 happens. Shade <3

- Sonic heroes happens. Spikes is super excited to have Shade back, he tries to bond with him... Pretty succesfully so.

"Godhood" segment

Speeding ticket arc

- This is basically the Sonjet, or how I like to call em, Speeding Ticket arc. Funnily enough, this is also where Spikes begins to realize he's aroace but not yet. I havent changed a lot bc I rlly like the riders games.

Dimensional travels arc.

- This is where all the weird shit happens with Rings and Black Knight. And also Snoutman. Snoutman is canon to the Heart of Chaos universe. Black Knight is the most focused on, it's more of an open world game, but in the same way frontiers is.

S2HT arc.

- ShTH happens. Eclipse The Darkling is in ShTH events and is presumed dead by the end of it. Sonic 06 happens and we discover what happens when The Master Emerald itself dies. There is Sonalise, this is where Spikes fully realizes he's aroace and only experiences queerplatonic attraction.

Sonic Colors happens after Sonic 06 and is where Spikes has is birthday.

"Happy birthday" segment.

Werehog arc.

- This is A Lot, but basically this is the arc where Spikes is given a wake up call and slap down to his ego. This arc is pretty grim, but it has a lot of good moments too. It spans for more than a couple months while they try to fix Mobius again.

Generations arc.

- After losing Chip and going through the horrors, Spikes begins travelling a lot and finding comfort in his friendnship with Shade. Then crazy shit starts happening, there is no classic spikes or anything, but Mephiles does come back as the Time Eater. More Sonelise and Milkshake moments and actually also Shadlise, YEAH YOU DIDNT SEE THAT COMIN DID YA-

Forces arc.

- Oh god. Well, lets start at the beginning. This is where my oc Patch The Painted Dog, "Sky's Spark", gets introduced. With him there is oc x canon with Howlite (Silver). He's also childhood friends with Tangle and Jewel. We also half meet Whisper during this arc.

- Spikes gets kidnapped by Infinite to power Eggmans invasion with Spikes' chaos energy aka, his life source. Spike is kept chained and restrained without the abiity to move his arms and legs for the majority of his stay there, so much that he loses the ability to walk which he realizes once he's being rescued. This is also where the frienemy-eggdad situation completely breaks as we learn that Spikes is inmortal, because Eggman attempts to kill him when he realizes that he doesn't need his power anymore and he can just create more Phantom Rubies to power his war.

- Pretty much the whole tone switches. During the war, a lot of the characters are forced to grow up, like Ames and Miles. Miles has almost a complete 180 from the cheerful kid he was before as he takes an important role in the war as the one who arms The Resistance. Knux basically makes him man up.

"Humbled" segment.

Post-war arc.

- Basically physical therapy arc for Spikes, he had to rush this slow progress for the sake of the war.

- We meet Whisper fully. Spikes and Whisper ond over being traumatized by war so much so that they feel they are no longer themselves.

- Mr. Tinker is a thing and Spikes has to deal with that. He ends up leaving Shade and The Chaotix on charge of watching him.

- Metal kidnaps Spikes bc he wants his awful dad back. She ends up running off after she realizes Eggman is gone.

- Starline happens.

Zombot arc.

- Pain, pain and pain! Spikes is not coping with this well at all. This arc is grim as hell. Shade sacrifices himself to save the few refuges left + Team Dark, he's one of the first ones gone. Spikes doesnt have his emotional attack dog anymore and he's always so close to losing it.

Milkshake & Co arc.

- Shade is back and now Spikes is codependent /j, he finally gets properly taught how to use his chaos energy in a productive way as well as help manage it.

- We meet Maple The Sable and Oakley The Opposum. Maple has a oc x canon going on with Cream!

Surge arc.

- Spikes gets a break? Too bad, let's break his peace. Starline's back.

- I dont have a lot written but basically, Surge and Kit are around for about 4-5 months. Starline gets fried and drowned by Surge and Kit before escaping.

- Surge and Kit are out to get Spikes & Miles.

- Kit and Miles do get in a fight. Kit loses, miserably.

- Surge is pissed the fuck off about it bc they kidnapped drippy and she's alone...with her thoughts.

- She attacks Spikes at night after following him, planning to kill him. They get in a fight, Surge "kills" Spikes but he's able to finish her in his Shattered form. She's dead for a while before she wakes up again.

- She tries killing Miles and Spikes again, Shade is fed up with her shit for trying to kill his weirdo and atom bombs her pretty much. Now she's gone forever.

- Kit and Miles actually do bond.

Generational trauma arc. - Knux and Spikes' beef finally hits the fan. Knux has been stressing about Spikes being almost killed again and he's just been being the worst pretty much. Spikes and Knux fight each other like dogs.

"Moonlight" segment.

Eclipse arc.

- To be added

Milkshake 2.0 arc.

- To be added

Crown of Thorns arc.

- To be added

[spyglassrealms]

The planet Earth is the third planet in the Sol system, a vibrant terran world with a diverse biosphere recovering from a near-miss ecological collapse. It has six major landmasses surrounded by vast oceans of liquid water, and its atmosphere is a comfortable nitrogen-oxygen blend at a pressure that is dense enough to protect but not enough to crush. It also has one relatively large, airless, rocky moon, called Luna (or simply "the Moon.")

Earth is also home to an indigenous sophont species: humans, one of the founding members of the Coalition of Spacefaring Civilizations. Because of its deep pre-spaceflight cultural history, it is one of a minority of worlds divided into nations, hence its primary governing body being the United Nations of Earth -the ancestor to most of humankind's modern administrative structure. Being Earth's only natural moon, Luna was the site of humans' first forays into extraterrestrial exploration, and today is an industrial powerhouse under the flag of the UN Autonomous Territory of Luna. The Earth-Moon Union (EMU, for short; top flag) is composed of the United Nations of Earth (bottom left flag) and the Autonomous Territory of Luna (bottom right flag), with its primary seat being Midway Station located at the L-1 gravitational stability keyhole between Earth and Luna.

As the birthplace of the human species, the Earth is the most populous and powerful asteropolitical entity in the Sol system, and quite possibly in the entire United Nations of Humanity. Earth itself has a population of just over 8 billion, which has stayed relatively stable since the 21st century. Together with the Moon’s 240 million inhabitants, the total population of the EMU is about 8.4 billion, almost four times that of the next largest entity in the system (Mars).

While Luna’s primary industry in the modern day is mining, Earth’s rich cultural and biological history makes it a tourist destination renowned across known space, though it has stringent biosecurity. For many, it is even a spiritual experience, some going so far as to make it their life’s goal to retire on Earth and connect with the home of their ancestors. Centuries of ecological engineering and conservation have managed to avert the effects of early human industry, restoring the world to a natural balance and even reviving many species driven extinct by human error. Today, one can watch herds of mammoth roam the Siberian tundra, visit dodo birds on Mauritius, or experience the return of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. 30th century Earth is a good place to be, and humanity is collectively proud of their home: the cradle of the Diaspora.

hey look, more art! been a hot minute. photobash of a future Earth and its well-settled Moon, plus their flags, created for my hard science fiction setting Astra Planeta. done using assets from Space Engine.