#asteromorph

[astrocorvus]

Ugh! I forgot to upload yesterday’s oc-tober drawing!..

anyway here’s day 25 (a day late) .:artificial:.

Baby Solis, just minutes away from birth.

I have a headcanon that Asteromorphs create their young in laboratories, so here’s my boy in his incubation tube!

He’s just a little guy!

@oc-tober2023

[vandeeartist]

I'm so happy to finally meet my cousin! (I allowed all other posthumans to die and watched his species suffer)

[blaurgussmargus]

Nine BFDI as All Tommorows species

[damn-i-love-frogs]

Would you still love me if i was turned into a horrible worm-like abomination by a hyper intelligent space bug with a god complex?

[i-left-my-room-tidy]

just finished reading All Tomorrows by CM Kosemen and was hit with the urge to shift to this post-apocalyptic hellscape

[draptorronin]

J01N U5 C0MR4D35!

W3 N33D Y0UR SUPP0RT 1N TH3 F1GHT 4G41N5T 

TH3 45T3R0M0RPH5!

T0G3TH3R, W3 SH477 PR3V417 45 TH3 TRU3 4ND S073 D35C3ND4NT5 0F TH3 5T4R P30P73!

TH053 WH0 F1GHT 4G41N5T 0UR M4CH1N3 3MP1R3 MU5T B3 E L I M I N A T E D! 

[elbiotipo]

Finally read All Tomorrows last night and I know why people recommended it to me all the time, it was a very interesting piece of *biopunk* speculative evolution with a fascinating overarching story. It was also a breeze to read, I expected it would be long and a bit tiring (like Man After Man) but no, it was very illustrated and in fact it left you hungry for a bit more, I love the way it lets you fill in the gaps.

Of course, like always, it falls in the same old trope that biotechnology = bad and gross. It doesn't fall straight into saying biotechnology is evil, but the element of body horror is very, very, very much present in all the book. The fact that being warped into abominations is shown as the big event of human evolution reminds me of Man After Man, where "human evolution" doesn't occur "naturally" or as a result of, well, human selection, but as a result of a higher power messing with humans. All those strange beings we see in the book were not the ultimate result of environmental pressures, "artificial" selection or people bioengineering themselves. They were the result of fucked-up eldritch beings who wanted to make fucked-up humans. Which is kind of dissapointing if you are looking for a book that actually talks about future human evolution.

Which brings me to a discussion of the future of human evolution. Because, obviously, humans are evolving today. But I don't think we can see the real effect of biological evolution in the timescale we are managing as current humans. From a quick search, there have been only 500 generations since the arrival of agriculture and thus of all recorded or remembered history as we know it. That's not nearly enough biological time to see any major changes. Yes, there have been changes. And the development of human intelligence and brain size was quick and monumental, with many things we still don't really understand (like the origin of language and abstract thought). But do notice that the body plan of a modern human does not radically depart from Homo erectus, 2 million years ago.

Some authors like Olaf Stapledon (one of the great grandfathers of science fiction) in Last and First Men (which could be considered the 1930s version of All Tomorrows, in fact All Tomorrows to me is the modern Last and First Men) thought that we would continue to have evolutive pressures like natural selection and our species will continue evolving over millions of years. This is true as all species are still evolving including us, but in just a few decades we have discovered genetic engineering, and it won't be too long before, somehow, it is used in the path of our evolution. All Tomorrows of course talks about this with the Star People and later the Asteromorphs, but I believe it leaves out the prospect of humans guiding their own evolution for the (admitedly interesting) plot twist of the Qu changing them themselves.

What would have happened (or rather, what WILL happen) if humans are left to evolve by themselves? I'm sure that we will find somewhen. And I think that cosmetic genetic modification will be part of it, which is why I personally found the depiction of the Star People so boring. Now, I don't think every human will genetically modify themselves into supermodels, for starters, our parameters of attractiveness are based on culture and material conditions, and people will always seek variety, but I do think "sexual selection" would be a major part of human evolution, and that some forms like the Star People, as practical(?) as they are, just don't have the appeal. The utopia of the Star People should have been just as interesting as the dystopia of the Qu, with people experimenting new ways to adapt their bodies and self expression. Not to mention people adapting to the many strange environments of space by themselves (an old sci-fi trope). And of course, there would always be humans who don't want any of that, preferring to stay as they are, or return as they were. None, none of the Asteromorphs desired that at all?

Even in my own biopunk setting, however, the future of human evolution is something I only can see as far as a couple centuries on the future. Anything more than that, with the infinite possibilities of genetic engineering, makes me dizzy to contemplate. So I think All Tomorrows, for daring to do this billions of years in the future, is an amazing book.

[kid-az]

All Tomorrow’s: Vanga Vangog’s Processor and Asteromorph’s HC’s

The grand finale of this saga of Vanga’s posthumans, and this one is on one of the saddest stories among the posthumans, the Mantelopes! In canon they had been born in bodies that made them unable to meaningfully interact in the world inspite of their sapience, and this would disappear quickly in a few thousand years as their songs of sorrow turn into regular mating songs and bellows.

Of course, that had not happen in Vanga’s timeline. Instead, the Asteromorph’s took interests on these posthumans due to the realization of their high intellect. This process, at first merely one of master and servant, would become a symbiotic one for both parties, with the Processors acting as the Asteromorph’s brains and memory-keepers, and the Asteromorphs the Processors hands and (Relative) brawn.

You can do a surprising amount with just a brain, and the Processor’s are the penultimate conclusion of that question, their relationship with the Asteromorphs making their empire far more technologically advanced and powerful than in canon, ironic considering the Asteromorph’s themselves wouldn’t become bigger brained.

-Their curious minds and natures made Processor’s extremely excited and interested on learning new ideas and things, to the point that they and the Asteromorph’s would make earlier contact with the Second Empire in this timeline, learning about all of their cultures and sharing some of their technology and ideas. This also had the benefit of stopping the Gravital’s from killing everyone.

-They kept their ancestral traditions of singing songs, their laryx (Voice box) being the only thing other than their brain to grow in size. Only instead of singing exclusively sorrowful songs, they instead sung songs of hope, rage, and so many other different emotions, including those only they can feel. Their laryx were so developed that they could mimic a ton of different sounds we couldn’t, including metal guitars, chainsaws, plane jet engines, and stuff that is beyond our hearing range.

-Most Processors are born offworld in the zero-gravity habitats of their Asteromorph Symbiotes, though there is still a very sizable trillions of them living in their home-Star system. This birthplace is effectively their version of Mecca, as almost every Processor visits once to several times during their lifetime. (With help from Asteromorph’s of course.)

-The Asteromorph’s are much less reclusive than in canon, and in fact a sizable amount of the population are now living in space habitats or even low-gravity worlds of other posthuman species. The highest populations of them live alongside the Modular People, Stickmen, Pterosapien’s, and the Satyriac’s .(Even they need to cut loose and party!)

-The Asteromorph’s knowledge of their ancient history, alongside the Processor’s general intelligence and assistance from the Second Empire, allowed them to find their ancestral homeworld earth far earlier. No one would inhabit the planet however, instead deciding to seed the almost deserted planet with new life from each of their worlds and millions of years later, when the sun threatens to blow up, they safely move earth into a new star system, allowing the introduced, establish and possibly sapient life to flourish.

-The Asteromorph’s and Processor’s of later times treat eachother like friends or even siblings, with an eachother being paired so long as they get along very well.

-After reaching connecting eachother’s consciousness’s, the Processor’s would offer their Asteromorph and other posthuman brethren the ability to do so as well, with them being able to agree or decline however they see fit.

-Once finding the Qu, this Posthuman empire would not horrifically mutate or kill every last one of them, instead deciding to strip them of all of their biotechnology, take down their leadership, and having them live alongside as equals….. the posthuman’s unwilling to stoop down to their abusers level.

-Like in canon, they would all disappear from this galaxy, but instead of it being a relatively ambiguous fate, the Author’s species would discover what had truly happened to humanity……… in that they had reached apotheosis and have left this universe altogether, instead deciding to seed new universe and life, so that they may love today, and seize all tomorrows.

[4x01]

the asteromorphs are so funny. avoided a billion years of torture and bioterrorism by doing fuck all and never going outside

[baenyth]

Bethany's Bizarre Miraculous Reviews Episode 3-19: Timetagger

I'll be level: I'm not fond of Time Travel or Multiverse plots. The former can turn the show's timeline into pasta and almost always breaks the first law of thermodynamics. If you travel to the past and your past self is there, then there's a copy of the matter that makes up you. Where did that matter come from? The latter has the issue of being overdone these days and being a worldbuilding nightmare. You're multiplying the world you're building by however many parallel worlds are out there, typically infinity. I do think there are times where it can work, however. Time travel when it's the only thing focused on and can make it a good fun time like Bill and Ted, and the multiverse when we only focus on one universe and the occasionally parallel visitor or travel, like in Steel Ball Run. But who cares about that? This is an Alix episode! Woohoo!

Marinette, just say "Not again. Alya, can you handle the kids while I punch Mr. Pigeon in the face?"

Honestly a constantly rapping time travel villain that flings people to different timelines is pretty cool.

Also apparently everyone sent to the past has such a big impact they become famous in one way or another? Odd.

I'm not sure what's funnier. Chat Noir destroying relics in a museum with no hesitation or adult Bunnix being inside there.

Our watch

The revelation that the futuristic watch from one season 1 episode being a Miraculous is honestly pretty cool. I love a good callback.

Oh thank god their relationship isn't bonded there's a chance the world has a chance

Once again Chat Noir's complex about being useless strikes again

The teleporation battle was pretty fun. I liked how Timetagger sent her to the Ice Age, Cretaceous Era, Pompei's Eruption, and the Asteromorph-Gravital War. All Tomorrows is always canon.

The particle physics on that disintegration lmao

Wow, Lila saved Marinette's bacon there. To manipulate children, sure, but hey.

"The future isn't set in stone" except it is in this plot

Good episode, time travel aside!

[blimbo-buddy]

Don't mind me, I'm normal about the physical similarities between The Qu and the Asteromorphs and the narrative/thematic implications it possibly holds

[astrocorvus]

Oc-tober day 23 .:ritual:.

Lord Solis, during a deep meditation. Spreading his membranous wings like massive sails, he basks in the warm light of an ancient star.

@oc-tober2023

[ornisapiens]

A fan made All Tomorrows family tree I fussed over quite a lot before settling on this version. It includes human lineages, other earthlings, and a few aliens. I did this mainly to add context to the book's family tree and organize some groups for clarity. And if you can believe it, this isn't even the whole roster of species, but I kept the well known species and their cohorts and ancestors in the picture as much as I could.

I found a lot of trouble trying to tie posthuman groups together with the boxes (miMind will try to attach them to the nodes because the boxes are just big nodes), and conveying the less obvious connections to some groups as indicated by the dotted lines. I'm aware there are more that should've been added, but, at a certain point I wanted to avoid added visual noise.

Now there's no way all the information thus far can fit into the ALT text feature, so it's probably best to take a crack at it here.

The very top starts with a non-human, therizinosaurs, to contextualize what Panderavis pandora is. Or, was. The green outline for these nodes indicates it's a reptile. I stuck it in the node closest resembling a coffin because Panderavis went extinct well before it was discovered.

The modern humans split off into two nodes, the Earth Humans, and the Martians. They had eventually interbred to create the Star People, who then discovered Panderavis bones.

The Star People hereafter had almost all populations genetically modified by the damselfly-like aliens known as the Qu, or Quhanim.

Under the posthuman lineages that died out during bottleneck events are: Mantelopes, Bone Crushers, Temptors, Hand Flappers, Blind Folk, Titans, Striders, and unknown others.

One lineage of Star Person went into hiding and avoided the Qu, which are the Spacers.

The surviving lineages that were Qu modified are:

Insectophagi, Ruin Haunters, Swimmers, Lopsiders, Colonials, Parasites and their Hosts, Worms, Finger Fishers, Flyers, Lizard Herders, Hedonists, and Predators with their Prey.

Note the Lizard Herders co-existed with a reptile originally from planet Earth, which had become the Herd Lizards. As appropriate, their outline is also green.

Onwards to the second empire era posthumans as indicated with blue fill and outline, with one notable green exception. Insectophagi gave rise to the Bug Facers, Ruin Haunters the Gravitals, Swimmers the Tool Breeders, Lopsiders the Asymmetric People, Colonials the Modular People, Parasites and Hosts the Symbiotes, Worms the Snake People, Finger Fishers gave rise to aerial species and the marine Sail People, Flyers gave rise to aquatic and terrestrial species along with the aerial Pterosapiens, Spacers became Asteromorphs, the Lizard Herders became Human Steeds, Hedonists turned Satyriacs, and the Predators became the Killer Folk. Prey still exist, but some of them are farmed.

And the one species that is considered arguably more human than the posthuman steed it coexists with, is the Saurosapients. They're descended from Herd Lizards.

The big box enveloping most of these posthumans indicates they were eradicated by the Gravitals, thus ending the second empire. Although most precursors went extinct in the sense they all evolved into their second era iterations, there is at least one exception. The Lopsiders still existed with the Asymmetrics, and were wiped out by their descendants. Only the Asteromorphs, Bug Facers, and Gravitals themselves remained.

The Gravitals then subjugated and modified the Bug Facers into the Subjects.

Meanwhile the Asteromorphs underwent further changes into godlike forms. They usurped the Gravitals, who were altered into the New Machines, and rescued the Subjects, who became the Rescued Subjects. The Asteromorphs, being hands-off parents of this new humanity, created Terrestrial forms of their kin to withstand gravity and watch over their Subjects on their home planets.

These are a few lineages left of what was once humanity, and an alien with an equally complex yet unknown history enters, the Amphicephali.

New Machines, Rescued Subjects, Asteromorphs, Terrestrials, and Amphicephali are indicated as coexisting in this new era with red.

The Qu descend from an unknown species, and the Author character's descent is equally mysterious.

And that about wraps it up. I've left out fan theories around the origins of the Amphicephali, Qu, and Author alien in trying to keep this chart objective to the original book. It may outdate itself once the redux is published, and there might not be a "need" for another fan chart if CMK includes one in the redux and polishes it to a shine. We'll see in a few years, realistically speaking.

[scabface]

dream blunt rotation :

the lopsiders

the snake people

pterosapiens

asteromorphs

[lab-practicum]

I need to start posting my music on here more often. here's a little wip

[bracketsoffear]

Propaganda for All Tomorrows: There's this particular post-human species that starts as scavengers of the ruins of Humanity, wishing to go back to what they were, and then after they develop advanced technology they "evolve" into beings that are more machine than flesh, until finally becoming the Gravitals, a species that has completely digitized their minds and disposed of any organic remnants and are depicted in the artwork as literal floating spheres of black metal with a single red robotic eye.

Their transition into mechanical beings also came with the belief that life was a privilege, not a right, and made them unable to understand that organic life was still life. They saw other species as not life, but mere garbage to be disposed of or remade in their image, the way a modern human would see an old electronic or other spent item. Because of that zealous and racist ideology, they went on a full-blown genocide against all other post-human species, almost ending all of Humanity's descendants in the process until they themselves were stopped and wiped out by the only other post-human species left by that point, the Asteromorphs. The irony? Their whole genocidal "We are the only true form of sapient life and everyone else needs to be remade in our image and/or go extinct" mindset is the exact same that the Qu had when they wiped out and mutated the original humans.

I think the Gravitals could be used a good example of the "Technology will consume us and make us into something alien, or just straight out kill us/lead to our downfall" side of the Extinction.

.