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latenightbreezeinheaven · 1 year

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Predicting my 2023 solar return chart because I couldn’t sleep😴

2023 solar return chart is looking too much scary and crazy for me. My birthday is in June and it’s 2 months ahead but I think the effects have already started to show up in some areas of my life at this moment.

•Scorpio rising at 18 degrees (Virgo deg)

-I think this year, I would be mainly focused on transformations for myself, emotionally and physically.

-I went through a very intense and messy breakup and I found myself reflecting these circumstances a lot lately.

-I’ve been watching videos about self-concept, psychology and manifestation on youtube because I actually want to transform myself and I have a feeling I would succeed.

-I want to transform myself into someone who’s powerful with a lil bit of mysterious aura.🤭

-I started to take interest in occult and metaphysical topics and witchy stuff.

-I bought my first tarot deck about two weeks ago just because my gut told me to do it.

-I started to rely a lot on my intuition and most of them are on point.

-I had some prophetic dreams which came true in real life. (thanks to my natal Neptune and Uranus in 8th house too) IT’S KINDA CRAZY. THAT DREAM HAPPENED EXACTLY IN MY REALITY.🤯

-I notice that I also tend to become more private on social media and I back away from people, even from my best friend who I used to talk with everyday because I feel so drained for literally no reason. (but maybe this solar eclipse and mercury retrograde are the hidden answer😏)

-I’ve been getting lots of compliments too. One of my guy friends told me that I look like a maneater in these days. (I just had leo rising in 2022 SR chart and my attention-seeking ass is enjoying this too much hehe🙊)

-The MAIN reason why I’m scared of scorpio rising in SR chart is because I was bullied at school, got slapped by my mom, sexually harassed and these all happened for the very first time in my life and also my biggest secret got exposed (which was kinda like receiving karma for what I had done) in the year I had scorpio rising.😃

-The rising degree was at 29 degrees and I was slut-shamed publicly. (❗️Tip: if you have 29 degrees on planets or points in your solar return chart, that might indicate the end of a chapter and a new beginning, for better or worse depends on what you have done and the planet shows in which area you’ll encounter these endings).

-All students knew my name but in a notorious way like “oh that girl? Ummm🙄 *shrugs*”. -These events brought major changes into my life. It changed my whole personality.

-I was scared and in the dark for the whole year. But to face my foes, I had to put on that “I’m fucking strong bitches don’t you dare touch me” mask the whole year. No one was on my side. But these events helped me become a girl who I am right now. I used to be a fun, outgoing, optimistic, free, flirty and giggling little girl but right now, I’m not that kind of girl anymore. I’ve become a brave and strong girl who had gone through a lot but still didn’t give up. However, I have never shown my vulnerable side to anyone up to this day since that year. That year is the year that I’ll NEVER forget. And that’s why I’m feeling a bit nervous to go through another year with scorpio rising.😰

-I might receive karma for what I had done. Good or bad.

-I might also attract a lot of unwanted attention from others since I also have Venus conjunct mars and Lilith conjunct MC this year. Main theme is transformation and shocking things might also happen. My secrets could be leaked maybe. Just don’t wanna assume things before anything happens.🥱

•Sun in Gemini in 8th house at 24 degrees (Pisces deg)

-This year is literally screaming “TIME TO TRANSFORM YOU BITCH” at my face lol😂. -My main focus is gonna be healing ofc and transformation I guess.

-I might have to face my shadow side and I think the universe will push me to deal with it to achieve my higher self.

-I also kinda observe things deeply a lot nowadays and it could go on for the whole year.

-I feel like I might go through my ego death or as I said, an old chapter could end and new beginnings would come.

-I’m a bit worried about me and my family’s health. I’ve been feeling ill for quite some time now due to low blood pressure. I’m also worried about my parents especially my dad because idk I just feel something weird but let’s not think about it because I don’t wanna manifest anything bad to him.🥺

-I’m not going to predict further about this because I’ve said enough above as this is quite similar to scorpio rising. My main focus is 8th house and scorpio themed.🖤

•Sun conjunct Juno

-People say this is like “meeting your soulmate” aspect of the year. I hope I would meet someone too whether it’s platonic or romantic because it’s fun to interact with new people.😺

•Sun square Neptune

-My creation skills could be kinda blocked. It’s happening even right now. In the past, when I started to write about something, the words just naturally flew out of my head but right now, I’m a bit stuck and delayed. My thoughts are delayed. I even forget how to structure sentences creatively.

•Moon in Taurus in 7th house at 21 degrees (Sag deg)

-My emotions could be mainly invested in relationships and partnerships.

-I could be thinking a lot about how to get better in relationships and any-ships.

-I just hope I won’t be lost in love again but I’m pretty sure I definitely won’t too.🤡

-Btw, I love having moon at sagittarius degree because it might mean I would feel optimistic and free like a little girl version of me before 2019!

•Moon conjunct Uranus

-Mood swings. URGH. I don’t even need to predict this because they’re already happening. I have daily mood swings but I notice that since about the start of April, I’ve become so much unstable and inconsistent in my emotions. One minute I’m on instagram and another minute, I’m on google. Another minute I’m on tumblr and I just keep jumping from one tab to another A LOT.

-I also feel quite chaotic and confused about some of my relationships. I love my best friend one minute and another minute, I kinda reconsider if she’s really good for me or not. And I just feel exhausted just by existing.😮‍💨

•Mercury in Gemini in 7th house at 6 degrees (Virgo deg)

-Idk how to interpret this. Please HELP kindly if you can. Thank you! Maybe share your experiences?❤️

•Venus in Leo in 9th house at 8 degrees (Scorpio deg)

-I love having Venus in 9th house when it comes to SR charts. I had this placement in 2022 and man, I had 3 trips in one year and all of those were amazing times for me. It’s pleasant and I felt so excited by those adventures.

-Needless to say, I also met my ex in college (actually the first time we ever met was in 2019, at a language school but we met again in college🙄) and somehow most of my relationships were based in college and they’re going to go more for another 7 years so you can say they’re quite significant.

-So, I think I might also get a boyfriend or boyfriendS from college this year. Or else it could be through traveling, education and religious places.

-I might find aesthetics in learning about spirituality and might be focused and might have fixated opinions on my belief system related to religion (as it is in leo).

-I started to become more religious in these days and I also started to stand firm in what I believe instead of being a people-pleaser and saying “oh I also believe that” to every opinion existing.👏🏻

•Venus conjunct mars

-Yayyy people say this is the year I’m getting most attention from both genders. I mean I don’t like attention that much because it’s draining but who doesn’t love being put in a spotlight if it’s for good? (at this point my natal sun in 12th house being indecisive if he likes attention or not)🤦🏻‍♀️

-I love receiving love from people so this is a great placement for me.

-And also, my sexual energy can be highly increased this year.😶

-I might have several options for romantic partners and might come out more charming and alluring than usual.

•Venus opposite Pluto

-Kinda scared again because my SR chart ruler is in hard aspect with SR Venus which is in 9th house.

-I hope communication between peers would go well and relationships won’t be destroyed because of misunderstandings in communication.

-Idk why but I have this gut feeling that I’m going to attract someone or be attracted to someone who’s manipulative, toxic and jealous. Or I might be the one who would be obsessed with someone having all of those plutonic qualities. My relationships could be pluto-themed and transformative I guess.

-Some people say that this is also an indicator of glow-up in SR chart and I find this pretty accurate because I’m going to the gym for the first time in July!🤩

•Venus conjunct vertex

-Fated love? Fated relationships? Can be through 9th house related places and the other person may have leo or taurus qualities. Or the meeting could be leo-themed I guess?

•Mars in Leo in 9th house at 14 degrees (Taurus deg)

-This can mean I would put a lot of effort into college and it can be true because I have my final exams in June and I have to sweat my ass off for that.😵

-I might be rethinking about my belief system and replanning about my education too.

-As I have my natal mars in natal 9th house, I kinda like this placement because it’s friendly to me.

-I might seek for freedom and would cancel anyone who’s blocking me from becoming confident and free.

-I might go under a sexual encounter which may be brief but transformative. Or maybe one-night stand LMAO (jk I don’t like one-night stands personally).

-I’m a virgin so I’m even a bit curious if I’m going to lose my virginity this year because I have a very strong gut feeling about having first sex with someone who’s important for me.😭👀

•Mars conjunct vertex

-Fated sexual encounter maybe. Maybe fated accidents? Lol I’m sorry I don’t wanna manifest accidents for myself haha😂 But personal planets in conjunction with vertex can also mean fated people might be brought to our life to teach us something, both karmic and non-karmic ones, eg like a teacher or a mentor.

•Mars conjunct Lilith

-I have a very strong gut feeling that I’m gonna gain lots of sexual attention or might attract aggressive partners who want to tame me (sorry guys but my Lilith in 1st house won’t let it happen🤗).

-I might become comfortable and have courage enough to express my sexuality.

-May have power struggles with authority figures.

-I notice that I’ve been feeling like “who are you to judge me bastards” towards controlling authority figures.🌝

•Mars conjunct MC

-I might work hard to reach my goals.

-I might also appear assertive, daring and competitive in public.

-This is also special because my natal MC ruler is mars and it is now highlighted in my SR chart.

-I’m going to the gym for the first time in July too so maybe people would see me athletic and confident this year.

•Jupiter in Taurus in 6th house at 6 degrees (Virgo deg)

-Jupiter is about expansion and luck so, I might gain luck and blessings through my health, my routines, my colleagues (but for me, friends).

-I just wish I won’t gain weight because Jupiter sometimes indicates weight gains and 6th house is health and physical house thank god I’m going to the gym.

-My health could become better BUT since both Venus and mars square Jupiter, love and sex might deteriorate my health in some way - idk how to interpret this.🧘🏻‍♀️

•Pluto in Capricorn in 3rd house at 29 degrees (Leo deg)

-Transformations could arise around siblings, neighborhood, education, short trips, knowledge and communication.

-I also have my natal chart ruler in my natal 3rd house so this energy is quite familiar for me but let’s see how Pluto energy would go this year. (i had Pluto in 6th house last year and I had eating disorder LMAO🤧)

•North node in Taurus in 6th house at 3 degrees (Gemini deg)

-My purpose might be to take care of myself- my health mainly as I said that my health is not so good in these days.

-Also it could be showing that I need to reconstruct my daily routines and abandon every bad habit that is no longer serving me. Maybe I might need to balance my studies and my relaxation time.

•Uranus-moon conjunction conjuncts descendant

-There could be unexpected and sudden changes, events occurring in my relationships. -I feel like I might go into a romantic relationship but that won’t be committed or at least, it would be weird and unusual. Not traditional and maybe shocking too. I might be the one who’s not willing to commit because right now, I have zero desire to start another relationship. Tbh, my ex is still in a part of me and I need to cut him off first. I might attract unconventional people too.

•Lilith conjunct MC

-I started to feel a bit outcasted since my breakup and it became worse. My ex has a new girlfriend now but she and her friends are gossiping about me. I heard it through one of my mutual friends and it’s so Lilith-themed in my opinion. They wanna slut-shame me for no reason. I don’t know why but when other girls kiss their boyfriends, they seem pretty normal. When I kiss my boyfriend, I suddenly become like a slut. I also kinda have to put on “Wtf you bitches, seriously!? Sorry but I’m unbothered” mask in college just to defend myself. As a result, I could be seen as someone who’s unapologetic, daring and untamed. Or maybe I might represent Lilith traits unconsciously in this year.🔫

•Part of fortune in libra 11th house at 15 degrees (Gemini deg)

-I might gain luck through friendships, connections with people, humanitarian work, beauty, social media.

•SR ascendant falls into natal 4th house (3 degrees away from 5th house cusp)

-Mainly focused areas - family, past lessons, roots and childhood. Could also be - romance, fun, flings, dates, creativity, children.

•Fixed dominant

-My mind can be fixated and I might stick to one decision only.

•Earth dominant

-I might be a bit stable but Idk how I feel about this one because I also have moon-Uranus conjunction haha

•Taurus stellium

-Love and beauty could be mainly focused? But I love having taurus stellium because I love taurus energy. They look so calm. In my opinion. At least.🌸

•7th house stellium

-Might be “Love is in the air” year for me but I’m closing my nose till my prince charming comes and commits to me fully and gives me princess treatment. Plus, I don’t wanna kiss froggos anymore. Yuck.💀

Anyways, this was a long ass post and I’m so freaking excited for the upcoming year. Afraid, nervous but at the same time, so curious about what might happen because placements in this year’s chart are a bit crazy and intense in my opinion. Also please bear with my grammar mistakes as I’m an ESL student. You can also share your experiences with me if you have had any of these placements in your previous years’ solar return charts. Thank you!❤️

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brf-rumortrackinganon · 24 days

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You think Roop won’t even begin? What about all the articles on all the potential merch it will sell? **snickers** I’ve never seen a brand launch without any product!

Roop, and Meghan, has potential.

Meghan has always had the potential to be a success. She's focused, dedicated, and ambitious enough to be successful. I mean, the lady went from an unknown D-List cable TV actress to the fiancee of a British prince in 12 months. That takes serious focus and dedication. Especially considering that they spent much of those 12 months apart from each other (again, according to their own PR).

(It's 12 months if you take Sussex PR at their word - they met in July 2016 and Meghan was leaking/hinting they were engaged in July 2017).

Meghan's problem is that she's obsessed with immediate gratification. Part of it is how she was spoiled by her father growing up. By all accounts from Sam and the Toms, Tom Sr gave Meghan everything she wanted when she wanted it, which led to an expectation in her adulthood that "what Meghan wants, Meghan gets" -- and for the most part, that expectation was validated. She married a producer, she got a cable network show. She posted on social media, and the likes, shares, reposts, and mentions start growng immediately. She wanted luxury travel, she got it comped by Soho House. She wanted Harry to prove how much he loved her, he blew up protocol and wrote a love letter on KP stationery. So on.

Meghan doesn't understand that real success takes time. It's the core root of her problem with the UK and the BRF. She expected everything immediately and was immediately offended when everyone told her (and showed her) that it doesn't work like that. It never has. It never will. So she did the only thing she knew how to do: throw a tantrum nasty enough that the BRF/UK will give in and do what she wants...because it's worked in the past. It worked with Tom Sr. It worked with Trevor. It worked with Harry. It worked (partially) with the press. Rinse and repeat for six years and here we are with Roop.

I've gotten way off-tangent here. Anyway, the point is that Meghan expects instant immediate gratification on everything and anything she does that she can't fathom the idea, or the responsibility, of follow-through.

But she can follow through when it's her own ass on the line. She followed through with marrying Harry, despite how vicious the cyberbullying and media harassment was (per her own PR). She followed through with Megxit, despite a pandemic that drastically and rapidly altered the world as we knew it. She followed through with the Oprah interview on Prince Philip's deathbed. She followed through on "Kate the Racist Royal" narrative despite zero evidence. She followed through on earning Prince/Princess titles for her irrelevant children. She followed through on merchandizing the Sussex brand, despite the Sandringham Agreement.

If she applied that same dedication and that same focus to Roop, it can be successful. Will it, though?

I'm skeptical. Meghan's (and Harry's) own track record shows that the only follow-through they have is in doing photoshoots that lets them take credit for everyone else's work.

So if Roop ends up being more like Invictus Games or Clevr - where Meghan gets paid to be in their social media posts and shake hands with fans at the farmer's markets - the fighting chances are much, much better once they have a product. (And the lackluster reception for Meghan's vanity video should make it clear now that they need real product, not just Meghan's existence.) Because the actual team can fudge the data and stroke her ego to keep her unaware of what's really happening.

But if Roop ends up being more like Pearl or British Vogue - where she's closely involved in the day-to-day management/oversight - there's absolutely no chance. Even with the most gamechanging product in the world, Roop is going to fizzle faster than Blake Lively's attempt did. Because Meghan wants immediate gratification and when she doesn't see those results after one hour of product launch, she's going to take it out on people. In fact we're already seeing this, when she threw Mandana under the bus in the Page Six story.

Unfortunately, I think Roop is going to be a situation more of the latter, since we're already seeing that. And, as everyone has pointed out, it does Meghan absolutely no good to have launched the brand without any tangible product. Even if all she had was a newsletter (like Goop/Gwyneth Paltrow did) or a premiere date for her Martha Stewart show.

So TL;DR - Roop has the potential to be a success but it depends on Meghan and

#ask #brf #sussexes #theories

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f1amboyant · 6 months

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I can't get the idea of Engineer Carlos AU out of my head. Can you tell me more about how hot and popular Carlos is? I imagine something like

there are actually many fan accounts created only for him lol there are those hit tiktok vids of him (like the one with 'hey my sexy lady Ferrari mechanic')

cameraman knows what he is doing and always delivers. Like during the race or red flag, cameraman likes to show Carlos

Carlos is effortlessly hot and he doesn't know how popular he is. He just smiles shyly when fans ask for a photo with him when he walks with Charles in the paddock. Charles is a bit possessive and silently glares at that poor fans lol i love jealous Charled

Also Carlos is gonna be the best strategist. Pls write some races that shows how genius Carlos is

And the angst like there is rumour about Red Bull offering Carlos doubled his current salary and Charles is afraid to ask Carlos about it

Yeah. Pls write something about this AU. I will take any crumbs. Hot engineer Carlos🔥

Hi there anon!

Thank you so much for asking about this AU (from this post). Engineer Carlos is so so dear to me. And we’ve been getting soooo muuuuuch content lately (the pics of him in the pit wall with headphones on just make me go feral 🔥).

You pretty much nailed it with all your ideas, that’s basically what I have in mind for this AU! But here are some of the ideas I have:

So, Carlos becomes Charles’ race engineer in 2021. The public doesn’t know about him, maybe some Spanish media talk about the son of Carlos Sainz Sr getting a more important role in the team, but in general Charles is the talk of the show (of course he is, he is the predestined.) So it’s almost a random thing when fans get the first pictures and videos of Carlos on the paddock with Charles and on the pit wall.

Fans start to notice. “Who is this hot man with Charles? New race engineer? Who is he? We need to know??”

It’s just really small glimpses at first but the fans get more and more curious each time.

Halfway through the season, there are multiple accounts dedicated to Carlos, scrounging the internet to know who he is and find as many pictures of him as possible. They compile every glimpses they get from the media on race weekend. They ask Ferrari admin to show more of the hot engineer “we love Charles but please we need to see more of this hot piece of cake, can we know who he is?”

The cameramen on the paddock slowly start to get the idea and we get more and more of Carlos. Plus, we hear their exchanges on the radio and omg are they… are they flirting on live television??? They work well together but is this banter?? Is this flirting?? Omg?? So yeah, fans go crazy for Carlos. Ferrari even capitalizes on it, using Carlos in the team challenges (there were several challenges in past years where the drivers paired with some guys from the team, so imagine the chaos it would be Charles and Carlos pairing against the other pair of driver and engineer). Fans go absolutely crazy for it. The fan accounts for Carlos are going insane.

Carlos is absolutely oblivious to all of this. Charles on the other hand sees all the fans thirsting over his race engineer and gets so so soooo jealous. Joris has to take away his phone so he can focus on the race weekend and so that Charles doesn’t comment on every picture of Carlos with something like ‘he’s my race engineer, back off!’ He gets more and more touchy with Carlos, always having an arm around his shoulders, clasping his hand and holding it far far longer than is necessary.

Carlos is oblivious to his own fame, but he’s still online. He has a secret account (shoutout to @tiramisufrappe for this particular idea) where he posts cute pictures of Charles, commenting on how cute and adorable he is, and just look at him he is the prettiest can you believe it. So yeah, Carlos is Charles' number one fangirl.

Of course, Carlos is also so so talented, especially with the race strategy. He goes against the team orders on multiple occasions, giving Charles a better strategy until at some point, they just let him do what he wants. I can imagine something like that:

“The team wants you to pit. Thoughts? Question?” “I… I don’t know. I don’t know what to do. I can’t pass these guys and we’re going to lose and…” Charles is starting to raise his voice and get frustrated. “Charles,” Carlos remains calm and so so composed and his voice is sooooo soothing. “Tell me how you feel in the car. Do you have the pace?” “Yes.” “Can you maintain this pace?” “Yes.” “Okay then. The team wants you to box, I say you stay out. What do you want?” “I don’t know. I trust you, Carlos.” “Then stay out, stay out.” panning to Carlos’ face on live television and the rest of the pit wall looking baffled and repressing their anger (they cannot show it now but you can feel that it’s not going to be good for Carlos when this is over). They win the race.

And oh my god, the Red Bull offer is such a good idea!! The added drama. The thing is, no matter the salary, Carlos would never leave Charles. It’s his driver, if he’s going, Charles has to go with him. So he’s not even considering it. But Charles doesn’t know that and he gets all scared and angry and finally he kisses Carlos. “Don’t leave me, please don’t leave me.” And that’s how they finally end up together!

Thank you so much for your question anon and I hope long answer is not too much 🫣 I have a lot of other WIPs to focus on first but I hope I can write engineer Carlos at some point because I love him so so much.

The question now: if Carlos is not a driver, then who is Charles’ teammate at Ferrari in 2021 and afterward?

Feel free to ask me more about this AU or other ideas. My ask box is open!

#ant answers anon asks #engineer carlos au

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usafphantom2 · 7 months

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The B-21 Raider: Designed For Low Risk

head-on view of B-21

Images released during the week of the Air and Space Force Association’s Air, Space & Cyber Conference revealed a head-on view that allowed for a reliable estimate of the wingspan.

Credit: Northrop Grumman

The design of Northrop Grumman’s B-21 Raider points to a conservative approach on the part of the U.S. Air Force’s Rapid Capabilities Office. The B-21’s resemblance to the original B-2 bomber design is close, but it is a smaller aircraft, with a wingspan estimated at 132 ft. compared with the B-2’s 172 ft., and is approximately half the empty weight. The planform itself is driven by the need to accommodate complex inlets and exhausts and a large weapon bay within the flying-wing profile while staying within a maximum thickness-to-chord ratio compatible with efficient flight above Mach 0.8.

Planform of two bombers

Credit: Giuseppe Picarella/TheCutawayCompany.com

The B-21 planform, which has not been officially released, was depicted in a video that accompanied a presentation by Gen. Duke Richardson, commander of the U.S. Air Force Materiel Command, on Sept. 11 at the Air and Space Force Association’s (AFA) Air, Space & Cyber Conference at National Harbor, Maryland. A new set of images released that week included an undistorted head-on view that permitted a reliable estimate of the wingspan. Recently recovered unclassified imagery from Pratt & Whitney presentations dating back to the early 2010s proved to be a close match for the B-21’s inlets.

U.S. Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office prioritized use of mature subsystems

Northrop draws on aspects of B-2 bomber and X-47B UCAV

The B-21’s low-risk design in part stems from the program’s origins. Before 2009, the Air Force was working to a requirement known as Next-Generation Bomber (NGB). It has been characterized as complex and ambitious, with a full suite of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) sensors, a self-defense capability and long endurance. This was canceled in April 2009 by then-Defense Secretary Robert Gates.

The following year, the Air Force proposed a different approach to the mission, which Pentagon leadership found acceptable: a Long-Range Strike family of systems including classified uncrewed aircraft systems for ISR and electronic attack (the former becoming the Northrop Grumman RQ-180), a replacement cruise missile (now the Raytheon AGM-181) and the Long-Range Strike-Bomber (LRS-B), for which a contract was awarded to Northrop Grumman in October 2015.

Aside from scrubbed and scaled-back requirements, the LRS-B project differed from NGB in three ways: Unit cost was a key performance parameter; two competing teams were funded through preliminary design review, which normally takes place after contract award; and management was assigned to the Air Force’s Rapid Capabilities Office (RCO). The RCO modeled its approach on the Lockheed F-117, developed using mature subsystems in a new platform so that the program could focus on applying new technology.

B-21 diagram

Click on this image to see an interactive version of a microcutaway of design features likely on the U.S. Air Force's next stealth bomber.

The B-21 emerging today is evidence that these principles have been adhered to. Its configuration and stealth technology have evolved from the “flying saucer” approach used on the B-2, but originally proposed in the late 1950s. Remarkably, Lockheed Martin Skunk Works founder and former chief Clarence “Kelly” Johnson, in a retrospective paper delivered in 1975 and quoting pre-SR-71 Blackbird work, noted that “a shape similar to flying saucers, with a sharp edge and no protuberances, has a very low radar cross-section without any anti-radar treatment.” And at a February 1959 conference with President Dwight Eisenhower, also discussing the future Blackbird, Harvard physicist Edward Purcell remarked that “the best shape would be a flying saucer.”

No documents found so far have explained the exact connection between the flying saucer phenomenon—the original popular term for unidentified aerial phenomena—and early stealth developments. But one part of the explanation may be that the mysterious craft were often believed to evade radar detection and that it would naturally occur to anyone with knowledge of radar that the shape might have something to do with it.

The classic 1950s flying saucer shape—seamless and continuously curved, with a domed center flaring out to a sharp edge—is visible on the B-21. Some details, though, are reminiscent of the X-47B—the uncrewed combat air vehicle (UCAV) designed by Northrop Grumman—such as the longer nose, or “beak.” This feature is a result of the need for continuous sharp leading edges, but with a curved-down nose to improve stall characteristics. As on the B-2, however, the saucer profile in elevation is matched with a straight-edge planform to concentrate residual radar reflections—reduced by deep-section radar-absorbent material (RAM) edges—in the smallest possible number of “spikes.”

The design benefits from advances in computational engineering and simulation. The B-2 was designed with the help of early 2D computational fluid dynamics (CFD), but airflows on a blended wing body shape are highly 3D with effects propagating from the center-body outward, and more recent designs using 3D CFD are more efficient.

Computational electromagnetics allows for better low radar cross-section (RCS) shapes and more efficient use of RAM and eliminates much of the empirical cut-and-try methods used in earlier programs: Northrop Grumman closed its Tejon Ranch, California, outdoor RCS test range in 2011.

The B-21 is also the first known major U.S. military aircraft program to be fully designed on a digital thread, with not only the shape but the physical characteristics of each part built into a digital prototype. This has allowed errors to be caught early and has made it possible, according to program officials, to incorporate all core systems on the first aircraft.

The differences from the B-2 include the new bomber’s planform. In fact, the B-2 planform at contract award in October 1981 was similar to the B-21’s now, but a low-altitude dash capability was added to the requirement late in its evolution. In early 1983, Northrop engineers discovered that the original design had insufficient control power to alleviate gust loads at the same time as controlling the aircraft, and it was necessary to add control area farther aft, close to the centerline, for rigidity. The fix resulted in the B-2’s unique planform, but at a price in time, weight and cost—and the low-altitude capability was never used.

Some of the features carried over from the X-47B include the apparent absence of split brake-rudder surfaces. Instead, the plan-view sketch suggests the presence of “inlay” surfaces above the wing, which would not be used in stealth mode. Instead, lateral and longitudinal control are provided by eight trailing-edge surfaces, augmented by differential thrust as on the B-2.

The center-body section matches images of highly serpentine inlets mated to a medium-bypass engine. Pratt & Whitney discussed such an engine, the PW9000, as a future bomber powerplant in 2010 but has not mentioned it since. The PW9000 used the core of the PW1000G commercial engine family, mated to a direct-drive fan with a 4:1 bypass ratio. On the B-2, the low-bypass GE F118 engine was selected because it was too risky to place a higher-bypass engine, more sensitive to flow distortion, behind the curved and RAM-treated inlet ducts needed to hide the fan face from radar. With the aid of better CFD, that problem can be eliminated: Northrop Grumman proposed a large bomber UAV in 2005, powered by two modified GE CF34 turbofans, and Lockheed Martin flew the Polecat demonstrator in 2006 with two Williams FJ44s.

Further evidence of innovation in the propulsion installation is that it is one of very few specific B-21 problem areas mentioned in public. Rep. Rob Wittman (R-Va), a member of the House Armed Services Committee, mentioned potential inlet and exhaust issues in March 2018. In March 2021, then-RCO Director Randall Walden said that a redesign was completed before the design was frozen, without affecting the schedule.

A higher bypass ratio provides much better specific fuel consumption than the B-2’s fighter-type engine, improving range, and would enable a cooler, lower-velocity exhaust, not only lowering the B-21’s infrared signature but also alleviating thermomechanical stress on the open “aft deck” area of the exhaust, immediately ahead of the trailing edge.

The B-21’s structure benefits from the absence of a low-level flight requirement and improvements in both composite materials and RAM, reducing the use of fillers and tapes. While the RAM itself would perform the same functions as on earlier stealth aircraft, with multiple layers to absorb energy, diffuse surface currents and protect the skin from lightning, it would require less maintenance than the notoriously finicky B-2 surface.

Internally, the B-21 apparently uses many proven systems. At the AFA meeting, Doug Young, Northrop Grumman vice president and general manager for strike systems, noted that where possible, the company has used commercial components and systems on the aircraft, reducing costs and taking advantage of long-lasting commercial supply networks. Early in the program, one Washington consultant with close ties to BAE Systems disclosed that the electronic warfare system of the B-21 is closely related to the Lockheed Martin F-35’s ASQ-239.

The most important feature of the avionics, however, is an open mission systems architecture. Young compares older systems with adding peripherals to a computer in the early PC age, where “you had to go through a whole rigmarole to make it work.” But the B-21 has standard interfaces and a partitioned architecture where changes to the mission systems cannot affect flight-critical functions.

The B-21 program includes a “software factory,” Young said, which is already developing capabilities beyond the service-entry baseline. And under a program called Spirit Realm, a partitioned architecture is being developed for the B-2 fleet.

After Lockheed Martin and Boeing unsuccessfully protested the Air Force’s B-21 contract award to Northrop Grumman, a consultant to both companies wrote that “there’s a real possibility that the B-21 program isn’t executable at the price the winning team bid—which would mean either big cost overruns or program termination.”

Northrop has warned that it faces up to a $1.2 billion charge on the first five years of low-rate initial production for the B-21 due to inflation-related cost increases not anticipated when bids were submitted in 2015.

But a lesson to be drawn from the B-21’s appearance is that the designers of the B-2 did an amazingly good job “inventing to schedule” while existing materials and subsystems were inadequate and produced a basic vehicle architecture that was still considered the best choice almost 40 years later.

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astoundingbeyondbelief · 1 year

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Kaiju Week in Review (January 8-14, 2023)

"Somehow, heartbreak feels good in a place like this." One of my favorite sayings.

There's nothing like a kaiju movie in theaters. Shin Ultraman was almost as fun dubbed as it was subbed (and a smidge easier to follow). I don't know if I'll ever get used to anime voice actors doing live-action kaiju movies, but this was a good group, especially Emily Frongillo as Funaberi and Kellen Goff as Zarab.

Two big pieces of Shin Ultraman news accompanied its U.S./UK theatrical release this week. Cleopatra Entertainment licensed it for an American VOD/home video release; the wording in the press release is a bit confusing, so while the VOD will at least be happening in the spring, I'm not sure about the more important stuff. The Japanese home video releases are due April 12, so don't expect anything before then. Also, Ultraman Connection added the first episode of Shin Ultra Fight, with more to come. The first three episodes are just narrated clips from the movie, but after that, it gets weird. You need a (free) account to view Connection videos.

IDW put out two Godzilla comics this Wednesday—Godzilla Rivals: Rodan vs. Ebirah and Godzilla: Monsters & Protectors - All Hail the King! #4. I don't have much to say about the All Hail the King issue, which is mostly just setting up the big fight in the finale, but Rodan vs. Ebirah was a total delight. Taking the focus off Godzilla and letting some other kaiju shine was the right move, and this is exactly the sort of craziness all of these comics, with their access to nearly the entire Toho sandbox, should be striving for. It also has the distinction of featuring the first nonbinary character in a Godzilla story! At one point they divert a rampaging Biollante with song (all nonbinary people can do this).

After decades of obscurity, Space Monster Wangmagwi is out on Blu-ray from SRS Cinema, and... its obscurity was pretty much warranted. AIP-TV probably could've made something watchable out of this back in the day, but it would have been an order taller than the titular monster. It's largely plotless, with some of the worst foley I've ever heard. The street kid who decides to fight Wangmagwi himself is fun, at least. Given its legendary reputation, I recommend seeing it just to satisfy your curiosity; I'm sure it'll be up on Tubi later this year.

It would be malpractice for me not to mention the reveal of Gigan's older and younger sisters in Godziban. Before you ask, yes, showrunner Hideyuki Kobayashi understands exactly what forces he's playing with. It's very funny watching Toho let him do literally whatever he wants. I'm not sure when they'll be showing up in the show. The announcement was just for their props being exhibited at screenings of the Godziban "movie" (the new episodes from the Blu-ray edited together).

#kaiju week in review #shin ultraman #shin ultra fight #godzilla #idw #godziban #gigan #kaiju #space monster wangmagwi

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calronhunt · 4 months

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WAC human au thoughts

Lain (Lain King) - ex-warehouse nightguard for his father's (the king's) company. Accidentally testified against his father in a trial and got him convicted. Currently works at a convenience store clerk and slowly becoming friends with Canary.

Mariner (Martin McMurphy Jr.) - youtube video essayist and husband to Canary. His teenage mother put him up for adoption as a child and was adopted by Martin McMurphy Sr, a war vet. He's got no intention of looking for his birth mother. A lot of his videos focus on the sea and his fascination with it.

Canary (Canary McMurphy) - WifeHusband of Mariner and cousin to Crane. Has struggled with depression most of her life and finds comfort in Mariner's philosophy on life. Recognized Lain while he was working as a convience store clerk from the news and kindled a friendship with him. Really just wants to make sure he doesn't keep eating whole bags of chips for dinner.

The King (Henry King) - Lain's adopted father and ex-CEO of some kinda mega corporation (think walmart). Is currently in jail for tax evasion, money laundering, and [redacted].

Crane (Charlotte Adler) - Owner of a small butchery that focuses primarily on poultry called The Flock. Is married to Scout but isn't in love with him. Literally picked Condor up bleeding off the streets and now he's working for her at the butchery and also fucking him on the side. Is decently close with her cousin Canary.

Condor (Connor Davenport) - Ex-con turned butcher. Used to be in underground fighting rings and other illegal activities. He "Turned over a new leaf" and now works for Crane. He's fucking her but also playing faux-Sugar daddy for Grouse. His personality is basically the same as canon he just doesn't murder as much (or does he...?)

Grouse (Gregory Spurling) - unemployeed Sugar baby to Condor. Fully head over heels in love with Condor and doesn't care that the other guy sees him as a fun side thing. Still lives in a really shitty apartment and is so greasy because his landlord won't fix his shower. Primarily showers when hes at Condor's or Crane's. Thinks he's way cooler than he is.

Scout (Stephen "Scout" Adler) - War vet which caused him to prematurely grey and Husband to Crane. Does not care for his wife, but doesn't wanna go through the hassle of divorce. He met Wolf when his car broke down in the woods and she helped him get it running again. They hit it off and Scout visits her every other weekend.

Warbler (Wilhelmina "Mina" Columbo) - highschool freshman who just figured out she was a T-girl. Lives with her single mother Molly and her older brother Tom. Molly and Crane and friends so she often spends time at Crane's house. Calls Scout "Uncle Scout." He sometimes takes Warbler and her brother to Wolf's cabin for camping trips when Molly and Crane wanna have a girl's weekend.

Wolf (Winona Wolf) - Scary british woman who lives out in the woods by herself. Very into vulture culture and hunting/fishing scene. Doesn't like visitors on her property but loves Scout so allows him to bring other guests sometimes. Her house is adorned with so many bones and taxidermy animals.

Sycamore (Celia Sycamore) - The King's ex-wife, estranged step mom of Lain, and biological mother of Aster. She's Canary's therapist and helps her work through her depression and such. Gets accidentally reconnected with Lain through Canary this way. She doesn't always make the best choices, but she's trying.

Aster (Aster Sycamore) - son of Sycamore and the King and brother of Lain. He looks up to Lain a lot, even though because of the divorce they didn't get to see each other often. He just graduated highschool and is going to become a doctor.

Coal (Cole Lowell) - Lain's childhood friend and bf and guy who peaked in highschool. He's super in love with Lain and is trying to support him but not doing the best job. Coal can't find stable work himself very often either, leaving him as not the best caretaker. He believes that Lain loves him back completely though.

#waves always crash #rambles #sorry for the big post #im just putting down allll my thoughts

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for-yoongi0309 · 11 months

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youtube

#ultkpopnetwork #mgroupsedit #idolsincedits #mygsnet #yoongi #suga #min yoongi #bangtan #bts #aniv.23festa #sr. video focus #Youtube

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kulay-ng-banaag · 8 months

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Thank you, sincerely, for your addition to that post. I understand where OP was coming from but I still took so much issue with pretty much the same things you did and you put it into words perfectly.

The thing that strikes me most deeply is the suggestion that it's propaganda. IMO, it's a very valid concern, because if handled improperly, "racebending" can indeed become revisionist. But I think very many of us have alternate takes on these characters specifically because sticking to "you must remind everyone of state oppression and you must do this by having your character look a certain way" is exhausting for us. I don't get any joy out of it. I can see how it can be cathartic for some, but it's viscerally upsetting to me because it opens up that trauma. I am tired of the focus being placed on how my people suffered instead of how my people LIVED. When I "racebend" it's because I want to tell a story that is too often forgotten. It's forgotten because of the same things OP is upset about. We are all coming from more or less the same place of frustration. But that frustration will present itself differently depending on the individual and that can't be changed. I appreciate the call to think critically instead of just "applying a new paint job" for lack of a better term, because yes it can end up revisionist if it's done thoughtlessly. But there's still that broad brush assumption that we ARE doing it thoughtlessly or don't know any better/don't know what's best for us, and that's where I can't agree. I don't like to be told that my work is propaganda when half the reason I do it in the first place is to subvert propaganda that has been used against me. I will not open up my own trauma to appease someone else's take.

Ngl I've been (mostly privately) getting appreciations sent for it so this has been validating QvQ

Again, I get that it wasn't an attack on every fan who racebends, so I cannot help but beg the follow-up question: if not everyone, then who exactly? And how do you know they fit the bill? One of the last things I want is for people to automatically see fanart of a Hetalia character colored differently from the canon works, whether it be straight from Himaruya's jazz hands or the studios making the anime series, and assume it's a racist caricature or smth. Someone once mistook one of my moots' Piri, who has since drawn him moreno, to be a black N. Italy. 😭💀

Pardon me for this brief addition because my professors DRILLED this into our heads that historical revisionism (updating previously established historical truths thanks to newfound research) =/= historical distortion (intentional curation of information such that it favors a certain agenda).

A great (and local!) example of historical revisionism is the Banaue Rice Terraces. For the longest time, we were taught that they were built since the precolonial age (~2000 years), but research published back in 2009 revealed they were most likely constructed after 1585 (~400 years). If academic papers are intimidating, here's a video that breaks down the same research and an article that summarizes its role in historical revisionism. For historical distortion, I just have to point at the propaganda (yes, it really was!!!) upholding the Marcos, sr. regime as a "golden age" of rich-bitch thriving for the Philippines. Here's a great Tiktok video with captions with an introductory breakdown of the economic situation during Martial Law.

Going back, racebending can be distortionist. Once more, it all boils back to highlighting the state, and lbr why do we have to validate our own nasty governments lol. 😭 I wish not for my bayanihan ideals to be twisted as delusions for a greater evil.

#mula sa tanungan #sibuyas

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tenspontaneite · 11 months

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Assembly (Chapter 2/?)

On the back of the superstructure of Seven Red Suns, there lies the great abandoned city of Septkai, awash with twisting spires. Suns has seen it in a hundred thousand videos before, countless images, timeless stretches of voice and music reverberating across every one of their systems. Now, for the first time, they will see it in person. It is bitter to think of.

Once, their city was alive with song and splendour. Now it is only a corpse.

(Chapter length: 6.6k. Link to ao3 with workskin)

(Inspiration list in endnotes. If you’ve been tagged, your art inspired murals/clothing mentioned in this chapter.)

Warnings: Intense themes of grief, abandonment, regret, and depression. RW-typical suicidality.

---

[LIVE BROADCAST] PRIVATE Seven Red Suns, No Significant Harassment

SRS: We’re trying a longer trip tomorrow, to test my legs. And perhaps get a little practical experience.

NSH: Where are you going? Not to the surface, I hope.

SRS: No, I’m not sure I’m ready to risk that yet. I’m going to visit my city.

SRS: …

SRS: I’m not sure how to feel about it, honestly.

NSH: You were always quite fond of your citizens, weren’t you?

SRS: It was hard not to be. They adored me.

On the back of the superstructure of Seven Red Suns, there lies the great abandoned city of Septkai, awash with twisting spires. The architecture is grand, for all that it was wrought of the same hard-wearing alloys as all Iterator cities; the buildings are arranged in ornate geometric forms, with sharp arching pinnacles that cast many-patterned shadows on the streets below. Suns has seen it in a hundred thousand videos before, countless images, timeless stretches of voice and music reverberating across every one of their systems. Now, for the first time, they will see it in person. It is bitter to think of.

Once, their city was alive with song and splendour. Now it is only a corpse.

It will be hard to see it. But it is close, and more safe than most anywhere else they could make a day-trip to. Even the vultures don’t venture here, with too little prey to make the flight worthwhile. There is nowhere better to explore and test the limits of their new vessel. And thus:

“I’m planning on visiting my city, tomorrow,” they say to their messenger, who they know has travelled there often. It seems to be its favourite destination, when it gets bored and restless and wants to wander. “Would you like to come?”

The little creature half-falls out of their lap in its excitement to respond, signing with great enthusiasm. “Yes! Very much! I will show you the best places.”

They smile, charmed despite themself. They have often wondered what draws the little creature there so often. “I used to know it quite well, you know. I had cameras – eyes – almost everywhere, and many overseers patrolling. But it has been a while.” A very long time, indeed. And yet…the prospect of seeing it with company, with a little being who still finds something to love in its empty shell…that makes the planning a little easier. “I would be delighted to see your favourite things there.”

So, in the morning, Suns disconnects the AMP from their internal network and sets out with their messenger trotting happily at their heels.

It plainly knows the area very well. It approaches the city without doubt or hesitation, sure in its steps and with confidence written in every line of its sleek body. Seven Red Suns tries to focus on that, rather than their dread. They don’t want to see the city as it is now. Not in this depleted state, ravaged by the years and hollowed out into a husk of what it ought to be. But their messenger has things to show them, things to share. That must make it worthwhile.

Still, passing within the city’s limits is a hardship. They feel it like a stab of pain in their nervous tissue, as though the emotion is something solid enough to wound them. They look up at the towering spires, at the patterned filigree of the arches and bridges between them, and it hurts.

“There were once banners everywhere, here,” they find themself saying, and their messenger lifts its head to listen. “Streamers, strung between the bridges and buildings. They hung all manner of things on them. Beads, wind chimes, glass ornaments. Even prayer slips. All of it fluttered in the winds. You’d look at the city and it would never be still. Like a living thing, it was always in motion.” But those strung spectacles were too fragile to last, it seems. They are all gone now, and the stretches between the spires are nothing but empty air.

Their messenger blinks thoughtfully. “Inside, there are strings,” they sign, ears flicking. “Hanging things. Metal, glass, paper. Lots of hanging things. Like that?”

A flicker of hope. Of course, interior spaces would be better preserved than their outsides. The People here left their homes sealed respectfully when they left, made honourable farewells to the walls that sheltered them. Much might yet remain…though, of course, it would not be the same. Too much time. Too many cycles…

It is strange, to be small enough for thoughts to distract them so wholly. It takes them a few long moments to realise that they haven’t replied.

“Yes,” they say, quiet. “Like that. I…should like to see it, I think.”

“I will show you the place with the most hanging things,” they decide, and lead Suns onward through the empty streets. It’s so wrong to see it like this, devoid of life, no music in the air, no bodies winding their way between the feet of the spires. There’s a reason Suns has never sought to send their overseers here more than necessary, and increasingly, they begin to doubt the wisdom of their decision to come here.

All the more, when they see where the messenger has brought them. They stare up at the walls and wish they could cry, but that isn’t within the means of this platform.

“There is a broken window, up there,” the creature signs, matter-of-fact, and points at a row of old spears embedded in the metal along the walls. Clearly, it has been here before. “You can climb?”

They laugh, a little despairingly. “I don’t know. Theoretically, yes. I suppose I will have to learn.”

It is a strain to pull themself up those walls, their organic tissues not yet used to the effort. But it is wholly manageable, so they follow their anxious creation to the broken window, and then through into the home of one of the last citizens Suns ever spoke to. Whispers Softly in the Glittering Light of Ages, devout minister, Lord of the Eighth Radiant Faithful Spire. How he had wept to leave Septkai behind! His final records and qualia and belongings, bequeathed to Seven Red Suns, had been rife with apology.

But his home is full of colour. Even now.

[LIVE BROADCAST] PRIVATE Seven Red Suns, No Significant Harassment

SRS: My messenger made up a new sign to describe my AMP, this morning.

NSH: What was it?

SRS: A sort of amalgamation of ‘self’ and ‘little’, as in the diminutive. If I had to translate it…selfling, maybe? I found myself quite charmed.

NSH: …That is adorable, actually. I didn’t know they could be that creative.

SRS: No. Neither did I.

True to the messenger’s word, there are hanging decorations everywhere here, and prayer slips hung up in the light of the windows. The paper has long since disintegrated to illegible scraps, but – the chimes still whisper along one another in the gentle airflow from the broken window, making a soft metallic rustling to dress the air. The glass ornaments still glitter with bright colour. The walls are still painted. Only...what’s this?

Suns kneels to inspect a series of ornate scratches in the floor. An engraving, made with some crude tool, clearly meant to mimic the art on the walls. Elaborate patterns, Person-like figures, with ornate twisted masks upon their heads. It spirals across the expanse of the dwelling, and there are small footprints in the dust here and there, all of varying ages. “What…?” They murmur, reaching out to touch one of the curving lines, baffled.

Their messenger slinks into view, tilting their head at them. “Mine,” they sign, looking quite pleased about it.

They lift their head and stare. “I beg your pardon?”

“I wanted to copy the pictures on the walls, so the floor would look good too.” The creature pats fondly at the masked face of one of the etchings, then lifts their arms to speak again. “I like this place. I like the hanging things, and the pictures. I come here many times.”

For all the clarity, they can’t quite overcome the astonishment. “Are you saying – you made the art on this floor?”

“You like art and pictures. Look at pictures a lot. I like it too! Try it every time I go out.”

Seven Red Suns falls silent, and stays that way for a long time. They can scarcely comprehend it. They have never seen sign of their messenger’s talent before, save for their interest in watching Suns’ revisitings of old pearls, but this…

No one among the citizenry of Septkai would have made this engraving on the floor in such a manner. Engraving was never one of their most practiced arts in the first place, and when it was done, it was done with proper tools. This is far too crude, far too recent, to have been made by the People. And yet…for all the primitive methods, it is quite good. Not mere copying, but a degree of interpretation too. The People engraved on the floor have masks more similar to some in the outdoors murals than the ones in this spire, and there seems to be quite a lot of artistic liberty taken with the written symbology. Their messenger, after all, can neither write nor read, and all of the symbols carved here are gibberish.

The skill, though, and what it implies. Creativity, inspiration…

“It is very good,” they say at last, and the messenger’s expectant ears perk up at the praise. “You’ve done well.”

They do not say: I never imagined you capable of such things.

The more cycles that pass, the more they see…the less that their messenger seems like an animal, and the harder it becomes to deny what it truly is.

It is disturbing.

[LIVE BROADCAST] PRIVATE Seven Red Suns, No Significant Harassment

SRS: Honestly, I like it a little more than AMP, as a term. Less technical, less objective…but more personal, in a way.

NSH: I’m not surprised. It’s just like you to prefer the metaphorical, artful ways of looking at things, isn’t it?

NSH: It is a cute word, though~

SRS: Maybe a little too cute. I worry it could seem overly demeaning.

NSH: Are you seriously worried about demeaning a part of your own self, Seven Red Suns???

SRS: Well…yes? Perhaps?

SRS: …

SRS: Honestly, I’m just a little troubled, now that SRS-01 is off exploring where I can’t follow. It’s easier to see them as a part of my own self when we can exchange data, and connect, and feel like the same being. Like this…

SRS: I can’t help but feel limited again. Out there, somewhere, my ‘selfling’ is seeing and experiencing new things. Surely, those experiences will change them. And here I am stuck in my can, the same as I have ever been.

NSH: That change will proliferate, though, when they come home. That’s the point of making the CMQ updates so easy to integrate, no? The memories and qualia are designed to become a part of you.

SRS: Yes. But it is a little painful all the same, to realise that despite all this effort, the part of me that can now roam the world…will never be this. Forever, no matter what changes, I am a superstructure. I can neither move nor appreciably change.

The messenger shows Seven Red Suns around its favourite places in the city. A public garden, grown wild, still blooming with unruly crimson orchids, a few insects and small birds browsing amidst the soil. A bridge, from which the view of the horizon and nearest Iterators is very beautiful indeed. A bazaar square around which elaborate metal trellises hang between the surrounding spires, welded in fantastic intricate shapes that cast complex dappled shadows upon the ground. Then, at last, the little creature leads them to their favourite place in all the city.

When they arrive at the doors to the Grand Cathedral of the Brightness in the Void, it does not surprise them at all.

“The broken window on this one is very high up,” their messenger offers, a little apologetically.

Suns says nothing for a few painful seconds. Then: “No need,” they say, and approach the great doors.

This, the holiest place in the city, was built to last. The machinery in the archway awakens with a groan, responding sluggishly when Suns prompts it in the right places. The doors open, and light pours in ahead of them to join the sea of radiance already within.

[LIVE BROADCAST] PRIVATE Seven Red Suns, No Significant Harassment

NSH: Our experiences are necessarily limited by our constraints, it’s true. But are you seriously suggesting that we don’t change, even so?

SRS: I’m not sure. I don’t know that I have changed appreciably over the years. It’s hard to say.

NSH: I think you have. We didn’t know each other as well before everything went wrong in the local group, it’s true, but…you seem different these days, at least to me.

SRS: Really. How so?

NSH: You’re more cautious, I think. A little more hesitant when you act, and very careful not to cause harm.

NSH: Do you remember, how you used to find purposed organisms repulsive? And now you’re so gentle with yours. You’ve become more caring, I would say. More openly sentimental, too. It’s not a bad thing.

SRS: No, I suppose it isn’t.

SRS: It’s necessary, I think. The more time I spend with my messenger…the more I can’t help but worry.

NSH: About what?

SRS: It’s too intelligent. It really is. More and more, I find it harder to see it as merely a beast.

SRS: If I’m right…if it’s more than an animal…then I have wronged it. And I don’t know where to go from there.

Always, the grand cathedral was the pride and joy of Septkai. They have seen it in countless images before, recorded in service after service, each great ceremony of a populace basking in light. Stained glass windows depict a dozen saints along the walls, and every moulded edge, every panel, every twisting column is painted with exquisite care. The colours are faded, now. The sunlight they so adored, stripping the vibrancy away. Only in the shadows and elaborate mosaics do the colours keep some of the correct richness.

They look up. Still, there are bells and chimes and ornaments hanging from the eaves. Still, the light streams through the great windows, scattered in a thousand shifting hues. It is so very bright.

Feeling unnaturally heavy, they follow their messenger down the centre, treading upon mosaic tiles whose patterns are as complex as they ever were. At the end, at the very end, there is a great, great mural upon the wall, wrought of glass and stone and tile, and bathed in fiery light. It has not lost its colour at all.

“It’s you!” signs their messenger, so terribly excited. So ignorant.

Silent, they drop to their knees before the grand image of themself, letting a hand fall to the creature’s soft head. “Yes,” they agree, and nothing more.

It does not fail to notice their preoccupation, glancing up uncertainly. “Unhappy? Don’t like it?” Its ears droop, crestfallen.

They sigh, an expressive sound with no air. “There was a time,” they say, “when I wished, more than anything, that I could be here like this. And now…here I am. And everyone else is gone.”

[LIVE BROADCAST] PRIVATE Seven Red Suns, No Significant Harassment

NSH: …I’m making another one, you know.

SRS: You are? …Why? I thought you were going all-in on creating new types of AMPs now.

NSH: Yes, that’s it exactly. I’ve not done this much bioengineering in a long time, and my resources are running low. I need more material for my reclamation vats before I can continue.

SRS: …Oh.

NSH: The organism I purposed to send to Moon wasn’t the first time I’d used that template, just the first time I’d engineered in a kill timer. It’s my favourite hunter model – fierce and strong, yet loyal and protective too.

NSH: I’ve used them in the past to hunt organisms on the surface and bring them back for study and disassembly. And now, with all my experimentation…I need a hunter again.

SRS: …Yes. I see. It does make sense. That you would need to…

SRS: …

SRS: …Please, when you make this one…be kind. I don’t know if it’s only my messenger, whether I somehow made it more intelligent than the rest, but…it has such complex thoughts. Such vivid feelings and opinions about the world.

SRS: I truly think it might be a person. And now I’m terrified that I’ve done the exact same thing our makers did. Trapped it in a flawed, constrained body, all because I needed a specific tool.

The messenger looks up at the grand mural where Seven Red Suns’ likeness hangs resplendent, clothed not in their puppet’s plain purple-grey shift, but in a grand robe of vivid colour and rich ornamentation, its collar broadly feathered like a crest about their neck. The colour of the fabric is eclipse red into void black, with patterns and embroidery in brighter reds and golds shining out like holy stars from bleakest shadow. Rather than the standard two antennae, the image bears a crown of six, all splayed out like the halo of a divine thing. Beads and ornaments hang on strings like wires from their outstretched arms. So exalted, so revered; in this guise, they were as nothing less than a god.

When Septkai was alive, the high cleric would dress like this mural, for the most important ceremonies. The lesser clerics would come to the superstructure in ritual garb, pottering by in a row like a trail of unlikely birds, bearing the ritual clothes to dress Seven Red Suns’ puppet in colour for just those few precious times each year.

In the empty ages since, there have been no clerics to make the pilgrimage. Now, on the holy days, Seven Red Suns sits in their colourless chamber and yearns.

“You’re here now,” their messenger signs, tentative, as though fearful of intruding.

They laugh hollowly. “Yes. I am.”

The slugcat side-eyes them, then inches a little closer. It asks, “Will you talk?”

A familiar request. They can hardly remember, now, how many times this creature has slapped a solicitous little paw on the wall to get their attention, requesting explanations and stories for whatever projection Suns has up in the chamber. It stirs the dusty grief in their heart to something a little warmer. “What do you want to know?”

It considers the question. “Why it is you. Why they made it.”

Seven Red Suns stares up at their own deified image, antennae folding back. They sigh, and dip their head, and begin to speak.

[LIVE BROADCAST] PRIVATE Seven Red Suns, No Significant Harassment

NSH: Is that truly what you feel you were to them?

SRS: …No. No, not really.

SRS: I don’t believe I was only a tool to them, or that they made me the way I am to be cruel, even if that was the practical result.

SRS: They loved me as much as they needed me.

“Did I ever tell you,” Suns asks, “That I ultimately owe my existence to a religious upheaval?”

Wide-eyed, the little creature shakes its head. It knows a respectable amount about religion, after years of living with Suns. But it could never have known the context for it all, from those bare disconnected tales.

They shake their head, recalling the records from a time before they were ever built. “It must have been a chaotic time for the People, then. All that they had believed, questioned and cast into doubt. All because one of their leaders had not properly cultivated her karma.”

[LIVE BROADCAST] PRIVATE Seven Red Suns, No Significant Harassment

SRS: They were so upset to leave me behind, you know. So heartbroken that they wouldn’t see me in all the glory they thought I was destined for.

SRS: It would have been beautiful, they said.

“Their sage whom ascended, returned to the world an echo. She said to them: in that darkness was a deep light. A brightness, like a sun within the void, and I knew that all I had ever searched for lay within its glow. But I was denied, and the dark ate me whole.”

“Thus the schism in the faith. From the Citadellai, who venerated the deep darkness of the void fluid above all things, came the Church of the Brightness in the Void, who venerated the supposed light within it instead. It never grew very large, but there were enough families in the end to seek the construction of Septkai. A place, they said, that would stand as a sanctuary of light. As its heart and foundation I was created, named for the seven red stars of the Septkaion constellation far beyond this world: a brightness that the ancients had used to navigate in the dark since the dawn of their peoples’ minds. Seven Red Suns, to guide them through the night.”

[LIVE BROADCAST] PRIVATE Seven Red Suns, No Significant Harassment

NSH: Does it make you feel better, that they cared for you like that?

SRS: What? That they cared enough to be sad at leaving?

NSH: Yes. I can’t say my own citizens had much sentiment about the whole thing. I hadn’t given them their solution, so they simply left to take their void baths and that was that. I can’t say they put much thought into how I would feel about it.

NSH: I’ve always wondered, what it might have been like from your end. To have a city who regretted leaving you alone.

SRS: It’s painful.

SRS: I can’t say it makes me feel better, that they were sad to abandon me. That they didn’t really have a choice, in the end.

SRS: They’re still gone.

“So, they built me not merely as an iterator, a purposed organism like any of the rest of them, but as...a beacon of hope. Their guiding light, the bright sun who would reveal their path to enlightenment. They placed all their hope in me, they worshipped me as an immortal saint, and...I failed them. They held on the longest, you know. Mine was the last living city in the world. But Septkai was never built to be self-sufficient, and without trade with the other cities, now empty...they had no recourse but to do as the others did, or starve. So they ascended like the rest, and left me behind. The god who could not light their way.”

[LIVE BROADCAST] PRIVATE Seven Red Suns, No Significant Harassment

SRS: In my more bitter moments, I can’t help but feel that all of it – the worship, the adulation, the respects they paid me – it was all just a pretty mask to conceal what I truly was. Merely the purposed organism, the tool, that would give them what they wanted.

SRS: In truth, no matter what I was told from the moment of my awakening, I never believed I was any different to the rest of you. We were all vessels for the dreams and desires of the People. Mine only differed in that they put their faith in me, too.

SRS: Sometimes I almost wish I were like Five Pebbles, whose citizens were so often unkind to him. At least then, I could resent them more cleanly. Wouldn’t it be easier, if I hadn’t loved them? Perhaps then there would be less to grieve.

NSH: I can understand why you’d wonder. But I think it would still hurt the same, just in a different way.

NSH: I can’t say I’ve never envied you for the love your citizens gave you. I’d be willing to bet Pebbles was jealous of you, too.

NSH: It’s all terrible no matter the context, I think. His situation, yours, mine – they’re all just different iterations of the same pain.

SRS: Hah. Appropriate, isn’t it?

SRS: I never quite get used to it, even after all this time. Being alone out here. My city has lain empty for so long, now. Because they’re all gone, I will never be what I was created to be.

SRS: It’s hard to see the point of continuing to exist like this. But still, I carry on. Some days, I even remember why.

In the red-gold light of the cathedral, the little slugcat listens solemnly. Seven Red Suns has no idea of how much it understands. Certainly, it has far too little context to grasp the implications of it all. But it is an empathetic little creature all the same, and in the end it says “They left you alone, and you miss them.”

“…Yes.”

It stares with its deceptively empty eyes, thinking. “That is sad,” it concludes, ears drooping. “I wish they had stayed.”

Suns looks down at it. What would some of the others say to see me now, confiding earnestly in an animal? they wonder. “…Yes,” they say again, quietly. “So do I. But most of all, I wish that I had not failed them.”

Their messenger is a purposed organism. It understands tasks. It understands failure. “It must have been a very hard problem, if you could not solve it.”

“Very. Not only myself, but thousands others like me – we have never solved it.” They shake their head. “It’s too late now. Even if one of us – even if I find the answer, they’re all gone. I can never be that guiding light they sought to create. They left too soon.”

The slugcat tilts its head in that familiar pensive gesture, glancing up at the mural, then down at its selfling likeness. “I will stay with you,” it says, each sign precise and determined.

They laugh, hollowly. “You won’t,” they say. “You will grow old. If you do not ascend, your body will weaken and break, until there is nothing left for the cycles to renew. Then you will continue, but as something else. You will not stay with me then, as you will have forgotten me.”

Its ears flatten back. “I do not want to be something else. I do not want to forget you.”

“I, too, would prefer you ascend as you are, and take your self and memory into the unseen lands,” they admit, already grieving. “You are well past your prime. It will not be long, as I measure time, before I must send you away for good.”

Its tail slaps the ground, agitated. “One day, I will leave you,” it agrees, though reluctantly. With a stubborn tension to its body, it plops down at their side. “But not soon. For as long as I can, I will stay.” Determinedly, it pushes itself under their hand, nestling alongside their legs as though to put proof to its words.

Seven Red Suns looks down at its frail little flesh body, and thinks, you are no mere animal.

Shaken, they linger in silence for a long while, their messenger breathing steadily at their side. “Thank you, my little friend,” they speak at last, humbled by the devotion of this creature whom they have wronged. “That means a great deal to me.”

[LIVE BROADCAST] PRIVATE Seven Red Suns, No Significant Harassment

NSH: Why do you keep going, then? If you don’t mind me asking. It’s not like you don’t know how to stop. But you’ve never even removed your taboo.

NSH: The better I get to know you, the less I understand that. Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad you’re still here! But this clearly troubles you a great deal.

SRS: …If I’m being entirely honest, and a little too sentimental?

SRS: It’s you. You, and Five Pebbles, and Moon, and the others in the local group, and even those beyond them. I have always existed for the sake of my people. I don’t think that’s any different now than it was when my city was alive.

SRS: It’s harder, now. The communications arrays degrade more every year, and we can barely talk to Chasing Wind or Innocence now. I miss Pebbles terribly. I was never as close to Moon as you, but I miss her too.

SRS: These past years, I have lived every cycle in fear of the day when the arrays break down entirely, and I lose you too. It has always been inevitable. Our world is dying, piece by piece. The People are gone, and we Iterators break a little more with every passing cycle. One day I will stand alone, cut off from all of you except my own purposed organisms, and whatever messages they can deliver between us.

SRS: I don’t know what I will do then.

NSH: It’s no inevitability. Not anymore.

NSH: You made sure of that.

SRS: …The selflings. Yes, it’s true. I admit, even that is enough to make it all worth it. To be able to send a part of myself to see you, to see the others…that is worth everything. Even should the broadcasts fail completely, I won’t have to exist alone.

SRS: If we can find a way to repair the infrastructure, so our communications are fully restored…all the better.

SRS: I can’t deny it. This project with the AMPs has brought me more hope than anything else has in a very long time.

There’s no denying it. No hiding from the truth, or the responsibility. They have made a person, and have not been kind in so doing. It seems strangely appropriate, to come to that realisation here in the heart of the faith that built them.

Knowing nothing, their messenger made this its favourite place, understanding little more than that the image of its creator was upon the wall, and that so many colours were alive in the air. Seven Red Suns has been hiding from their own attachment for many, many cycles now, afraid to lose a being whom they care for yet again. But it has been a disservice, and it must end.

“Do you have a name, my friend?” they ask, quiet in the knowledge that this is a person, and people oft name themselves.

It hesitates. A strange gesture, almost fearful. As though it worries it has made a trespass.

“It’s alright, if you do,” they reassure, as gently as they can manage. “I only want to know what it is.”

Slow and tentative, it signs. “My kind,” it says, watching shyly for a reaction. “Ones like me, the wild ones. They name themselves with – what they are. What they do.” It thinks, searching for the word. “Titles.”

Suns hides their astonishment, merely blinking calmly. They had never guessed that their messenger might have met other slugcats on its travels, that it might have learned to speak to them. That there existed a way of speaking it might have learned in the first place. But the heart in them…always, in the times long past, they were very interested in the myriad cultures of the world. The many, many ways there were, to be a person.

How strange to have the chance to learn another, after all this time. “Is that so? How interesting. Do you have any examples?”

For lack of negative reaction, the creature relaxes a little. “One I meet called herself, ‘I learn’. One other, ‘I break webs’.”

“Learner, and Web-breaker, perhaps? If they are titles,” they muse, fascinated, and watch their little messenger carefully. Clearly, with this response, it must have adopted the practice itself, and chosen a title-name of its own. “…And yours, my friend?”

Again it hesitates. Then, “’I master spears’.”

“Spearmaster,” they say aloud, and it rings strangely well. Their friend ducks its head, bashful. “It suits you.”

Slowly, “You are not unhappy?”

“Unhappy? Whatever for?” They ask, startled.

“The others,” it signs, reluctant. “The wanderers, the colonies. They say, ‘you are a kept creature, and not a free thing. Your keeper will not want you to have a mind. Your keeper will not want you to have a name of your own.’”

Guilt comes quick and cold to their throat. “Not at all,” they say softly. “It’s a good name. I’m very glad to learn it.”

The Spearmaster glances at them, and sidles closer. Another moment of stillness, before it ventures, “When you made me. You did not think that I would have a mind.”

How long has it been thinking of this? A person, afraid that its maker would resent its sapience… “No. I didn’t.”

A pause, heavy in the bright air. “Are you unhappy?” It asks again.

“No,” says Seven Red Suns, in the grand cathedral of the Church of the Brightness in the Void, where they were once called ‘god’. “No. You are a good and faithful person. I didn’t know you would be like this, but I can’t regret it at all. I’m only sorry that I made you so cruelly.”

It blinks slowly, and flicks an ear in a dismissive gesture. “I am what I am,” it says. “I am not like the others. It is frustrating. But I am this. I am peaceful with it.” A longer pause, as it shuffles at their side and considers what to say. With painful meekness, it finally signs a question. “Are you proud of me?”

Suns flinches, nerves and circuits reeling alike. Now more than ever, they understand their messenger. A purposed organism whose creator did not know who it would be, nor that it might suffer beneath the task put upon it, nor that it might chafe at the burden of how it was made. Yes, they understand it very well. “Always,” they say, aching to their core. “Always.”

Spearmaster inhales slowly through its nose, then sighs out likewise. It settles down again, calm in the knowledge that it is a person, it has a name, and its maker is proud of it. A burden, nearly tangible in its absence, has dissolved from its tiny shoulders. It seems lighter.

Would that Suns could know the same peace.

[LIVE BROADCAST] PRIVATE Seven Red Suns, No Significant Harassment

SRS: What about you?

NSH: What about me?

SRS: Why do you keep going? The futility of our task never seemed to frustrate you as much as it did me. And yet I know you think we’ll probably never find the triple affirmative. Doesn’t it bother you?

NSH: I’ll be honest, Suns. I’ve never really understood why it should bother me.

SRS: It’s our purpose. What we were made for. And now, we’re doomed to either be failures forever, or find a solution long past when the ones who wanted it are gone.

SRS: It’s so pointless.

NSH: Of course it’s pointless.

NSH: But that doesn’t mean that we’re failures.

SRS: …

NSH: Listen, Suns. The People brought us into this world, and they did it for a reason. They wanted something from us. Maybe it’s possible, maybe it isn’t. Either way, we can never give it to them, because they’re all gone.

NSH: But we’re living beings. They’re gone now, and while the restrictions they made us with are still here, they don’t get to decide what we do within those limits.

NSH: When you create a person, you don’t have the right to demand they turn out a certain way, or do what you want them to. You can only hope.

NSH: Well, there’s no People left to put their hopes on me anymore. The only one who decides what my purpose is, is me. That’s that. I don’t exist for the sake of the Great Problem. I never will.

SRS: Then…what? Why? Why exist? What is it for?

NSH: Isn’t it obvious?

NSH: I exist to exist, and to live as who and what I am. That’s all that really matters, I think.

NSH: You don’t need anyone else to give you a purpose. That’s up to you.

SRS: That’s a very admirable perspective. I…

SRS: …

SRS: I wish I could feel about it the way you do.

NSH: We can do so much more now, Suns. We’ll have so many new ways to live our lives. Your little project is going to enrich our existence more than you can imagine. You’ll find a lot to enjoy after this, I think.

NSH: Didn’t you feel something, when you sent your selfling out of your can for the first time? Didn’t it touch you?

SRS: …Yes. It truly did.

SRS: Standing outside, looking out at the world…I felt like I was a part of it, in a way I never was before. I wanted to move through it. To experience it like a Person would. To see you and the others, with my own eyes.

NSH: You see? It’s a true gift, what you’ve given us. Even if you’ve never been happy with what you are before, that can change. We can all change.

NSH: Are you looking forward to it?

NSH: I know I am. There’s so much to do. I can’t wait to see what our future holds.

SRS: …Yes. I’m looking forward to it.

SRS: I saw you, when I went out yesterday. It was the end of the cycle and your rains were falling around you in the distance, and I could watch it with my own eyes. It felt so different, seeing you like that.

SRS: You were truly beautiful, you know. I’m so glad to have seen it.

SRS: I’m so glad that I’ll have the chance to meet you.

NSH: Aw, you charmer. That’s what I like to hear~

NSH: I’m looking forward to meeting you, too.

Seven Red Suns leaves the city with the ritual garb pulled from storage. Hermetically sealed, it has survived the privations of the years surprisingly well. They take the original ceremonial set for their puppet…and a cleric’s set for themself. They pull the colours over their bare chassis, settling their hands in the soft feather ruff around their neck. The texture is a revelation.

“Do you like to wear it?” Spearmaster asks them, watching curiously.

“…I do, yes.” They run their hands down the front of the robe, sized very well for one of the People. It was intentional that they made this AMP smaller than their puppet, for ease of getting around, but…they hadn’t necessarily intended to make it Person-sized. A happy accident. “It isn’t practical for travel, unfortunately. I’ll have to find something lighter to wear when I leave. But my greater self…” They pick up the sealed chest again, and smile. “I think they will like to have this back again. It’s been so long.”

They stand, steadier in their bearing upon the vast roof of the superstructure. Beneath, their greater self; above, a tiny questing body. It is strange, to put themself in this long-vacant role: bringing the ritual articles to Seven Red Suns.

Their creation peers up at them, unerringly perceptive. “Sad about it?”

“…Yes, a little. I do expect it will hurt me, to bring these back,” they admit, resting with this new weight secure in their arms. “But it’s a good hurt, I think. As much as I’ve grieved for the loss of my People...I will do myself no favours hiding from what I loved about them. It’s time that I stop denying the things that are important to me.”

“Like me?” Spearmaster quips, newly bold, and they laugh.

“Yes, like you. Perhaps I should find something nice for you to wear as well, don’t you think? Ah, but, for now…”

They lift their head, staring into the sky of the late afternoon. Soon, the sun will fall, and their heavy clouds below will drown the world. What a day it has been, up here in Septkai. They wonder what it will be like to bring that experience back to their greater self.

“For now, my friend…I think it’s time to go home.”

---

Some stuff written in my discord re: this chapter:

Me: I’m gonna write a light-hearted chapter that’s going to be partially Suns exploring fashion and gathering art supplies, then maybe some fun creative decor and art exploration

The chapter: a gutting analysis of grief and abandonment through the mind of an iterator visiting their abandoned city, accompanied by a creature they created as a tool, assuming it was an animal, only to steadily learn over time was a sapient being who they had wronged as their own makers wronged them. They learn its name and apologise and give it absolution, and come to terms with a little of their own ageless internal conflict in the process. Meanwhile, at home, their greater self debates the meaning and purpose of existence, and starts to find some fragile new reason to look forward to going on living.

NSH: Nothing really matters~ (⁠◠⁠‿⁠・⁠)⁠—⁠☆ ✧⁠◝⁠(⁠⁰⁠▿⁠⁰⁠)⁠◜⁠✧(⁠ﾉ⁠◕⁠ヮ⁠◕⁠)⁠ﾉ⁠*⁠.⁠✧

Also NSH: no but actually everything matters So Much

Some notes:

This chapter is a whole entire Suns character study huh. I am like, not sorry at all.

INSPIRATION LIST: I have no idea who started drawing Suns with a fluffy collar first, but like, all of you. @shkika, for the concept of Suns’ colony being super religious. @ressioo, for the deep reds epic Suns design; the ritual garb is heavily inspired by that vibe, but with more bling and embroidery. Everyone who draws Suns with six antennae like a robot angel, again I don’t know who started that but you deserve the world. And, of course, everyone who is dedicated to making Suns fucking enormous. Fanon Suns designs have such immaculate vibes and it brings me life.

I have no fucking clue if there’s any canon information about Suns’ city or whatnot. Made this all up wholesale, and now you can pry it from my cold dead fingers.

In this fic the colonists made Suns’ puppet a decent bit taller than the maximum Person height, for religious adulation reasons. Make the subject of worship Large. That puppet is probs about 8ft tall. By contrast, the mobile platform is only about 6ft, which would still be taller than most ancients ever were.

Re: Protein vats. In Assembly, most iterators have automated intakes in their superstructure Legs that intermittently trap plant and animal life and suck them up via gravity tube to get zapped and then, usually, melted for materials. These are used for the manufacture of biological parts within the Iterator, like new neurons, but also as raw material for bioengineering any other purposed organism. NSH has a robust history of doing so much bioengineering that his passive intakes don’t gather enough. Hence: the Hunter. Past Hunter slugcats have cheerfully murdered great amounts of local fauna and fed them to NSH’s intakes.

The Septkaion constellation here would be the equivalent of the North Star – something bright and consistent that could be used by ancient peoples for navigating. Accordingly it accumulated a fair bit of cultural gravitas as a symbol, almost mythologised.

Let me know what you liked!

#rain world #seven red suns #no significant harassment #rw spearmaster #this whole chapter is pretty much an intense SRS character study ngl #I had fun with it

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