#classifications of the planets

[celestialsibyl]

planetary archetypes: ancient astrology

𖤓 hierarchy of the cosmos 𖤓

the luminaries [sun & moon] are the brightest celestial bodies that emit the most light. the moon ☽ is the sun’s ☉ mirror, reflecting solar light and illuminating the night sky

the following planets are in order according to their distance from earth.

moon ☽ ➝ mercury ☿ ➝ venus ♀➝ sun ☉ ➝ mars ♂ ➝ jupiter ♃ ➝ saturn ♄

sun ☉ diety: sol [roman] hēlios [greek] shamash [babylonian] surya [indian] is the light of the mind, perception of the soul, the source of energy. its creative power is absolute. at a personal level, sun expresses itself as self-esteem and confidence, sense of purpose, ambition and determination. associated with the symbolism of an emperor with his central authority, leadership. illuminator. so[u]l.

moon ☽ diety: luna [roman] selēnē [greek] sin [babylonian] chandra [indian] is a cosmic mirror, reflection of solar and creative light, thus the analogy with multiplication, reproduction, and chaos. it is constantly going through its phases and cycles from new moon to full moon. associated with the mother and nurturing principle. body.

mercury ☿ diety: mercurius [roman] hermēs [greek] nebu [babylonian] budha [indian] is the writer of destinies, the scribe god, bestower of intellectual and practical wisdom. interpreter of dreams. mercury rules the mind and as the fastest moving planet, it symbolizes the speed of thought. messenger and trickster.

venus ♀ diety: venus [roman] aphroditē [greek] ishtar [babylonian] shukra [indian] is the goddess of love, femininity, beauty, music, art, and sexual pleasures. venus is the yin side of libido, passive and dark. venus is magnetic and seductive, she knows how to make things happen without actually doing anything tangible. brings harmony and softness. affinity with artistic endeavours, aesthetics and creativity.

mars ♂ diety: martus [roman] arēs [greek] nergal [babylonian] kuja [indian] is the god of war, the warrior, the rage, anger, passion, vitality, will to fight; the will to live. it is violent aggressive. the yang side of libido, active and light. mars brings destruction and chaos when not disciplined. mars is sharp either physically or mentally.

jupiter ♃ diety: jove [roman] zues [greek] marduk [babylonian] brihaspati [indian] is the sage of wisdom, abundance, optimism, faith, luck, philosophy, and higher knowledge. jupiter is the biggest planet in the entire solar system, symbolizing expansion and growth. jovial and hopeful.

saturn ♄ diety: saturnus [roman] kronos [greek] ninurta [babylonian] shani [indian] is elder, the authoritative figure who puts you in solitary and through long-lasting punishments. saturn makes you or breaks you, for the greater good in the long-term. the visible rings around saturn symbolize constraints and restrictions. what bounds you can also be your key to freedom.

classification of the planets:

hot - sun ☉ mars ♂ jupiter ♃ venus ♀ changeable - mercury ☿

cold - moon ☽ saturn ♄

dry - mars ♂ sun ☉ saturn ♄ changeable - mercury ☿

moist - moon ☽ venus ♀ jupiter ♃

planets can be classified as hot, cold, moist, and dry

benefic - jupiter ♃ venus ♀ changeable - mercury ☿

malefic - saturn ♄ mars ♂

planets can be classified as benefic, "doers of good", or malefic, "doers of bad".

masculine - sun ☉ jupiter ♃ saturn ♄ mars ♂ androgynous - ☿

feminine - moon ☽ venus ♀

diurnal - sun ☉ jupiter ♃ saturn ♄ common - mercury ☿

nocturnal - moon ☽ venus ♀ mars ♂

planets can belong to either the diurnal (day) sect or to the nocturnal (night) sect.

what planet is your chart ruler? what condition is it in? let me know in the comments!

made by yours truly <3

- @celestialsibyl

[elodieunderglass]

I volunteer in a charity shop in a small town surrounded by fields. One of our regulars is a tiny drag queen who, when not buying every piece of sparkly nonsense small enough to fit him, works with horses. He is a perfect match for your description of a retired jockey and I just thought you should know this.

(In reference to this description of a retired jockey which came about because OH GOD I MADE MYSELF SO SAD RESEARCHING JOCKEY INJURIES, I could not go on until trying to promise myself Killie got to retire (and not be horseless.) Also, while writing that comic, I got intensely and powerfully sad that I wanted it to be true, and that Greyuncle Killie could really be living his weird little life on some other plane. But he is not only fictional, but an OC; how lonely to only exist when one person thinks of you; how sad to seem so vibrantly real that it’s easy for someone to imagine, resignedly, that of course you’re the sort of man to wear a Barbour gilet - but not get to be real, or retire, at all.)

You cannot imagine how timely and lovely it was to receive this ask. Genuinely went from a strange grief feeling about a little man who isn’t real, to feeling a clear and powerful sense of life-affirmation. The world is full of so many guys, out there, and they are living complex lives, and if you don’t know that guy, maybe SOMEBODY does. Maybe you ARE that guy. And there are guys like you out there.

I am so, so glad to know this. Thank you sincerely.

[dectech]

We all know about the fuss around Pluto, how many decry its "demotion" to a dwarf planet, and how it's still an honorary planet in the hearts of many, and I totally get it, but I don't think any of you out there are taking it far enough.

What about the rest of the so-called "dwarf" planets, huh? where's their justice? what about Ceres? Haumea? Makemake? Eris? fucking Quaoar?! why have just eight planets when you can have 18?! Why only invite Pluto to the party if you're already gonna expand the guest's list?!

you know what should be "demoted"? fucking Phobos and Deimos, the two "moons" of Mars. these two motherfuckers are proof that the barrier-to-entry for moons is too low. they're barely visible, they don't effect mars in any meaningful way, they aren't even round since they aren't big enough to round themselves under their own gravity, and one of them isn't even in a stable orbit of Mars! Phobos is gonna get ripped apart by mars' gravity in just a few dozen million years!

the concept of a "Dwarf Moon" is too good for them. they should be called, like, sateloids or something. Lunoids at most. fuck em

[stellanix]

there's a lot of debate in the scientific community and in the general public over the definition of the word "planet," with some saying that only the 8 most gravitationally dominant objects orbiting the sun should be considered planets, and others saying that any gravitationally rounded object in space, even moons, should be classified as planets, and still others who insist that all the scientists are wrong and that the planets should be the big 8 plus pluto because nostalgia or whatever

i propose a simple alternative that will make everyone happy: defining planet as a grain size on the wentworth scale (the scale used by geologists to describe the sizes of sediment grains), as a category above "boulder"

in this system, a planet would be any grain larger than, say, 500000000 mm. earth would be a fine planet, jupiter would be a very coarse planet, neptune would be a coarse planet, exoplanets between earth and neptune in size would be medium planets, and our beloved little pluto would be a very fine planet <3

[archivyrep]

Knowledge, Classification, and Ledo's Record-Informed Epiphany in "Gargantia" [Part 2]

Chambers begins playing the classified record

The video Ledo watches shows something shocking: the Hideauze are humanoid and were originally human! This causes Ledo to come to the realization that he has been killing fellow humans. He regrets his genocidal actions and questions whether it is even worth fighting against the Hideauze at all. Undoubtedly, there is more trauma for Ledo, heightened when he holds the flesh of the dead squid in his hands. Even with this new information, which Chambers had claimed was "manipulated" by the "enemy", without providing any evidence, Chambers continues to argue for the just-ness of a war despite it being based on lies. It is later revealed, when Ledo seems to meet Kugel, his former commander, that upper echelons of the Galactic Alliance knew all along. However, they never informed the soldiers battling on the front lines. Without giving any more spoilers, Ledo remains on Earth without returning to space, with records causing an epiphany and causing the remaining Galactic Alliance mindset of fighting against the enemy no matter the cost to fall away.

Reprinted from my Wading Through the Cultural Stacks WordPress blog, where it was published on June 14, 2023.

All in all, although records, and their concealment, are a crucial part of the series, especially in Ledo's epiphany of sorts, reviewers don't mention them in their publications. However, they note how the premise feels "arbitrarily constructed" at times, while depicting intricate details successfully at other points, as part of a successful sci-fi story, that there is violence throughout, and that the production values are superb in many ways. [3] The focus on how classification of records can impede knowledge is something I haven't seen in an anime or animation series to date. The closest parallel I can come to is the archival work, of sorts, by Ura in Pale Cocoon. What happens in Gargantia is different in many ways, even from the depiction of classified records in The Crown or the classified archives of the CIA shown in an episode of Alias, as Archives in Fiction once noted.

For one, it shows the efforts the Galactic Alliance went to in order to conceal the truth. If the soldiers on the front lines knew that they were fighting humans, or more accurately humanoid descendants, there would likely be resistance, perhaps even mass desertion. So, their solution is to distort the reality, paint the "enemy" as a lesser lifeform, something that can't even think, when the Hideauze are just as smart as humans, although they might not seem that way. Secondly, the fact that Chambers immediately determines that the classified record is manipulated because it contradicts Alliance records shows how deeply entrenched his programming is with propaganda from the Alliance itself! As it has been said many times, no program, algorithm, technology, code, or anything is neutral. Rather, it is shaped by human perceptions. That is the case for Chambers.

What Ledo experiences is not a form of record erasure, alteration, or deletion, but, rather, a form of record concealment. The record he views does not have any completeness, as it is choppy, and the video is distorted. The latter may be part of the reasoning what Chambers claimed the records were manipulated, thinking it wasn't accurate. To Ledo, and the viewer, it appeared to be accurate. Furthermore, it was reliable in the sense it was "created by a competent authority, according to established processes", as it was a Galactic Alliance record. It is surprising it was left behind and not hidden. Perhaps the thinking was that it would never be found, so there was no need to destroy it, and it had lost all usefulness to them.

There is no doubt that the record is trustworthy, authentic, and genuine. Chambers clearly believes that the record is counterfeit, i.e. an item which is "falsely represented as the thing it imitates", an "unauthorized copy presented as an authentic original", or something worse: a forgery. Of course, Chambers likely has different definitions than the Society of American Archivists' Dictionary of Archives Terminology. The record, presented in the form of a degrade tape, is further confirmed as genuine by the testimony of "Kugel".

In the end, while there are no characters like Jocasta Nu in Star Wars or Nathan's grandfather in Stretch Armstrong, records remain an important part of the story in Gargantia, serving as an important plot point in more ways than one. There is no storage of records akin to R2-D2. Instead, there is recovery of lost data and records that were left behind/discarded, in an attempt to twist how people viewed the present. That is something unique to this series, as I can't think of any other series off hand, apart from Pale Cocoon, which focus on data recovery, and have declassification as something commanded by the protagonist. In that sense, Gargantia is different. That's all for this time. Until the next post sometime next month, likely on a different topic. Let me know in the comments what you think.

© 2022-2023 Burkely Hermann. All rights reserved.

Notes

[3] See, for example, reviews in THEM Anime Reviews and Anime News Network (also here). As a warning, the sixth episode has transphobic themes which may offend viewers.

[purplefloatingelephants]

ah yes a hot tube of unidentifiable meat, how might it acquire the moniker of "hot dog"?

the thing is that whenever someone says "pluto IS a planet" you don't know if they're actually a space fan who is prepared to love and cherish all the other bodies that would become planets if pluto was promoted again or the dumbest motherfucker on earth who thinks science should have stopped when they left 3rd grade

[dyke-mecha]

Related to that last post. I wonder if Jod counts Pluto as a planet or not.

[janmisali]

wow pluto reclassification discourse is exhausting. here I thought doing a poll that highlights some of pluto's cool lesser known dwarf planet friends would put things in a context where it can't possibly go in that direction but nope a bunch people really do just hold a hard stance against a classification system entirely out of a sense of nostalgia

[cmaidaartworkblog]

This video showcases my Blender model of the planet that the Scud aliens call home, the fourth and final world I've mapped out for @jayrockin's "Runaway to the Stars" project. A *lot* of maps were created in service of this final render, and also in service of presenting the special qualities of this planet. I intend to show you as many of these as I can under the cut, and also in subsequent posts focusing on some of the more interstitial, ancillary maps and figures that played a part in producing the primary maps you'll see in this main post.

Before I show the first maps I made for this project, what you see below are the satellite-style maps for the Equinoxes and Solstices, in order of (Northern) Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter, the latter serving as the texture for the Blender object you saw in the video.

__________

With that matter covered, our next focus is this project's foundation: Geology. While I didn't spin as elaborate a tectonic history for this planet as I did for the Ayrum commission, I did work out as much detail as I could for the more recent geological activity, to set the stage for the elevation data - including a narrower focus on the coastal shallows that host the Scud populations.

__________

Once I could move on to climate, my first step was finding this planet's relative Insolation, which I managed thanks to @reversedumbrella's code and coaching. With an obliquity of only 16 degrees, this planet's yearly maximum Insolation levels stick close to the equator, compared to pole-to-pole oscillation we see on Earth

__________

Having a rough sense of where heat would concentrate seasonally and how the landmasses would deflect water in light of the planet's retrograde spin, I was able to set down the bi-annual ocean currents (Northern Summer above and Northern Winter below), then the monthly water temperatures pushed around by said currents, and finally -after factoring in many other considerations- the monthly land temperatures as well (combined in the second gif)

__________

Next came the seasonal air pressure maps and subsequent wind patterns (my first time creating those from scratch), which later factored into the precipitation maps. The incredible temperatures at the largest continent's interior make a desert of most of it, and the other interiors are fairly dry too, but all that heat on the equatorial ocean generates a *lot* of evaporation which ends up coming down elsewhere.

__________

With temperatures and precipitation mapped out for each month, I was able to find how the accumulation and melt of ice and snow played out, too. Given such a hot equator it's surprising to see freezing temperatures hold out in some places, but low obliquity and high elevation shield what areas they can, it seems.

__________

All this monthly data was then painstakingly combined and compared and plugged into equations to produce maps of discrete climate zones, using both the Köppen (left) and Trewartha (right) classification systems. The higher latitudes see some overlap with Earth's conditions, but the Tropics...

__________

I never really finished the map I wanted to make with my own loosely customized classification system, but I *did* get as far as this breakdown of the areas that sometimes surpass 56.7 degrees Celsius, Earth's record for highest surface temperature ever directly measured. And as you can see, that earthly record is broken by a *significant* fraction of this planet's surface, and far exceeded by the equatorial continent's deep interior

__________

The final phase of this project dealt with creating satellite maps of this planet's surface (which you saw at the top of this post), which started with a map of dry and submerged substrate, then a density map of the vegetation that sits atop it, then the colors of that vegetation under annual average conditions (demonstrating how they would appear in-person, rather than the area's appearance from orbit), and finally plant colors under seasonal conditions (same conceit as previous). In concert with the seasonal ice and snow maps, it was the four maps in the last sequence which were overlaid on the Substrate map, using the plant density map as raster masks, to produce the final Satellite-Style maps.

__________

This planet's sophonts being a marine species, it was then worth focusing on the conditions underwater, which included monthly seafloor temperatures (first gif), annual discharge of sediment from rivers (magenta in the 2nd gif), and seasonal upwelling of nutrients from deeper water (blue in the 2nd gif).

The creation of all my maps seen in this post was possible thanks to Photopea, which has been my go-to for several years now. The resolution kinda got crunched when I uploaded these here, so when I share them on Reddit later I'll add those links under this. These have also already been posted on Twitter, which you can see here if you like. Thanks for scrolling all the way down here!

[leirathemartian]

...Clyde Tombaugh discovered Pluto while working at the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona. The statement about New Mexico is true, but it's because Tombaugh was a long time resident of New Mexico, not because it was discovered there. The law in Illinois is because he was born there.

The Lowell Observatory is worth a visit if you're ever in Flagstaff.

Map depicting which US States legally consider Pluto a planet.

[azulhood]

DC x DP Prompt

What if Danny's core is literally just Pluto?

He would get so pissed and offended when people talk about pluto's planet classification.

He will fight over the fact that, yes it is a planet, it has moons so that makes it a planet.

So when some guy in his class starts the 'pluto isn't a planet' argument, Danny is obviously going to going to defend his planet/core/himself.

It ends with a fist fight.

Or more accurately, it ends with three broken ribs, a black eye, and multiple fractures.

When Jazz stormed into the nurses office the first words out of his mouth probably shouldn't have been "you should see the other guy." The other guy in question being Damian Wayne.

[teapartyprincess4two]

Parenthood- M. Sturniolo

pairing: Mom!reader x Dad!Matt

classification: SFW & NSFW headcannons

inspiration: request

warnings: some 18+ content, use of Y/n, established relationship, I didn’t name the children but Matt has a son and a daughter in this 👍🏻

summary: head cannons of dad!Matt.

Parenthood- C. Sturniolo (Chris’s Version)

—

☆SFW

From the moment Matt met you, he knew he wanted you to be the mother of his children. Both of your children were received with so much love and joy, but Matt still had to learn how to navigate being a boy dad and a girl dad.

☆ Your firstborn is a boy and Matt can’t contain the excitement he feels when he first finds out.

☆ He’s overprotective of you throughout the entire pregnancy, ready to take care of your every need.

☆ Your son is hyper, rambunctious, curious and a force to be reckoned with. He barges into the room with so much energy balled up into his small figure that he’s bouncing off the walls.

☆ When your daughter is born, she’s the complete opposite of your son. She’s calm, quiet, and docile.

☆ It takes Matt some time to adjust to having a baby girl, but as soon as he gets in the groove of it he can’t remember what life was like before having a daughter.

☆ Matt’s playing soccer outside with your son, playing pirates, boxing, and building elaborate Lego sets with him.

☆ “No dad! We’re pirates! We have to steal all the gold!” your son explains, adjusting his make-shift eyepatch.

☆ “I thought we were ninjas?!” Matt’s out of breath, running after a fast toddler was extremely tiring.

☆ “No! We just beat the ninjas! They tried sneaking onto the ship, remember?” Your son’s imagination was too fast for Matt to keep up with.

☆ “Argh matey,” Matt replies, ready to continue with the game.

☆ But when your daughter wants attention he’s playing dress up, attending a tea party, getting his nails and makeup done, and talking to all her stuffed animals.

☆ “Daddy Miss Twinkle is mad at you for eating her cookies!” your daughter whispers, almost like she’s gossiping.

☆ Matt has lost track over which stuffed animal is which, but he’s assuming Miss Twinkle is the unicorn across from him.

☆ “I’m sorry Miss Twinkle,” he apologizes, shaking the toy’s hand.

☆ “Dad that was Lady Unicorn. Miss Twinkle is the teddy bear in the pink dress,” your daughter slaps her forehead. “Oops,” he laughs, taking a fake sip of tea.

☆ Matt has learned to be silly, fatherhood softening him and allowing him to abandon all embarrassment.

☆ “What are you wearing?” you laugh, Matt’s serious face adding to the comedy of the situation.

☆ He’s fully decked out in a pizza costume, trying to make your children laugh. “I’m a piece of pizza,” he replies goofily, putting on his best Italian accent.

☆ “You’re so silly daddy,” your son giggles. In his eyes, Matt is the funniest person on the planet.

☆ Your daughter is not as amused, but she smiles nonetheless.

☆ Matt loves doing domestic things with his little family. He’ll randomly pull out a baking sheet, all the ingredients to make cookies, and throw on an apron.

☆ “You’re doing so good, baby,” he coos, watching as your daughter throws an entire, uncracked egg into the mixing bowl. He wasn’t going to use that batch, but the words of encouragement have her smiling.

☆ Children fight all the time, especially when they’re siblings, and your kids are no exception. The year age gap doesn’t help either, so you’ll often find your kids bickering over the smallest things.

☆ “It’s not your turn to play, though!” your son attempts to reason, yanking the controller out of his sisters hands.

☆ “You played all day bozo!” she replies, sticking her tongue out at him.

☆ Matt hears the fight from his room, reluctantly getting up from his comfortable spot on his bed and walking over to where his children are.

☆ “What’s going on?” he asks, arms crossed and a displeased look etched on his face.

☆ “She’s being so annoying, dad!” your son exclaims, and before Matt knows it his kids are pushing, slapping, and punching each other.

☆ “HEY! BEHAVE!” Matt pulls them off of each other, scolding them both without favoritism. He goes on to lecture them about the importance of siblings and doesn’t leave until they hug and make up.

☆ Matt’s entire camera roll is filled with videos and pictures of his kids. Kindergarten ceremonies, family vacations, first haircuts, candid photos; all of it is being documented by Matt at all times.

☆ If he’s ever away from home for a long time, he’s scrolling through his gallery and reminiscing on all his memories with his babies.

☆ Your son is obsessed with video games, something that he and Matt bond over. And although your daughter isn’t as invested, she’s still really good at them.

☆ Mortal Kombat is a game they all play and enjoy together.

☆ “Move over and watch the queen play,” your daughter jokes, taking the controller from Matt after watching him lose time and time again to her brother.

☆ “Yeah, you wish you could beat me,” your son scoffs, readying up for another round.

☆ Your daughter chooses a girly character, which has your son rolling his eyes, but as soon as the round begins he can’t get a single hit in.

☆ Matt is in shock at her level of expertise, she was using combos he didn’t even know about.

☆ “Okay my turn against you, babygirl,” Matt takes the controller from his son, ready to play all night long if he has to.

☆ Having teenagers is hard and tiring, Matt feels like he ages 10 years in just one day with the amount of stress his kids cause him.

☆ Your daughter’s brain is suddenly occupied with nothing but boys and your son is starting to take girls on dates.

☆ “That skirt is too short,” you warn your daughter.

☆ “It is not,” she fights back, genuinely finding nothing wrong with her provocative outfit.

☆ Matt doesn’t have to say anything, one stern look has her trudging back upstairs to change.

☆ “Dad can I borrow the car?” your son asks nervously, avoiding Matt’s eyes at all costs.

☆ “For?” Matt’s not stupid, he knows what teenagers do.

☆ “Nothing, just hanging with some friends,” your son replies, but it doesn’t take long for Matt to get the truth out of him.

☆ Overall, fatherhood has been extremely rewarding for Matt. He sees it in the way his children love and look out for each other and what a great mom you are.

☆ “I love you guys so much,” Matt gushes, pulling the three of you in for a group hug.

☆ “Dad stop being weird,” your son groans, your daughter seconds his statement, but they don’t pull away from the hug.

☆NSFW

Having two children can take up a lot of personal time, especially when your daughter needs you and your son needs Matt. There’s never really any time for you and Matt to just exist as a couple, but he works hard to make sure you feel special everyday.

☆ You’re cooking lunch, the pure domesticity of your actions being enough to turn Matt on.

☆ The kids are still at school and if he’s convincing enough, you’ll abandon whatever’s on the stove and let him please you.

☆ Sneaky arms are wrapping around your waist, rocking you back and forth to the beat of the music that plays lowly in the background.

☆ Matt’s lips find your neck, your head falling back onto his shoulder in pleasure.

☆ Before you know it, you’re bent over the kitchen counter and Matt’s balls deep in you. “Take it,” he grunts, his hands gripping your waist so tight there were sure to be bruises.

☆ The food on the stove burns and you end up ordering pizza.

☆ When the kids are old enough, you and Matt leave them at home alone while you run errands.

☆ Something as simple as a quick trip to the grocery store turns into heated, passionate car sex.

☆ The windows are foggy and the car rocks with each thrust, Matt’s arms wrapped tightly around your waist as you ride him in the front seat.

☆ “You’re so fucking sexy,” he grunts, falling more in love with you as you whimper out his name. It doesn’t take long for him to finish, a string of curse words falling from his lips.

☆ Most times you two just do it in the shower. It’s sweet and full of so much love.

☆ He’ll fuck you against the cold tile wall before scrubbing your back and washing your hair you.

☆ It’s the sweet moments like this that both of you cherish. “I love you so much,” he whispers, the warm water running down both your faces. “I love you too,” you reply with a smile, going in for a passionate kiss.

—

MASTERLIST

A/n: can I hear some commotion for dad Matt🎤

-L.A.M.B👼🏻💗

—

taglist: @nicksmainbitch @sturniololovers @mayhem-72 @worldlxvlys @gnxosblog @meg-sturniolo @creamoncreamoncream2 @mattnchrisworld @sanyi5 @lustfulslxt @whicked-hazlatwhore @tworosesblackthorn @mxqdii @fawned01 @junnniiieee07 @sturniolololover @missriddle03

note: if you want to be tagged in my fanfic related posts, you can access my TAGLIST and comment 💐

[posts-from-pluto]

Humans are strange - willing hosts? (pets)

(This is just me exploring the idea of how it would go if someone requested permission to get a dog) (ft no names again bc I can't be bothered rn)

Edit: upon rereading this in the morning I've realized that the idea was floating around my head bc the post I reblogged before this so credit for inspo to them

----

Alien: Human.

Human: Yes?

Alien: Why have you requested permission to obtain a parasite?

Human: ....I haven't????

Alien: Ooh have I perhaps been mistaken? You were not the one who requested a small lifeform of the Canis lupus familiaris classification from your home planet be brought aboard?

Human: ....What's the common name for that classification?

Alien: Domestic dog

Human: Wait yeah that was me then... but they're not parasites?

Alien: There is no need to lie to me human for I have done the research.

Alien: You poor creatures have been subjected to harrasment from these lifeforms occupying your homes for far too long and I have been lead to understand that your species does not benefit from them.

Human: .... no wait we do benefit

Alien: Some of you do, having the creatures assist you with minute tasks, but the majority those who are being subjected to their exist are in parasitic relationships simply providing them with food and housing.

Human:.... Actually they do provide a essential service to all the people housing them.

Alien: And what is that???

Human: They make us happy

Alien:.... Is this the stockhold symdrome I have heard of?

Human: What no

Human: where did you even hear about that haha

Alien: That is unimportant. What is important is that you are safe here human, there is no need to return to a parasitic relationship.

Human: No I was being serious about them making us happy

Human: well, to explain it better they generally help us be more emotionally stable which is positive for our mental health

Alien: Oh I see, I will have to ensure that no occupants aboard the ship would be harmed by sharing the space with a 'dog' first, but I may approve your request then.

[corvus-3]

also the discovery of Eris (and other TNOs) triggering the whole reclassification of planets situation is cool as hell and way more interesting than "things are the same"

the internet is so awesome because it connects me to other autistic girls who have also spent a decade being really mad about people who cry and scream over Pluto not being classified as a planet anymore.

[archivyrep]

Knowledge, Classification, and Ledo's Record-Informed Epiphany in "Gargantia" [Part 1]

In the first episode, Ledo, along with other recruits, is subjected to a propagandistic presentation about the Hideauze, with the Vitruvian Man front and center, symbolic of the workings of the universe.

In the past, I've briefly mentioned Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet, a mecha science fantasy anime currently available on various streaming platforms, [1] noting how Nathan's grandfather in Stretch Armstrong was like Doctor Oldham, the sage in Gargantia, or a fan fiction written by my friend which focuses on characters within Gargantia and other series, with scenes set in archives, and featuring archivists. However, I had forgotten how much records are a central part of the series! They are even more of a uniting theme in the show than any of the brief library scenes, which I've written about on my sister blog. [2] In this post, I'll examine those moments in the series, while connecting them archives and records management concepts.

Reprinted from my Wading Through the Cultural Stacks WordPress blog, where it was published on June 14, 2023.

The series begins with an explanation of the war between humans, fashioning themselves as Galactic Alliance of Humankind and the Hideauze, with the latter squid-like features said to be the enemies of human beings. Ledo (voiced by Kaito Ishikawa), the show's protagonist, is an ensign within a mechanized machine also known as "Chamber", believes this narrative and is a loyal footsoldier who is about to end his tour of duty. After a hasty battle with the Hideauze, which ends in defeat, a retreat, and much loss of life, he is thrown through a wormhole. He finds himself on a salvage ship in Earth, awaking six months later. The rest of the series follows his attempts to get in contact with the Galactic Alliance Fleet while learning more about Earth and why it ended up the way it did.

In this way, records are a central part of the story. Ledo relies on Chamber to translate human language into something he can understand. Colored by his own perceptions informed by Galactic Alliance propaganda, he looks critically at the society which has clustered around a floating city of sorts composed by inter-locking fleets. He even wonders why the "weak" in Gargantia are helped, when they would be culled as "unnecessary" in his society. This comes to a head in "The Flute of Recollection" when Amy (voiced by Hisako Kanemoto), the girl who Ledo temporarily kidnapped in the first episode, brings him to visit the so-called "Sage" of Gargantia: Oldham (voiced by Hideyuki Umezu). He has a library atop a tower on one of the ships, with books of different kinds. Ledo asks about supposed "inefficiencies" in Gargantian society and hopes for information about how to get into space. Oldham tells him that very little history has been kept, with only limited information remaining about space travel. This leaves Ledo dispirited, but he continues his quest.

He learns that the squid in the ocean, known as whalesquid, are just like the Hideauze, becoming a pariah for killing one. While his mindset, informed by Galactic Alliance propaganda, he remains committed to wiping out these squid. That is until the episode "Deep Sea Secret". In the episode, after going through the squid nest, decimating all in his wake, he comes across a structure with data disks. When he asks Chambers to show him the record, he is informed it is classified by the Galactic Alliance. He commands Chambers to declassify it, saying he is the ranking officer, and that classification, in this case doesn't matter.

© 2022-2023 Burkely Hermann. All rights reserved.

Notes

[1] Hulu has all of the episodes except the last two OVAs, while Crunchyroll has all of the episodes available. The series, I believe, was formerly available on Funimation. Simply, the series proper was 13 episodes, but there were four OVAs: "Abandoned Fleet" (OVA1), "The Oracle's Altar" (OVA2), "Far Beyond the Voyage Part 1" (OVA3), and "Far Beyond the Voyage Part 2" (OVA4),

[2] Specifically, I've noted that Oldham is an information provider by serving as a medical doctor and librarian, "working out of his own library atop a spire, equivalent to an ivory tower" and noted an OVA episode where another library is shown. I had even said that he had the appearance of "an elderly White man" but later realized he is a Japanese man, as is clear from his voice actor, along with inferences from the show. I also noted that he does fulfill his library duties while serving a patron, "although not in the way we usually envision" and said that his depiction goes beyond stereotypes.

[zeropro]

How long have they been away from Cybertron, and is the planet alright or a hustle world?

I think at some point I'm gonna make a post with all my AU content in chronological order, but for now you can just have my notes on the timeline.

(check tags for the tldr on the ask)

Here’s the current timeline so far…

Long ass time ago BCE

The first Cybertronian Golden Age

Luna 1 disappears

Paradise era, Knights of Cybertron leave

Cybertronian Dark Age (The Age of Barbarism)

Rise of the thirteen

Cyberutopia is created somewhere

Onyx Prime (who is NOT Shockwave in this AU) attempts a colonialism

The Dead Universe and Unicron are created

Caminus, Velocitron, and other planets are colonized by Titans

Megatrous kills Solus Prime with the Star Saber

First civil war

During experimentation into gestalt technology, five beastformers are made into the first successful Combiner team: the Predacons

After the war, Nova Prime ushers in the Second Golden Age and resets the calendar

5.7 million BCE

“Functionist sentiment becomes an institution of society overseen by the Functionist Council, with robots expected to stick to a single job determined by their alt modes.” -tfwiki

Nova Prime enacts “The Expansion,” for which the first wave of cold constructed Cybertronians are brought online

Megatron (1st cycle 012) and Orion Pax are born under Functionalism. Megatron is one of the first cold constructed mechs.

The Constructicons are created

Nova Prime disappears into the dead universe and Nominus Prime takes leadership under a new corrupt senate. Expansion is put on hold

Megatron works as a miner in Tarn (demolition=menial labor class) Megs wanted to be a medic but quickly gives up on that dream

Orion Pax works as a dock worker in Iacon (truck=transport class) OP wanted to be an archivist and is able to work his way up to it due to having access to greater social mobility

Cybertron experiences no shortage of violence: civil wars, riots, off-world campaigns, and alien invasions continue to happen sporadically throughout its history. Wanting to bolster Cybertron’s airforce, a new style of war-frame is designed and mass produced. These cold constructed jets received the classification: Seekers (after their intended function: seek and destroy)

Skywarp is born (6th cycle 023) as a first generation Seeker and was immediately sent to the military. He is then at some point reassigned to spec ops due to his powerful outlier ability.

Seekers offline too easily so the next few waves of Seekers are sent to the Cybertronian War Academy for training before joining the military

Skywarp is sent to Praxus and subjected to intensive study. Space bridge and quantum based hyper-drive technology will later see great advancements thanks to his contributions to science

Thundercracker is brought online as one of the last batch of Seekers (24th cycle 124). By then the Cybertronian War Academy roster was too full so he was given the (limited) option to pick his vocation. He chose to work as a courier in Vos.

“Those who were constructed cold face institutionalized apartheid; although this eventually ends due to mounting public pressure, including mass protests and marches. However, intrinsic prejudice against constructed cold Transformers persists in among a sizable percentage of the population.” -tfwiki

Megatron and pax become friends while advocating against cold construct apartheid and functionalism. Pax considered Megatron like a brother to him but Megatron always felt distanced by their class divide

Scientists have been pulling sparks out of the Matrix faster than frames can be constructed for them. Sparks without ready frames will be “frozen” for future use

The Matrix "runs dry" (is replaced by a fake) and cold construction as a common method of creation stops entirely

The Senate’s evil science division, the Institute, establishes Shadowplay and Empurata as common practices

The energy crisis forces a planet-wide rationing of resources

Cryak commissions a Seeker frame to be constructed and has a thawed spark placed in it. Starscream is born (22nd cycle 415).

5 million BCE

Starscream escapes

Thundercracker finds Starscream

4.5 million BCE

Due to the energy crisis, tension is high between city-states. The Senate establish the sport of Gladiatorial games to try and mitigate the animosity. These games are held in Kaon and become very popular

Starscream defies Functionalism by pursuing many different jobs. Whenever he would get in trouble or fall on hard times he’d turn to Thundercracker for help

Orion Pax encourages Megatron to publish his political writings

Orion Pax joins the police force

The first appearance of the pacifist grassroots movement calling themselves Decepticons. Their ideology is based on Megatron’s first published treatise

Megatron is caught in a bar fight and is wrongfully arrested. Whirl beats him up in jail, changing Megatron’s perspective on violence

Megatron loses his job due to automation and signs up to be a gladiator

Starscream goes to college (not really, I just like to call the period of time where he went to work as a Scientist in Iacon "college" cuz it's funny XD) and meets Skyfire. The two become close

Senator Protius promises to make the Decepticons a real political party by way of census. In truth he just wanted a list of names so they can shadowplay all the Decepticons. Skyfire almost signs on but Starscream convinces him not to

Megatron continues to publish his writings while gaining fame as a gladiator. The Decepticon movement takes a shift from pacifism towards terrorism

Skywarp likes watching the gladiator fights whenever they are assigned to patrol the events  

The gladiator Ravage finds a discarded Soundwave struggling to deal with his telepathic powers and takes him under his wing

Skywarp plays a prank on the government

Starscream and Skyfire go off-world on an expedition, intending to travel to the Sol system and back (they're gone for about 40 turns on the Cybertronian calendar, or approximately 50,000 Earth years)

The Senate discover Nominus’ matrix is a fake and have him secretly killed

The Senate enacts the Clampdown

Thundercracker loses his job and is forced to join the military

4.3 million BCE

Senator Shockwave gets shadowplayed

Sentinel Prime takes leadership

The Decepticons begin secretly forming an army under Megatron

Orion Pax and Megatron break up

Starscream returns to Cybertron without Skyfire and is subsequently tried for Skyfire’s murder, for which he was found innocent. He is still expelled from the Academy

Starscream goes back to Vos, and crashes on Thundercracker's couch for a while

Thundercracker takes Starscream to watch a gladiator fight, which is where Starscream takes note of Megatron

Despite his reservations, Starscream joins the military in order to learn how to fight as well as gain rapport with the military Seekers

While stealing a military airship, Megatron finds Skywarp locked up in the ship's engine room and rescues him. Skywarp joins the Decepticons

Tension between Vos and Tarn is at an all time high, leading to outright civil war between the two city-states

4 million BCE

The Bombing of Vos ends the civil war

Megatron shows up to recruit Decepticons in the aftermath of the Vos-Tarn civil war. Starscream stands up and gives a speech that convinces the majority of Vos' Seeker population to join the Decepticons

Starscream joins the Decepticons

Starscream uses Skywarp to get close to Megatron

The Decepticons threaten war by launching an attack on Iacon. Starscream leads the group that levels the Academy to the ground. He doesn't feel better.

Thundercracker is deployed to help quell the Decepticon activity in Iacon. Thundercracker confronts Starscream and Starscream begs him for help. Thundercracker joins the Decepticons

Megatron is captured and almost gets shadowplayed, but escapes thanks to Starscream, Skywarp, and Soundwave

Megatron no longer thinks the current system can be changed, even with violence. Now his aim is to burn it all down and rebuild from scratch.

Starscream and Soundwave massacre the entire Senate 

Shockwave joins the Decepticons

Megatron officially declares war

Megatron defeats Sentinel Prime and Zeta Prime takes leadership

The Fall of the First Five Cities

Zeta Prime attempts a war crime, Orion Pax and Megatron team up to stop him, and then Megatron betrays Orion and leaves him to die

Orion Pax becomes Optimus Prime

The Battle of Sherma Bridge, where Optimus Prime and Megatron first clash (allegedly)

Praxus falls

Starscream becomes Air Commander. He appoints Thundercracker and Skywarp as his Wing Second and Third. The Trine is complete

Decepticons pull ahead and as a last ditch effort the Autobots thaw previously frozen sparks to construct a new army of MTOs

War happens

The Trine grow close

Megatron gets worse

3 million BCE

War continues to happen

Megatron at this point has tunnel visioned into wanting only one thing: defeating Optimus Prime

Megatron and Prime get into giant hamster balls and play WOW for several vorn. Starscream is mad about it

Starscream starts trying to take over the Decepticons and Megatron physically punishes him for it.

While on a mission, Thundercracker meets Bumblebee briefly

Skywarp accidentally sacrifices himself to protect Starscream, almost dying. Starscream is devastated to find he actually cares about this idiot

1 million BCE

The Autobots (aboard the Ark) and the Decepticons (aboard the Nemesis) leave Cybertron in search of resources

They crash on prehistoric Earth and remain in stasis for one million years

The war continues on Cybertron, lead by Shockwave and Elita1

0.9 million BCE

The Decepticons overthrow Shockwave and he flees to Luna 2

Hot Rod gathers a rag tag crew and leaves Cybertron on the Lost Light in search of Optimus Prime

The Lost Light discovers the Dead Universe and Nova Prime

Cyclonus joins the Lost Light crew

0.7 million BCE

Shockwave clones Sunstorm

The Great Shutdown: Cybertron completely runs out of energy and everyone falls into stasis

The Lost Light return to Cybertron. Upon finding everyone in stasis, they venture back into space to find a solution

1984

Reawakened on Earth, the Autobots continue to wage their battle to destroy the evil forces of the Decepticons

The Decepticons rebuild the Nemisis into the Victory and try to head back to Cybertron, but they crash into the ocean after Autobot interference

Megatron orders Shockwave to build him a space bridge while he collects energy on Earth to revive Cybertron

Megatron begins abusing Starscream

Typical G1 Cartoon shenanigans occur

Wheeljack builds the Dinobots

The Decepticons find Skyfire in the ice. Starscream tries to get Skyfire to join the Decepticons, but Skyfire refuses when Starscream proves willing to harm humans

Starscream starts to have nightmares. He stops sleeping well

1991

Shockwave completes his space bridge and visits Earth, only to find Megatron has completely lost the plot. After serving on Earth for a few years he goes back to Luna 2 with the intent on finishing his doomsday device, only to find Sunstorm has escaped. He begins migrating his lab to the Decepticon's ocean base on Earth in order to finish his work there.

Megatron obtains frozen sparks from Cybertron and builds the Stunticons. The Autobots rescue half the sparks he had brought over and create the Aerialbots

Starscream's plots to overthrow Megatron are becoming more and more unhinged. At some point he goes to Cybertron and steals some incarcerated memory components and builds the Combaticons, effectively freeing these criminals (including Swindle) from jail

Hot Rod and the Lost Light crew arrive on Earth

2008

Megatron goes too far

Thundercracker defects

2009

After the Decepticons destroyed several human cities, the Autobots finally defeat Megatron with the help of their human allies at the Battle of New York

Seeing that Megatron has fallen, Starscream declares himself the new leader, but Soundwave rescues Megatron's mostly dead body and convinces Shockwave to try and fix him

Optimus Prime dies of his injuries and Bumblebee becomes leader

Hot Rod, now going by Rodimus, leaves Earth on the Lost Light

2010

The humans are justifiably angry with the Cybertronians for destroying their world. Unable to leave the planet, the remaining Decepticons either get captured or go into hiding. 

Thundercracker watches a lot of TV and is now friends with Bumblebee

The Autobots are helping capture Decepticons on Earth

Starscream struggles to lead the Decepticons

2011

Sunstorm arrives on Earth

Starscream frees the Decepticons from human containment, but they still wont follow him

2012

The humans have rebuilt the cities that were destroyed by the Decepticons three years ago

Everyone basically living as tho the war is over

Megatron is brought back by Shockwave and immediately goes to punish Starscream for doing a poor job leading the Decepticons, even tho Starscream did his best.

Skywarp's loyalty to Megatron finally breaks apart, and he gets them out of there before Megatron turns violent, effectively defecting from the Decepticons

Starscream tries to apologize to Thundercracker in order to get his help with fighting Megatron, but Thundercracker turns him down. Starscream shoots Thundercracker in the back, much to Skywarp’s dismay

Starscream and Skywarp hide out on Earth for a bit

Megatron is trying to gather his scattered forces, specifically the combiners

Starscream and Skywarp have an argument and part ways for a bit

Starscream comes across some Decepticon activity and attacks them

Megatron shows up and begins beating Starscream to a pulp

Skywarp jumps in to save Starscream but is shot mid-warp and his warp drive destabilizes

With no other option, Starscream turns to the Autobots for help, with Skywarp in tow

Thundercracker gets a dog

And that's where we are now! Thanks so much for reading!

The current plan going forward is as follows:

1 year later (2013): Combiner Wars, which leads directly into Dark Cybertron [feat. Sunstorm] followed by the Presidential Arc, which lasts about 3-5 years ending in the Apology Comic